I’m an hour into my first law school exam and the only thing preventing sheer panic is the song loop running round and round in my head.  Yeah, this is definitely my current favorite song all right… but is it a mantra keeping me focused, or an annoying distraction keeping me from concentrating on the task at hand?  And what a task! (Maybe I should pick a faster song next time!)  This is Torts, man, and these questions – too many questions! – are harder than I ever could’ve dreamt up in my worst nightmare!  My mind is racing, and I’m trying to reel in that fourth element of battery from the ether and my skull is feeling ever so thin….Uh uh, I’m going back.

Stu Simone

Four years ago I was living in 5-star hotels and a custom tour bus, playing keyboards and singing backup with a concert headliner, rocking out to 10,000 or more every night, my only responsibility being dressed and ready to play 70 minutes of music at 10:15 p.m.  Other than that, I didn’t need to lift a finger – my luggage was carried and unpacked for me, and all I had to do was walk up to the sink and a toothbrush awaited me face up, with a line of toothpaste glistening on top.  What city was I in? What day of the week was it?  Ah, who cares, it’s all one big vacation, baby, and I’m a go-going on stage to a deafening roar of screaming fans and a blinding fusillade of flashpots.  Oh, the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming…

And now look at me!  I’m sitting here in a room full of sweating, squirming, stressed-out students hearing a surreal mix of sheer silence and clicking, clacking laptop keys … and yes, my sweet music.  Can I pull this off?  Can I remember the answer to this multiple-guess question?  Or to the question, “Why am I here?!”

Yes, I do remember!  I have two loves in my life; one is music and the other is… no, not law, exactly.. what was it?  Oh yeah, family! Music and family!  That’s why I’m here!  See, back in 2000, only two months after finishing up my second headlining concert tour with Poison, a miracle happened – Nikki was born.  Sure, my career as a touring musician was reaching a crescendo, and I had broken through the heavy metal ceiling. I was on every guest list, signing autographs, hanging out with rock stars and big-time managers, yada yada yada, gabba gabba hey, and I could have kept going.  But I realized that I’d be going out on tour, and the next time I saw my kid, she’d have learned to walk or learned to talk, and I would have missed it. Because when you hit the road Jack, you may not see home for an entire season, and even then you’re home just long enough to find your way to the toilet in the dark.  (Plus, the old joke is absolutely true:  What’s the difference between a musician and a pizza?  A pizza can feed a family of four!)  And now I’m one happy family guy with a family of four and Ginger the golden retriever, tongue hanging out the window of the minivan on the way to the elementary school.

So what happened?  Yes, I passed Torts – just barely, and only because I was lucky enough to be in the first class with the new, higher grading curve.  (Thanks Dean Garth!)  And yes, I do believe I have a plan to keep both my love of family and my love of music going at the same time, though the two do seem to fight a lot.  I’ll stay in the music business, and I’ll stay around to see my son’s first little league game.  And yes, my family will still be able to come see dad play a gig on a Friday night … after a long day at the office!

Written by Stu Simone 4L