When I was twelve years old - I guess it was 1956. The sound of the day was pretty straight, middle-of-the-road stuff; Bill Haley and the Comets; Johnny Ray. Les Paul & Mary Ford.

But that summer along comes this Southern kid with greased black hair and a motorcycle jacket and blue jeans. He had great moves and he was dark and sneering and he never stopped moving on stage. He was different. So far off normal. We loved him. The guy was fascinating to watch. Of course it was Elvis. And the song was Heartbreak Hotel. Jesus, he changed everything. Turned mother against daughter. Got banned from TV. For me Elvis had to be the very beginning - the roots of Rock 'N Roll.

But a few months later, with my brother Nick behind the wheel of our Chevy, on our way to school in Santa Monica, I switched on KFWB - Channel 98 - in Los Angeles and heard THE MAN for the first time.

It was as if the car had been struck by lightning. The wild, delirious, intense blues madness of Little Richard filled the car. Richard Penniman changed everything. He stopped my heart. He changed music forever. A sweating screaming outrageous blackman suddenly turned on the electricity in my life. I held my breath. Jesus Christ! I knew the moment LUCILLE came on the radio that I would never be the same again. I was born again that minute. No shit! You could not listen to Little Richard without moving some part of your body. My life was never the same after that day. It was better than my first piece of ass and almost as good as my first drink - Jesus risen from the fucking ashes. A divine craziness - a magic - filled my heart and has never gone away.

Dan Fante is the author of three internationally published novels � �Chump Change,� �Mooch� and �Spitting Off Tall Buildings� - in 11 countries - and a most recent book of poems, �A Gin Pissing Raw Meat Dual Carburetor V8 Son Of A Bitch From Los Angeles.� Fante�s full-length play, �The Closer� was named #1 on The Los Angeles Times� list of Most Notable Plays Of The Year. The Los Angeles Ovation Committee nominated Dan Fante for Best Writer of a World Premiere Play. Fante�s fifth book, a collection of short stories entitled, �Corksucker� (Short Dog) was published in England by Wrecking Ball Press in 2004 and by Sun Dog Press in America in early 2005. His novel �Mooch� is being made into a Hollywood film, co-written by Dan Fante and Danny De Vito, directed by Danny De Vito. To read Dan�s story �Princess� on the showcase section of this site click here; to read Dan�s story �Mae West� on the showcase click here; to read Tony O�Neill�s interview with Fante on the New Review section of this site click here or to visit Fante�s official website click here.

© 2006 Laura Hird All rights reserved.