It hit me pretty hard to find out this morning that Michelle Meldrum had died last night of what I was told was a cystic growth on her brain that cut off oxygen and blood flow. I don’t even know what that means or what kind of growth, how long it was there and more importantly, why the hell?
Most of you know about my love of bands like The Runaways and may not have thought I was into Phantom Blue or Meldrum, but I came to The Runaways through Lita Ford. Albums by Lita, Vixen and Phantom Blue were the ones I played when I practiced rock star poses with my guitar in front of the mirror. They (as well as Heart) were the ones I put on when I started learning drums. When I wanted to pretend I was a huge rock star I swung around my Les Paul or my bass to those three and only a few others. And when someone asked me what my entrance theme would be if I was a wrestler, I said either “Through Shattered Eyes” or “New World Order,” both songs by Meldrum.
Phantom Blue’s “Built To Perform” is still one of my favorite cds. As I drove to work today I put it in and got misty-eyed when “My Misery” came on. I was hoping like hell Meldrum would hit my area soon. Michelle will be missed. Every time I look at my guitar.
