The Rolling Stones’ song "Can’t You Hear Me Knocking" played on Ivan’s phone as his ring tone. He answered right after I heard the line "Ya’ll got cocaine eyes" and I giggled a little to myself. Ivan had been known for his heavy use of cocaine and other drugs. His behavior had prompted a series of arrests and a few stints in rehab, which is where my brother, Derrick, met Ivan. They were on the same floor at Brentwood, a drug rehabilitation center, and had remained close friends after they were released, which is how I met Ivan. He hung up the phone and explained that it had been Christine, his on and off again girlfriend of four years, that had called. The couple had a Sid and Nancy-type relationship; they fought constantly and were both wild. After one night of drinking, Christine once broke a beer bottle over a woman’s head for complimenting Ivan after a show. Ivan said he believed their fighting was due to the fact that they were so much alike. He also said that’s also why he loved Christine so much. "She’s crazy, but hell, so am I."
We walked into Casa Maria, a Mexican restaurant in the Baton Rouge community, and Ivan walked ahead of me to request a booth from the hostess. We sat across from one another; Ivan’s eyes scanned the menu quickly. I put my notebook and pen out on the table, but it felt awkward. I thought it might make Ivan a little uncomfortable and felt conversation would flow more freely if I put it away. I made the decision to stick it in my bag and made a mental note to try to remember every detail. Ivan wore a black t-shirt with words ‘The Ramones’ written across the front in white bold letters. A pair of black aviator sunglasses hung from his shirt neck. Ivan also now sported a short haircut, much different from the long hair I’d last seen him with last. His scruffy facial hair remained and his fingernails were dirty. Ivan was different from a lot of people I knew; he always did what he wanted, whenever he wanted, which made me admire him in a strange sort of way. I guess deep down there are times when I wish I cared less about what other people thought and just did what I wanted. I had heard a lot of stories about Ivan and I was curious to know how he’d been doing, which is what prompted me to call him when my English 1001 teacher, Lei Lani Michel, assigned a student interview at LSU.
Ivan played in a local band Two Hate Harvey that consisted of Jared and Jonathan (twins), Caleb and Ivan. The band’s name originated from an experience Jared and Jonathan had with an elementary school bully. Two Hate Harvey wasn’t the first band Ivan played in; he’d been pursuing his musical career since junior high. In sixth grade, he began playing the guitar with few of his friends. The first show Ionic, his first band, played was a school talent show. "I remember we’d just gotten together a few weeks before the show and we’d only had a few practices. We played the song "Eight Days A Week" by the Beatles. It was one of the first songs I learned to play. We were terrible, but everyone was real nice and acted like they liked it. I’m sure we sounded like shit." I could tell that Ivan recalled these memories fondly; I knew by his big grin how much he liked to talk about his days as an adolescent.
After Ionic had long been dismantled, Ivan joined a band out of Shreveport, Louisiana called The Renegades. "Girls really do love musicians, famous or not. It doesn’t matter." Ivan took the time from his quesadillas to give me a little advice about guys in bands. I laughed and he looked at me with a serious sort of face. He reiterated his point. "I’m serious. I know. Just stay away. They are not good guys." I gave Ivan a polite smile and head nod to humor him for his advice; I’m sure he had good intentions, but I always try to make decisions about people for myself. It was during his time with The Renegades that he became heavily involved with drugs and alcohol. Ten months of shows and parties passed, filled with every drug imaginable. Ivan had become dependent on cocaine and was giving all his money to his drug dealer. These wild nights with the band led to Ivan’s first arrest after a fight in a bar. "I swore I’d get clean after my first time I got arrested, but it’s never as easy as you think. Especially if you keep hanging out with the same crowd." I honestly didn’t believe Ivan was done with drugs yet. I couldn’t tell a difference. Ivan was the type of person that was always trying to kick his habit, but never could just do it. My parents loved Ivan like a son and I thought of him as a brother, but I knew better than to believe his talk of soberness. My brother eventually had to quit hanging out with him because he couldn’t be around the all the drugs.
Then, Ivan told me something I never expected. Christine was pregnant; Ivan was going to be a father. He expressed his fears to me about becoming a dad. "I just don’t know if either of us are ready. I can’t even pay my own rent of my one bedroom apartment." He didn’t make any money playing with Two Hate Harvey; they’d just started, and he had just quit his part time job mowing lawns due to conflicts with his boss. Ivan tried to keep the mood light, but I could tell by his overall body language that Christine’s pregnancy was something that had been bothering him. He looked as if someone had just unloaded a ton of bricks onto his back; his body looked heavy and he looked down a lot while talking about the baby. I asked if he was going to continue to pursue his musical career. Ivan looked down again and then responded with a surprising answer: he didn’t know. I thought that Ivan would say that he was going to quit the band and get a better paying, more stable job to support Christine and his unborn child; however, that was not the answer I recieved. I ate some of the tortillas chips to distract myself from the awkward silence that surrounded us. I think Ivan could tell that I was a little taken aback by his answer. I wished that my opinion hadn’t been so obvious.
Conversation dwindled a little after the baby talk; we became focused on our meals. He told me that he thought quitting the band this soon might be a mistake and I told him that I understood. We finished our meal and Ivan offered to buy my lunch. I politely declined and thanked him for taking the time to let me interview him; we left our tips and said our goodbyes. Walking to his 1992 red hatchback, Ivan lit a cigarette. I wondered when I would hear from him again or what I would hear about him next.
