***Post a MEME Thread***

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James Joyce said:
? and the Mysterians (or Question Mark and the Mysterians) are an American garage rock band[6] from Bay City and Saginaw in Michigan, initially active between 1962 and 1969. Much of the band's music consisted of electric organ-driven garage rock and an enigmatic image inspired by the 1957 Japanese science fiction film The Mysterians.[7] In addition, the band's sound was also marked by the raw, resonating lead vocals of "?" (Question Mark, the stage name of Rudy Martínez),[2][3][4] making Question Mark and the Mysterians one of the earliest groups whose musical style is described as punk rock. Their music and imagery were highly influential on later bands.[8]

The band members were children of Mexican migrant farmers who settled in Michigan. The original trio, consisting of Larry Borjas (guitar), Robert Martinez (drums), and Bobby Balderrama (lead guitar), encountered one another and were motivated by surf rock bands and instrumentalists like Link Wray and Duane Eddy to form a group in 1962.[12] The band played locally with the same lineup until the influence of the British Invasion with groups stressing lead vocals and dynamic stage performances. Rudy Martinez, aka Question Mark, was known for his dancing ability and was suggested to the band as he was Robert Martinez's brother.[13] Question Mark was an eccentric figure, publicly stating that his soul had originated from Mars and that he once walked on Earth with the dinosaurs. "?" quickly cemented himself as the group's creative force, and they began to develop a blend of gritty rock and roll and pop rock with a repertoire that encompassed compositions penned by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. To correspond with the new lineup, the band took the name ? and the Mysterians, which was inspired by the 1957 science fiction film The Mysterians.[14] When the band recruited keyboard player Frank Rodriguez, who was a part of another local group, the Trespassers, it was pivotal in Question Mark and the Mysterians' overall sound, especially in their song "96 Tears".[13]

In February 1966, the band auditioned for an independent record label, resulting in the demos "Are You For Real?" and "I'll Be Back", which were only released later and boasted for their very good sound quality in the 1999 album More Action.[14] Afterwards, Larry Borjas and Robert Martinez received draft notices and opted to enlist to avoid being sent to Vietnam. The remaining band members continued while Rodriguez improvised an organ riff, and "?" introduced a composition he had been developing for a while in his head. Auditioning for a replacement drummer resulted in Eddie Serrato, originally trained in traditional Mexican music, joining the group. Frank Lugo played bass. With this lineup, Question Mark and the Mysterians recorded "96 Tears" along with "Midnight Hour" for the small Pa-Go-Go label, under label executive and record producer Lilly Gonzales who supervised the band at her 4-track recording studio in Bay City.[15]
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The anatomy of a one hit wonder. It was a good song though, ahead of its time.
 
Gasser 57 said:
I live on a flightpath to Newark airport. The planes go right over my place, sometimes pretty low and then a few miles away bank to the left to begin the approach to the runway. Not a day goes by that I'm outside and don't look up in amazement like I was still a kid.
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How can you not look? It's in our DNA.

I was at a high school baseball game at Naples High. It was the Wednesday before Easter. The high school was right in the flight pattern to Naples Airport. Throughout the game and beyond, all the private jets landing one after another were amazing. Don't remember the game, but sure remember the display of wealth.
 
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