Goo Goo Dolls "jed"

In 1989 the new skateboarding friends I had made from the next suburb town over were all talking about catching the #googoodolls at a vfw post not too far from us. Even though I had never seen them before the goo goo dolls, manic depression and zero tolerance were all held in high regard in our circle because they were local and because they were "doing something"  the dolls had just put this (their second) album out on metal blade records in the middle of the crossover hardcore movement. It made sense on paper and as a metal head I had been buying stuff on the label for a few years now.  But before this it was always someone else from some exotic not-buffalo place doing this sort of thing. It gave them (and by sense of proxy: us) legitimacy. I had painted "goo goo dolls" on the leg of some shorts I had and endured a great deal of taunting (and retaliatory fist fights) over the garment. I can't help but wonder how many of those jocks now adore the fm radio ballad making machine the band has become, all the while claiming they new about them "way back in high school". One of my fondest memories of the album itself is that once my dickhead step-father overheard the closing track "James Dean" and became enraged (and I mean PISSED) over the lyrics implying James Dean was gay.  It was a delight to behold.
We made that vfw show and the band brought out local legendary R&B singer Lance Diamond (r.i.p.) out to perform a couple covers with the band. It was the start of a tradition and it seems like something like that could only happen in a little punk scene that regularly got skipped over. It really was special.