I was honestly a little bit disturbed to hear that Ivan and Christine were going to have a baby. I thought that they both still had too many wild nights left in them and I was still unsure if Ivan was even sober. If I were in Ivan’s position, I would probably quit the band and try to get a full time job. Then again, who am to pass judgement? I don’t know that Two Hate Harvey will not become famous. Staying in the band might be the best decision. I hope that Ivan makes the choices that are best for himself, the baby and Christine. Who knows? Two Hate Harvey might be playing on the radio the next time I get in my car.
We walked into Casa Maria, a Mexican restaurant in the Baton Rouge community, and Ivan walked ahead of me to request a booth from the hostess. We sat across from one another; Ivan’s eyes scanned the menu quickly. I put my notebook and pen out on the table, but it felt awkward. I thought it might make Ivan a little uncomfortable and felt conversation would flow more freely if I put it away. I made the decision to stick it in my bag and made a mental note to try to remember every detail. Ivan wore a black t-shirt with words ‘The Ramones’ written across the front in white bold letters. A pair of black aviator sunglasses hung from his shirt neck. Ivan also now sported a short haircut, much different from the long hair I’d last seen him with last. His scruffy facial hair remained and his fingernails were dirty. Ivan was different from a lot of people I knew; he always did what he wanted, whenever he wanted, which made me admire him in a strange sort of way. I guess deep down there are times when I wish I cared less about what other people thought and just did what I wanted. I had heard a lot of stories about Ivan and I was curious to know how he’d been doing, which is what prompted me to call him when my English 1001 teacher, Lei Lani Michel, assigned a student interview at LSU.
Ivan played in a local band Two Hate Harvey that consisted of Jared and Jonathan (twins), Caleb and Ivan. The band’s name originated from an experience Jared and Jonathan had with an elementary school bully. Two Hate Harvey wasn’t the first band Ivan played in; he’d been pursuing his musical career since junior high. In sixth grade, he began playing the guitar with few of his friends. The first show Ionic, his first band, played was a school talent show. "I remember we’d just gotten together a few weeks before the show and we’d only had a few practices. We played the song "Eight Days A Week" by the Beatles. It was one of the first songs I learned to play. We were terrible, but everyone was real nice and acted like they liked it. I’m sure we sounded like shit." I could tell that Ivan recalled these memories fondly; I knew by his big grin how much he liked to talk about his days as an adolescent.
After Ionic had long been dismantled, Ivan joined a band out of Shreveport, Louisiana called The Renegades. "Girls really do love musicians, famous or not. It doesn’t matter." Ivan took the time from his quesadillas to give me a little advice about guys in bands. I laughed and he looked at me with a serious sort of face. He reiterated his point. "I’m serious. I know. Just stay away. They are not good guys." I gave Ivan a polite smile and head nod to humor him for his advice; I’m sure he had good intentions, but I always try to make decisions about people for myself. It was during his time with The Renegades that he became heavily involved with drugs and alcohol. Ten months of shows and parties passed, filled with every drug imaginable. Ivan had become dependent on cocaine and was giving all his money to his drug dealer. These wild nights with the band led to Ivan’s first arrest after a fight in a bar. "I swore I’d get clean after my first time I got arrested, but it’s never as easy as you think. Especially if you keep hanging out with the same crowd." I honestly didn’t believe Ivan was done with drugs yet. I couldn’t tell a difference. Ivan was the type of person that was always trying to kick his habit, but never could just do it. My parents loved Ivan like a son and I thought of him as a brother, but I knew better than to believe his talk of soberness. My brother eventually had to quit hanging out with him because he couldn’t be around the all the drugs.
Then, Ivan told me something I never expected. Christine was pregnant; Ivan was going to be a father. He expressed his fears to me about becoming a dad. "I just don’t know if either of us are ready. I can’t even pay my own rent of my one bedroom apartment." He didn’t make any money playing with Two Hate Harvey; they’d just started, and he had just quit his part time job mowing lawns due to conflicts with his boss. Ivan tried to keep the mood light, but I could tell by his overall body language that Christine’s pregnancy was something that had been bothering him. He looked as if someone had just unloaded a ton of bricks onto his back; his body looked heavy and he looked down a lot while talking about the baby. I asked if he was going to continue to pursue his musical career. Ivan looked down again and then responded with a surprising answer: he didn’t know. I thought that Ivan would say that he was going to quit the band and get a better paying, more stable job to support Christine and his unborn child; however, that was not the answer I recieved. I ate some of the tortillas chips to distract myself from the awkward silence that surrounded us. I think Ivan could tell that I was a little taken aback by his answer. I wished that my opinion hadn’t been so obvious.
Conversation dwindled a little after the baby talk; we became focused on our meals. He told me that he thought quitting the band this soon might be a mistake and I told him that I understood. We finished our meal and Ivan offered to buy my lunch. I politely declined and thanked him for taking the time to let me interview him; we left our tips and said our goodbyes. Walking to his 1992 red hatchback, Ivan lit a cigarette. I wondered when I would hear from him again or what I would hear about him next.
I was honestly a little bit disturbed to hear that Ivan and Christine were going to have a baby. I thought that they both still had too many wild nights left in them and I was still unsure if Ivan was even sober. If I were in Ivan’s position, I would probably quit the band and try to get a full time job. Then again, who am to pass judgement? I don’t know that Two Hate Harvey will not become famous. Staying in the band might be the best decision. I hope that Ivan makes the choices that are best for himself, the baby and Christine. Who knows? Two Hate Harvey might be playing on the radio the next time I get in my car.
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