Introduction to "23 Years!"

If you're here, you probably know why you're here because I sent you a link… so this doesn't need much introduction. However, what follows are a collection of recordings made and journals written during my hospital stay from the August 31, 1988 automobile accident. You can listen to the whole thing, you can pick and choose, or you could just ignore. I found this stuff fascinating, and I'm sure some of you will as well. Some of it has very colorful language, so be aware if you have prudish ears or young ones are nearby. However… they are “just words”. Everyone's heard them, many have said them… but in this context you must know that I had an open head injury and a pharmacy worth of drugs piped into my system. If you take the time, I'm sure that you will find quite a few entertaining moments… not to mention a bit of encouragement if you or someone you know gets faced with similar life challenges. The mind and will is very powerful and can help you overcome ANYTHING....or at least deal with it! I hope you enjoy!

The Waiting Room Journal

This is such a treat and treasure. A journal was left for the well wishers to..well...wish. And wish well they did. this is a fantastic collection.

Look here:
Larry's Hospital Journal

Or visit the full screen document here (highly recomended..click the word "here")

Lar-a-thon

Anyone who knows me knows that music is a big part of my life. It has affected every aspect of my life. I was working at the campus radio station, KUCI, at the time of my accident. My group of friends were mostly all from KUCI. The night of the accident, I was with this group of friends at a concert that was promoted by the radio station. I had coordinated a ticket giveaway for the concert, the Meat Puppets at The Coach House. I had notoriously interviewed the band earlier that day on the station (“notoriously” because I had been put up to doing the interview with a band that I knew virtually nothing about, with them making me sound like a fool).

It is therefore no surprise that my friends used music to show their support for me. The following week, my best friend and radio partner Marian used our radio slot and a couple other radio slots to hold a "Lar-a-thon", playing music that I loved, that could encourage me, and told stories with other DJs who came to the station for the show. I know I was touched then (or at least a few weeks after when I finally heard it… I was “out of it” at the time), and it still chokes me up and makes me smile to this day.

Thanks to modern technology, I was able to take this tape and digitize it and share it with the world. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.


The wonderful people who participated in the Lar-a-thon:

Marian Cordry
Skeetor (Bill Derouchey)
Christa Lauer
Mina Milani
Toby Rechenmacher
Kevin Stockdale
Angela Martin
Carol Moore
Angela Martin
Steve Rice
Dave Mathieson
Adeela Zuhurudin
Troy Hansborough

The Songs:

Eurythmics – Take the Pain Away

Velvet Underground – Im Sticking With You

Game Theory – Erica’s Word

Billy Bragg- A New England

Jane’s Addiction – I Would For You

Jane’s Addiction- Standing in The Shower Thinking

Japan: Adolescent Sex

(a funny radio ID with Rajneeshnesh)

Mission UK: Black Mountain Mist

(a funny bit in here with Marian about my writing..and almost prophetically saying I was “meant to be a doctor”)

Bourgeois-Tagg – I Don’t Mind At All

Dan Crow - Oops

Prefab Sprout - Hey Manhattan!

Three O' Clock - Love Explosion

Style Council - You're The Best Thing

(Eric Nusbaum call-in)

The Church - A New Season

Pixies - Cactus

Minutemen - King Of The Hill

Ramones - Something To Believe In

Dream Academy - In The Hands Of Love

(Mina & Marian Top Of Pops story...and Marian touches me to this day by being the first person in my life to call me their "best friend")

Gene Loves Jezebel - Coal Porter

Wild Man Fischer - My Name Is Larry

Led Zeppelin - Good Times/Bad Times

Guns & Roses - Rocket Queen

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Get Up and Jump

David Bowie - Up the Hill Backwards

David Bowie - Somebody Up there Likes me

(Dave call in)

Iggy Pop - Repo Man

(Poodle with a Limp ID)

Prince- Lady Cab Driver

Eurythmics-Miracle Of Love

Poco loco show

Swamp Zombies -Purple Haze

Swamp Zombies - Zombie Jamboree

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

Jane's Addiction - Jane Says

Download your very own copy of the show here, suitable for playing on the portable player of your choice, your computer, or burning on a CD. (right click it to copy, by the way..or ctrl-click for mac users)

Mom & Dad's first recording

Mom & Dad try and figure out how to record while physical therapist moves around..and I go on cursing rampage

