Who hasn’t had fantasies of being a rock star? Skillfully playing a sleek electric guitar, energetically pounding out a drum solo, or captivating a sold-out crowd with your voice and lyrics — it’s an intoxicating vision. But how far would you go to make it a reality?
UCSB grad Aimee Bushong discovered her love for songwriting and performing at a young age, and as she neared the end of her high school career, she began to pursue the possibility of a future in music, only to have her dreams quickly dampened by the cost of music recording and production. When a chance meeting with a stripper at a party opens her eyes to the opportunity to perform, make money, and earn male attention all in one job, she jumps at it, and this one encounter sets the course for the next 14 years of her life.
From UCSB parties in Isla Vista to the ski slopes of Steamboat Springs, Bushong’s memoir, Rock ’n’ Pole , tells her story, the lows of seedy strip clubs, disrespectful patrons, tough bosses, and the endless grind of self-promotion as an artist just starting out, all the way to the ultimate high: performing music for a cheering crowd, knowing that her ambition and determination created this moment.