I finally finished Patricia Walker’s Dance of the Electric Hummingbird, an ordinary woman’s accidental journey to enlightenment, the supernatural and rock star Sammy Hagar. Finally. I knew the book existed sometime in the whirlwind that was 2012, I entered a contest to win one, I glanced at a copy through the Cabo Wabo gift store window, I eventually purchased a copy in November over the internet, and every time I have read the book, it scared me so much I couldn’t finish it. Always too busy with my job as a high school theatre teacher, my kid, my own spiritual pursuit and my dreams of getting one of my shows produced professionally. My journey entwines with Pat’s and Sammy’s in so many frightening ways. All our lives the things that happen that get one to their final enlightenment are amazing, and different for many of us, and so similar as well. As I sit here in my dream-like bedroom, folding my hot pink Cabo Wabo panties which I accidentally machine washed, watching my most favorite ever musical Jesus Christ Superstar, after spending the morning at the Mormon church because my son is too timid to tell the bicycle boys “No” and I didn’t pass up spiritual enlightenment and education, I ponder. Although, I only recently gave my mustard seed of faith to Jesus, I spent many a day riding the atheist wagon as does/did Hagar, the lead character in my Juke Box Musical Buying My Way into Heaven. People go through traumatic situations in life that bring them to impasses, and when I was there, at my personal impasse, so was Sammy Hagar (my sister slipped him into my CD player for my long soul searching drive from Mesa, Arizona to Hyder, Alaska two summers ago). I had already written another professionally endorsed (but not yet professionally produced, another story in itself) juke box musical, The Road to Shambala, with the Greatest Hits of Three Dog Night, a very similar tale(what do you know, search for enlightenment), and I didn’t realize I was writing another odyssey until I arrived in Alaska and Sammy Hagar stayed with me and a story immerged over the summer. I had been meditating for years more intensely in Alaska where I have always felt an incredible energy. But this summer as I hiked Alaska, fished Alaska, loved, dreamed, lived Alaska listening to Sammy Hagar, and reading his auto biography Red and feeling this man who was so bad and yet is so good, helped me find hope and faith for mankind, and it got all convoluted with my Bible Thumping friend, and only neighbor, whom lives across the bay. When the eagles would swoop near our house, and the whales would spout and play in the bay of a front yard I just kept feeling the energy, the Holy Spirit, the secret of the trinity, I felt like I was on the inside looking in with Sammy Hagar and I had to write. I took all this, the people like Sammy who admit to alien encounters, god like rendezvous. I have had them, and it’s nice to know I am not crazy; I am not the only one. The last day of summer before I left Alaska my hubby, OO7, who is a licensed hypnotherapist, (I have studied his mediation, and past life regression books and spent time with him at hypnotherapy schools etc) and I were out in the skiff where we rarely see others, but this day, a boat load of young people passed us as we searched for our halibut buoy. OO7 says, “Those are the church camp people.” And I say, “Oh yeah.” We haven’t run into them for years. It’s hit and miss in the Alaskan wilderness. I had already found God at this point, but I didn’t realize my play was going to be about someone finding God until I took my last meditational hike before OO7 flew us out of Wolf Creek that afternoon. I was talking with my tree by my waterfall (I know this may sound crazy) and I just knew that the play would have the lead character finding God in a Bible Camp in the wilderness. Once down South again, back in Mesa, I took my ideas and followed my lesson plans that I give my students on how to write rock-n- roll musicals and this combination of Jesus Christ Superstar, Grease, Spring Awakening and High School Musical emerged. Now I continue my struggle with enlightenment in hopes that the demons that have haunted me were for my overall enlightenment which is connected to Sammy Hagar and his music, my story comes out in every play I write, in every character. I realize that my story was made up so long ago, the days when I listened to Sammy’s magic on cassette tapes; wear them out I did, several times. Baby’s On Fire, I had a mtv music video in my head, and Red I made up a