Me: Dad…you let mom shut it off!
Dad: I’ll take it away from her
Mom What’s this red light say? Right here.
Me: Record
(a therapist comes in)
Therapist: Heyyyyyyyy!!!!
Me: Hey.
Therapist: Hey.
Me: I’m recording…did you know that? I’m recording!
(Mom & Dad trying to figure out recorder)
Me: I’m recording too! I’m recording on one side too!
Me: Yes..fuck. My mom’s fucking things up.
Therapist: (laughing) Does she always do that?
Me: Damnit!....Damnit!
Me: What are you recording.
Therapist: What am I recording?
Me: Yes
Therapist: I’m going to record your voice.
Me: What are you recording??!! What are you doing now?!??
Therapist: (beginning to range me) I’m raising your arm up over your head.
Me: WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW??!!??
Therapist: I’m raising your arm up..is that alright?
Me: OK..you’re recording my voice! Ow! Shit! Ow..god damn it! God damn it! Ow!
(Mom & Dad in background still wondering if recorder is working)
Mom: I think we need a microphone.
Therapist: Oh….I bet so.
Mom: I think it has one at home.
Me: Ow..god damn it!
Therapist: You probably want to record it when I’m not here.
Dad: Well let’s find out.
Mom: let’s see if it’s working. Stop it.
(Tape restarted)
Therapist What’s my name, it’s a name that starts with a “J”.
Me: J.
Therapist: My name starts with a “J”
Me: Hmmm…Joyce.
Therapist: No
Me: Joy
Therapist: Jannnnn….
Me: Janet
Therapist: Close…Janice
Me: Hi Janice.
(pause for about 20 seconds)

Me: Hello,??
Dad: Hello. Who is this?
Me: guess who's on the phone Dad???
Dad: Who is it?
Me: Damnit Hi!
Dad: Who is it?
Me: Hello
Me: Damnit Hi!
Dad: Hi? I don’t know.
Me: Guess who it is.
Dad: Who is it?
Therapist: Trade sides.
Dad: Can I trade sides, Lar?
Me: it's Kelley Sewell, Dad
Dad: O.K.

Make a Wish

This bit is inaudible (although I clearly hear her ask at the beginning, “Do you like Boy George, Larry?”) but it is mom reading to me a letter from a woman from Wells Fargo bank who I did the Make A Wish day at Disneyland with. Mom is telling me about the day I spent with a terminally ill boy. This starts making her sad and she says that I made his day and he would come visit me if he could. So I tell mom to make it happen.

I get angry

Mom helps me get angry.

Me: I don’t want it!
Mom: What don’t you want?
Me: I don’t want it…I don’t want a cold one.
Mom: Let’s talk about where you are. Let’s talk about how you feel. Does anything hurt?
Me: I’m in the hospital.
Mom: You’re in the hospital.
Me: I know
Mom: Why are you in the hospital?
Me: Does anything hurt?
YES! Everything hurts, Mom.
Mom: Especially…
Me: My whole body hurts!
Mom: It’s sad, isn’t it?
Mom: How’s that taste?
Me: Oh god…it’s freezing.
Mom: Is it good?
Me: It’s freezing!
Mom: Do you like it or not?
Me: It’s good…but it’s freezing, Mom! It’s freezing!
Mom; O.k., but do you want some more?
Me: No. I don’t want anymore. I’m going to be peeing it out later.
Mom: That’s o.k. You can pee it out. That’s how it goes.
Me: I’m going to be peeing it on later, Mom.
Mom: You know Larry, it’s o.k. to be angry.
Me: O.k.
Mom: Why don’t we close the door.
Me: Let me know.
Mom: let see if we can eliminate some of this. Let me know what you’re angry about. It’s o.k. to be angry. You can tell me anything that is bothering you.
Me: o.k. It bothers me how you guys are treating me...
Mom: ok how are we treating you?
Me: you're treating me like somebody special or something.
Mom: You are somebody special;
Me: I am not!
Mom: You’re the most special person right now and you know it.
Me: I am not, Mom. I am not a special person compared with other people.
(somebody comes in the room)

What mom & dad taught me

This one still sticks to us to this day. Mom and dad tried to fish out of me what qualities they handed down to me. Little did they know…

