It's All Happening [h.s.]

January 1974 - the last entry

Frankie Goodhart characterized her life in two parts: the before and after. The before was back in the suburbs of Santa Monica with her mother and sister. Frankie had just graduated from high school and was supposed to be spending her summer earning money for college. Instead, when her mother would leave in the mornings to go teach a summer course at the University of Southern California, Frankie would grab the suitcase under her twin bed that was filled with records. She would play them loudly, getting lost in the music, and then clack away on her typewriter reviewing the sounds and symphonies she just heard. And then when she was happy with what she wrote, she would seal the paper off in a manila envelope and send it to Rolling Stone magazine.

The after is when it all changes for her. It comes along with screaming girls, whiskey lips, heart-rattling bass, earth-shattering gigs, and too much partying. The after comes so fast that Frankie can't even comprehend that it's actually there. She gets whisked away with the promise of new experiences, good music, and the beautiful boy with curly hair who made her feel as if she was the only thing that mattered that summer.

The after is something Frankie wishes she could forget, but knows deep down that she never can.