Heaven isn't too far away...

Been having a very metal week. (And I promise, I'll get to the second part of my "Soundtrack to Your Geekdom" post on heavy metal)  I finally caved and bought a ticket to the BIG 4 (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax) at Yankee Stadium. I figured it was a once in a lifetime experience (getting to be ON the field at Yankee Stadium is going to be killer) and I've been wanting to see Metallica and Megadeth since I was in 7th grade. More on this after the show!

Well, that was the good stuff.

Jani Lane's death came as a big shock. One of those things that you come across on a newsfeed or something that you might not think twice about. The more I reflected on it, the sadder I got. Jani Lane was the former lead singer of 80's hairmetal band Warrant, probably best known for their ballad "Heaven" and the horny hit and karaoke standard "Cherry Pie".

But to me, they represent my adolescence. "Down Boys" was the first song I ever learned to play on guitar! I remember practicing it every day on the cheapo acoustic guitar that I got for my birthday in 6th grade. I played the song over and over on my stereo and played along with it until I got it "right". I also remembered changing the words to "Blind Faith" and playing it for my church group (!!). Sigh.Memories.

I actually own 4 or 5 of Warrant's albums (which qualifies me as a fan--since only their first two albums had any hits). I have a Warrant t-shirt somewhere in the attic. A souvenir from seeing them open for Poison some 25 years ago. And the video to "Cherry Pie" is probably responsible for me successfully making it through puberty. (And yeah, Jani Lane ended up marrying Bobbie Brown -- the girl in the video). Case in point:

But in all seriousness, Jani Lane's passing is incredibly sad. After years of struggling with addiction and weight issues (Lane even appeared on Celebrity Fit Club) he seemed like he was on a healthy path and ready for the next chapter in his career. He looked clean, healthy, and focused on his last appearance on VH1 Classic's That Metal Show (which aired shortly after his passing).

Weeks after Amy Winehouse's death, Jani Lane's passing might not be as newsworthy to some -- but it was to me. It made me think of some really great memories in my life that was associated with his music. I'm not going to pretend that he was a deep philosopher, but his music did teach me about fun and love -- especially in my most formative years. And for that, I thank him and will remember him fondly.

R.I.P. Jani.  We'll be playing "Heaven" here.