Me: Tell him to Stop!
Mom: What’s he asking? What’s he doing?
Me: He's just asking me stupid questions... he's trying to confuse me.
Mom: What would you like him to ask you?
Me: normal stuff
Mom: like?
Me: like how am I feeling today.
Mom: O.k…how are you feeling today?
Me: FINE.
Mom: O.k..anything else
Me: How'm I getting better?
Mom: Are you..getting better?
Me: Yes
Mom: What part of you is getting better?
Me: Part of me. Is getting better
Mom: Good
(I start to cough)
Mom: Cough it up, Lar.
Me: This is…this sucks, Mom. This sucks… I can’t believe that you guys got me doing this.
Mom: We didn’t do it. You got in an automobile accident. We didn’t do it to you, Larry.
Me: You.
Mom: No…how did you get here? What happened?
Why are you in the hospital?
Think.
Me: cause I got in an automobile accident.
Mom: Right, who were you with?
Me: Christa.
Mom: That’s right, so I didn’t put you here. The ambulance brought you here.
Me: Go on.
Mom: O.k.
Me: It wasn’t my choice to be here, though.
Mom: That’s right…it wasn’t mine either.
Me: It wasn’t my choice to be here.
Mom: No. None of us want you here, Larry…but you’re alive and you’re here. And we’re thankful
Me: Fuck…I didn't sign any release forms, mom.
Mom: O.k. we didn’t ask you to. They had to bring you here because you were sick, Lar. You were all broken. You had to be put back together again.
Me: Was I?
Mom: Yeah
Cough it up, babe.
Dad: What happens when you’re in an accident?
Does the ambulance come?
Me: What goes on, Dad.
Dad: Does the ambulance come?
Me: yes
Dad: and what do they do with people in the accident?
Me: Then realize how bad they are.
Dad: And then what do they do?
Me: Then they recognize…then they take them to the appropriate doctor!
Dad: And that’s just where you are right now.
Me: The appropriate doctor??!!??
Dad: You’re in the hospital where the appropriate doctors can see you.
Me: where?
Oh! O.k.!
I understand.
Dad: You understand that now?
Me: I understand Dad! I understand!
Mom: good!
Me: Wow!
Mom; See…and they’re going to make you better.
Me: They don't make me feel better but they do make me feel...o.k.
(me coughing)
Dad: one of these days you’re going to have that cough strong and you can cough up all that junk…want a cold drink now?
Me: yeah…Like you?
Dad: Like I can cough it up?
That’s because I’m not sick.
Mom: What would you…what would you say some of the things dad taught you in life?..huh?
Me: Some of the things?
I don’t know mom..i don’t know..
Mom: did he ever teach you anything?
Me: yes..some things.
Mom: Like?
Me: take the trash out every Tuesday… That’s what he taught me mom. Always help out at work.
Mom: Good..be a good worker.
Me: Be a good worker..exactly.
Mom: Yeah….you sound really good today, honey….you really do.
You sound terrific.
Me: Earn my god damned money
Dad: did I teach you how to drink a drink?
Me: Earn my money
Mom: Did he teach you about pop??
Me: yes he did.
Dad: here….take a sip.
Mom: How’s that taste, hmm??
Me: OOHHHH!! OHHHHH!!
Mom: delicious, or yucky?
Me: good.
Mom: 7-up is good, huh??
Me: really good
Mom: want some more?
Me: no
Mom: yes he..try it…even though he says no…see if he’ll take it
Dad: no?
Mom: No…he doesn’t…he says no..but he wants it
Me: OK mom…I said no
Mom: What are some of the things Mom's taught you in life??
Me: To always go up and get seconds, dammit.
Mom: What else?
(DAD failing to contain laugh in the background)
Me: When you can
(Dad losing it in background)
Mom: Yeah...what else?
Me: (obviously very sensitive) Stop that, you guys, Stop!
Mom: What are we laughing at?
Me: You guys, stop it, dammit!
Mom: OK, what else?
Me: (with a minor chuckle) Stop laughing, dammit.
Mom: Im not laughing...
Me: God dammit!
Mom: I'm not laughing.
Me: You did too.
Mom: well you know what was funny?
Me: what?
Mom: you said I taught you to go get seconds….you know you haven't said anything funny on purpose, but that was really funny. Don't you think so?
(I start coughing up a bunch of phlegm)
Mom: Cough it up.
(mom demonstrates)
do you love me? Like I love you?
(mom & dad talk about grandma & grandpa at home)
Me: Where’d she called..Mom. Where’d she call? Grandpa..grandma’s fmlug (indecipherable)

(I thought it was during this session, but also at one point I sad dad taught me to open the backs of vending machines)