Soundtrack to Life – Guest Author: Mike Plass

This week our guest author is Mike Plass, otherwise known as Mike-0 in the forums. Due to Joe moving out, Mike has gladly stepped up to write this weeks Soundtrack to Life, Enjoy!

————————

“Ballad of the Lost Romantics” by New Found Glory

I’ve grown sick
I’ve gotten older
I finally have an
audience to ignore
I can yell all I want
But you still can’t hear me
I’m punching myself out
Holding in my breath
I can take this lightly
Throwing up the words that I said to you
I always do what I’m not supposed to
Here’s to us fools
That have no meaning
I tip my glass to you
Let’s toast the night away to friends
And forget about tomorrow
I might say things you don’t want to hear
But someday you might care and I won’t be there
No I won’t be there
here’s to us fools
That have no meaning
I tip my glass to you
Let’s toast the night away to friends
And forget about tomorrow
I’m punching myself out
Holding in my breath
I can yell all I want
Throwing up the words that I said to you
I always do what I’m not supposed to
Here’s to us fools that have no meaning
I tip my glass to you
Let’s toast the night away to friends
And forget about tomorrow.

Ya know when someone loses a friend, it’s hard to get through at first, but then you look back at all the great times you had with the kid. When I think of the recent events in my life, I can only think of the good times I had with my late, great friend Pete Mirabile. This kid was a total class act, one of a kind. Well after a long battle of Aplastic Anemia, his operation failed and Pete died on September 20, 2003, a few of us knew him here, but he had many friends. Most people here left on a sore note, but that goes without saying that we all had good times with Pete, whether it be walking around aimlessly at the mall or relaxing at each other’s homes watching wrestling.

As I got on the bus to school, I passed a kid who I had never known, must be a freshman. As days passed, the kid was always on my bus, so I thought he was a local kid, who must’ve lived within the vicinity of me. The kid as I was told by him was scared of me, now I thought I wasn’t very threatening at all. A few weeks into the school year, Pete and I finally officially met. It was a late October day, and our friend Chris had introduced us to each other. Pete would always tell me how he was scared because of when I got on the bus, I had on a backwards Cleveland Indians hat and headphones, guess that is threatening to a little 15 year old freshman in high school. Well that was the beginning of our friendship. As we went through two years of high school together, we learned a lot from each other.

It was October 2000, the Mets versus the Yankees in the World Series final. This was the first time that we had an actual party together. It was in Pete’s basement, not many people, 5-10, couple of beers and a depressing night. The Mets lost, but who really cared that Timo Perez wasn’t running full speed from first? We took a drink to the loss and hoped for better results in the following nights. The Mets lost the series 4 games to 1, but they were still champs in our minds. So we kicked the night back, and relaxed.

Pete was a unique character, he was straight forward, in your face but scared at the same time. I’ll never forget the times where he’d try and start stuff with Chris or James or anyone, he was always looking to fight but couldn’t due to his illness. He was hot tempered, short fused but those were only qualities that gave him what he was. With random spouts of “Holler!”, “Gay!”, “Fag” or his at times uncontrollable, loud laughter, you could tell just where Pete was.

Another characteristic of Pete that I will truly miss is his random music collection, hence the reason for the song I have chosen to remember Pete by. Pete would go from the Beach Boys to some DMX and then throw on Good Charlotte. Everyone at one point could relate to some sort of taste of music he had. After a year of hanging out, we had finally gotten him to like some New Found Glory. Pete was always one for the rap, whether it was some cheesy Cee-lo or good ole Jay-Z, you could tell exactly where he would be driving cause, he’d have rap blasting the bass out of the car.

The hair, was quite possibly the most essential part of Pete. Besides the expensive clothes, $100 cologne, $100 boots, tinted glasses, it all came down to one necessity, the hair. Every time you saw him it was always spiked, perfectly and if you even breathed near him wrongly, he’d scream “Don’t Touch the Hair!” and try to perfect an already perfected hair style.

Throughout our short-lived friendship, we shared many memories. I can’t remember much, but of the few I have kept, I will cherish forever. Of the few I do remember, they were great times, whether it was the first time smoking a Joint or a quick ride home from the park after work, Pete was their to tell you the absolute straight forward truth, and if he didn’t like you he’d let you know within of seconds of meeting him.

In little more then a year and half ago, things took a turn. Everyone that had become friends with Pete had lost contact and a very childish fight ensued because of a few incidents that we all regret. Even though the incident took a toll on many of our friendships, everything came to closure on a good note for most, on a bad note for some. On Saturday, September 27, 2003, Peter Frederick Mirabile was laid to rest, but not without one last jabin the side of Long Island. When the funeral ended, through all the tears and solemn music came the 150 vehicle procession to his final resting place. Because Pete was a New York State Emergency Medical Technician; Nassau County Police, Garden City Fire Department, Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps, shut down most of the local towns so the procession could follow, Pete was definitely smiling down at all the people stuck in traffic, he had the grandest of processions, it just went to show how many people cared and loved Pete as either a relative, friend or neighbor. As the procession ended, we all went back to the Garden City Fire Department station house for refreshments, this was probably the most most emotional moment, because this is where “the shot” took place. As one of Pete’s final wishes, he wanted everyone of his friends from every town to take one last shot of Jack Daniels for his own closure. Well take about 75 kids, most underage, a couple bottles of Jack Daniels, about 90 plastic shot glasses and a heartwrenching dedication by Pete’s long time friend Andy Rodriguez, the scene was a memorable moment, one only to be meant for such a classy kid. So Pete, wherever you are now, it is with great sadness but such even greater joy that I and everyone else that knew you to tip my(our) glasses to you.

More information

Tribute

————————

Got a story you’d like to tell about a song that’s in the Soundtrack of your life? Don’t post it on the board. Email it to me and I’ll put it in my column. Stories will be posted in the order that their received. I don’t play favorites. All I ask is that you make sure the spelling and grammar are in fine order.
Email your stories to: loki@baloolapalooza.com

8 replies on “Soundtrack to Life – Guest Author: Mike Plass”

i was asked to make a comment on this article, while the article was good i dont know that i have much to say. there are very few topics in life that have ever effected me the way petes death did. so all i can really say is HOLLAR!

Man … I still can’t believe he is gone.

Well, everyone has to go sometime … but just like Pete, it was done in style.

Pete … Rest In Peace.

i remember some things that were said the day of the funeral, i had laura whisper to me at the funeral “hes prob really pissed that they couldnt work the jack daniels into the mass” and i remember raquel saying “pete is prob screaming faggot to you sheil, and when u come to heaven, hes gonna stand there with a bottle of jack and 2 angels on each arm ready to kick ur ass” when sheil attempted to get drunk off the small amount of jack they gave us.

i love you pete, always remember strip poker

mike, that was wonderfully written, and i’m all choked up and shit… hell, i didn’t even know the guy, but i can totally tell he was a stand-up dude. it seems you did him justice.

Its definitely weird to think that Pete’s gone. It truly wasn’t “real” for me until that Friday afternoon as i was kneeling before his new home, and I just reminisced of all the good times I had with him, bowling, smoking butts, and drinking. Well he will be truly missed. His glasses, flashy style, and his spiky ass hair. RIP buddy

Comments are closed.