October 30, 1981

Didn't do anything. No that's not true, we made up a song.

October 29, 1981✝

Never expect anything to remain permanent, because nothin' is. Nothin' is.

October 28, 1981✝

Today we practiced with Ritchie, but now the magic is gone, it's Ritchie's own fault. I learned what I can from Ritchie. [That is one of the biggest lies that I have ever told myself. I could play with Ritchie for 20 years and probably still not be able to do what he could do. I was a hurt boy, who didn't understand the music business. Ritchie was and still remains one of the most substantial motivators in my creative life. Love ya' Klaus (Ritchie).]

October 27, 1981✝

...but today it was with Gundy (Keller)....

October 26, 1981✝

Today Ritchie played in a session (with somebody else). I wonder if anyone is gonna' get burnt. I wonder if it'll be me. I just don't, SH**!

October 25, 1981✝

...and it keeps on boilin' and nobody know which pot it's boilin' in.

October 24, 1981✝

No practice. The Ritchie stew is boilin' up.

October 23, 1981

Walldürn! [a little town in a German forest] [Concert] I played a lot of mistakes, but had fun anyway, a different kind of fund. I don't know how to explain it.

October 22, 1981✝

No Practice. And somedays we all must pay the price. Rock and Roll is ever changin' and there are never rules. (Das Spiel) [The Game}.

October 21, 1981

Today we Practiced, it was fun, very fun, yeaaa. I wrote a song called "For You" , it's pretty good.

October 20, 1981✝

Another day without practice. We have a little problem with Ritchie's attitude.

October 19, 1981✝

Well Franz didn't come back from the states (on the date that he promised). Today actually he leave Calf. on the 19th. No practice.

October 18, 1981✝

Time flies when you don't do anything.

October 17, 1981✝

Nothing interesting.

October 16, 1981✝

Nix today either.

October 15, 1981✝

No practice. Nothing was done.

October 14, 1981✝

Ya? I cleaned Helga's house today. It's a boring job and I hate the work. Ya? Ya!

October 13, 1981✝

Stayed in A-burg. Hope we practice soon.

October 12, 1981✝

No practice, but some good personal practice. I get off on it.

October 11, 1981✝

On year since our First gig. Happy Birthday Stampede. I didn't forget. Today, I practiced bass, mostly scales, but I have fun from only scales. I could do 'em all day.

October 10, 1981✝

Still haven't done any group practice in quite a while. I wish the group would practice more often together, but Ritchie thinks it's better if everybody works on their own instrument.

October 9, 1981✝

I'm gonna' start work by cleaning Helga's house every Mittwoch [Wednesday]. No practice [today], I have to find a new house soon in A-burg, Oh, well.

October 8, 1981✝

Today Franz went to California. I can't write anymore, gotta' let my head relax.

October 7, 1981✝

I didn't stay in Laufach (Lexel's home) today. I got some problems with where I shall live. [what's up with use of language?]

October 6, 1981✝

What are we gonna' do, yea!!! No practice, oh F***, personal practice. I oughta' try it.

October 5, 1981✝

I put my bass equipment together. We found someone to cosign for our loan that we want. Lexel thinks there's a lot goin' on, he can feel some kind of underlying energy. It has him in a good mood and that's very good.

October 4, 1981✝

Today we were back in routine, putting things away and back together again. We really oughta' get to practicin' 'cause we don't have the money to waste anymore. Like we really did before. Ha! Ha!!!

October 3, 1981

We played for Heaven' Own [Aschaffenburg's Motorcycle Club] today at Nilkheimer Park. It was a gig that was very exciting and that the people enjoyed very much. I am very kuput, I can't even think.

October 2, 1981

Another shorty [practice], but a nice one. Gotta' 'nother gig comin' up. [I am such a dork, writing in the Rock 'n Roll lingo.]

October 1, 1981

A very short practice. We played our new song, "Baby Blue." It's different form our other material, but it's good. [I wonder if we made any recordings of this? It could have been on Stampede's second album, but alas, a second album never happened.]

