I responded to your message on the TIRC list, too, but I guess you could say I was, at least after late 1983 or so... got into it my senior year of high school, went to many, many shows back then, most of them at the (old) Bernard Pub, Sports Palace, Turner's, Mississippi Nights, and various other nooks & crannies. A lot of the flyers on the Saint Louis Flyer Project flickr group are mine, check 'em out!