Purple Haze

Hard to believe anyone would live above a bowling alley. Those must have been the "corporate" offices upstairs.
Fremont Bowling, Teen Town, which was more than likely the stepping stone to the Purple Haze.
Too young to enter but not too young to marvel at the 8x10 glossy photos posted outside of the current and upcoming bands coming through town. Seems like I remember Tommy James and the Shondells maybe, maybe not. I'm pretty sure there was some decent regional fare going through but I'd have to ask someone with better recall. I just remember standing there, straddling the center bar (guy bar) of my Schwinn, trying to catch a glimpse of the goings on through the open front door.
Those places where I wasn't allowed were exactly the places I wanted to be. Kind of like Chuck's Barber Shop (where my dad would call in before I got there with hair cut instructions). My family always went across town to the Buitendorp brother's barber shop. But Chuck's is where I wanted to go. He was old school Navy, tats galore. And he'd buzz your scalp with a lit Lucky hanging from the corner of his mouth.
But that wasn't the attraction, hell no, I wanted to grow my hair long. The trade off was Chuck's choice in reading material. I'd happily get a buzz cut with a little patch in front for a quick glimpse of a True Crime or better yet, a Playboy, carefully tucked inside a Field And Stream.
The not so secret secret was out amongst us 13 year olds, the place for pulp was Chuck's.