September 30, 1981✝

I would like to make today the last day of rest. Tomorrow should be the first of day work for me, for the upcoming year. Gotta' get it right.

September 29, 1981✝

Still no practice, everybody had their own thing to do. I put my bass equipment together, thats about all.

September 28, 1981✝

No work except unloadin' the van into the studio.

September 27, 1981

Today was our anniversary gig at the Heyland's (Schwind) [Brewery Guesthouse in Aschaffenburg] It was 14 days too early though. Good gig even though I was missin' something. I don't know exactly, it was the same feelin' [of excitement, energy?] I had during the first gig. The people [audience] went crazy just like the other time. [Apparently I was expecting two gigs to be the same. That's weird thinking to me now. I think that I subconsciously knew that things would be coming to an end soon and I didn't want things to change.]

September 26, 1981

Practice was very good. If we stop now, then we'll never reach the point of almost exact playin'. I just we don't work in Rolf's Apartment tonight. [Ok, that last sentence hardly made sense, maybe I had a little to much Weizenbier that night, who knows. I did have a job of cleaning a couple's apartment a couple of times a week. What was also cool was that they had a grand piano and so I began to practice piano a little.]

September 25, 1981

Once again another good practice. Seems we're on the right track at least it fells that way. We'll see what happens. [I'm pretty skeptical and frustrated a lot, all I wanted to do was practice, write songs, and play gigs. I couldn't get enough of it. It seemed overly complicated to me why we just couldn't just do that everyday.]

September 24, 1981

Good practice today, I was able to hear good things and bad things. With more practice were gonna put this thing in the bag. We need Gigs, we need good gigs.

September 23, 1981✝

The first day I work and look, we didn't practice. Oh no, it won't interfere. I'll keep my mouth shut and see what happens. [I was such a baby, what a prima donna. If I was my kid I'd kick his butt.]

September 22, 1981

Practiced today, it was good. I asked for a job at McDonald's. I hate the idea of getting away, but I guess it's the way they want it. [I really had a victim mentality at this time. "I asked for a job" "it's the way they want it." Please, can you say little boy. I must have been a pain in the butt to my bandmates.]

September 21, 1981

Finally got to practicin', that's good, we have to keep it up.

September 20, 1981✝

Didn't even reach Laufach on this day. [Now I'm really curious. Laufach, a little village outside of Aschaffenburg, is where Lexel lived and where we were practicing at that time. Lexel was compassionate enough to let me stay in one of his spare bedrooms. I wonder where I stayed that night?]

September 19, 1981✝

No practice. I walked in the woods and came back to late.

September 18, 1981✝

We need gigs bad. And we have to work harder makin' new songs and gettin' tight and doin' it. Damn, I wanna Rock-n-Roll.

September 17, 1981✝

No practice on this day. Lexel gave lessons the whole day. [I have an newspaper article glued in to my journal titled, " Stampede Kraftvoller, abwechslungs-reicher Blues-Rock." trans. Powerful, varied Blues-Rock. The journalist had high praise for the band, but was pretty tough on Franz's english pronunciation.]

September 16, 1981

Wrote the words to "I'll Come Back to You." This is for the song that we wrote on the 14th [Sept.]. It's a very good song. [I don't remember the song, this was after our album was recorded, not sure if any tapes exist anymore. ]

September 15, 1981

Wrote another song today, quite different from the other, but still very good.

September 14, 1981

A very short practice, but we managed to make up a good song.

September 13, 1981✝

We were supposed to practice today, but Ritchie didn't come. I still have a little cold, but I've kicked most of it off. Gotta' get my sh** together, I'd like to practice soon.

September 12, 1981✝

Too tired to write [in my journal] today, but I feel better.

September 11, 1981✝

Didn't write today, 'cause of illness, stopped smokin'.  [It wasn't permanent, I quit a few more times after that. It wasn't until I joined my church in 1984, that I was able to quit smoking cigarettes permanently. Good thing too, I inherited lungs that seem to attract emphysema and lung cancer.]