Rick Nitsche:  

Life I was born in Buffalo, New York, where I was quickly bred to be a Bills (football) and Sabres (hockey) fan. I love those teams to this day. Spent my formative years in Cheektowaga, NY. Lived in the same house for K-10. My father worked at a tool and dye plant, later a chemical plant, and when I was 10 he left the house and my parents got divorced. The divorce played big because in essence it gave me, my brother and sister freedom to "experiment". My best friend from 1st to 9th grade was Cliff Kowal, his father and my father were both Volunteer fireman. It was through Cliff that I met some of my dearest and most influential friends. Cliff's parents divorced a year before mine, and his Aunt was also divorced and the mother of four boys, The Ruofs. What I learned about family, love, girls, music and partying, centered around the Ruofs. Kenny, Scott, Jay, and Darrin. Kenny and Scott were 3-5 years older, therefore they were our heros, older teenagers with the girls, the cars, the beer, and the music. This is when my life took its turn, and to this day, still revolves around music and movies. Kenny likes Moody Blues, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Scott liked Styx, Genesis. Jay was more my age, his influence was wider because we spent more time together. He loved horror movies, Laurel and Hardy, Chaplin, Mel Brooks, Monty Python, his music tastes were edgier, Queen, The Tubes, Sparks. Darrin, youngest,was just excited to be around us. Now I relate to him more, maybe it's my way of staying young, and like myself he has incorporated a piece of each one of them. If we weren't at Cliff's house in Cheek. (he had a pool) I was going to South Buffalo to visit them and usually spending the night over a weekend or snowstorm if we got lucky. (One memorable storm we had, no electricity, but had a car battery, a headlight and a cassete deck in the living room and the largest refridgerator outside the back door)I also went to lots of concerts; The Who, Genesis, Styx, Supertramp, ELO, ELP, and KISS to name a few. If they came, we were there, where I got the money I have no idea, I can only imagine it was Mom. (thanks Mom) My teenage years in a nutshell, sex, drugs, and rock and roll, not so much emphasis on sex unfortunately. But I do have to thank Barb Stanley, teaching me how to kiss, and Linda Menz for... thank you. And during this time my Mom got remarried and moved us ...Expand for more