What I can definitely say about the music of the ?90s is that it was different than that of the ?80s. My mother?s idols were Angelea Similea, Mihaela Runceanu, Dan Spătaru, Şeicaru, Hruşcă, certain singers adopting a style I could define as sentimentalist-romantic. Since I had no cassettes to record on- the first ones I laid my hands on were Raks- driven by the innocence of the age, I recorded the songs of the new Gods over those of the respective great artists. At the beginning, my ears were listening to a sort of melange: Doctor Alban with No Hash, Hash, No Heroin, M.C. Hammer, Gypsy Kings, Enigma, Depeche Mode, Roxette, Milli Vanilli, New Kids on the Block, Madonna. The walls in my room quickly got covered by posters from Salut magazine, the first teenager magazine edited by the actor George Mihăiţă.

There was some guy Ştefănuş living in the neighbourhood who was Michael Jackson?s replica. He had a real sanctuary dedicated to Michael in his bedroom. He had posters with him including on the ceiling. He was able to perfectly imitate that crawfish walking specific to all Michael?s fans. There were fights in the city between rock and Depeche fans. For Jackson?s fans, the moment of epiphany was his coming to Bucharest for the Dangerous concert. The Black and White video clip was projected on screens. Michael was walking in a white shirt, surrounded by some brutes.

Around the eighth grade, Bebe, a rocker from a neighbouring block initiated me into the Metallica spirit. It was from him that I recorded Kill ?Em All and And Justice for All. Those songs had something romantic in them. I liked their vocal, James Hatfield, because he emanated virility. At that time I would have liked to wear a T-shirt with skeletons. It would have been cool to display a skeleton through the wreath produced by the Kim cigarettes, stolen from my mother or through the Monte Carlo wreath. I wore it only too late, when I couldn?t look at the world through Gun Slash?s locks, the Guns guitarist? On the late T-shirt I imprinted Guns?n?Roses and a skeleton with a rose in its mouth. Guns? songs were even more romantic and we usually picked up girls while listening to them. You used to take the girl and walk her through the rainfall of the November Rain. I usually got my information concerning the mythical lives of the rock bands from Rock and Heavy Metal magazines. I really enjoyed Laurenţiu Lenţi Chiriac?s chronicles. Late in the night, Petre Magdin was presenting old bands on TV.

I equally liked the Romanian bands. ?Sarmalele reci? with She is Doing Tantra Yoga and ?Timpuri Noi? with Running, Running through the Cornfield and My Name is Luca. I used to kneel for years in front of those from The Doors.

The leader of the band, Jim Morrison, seemed to me the most metaphysical vocal. I borrowed the lyrics anthology An American Prayer from my friend Iuxel. I read it as if the fifth gospel. My fascination grew bigger when I found out that Jim Morrison had been irrevocably marked by Nietzsche and Rimbaud.