Amazing 18th Floor Girl”
I’ve spent most of my life playing in the dim corners of beer joints, where the neon hums, the floor sticks, and the crowd shows up to drink first and listen second. Fame never found me, and truth be told, I never went looking for it. I’ve always been happiest in the shadows of the spotlight, keeping time and staying out of the way.
But back in the 1960s, when I was sixteen and thought the world might crack open for me, I played bass in a San Antonio garage band called The Runaways. We cut a little 45 in 1965 titled “18th Floor Girl.” It didn’t make a ripple. Most copies probably ended up as coasters or Frisbees. I never knew what became of them.
Somewhere along the line, though, that forgotten record grew a life of its own. “Eighteenth Floor Girl” has become the most sought‑after collectible garage-band single out there — a prized relic for the folks who dig through dusty crates looking for lost gems.
So after decades of small gigs, worn frets, and songs written for rooms full of strangers, it turns out the most notable thing I ever did happened when I was just a kid: I played bass on a record nobody wanted… until suddenly everybody did.
Not bad for a sixteen‑year‑old who only wanted to play the right notes and stay out of trouble.
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