This is a story from a different time; a time when a 12-year-old kid may have had a paper route, the internet didn't exist, and you were lucky if you got 5 Television stations on a black and white television set (Detroit Area). I won’t try to lie to you. There wasn't any shortage of dangerous and awful things going on in the world, in fact, there were more of them.

That said, your relationships with your friends were less abstract, there was more face-to-face contact than today. We used to knock on neighbors’ doors, to see if kids could come out and play. No appointment necessary. We also used to play baseball in the street. Fatalities were rare, broken windows or other property damage, less so.

This is a coming-of-age story, a story about growing up in a suburb playing in rock bands, doing stupid things, maybe- maybe not paying the consequences and exploring; expanding one’s world, and finding your tribe of lifelong friends.

I wanted to present this story like a stage or radio show, with sound effects,  music, and other actors, painting a picture with sound design. I had a lot of help with this.

I also wanted to include historical context, to keep it real. Social change and politics have always been a cyclonic shit-show. Most of the storms when I was a kid had been spinning since the country’s founding and most of those are still spinning today. Each generation experiences those storms using the ens of their state of technology and social mores, but the basic themes remain the same,

I put together a team of talented people to help me tell the story; people I have known for decades and done many projects with, and new people who are crazy talented in ways that I am totally not.

Some of the names like John Crenshaw, Jamie Hoover, Don Dixon, Marti Jones, Jill Bartlett, Graham Maby, Don Jones, and Steve Karras you may know. Mostly musician types.

It’s been a great ride so far putting together the episodes. As they say in “the biz,” I hope you enjoy the show.

Reviews and Descriptions:

"Robert’s memoir is more proof that the dues-paying years are the most crazy, fun-filled, and potentially dangerous times of a young musician’s life. He captures that naïveté running headlong into harsh reality, usually with hilarious results. Robert also gives us plenty of historical context, on a large and small scale. Between anecdotes about his family, well-chosen photos (some great ones!), and an impressive attention to detail (the radio stations, music stores, and the gear), the reader really gets a feel for the time and the place.”

“If the Dream promised early on of Rock immortality wasn’t ultimately unfulfilled, Robert is not bitter. This book reveals a generous and loving spirit, an enthusiastic raconteur, and a man you definitely want to go have a few beers with!” - Graham Maby“

“As the 70’s turned to the 80’s and the music changed from Rock to Punk, New Wave and Power Pop Robert Crenshaw took a ride with his brother Marshall up the music industry highway. Robert tells a compelling story of family, the highs and lows and the creative vs the business side of his life as well as his struggle to make the world realize that he is a talented musician in his own right. I watched a lot of it happen and Robert tells it in his own unique style.”- Jonathan “Weasel “ Gilbert WTMD Radio