Who has the best voice in rock? My money's on Steve Perry the ex-lead singer of the rock band, Journey, who had their heyday in the late 70s through mid-80s.
The band Journey made a mark in me when one of my peers in high school said Journey was his favorite band in the mid-80s in Spanish class. This guy, Brian Raden, was always one notch ahead of me. You know the guy I'm talking about: you got a "B" in your algebra test, he got a B +. You got a "B +" in your English class, he got an "A".
Growing up, I always wanted to be friends with Brian Raden; we took nearly all the upper math and English classes throughout middle and high school, but it never happened. He was always out of my reach. He live in town, I live out of town. Shit, the way I'm gushing over him, you think I was a fruitcake in love with the guy, but in all honesty all I ever wanted was to be his friend. Too be his equal of sorts on friendly terms. Well, outside of attending classes with him, that's all that ever happened. Brian Raden NEVER became my friend in the traditional sense. BUT he was a standard I held myself to -- at one point in my life -- and he like the musical band, Journey. And that struck a chord in me.
Truth be told, growing up I was much more of a Deff Leopard guy. But then again, you already know that given the fact that you read this post of mine from May in 2012. I didn't take a liking for Journey until AFTER I graduated high school (in 1987 -- if you're so curious). But when I did start listening to Journey, bess be belivin' that I took a liking to Steve Perry's vocals. Shit, when I sung, I wanted to sound like him!
Well, did that happen? Probably not. BUT I did have fun TRYING to imitate one of the best voices EVER to come out of rock-n-roll music. And I've found the drunker you get the easier it is to fool yourself that you sound even the tadd est bit like the living legend that is Steve Perry.
Now researching this post a bit, I did watch a couple of Journey's videos, and I do attest they do in fact suck and are substandard to videos from the other band from Journey's heyday era. In fact the Steve Perry offering I make now, isn't good at all either, but it does have "the voice", so I present it now, just to give you a taste of what Steve Perry is capable of delivery in song:
Journey music tracks dominate the spec. script soundtrack for "Love, Music and Monkeys: Give It Up for Chimpy II" that your's truly penned several years back. And in the script, in one scene, my main heroine, Stacy Dutchmen, even had an encounter with Steve Perry in her car. How does that encounter turn out? Dude, to find that answer to that question you need to request the script -- AND be affiliated in some tangible way to the "the Industry" of which your's truly would like to be a part of someday.
To this day I still listen to Journey tracks. Old school Journey. NOTHING with that hack that started singing as Journey's front-man post 2006. I remember watching a Superbowl pre-game show and they announced Journey would be singing and some long-haired Indian dude was singing in Steve Perry's place. Long-haired Indian dude is no Steve Perry. What a joke! But, through some on-line research I learned that long-haired Indian dud ONLY got the job, because Steve Perry suffered an injury and delayed the rest of the band's desire to tour and make $$.
Too me, Steve Perry IS Journey; he cannot be replaced. His voice is so unique. So good. You don't fuck with that.
To this day I still play Journey songs in my car, and try to sing like Steve Perry. I pour my heart into imitating him. But their is only one Steve Perry.
Post-high school I only saw Brian Raden once, it came as I was walking the grounds of a Community College I attended after high school. I smiled at Brian. He smiled back. The walked past me, and out of my life forever.
I have many regrets in my life. I wish I could have been more popular growing up. Sometimes I fantasize about how my social life in high school could have been better. Shit, I needed some help growing up -- and I NEVER got it. And the friends I did have, were with 20 years of retrospect: total shit! I had shitty friends. Friends in retrospect I wish I never even met. Hence the blog. And why the rest of you fucks have to put up with me now. I'm fucked up -- and you gotta help me!! Just kidding.
But in all honesty there are a lot of unresolved issues in my life. Stuff I still struggle with to this day. And Journey will always remind me of one person. One person on one day who gave me just the briefest insight into who this person was his favorite band was Journey, and he said it in Spanish in response to Mrs. Dorsey. And now that band is forever linked in my heart and in my mind with that guy.
Study your own heart and I think you'll find a similar rhythm: music bonds with memories that you have of people and situations.
Someday I hope to forge new memories with some of Journey's songs like say:
or "Open Arms" and say a hottie!
Man, there are certain beats in life that I would love to experience before I die. And one of them is to have that someone specialwho matters, and make-out to hyper-romantic music. Just need to find the girl... And the older I get, the less likely it appears that's ever going to happen. Still, if I ever find her. Gotta get my inner Steve Perry on so I can woo the wo-man.
Ultimate karaoke for men: can you sing like Steve Perry? Answer as pertains to me: depends on how much you've had to drink.
- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA
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