Liquid Vision, 1996 (?)
Liquid Vision, 1996 (?)
2004-05-25
Does anybody remember that "Liquid Vision" thing at the museum of science, in like...1996? It was this whole special exhibit about "The Future," and it had this virtual reality thing, and a bunch of hologram stuff, and this music studio.

The music studio consisted of plastic instruments and a bunch of flashing lights, and some TV monitors. Outside the studios, the spectators could use these video cameras to zoom in and make a music video.

One occasion of the two times that I went to this exhibit, the one with my school, I went into the music video place with my friends. I wanted the guitar, but I could live without it. I got stuck behind the drumset, which was just a bunch of plastic pads that you hit with your hands. None of the instruments made any noise.

Anyway, we were playing to "You Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer (it was the 90s...shut the fuck up) and some black dude walked into the studio. I'm not sure if he worked at the Museum of Science, or if he was just some random guy. You know what? I bet it was Kenwood Dinarrrarrar, Ben's drum teacher. Not to be stereotyping black drummers, or anything...

The black guy walked around the studio, talking to the kids, and he came to me, who was not having such a fun time behind the drumset, and spoke (in some rostafarian accent, i'm pretty sure):

"You gotta play de drums crazy-like! You gotta go crazy!"

And he pushed me aside and started pounding on the pads with his hands, spinning around in circles and dancing behind the drumset.

I instantly became really happy, and after he left I played with just about as much enthusiasm as he did.

A few weeks later, when my mom and dad took us out of school for a day and took us to the Museum of Science with Marc and Brian (yes, THE Brian), we went to Liquid Vision again.

I had been egging Marc and Brian to come into the music studio with me, because I was so proud of my newfound drumming skills. Marc and Brian said they would decide once I got there.

I ran into the recording booth, and got behind the drumset (I think my brother was forced to take the fake keyboard) and starting drumming, using my moves. It was a little kid thing, so that's probably why I wasn't embarrased or anything.

And Marc and Brian just looked at me through the big glass window of the studio and shook their heads when I waved them in. At that point, I kind of just got out of the studio inconspicuously.

In that same exhibit, there was this virtual reality jet fighter thing, which consisted of a joystick and Nintendo 64 graphics. I was waiting so long to use it, and when it got free, I reached for it.

At the same some other kid did, and our hands touched as we hit the joystick.

(No, this isn't a gay-love story.)

I recoiled really fast because his hand had this weird texture on it, and when I looked up at his face, it looked like his skin was really bumpy because of these veins that seemed like they were like speed bumps under his skin. I just remember the way the light from the video game screen hit his face, and the way there were shadows and everything. It just kind of creeped me out.



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