cheerleading dance to when I was a Mount Hood Saint’s Cheerleader in college in 1983. Our colors; primary RED of course. These preconceived scenes of three decades past ended up in the script. Red has always played a prominent role in my life which I chronicled in this blog if ya care to research my past entries. I philosophize with my students on the idolization of rock stars and actors. My theory is that these artists have the power to change our moods therefore change the world; that is why we’re enamored with them, the Superstars. Sammy Hagar’s physical voice and (voice as in the six traits of writing) has always hit my pleasure nerve, or pain nerve for that matter, singing and playing to the very marrow of my soul. He is an Angel that speaks truth. Truth is important. I am truth and that is scary. Patricia Walker makes me feel better; God has spoken to her, like he has spoken to me, several times. Although in my Sammy Hagar musical the premise is: (like every one of the churches I have visited on my journey claims), there is only one way to rock; Jesus. I, like Pat, see the power of God on so many levels, a higher thinking level than, and I don’t mean this in a judgmental or negative way, the sheep that blindly follow. The Mormon population of my school and community actively stalk my soul, but my spirit has been touched by so much more. I love studying, I want to learn it all, Hindu, Quran, etc. etc. I am so busy directing Grease and being a public school teacher, I haven’t even made it through the Old Testament yet. I appreciate Donny Osmond and am in the process of writing a musical for him too, and although his work is passionate, it isn’t on your knees, hallaylooya, f@#$%^ booya passionate like Sammy Hagar, it doesn’t make me see God. In my opinion nothing is as divine as Sammy Hagar, the closest, The Beatles, they take me places. (I am writing a sweet & innocent play as to get it on stage in my high school, Sammy is just too naughty for my neighborhood). I think God gave me rock-n- roll personally; just for me, to make me feel his presence and goodness and wonder and magic. I love rock-n- roll music, I love teaching high school theatre, I love writing and I so much dream to get my musicals produced but need an okay and endorsement from the powers that be. I have sent via the electronic highway, facebook and emailed copies of the screenplay and stage play version of this heavy metal high school musical, I have sent hard copies to Roseville Island Bar and Grille and Cabo Wabo Vegas, and I personally dropped off hard copies wrapped in red wrapping paper at Cabo Wabo on Sammy’s birthday over October break of last. (I didn’t get to a concert and I got injured in Mexico, another story chronicled in an earlier entry in this testament of a blog.) I entered the Rock-n-Roll Fantasy Camp contest for Sammy’s biggest fan; and get this Red Heads, I won second place! Tee hee! Along with every other person who wrote an entry. Well deserved too as it takes balls to write; spill your guts for the entire world to see, like Pat did. Admitting to sexual fantasies about rock stars and getting close to fulfilling them. I think about what I would do had given the opportunity and remember being propositioned by David Lee Roth once. I said “No thank you.” Would I have said that to Sammy Hagar? Now my fantasy actually would be to hang with The Red Rocker and his wife and family, for my hubby to fly his plane, or talk cars and give him tours of Alaska. Have Emeril fix us food and for us to collaborate on a Vegas musical or movie like Jesus Christ Superstar or Rock of Ages with his heavy metal music and enlighten more people because that is what musicians, writers, actors, do. We change people’s moods and help them on their road to Shambala. My fantasy is for my students to be connected to greatness through the musicals we conceive together. On the back cover of Dance of the Electric Hummingbird Sammy Hagar endorsed with, “Pat Walker takes to heart the same type of message I try to relate through my music and my life-go out and seek your dreams, don’t ever give up, celebrate your life and every part of who you are.” Sammy’s words encourage me too. I can’t give up, I know I am connected. I must make rock-n-roll theatre. I will finish watching Jesus Christ Superstar on this Sunday afternoon, with its orgasmic music, style, and dance like the electric hummingbird. Is it a sin to put Sammy Hagar on that type of pedestal? I would say he was the messenger of the divine to me. He certainly is a Superstar.