If you follow Dave Strange World, you’ve already heard the story about geeky grunge neighbor circa 1996 who liked to play what sounded like “Ted Bundy and Hitchhiker” with his goth girlfriend at all hours of the night … the the point where I had to drown them out with Sonic Youth’s “Daydream Nation” in another room in order to sleep. If you haven’t, then here’s the link:

https://davesstrangeworld.com/?s=teenage+riot&submit=Search

But that’s not the only story about bizarre and annoying neighbors from that year. Upstairs from me were a group of other memorable neighbors …

There was what (I think) were a group of girls that were probably not college students, but likely had just graduated from high school. They were hideously unattractive, always wore jeans and tie-dyed shirts, and were always running up and down the balcony of the apartment complex laughing loudly and hysterically. I called them “The Manson Girls” because they always had that scary “laughing to disarm you because I’m about ready to stab you to death and write on the wall with your blood” type of air about them. One night, I saw them with multiple road signs (obviously stolen), screaming and laughing and running to their apartment upstairs.  Another night … notably the first night I cooked dinner for my now wife of 15+ years … I had my windows open, because it was a very warm night and I had trouble opening a bottle of wine.  The cork exploded loudly and then the “Manson Girls” came bursting into my apartment … giggling manically, as if they were joining a massive party already in progress … and begging me for money.  Flabbergasted, I told them “F–K NO!” and to “Get the f–k out of my apartment!”  Later, I felt self-conscious, and asked my future wife if I was too d–kish in my reaction (it was our 5th date, after all), but I seriously felt violated by these crazy people.  I never had any interaction with them again … but later that summer, the lighbulb outside of my apartment was stolen.   I’m not pointing fingers, but I place the blame on this with the Manson Girls.  Seriously, a freakin’ lightbulb was 89 cents in 1996 dollars … and these future “guests of the state” I’m positive stole my light bulb.