Smashing Pumpkins Gish Virgin 1991 In the Summer of 1995 I tried acid for the first time. I didn't jump into it too quick 'cause I was concerned about taking bad acid. So I waited and waited, and my girl at the time, well her older brother was a Phish head. Boo-yaa. He was an expert of course, and one night at this house party he was like "I got some real good shit for you." So me and 3 friends eat these huge oversized tabs and head out.   We planned to do the usual antics, in our suburban neighborhood we were always armed with skateboards and bikes, so there was plenty to do. To this day I don't know why I ate acid at midnight knowing I had to be at work the next day at noon. But hey, it was summertime, the last Saturday night of August, and in a few days I would be a Senior at Mamaroneck High School. 1 a.m. : My three friends and I head to a local graf wall in New Rochelle called "Sick Fuckin' Saro." The graf there is always fresh and the colors in the pieces predictably started melting off the wall. We bugged out hard and everyone was all, "this is some strong shit." 3 a.m. : Beaming attempt. Beaming was the best thing that ever happened in hot summer time suburbia. You basically break into the town's public pool by scaling the wall, and then jump from the beams on the roof 25 feet down into the deep end. It was something we had been doing all summer, but when we got to the top this time, everyone basically agreed: "We are in no condition to do this, do I smell donuts?" 4 a.m. : Dunkin D. A block away from the pool it's time to make for the donuts. This is where my trip takes a wrong turn. I sink my teeth into the dough and some jelly squeezes out. Is that blood? Is that my gums? Am I chewing my tongue? The hallucinations had hit hard and I   went numb. I threw the donut on the ground. For the next few hours I tried to shake the bad trip, but it wasn't happening. The sun was rising and this acid wasn't wearing off anytime soon. 7 a.m. : We go to the local skate spot Chatsworth and everyone tries to communally shake it off and get it together. 9 a.m. : We go to the deli, get refreshments, and our trip together ends. Hey, now all I have to do is go to work. 10 a.m. : I get home and my mom says, "How are you?" I am still hallucinating. 11 a.m. : I head to work. Noon : I was the trombone player in a Ragtime Brass Quartet at Rye Playland Amusement Park. It was a good job, pretty chill, we would just walk around the park and play hits like "Chameleon" and "Alexander's Ragtime Band." In our down time we would become masters of the bumper cars. I was quite sure I was gonna make it through the day, except today was not a normal day. The whole summer we had been talking shit about playing tunes on the rides, and up until now we had only done the Ferris wheel. According to the band leader (who had a frattish personality) all that was gonna change. TODAY. 2 p.m. : The Ferris wheel. No problem, just sit and play. 4 p.m. : The Old Mill. This ride was a haunted house boat ride, extra tough 'cause a.) the boats were rocky and b.) I was fading. 6 p.m. : The Pedal Boats. This was a problem . I just wanted to pass out. But the show must go on, and so it did. We had to pedal out to the middle of the lake, play tunes, then come pedal all the way back. When we were in the middle of the lake I really thought I was gonna lose it. How was I supposed to pedal back, pack up, and drive 30 minutes home? When I returned to my car I remember cracking the door, heat blazing out of it, and I just sat there. I pulled out my cassette of Gish and put it in. I turned it up to medium volume, and made it home. I crawled up to my room and went to sleep for 24 hours. That was the first and last time I ever did acid. I still love Gish because it captured a relatively unknown Smashing Pumpkins as just another band making colorful, alternative music together. - Egg Foo Young Back