Belinda Meets Lorna Doom In Art Class, Discovers Glam Rock, And Is Never The Same Again

In her freshman and sophomore years at Newbury Park High School, Belinda became a cheerleader, played on the basketball team, dated a couple of jocks, and went to the prom. She listened to Neil Diamond, Chicago, and the Doobie Brothers. And then, in her junior year ... there was Art Class.

The teacher was a cool, young hippie type who had long hair in the style of the Monkees' Peter Tork. He had a stereo in the room and let the students play albums as we worked on projects.

It turned out the students in that class had phenomenal taste in clothes and music. As I should've expected, they were far more interesting than the jocks and cheerleaders with whom I'd been hanging out ... I met another girl, Theresa "Terri" Ryan, who became better known a few years later as the Germs bassist Lorna Doom. We clicked instantly. She was into the New York Dolls, the Velvet Underground, Nico, and Roxy Music. I hadn't heard of any of these bands.

Nothing like Art Class to help you discover your inner freak.

She was also into Queen, especially the band's guitarist Brian May. She loved him. She took me to see Queen when they came through town in support of their 1974 album, Queen II ... I fell in love with the band's lead singer, Freddie Mercury. I had never seen anyone perform with such energy and passion.

Who looked like that?

Who sounded like that?

Who indeed, Belinda? Who indeed.