Tales from the Crypt of an American Working Class Hero

Rob McCuen was born in Mount Pleasant Iowa, the first born to Alice and Chuck McCuen. Alice was a beautiful, creative, and loving mother, and Chuck a successful, savvy business executive and a proud father. Rob's birth was a huge event in that he was the first grandchild and nephew on my sister Alice's side of the family.Early on it was evident that our newest member of the family was both bright and precocious. After overhearing Rob converse with his mother at an early age, the neighbor next door remarked that he might become the Presi‐ dent of the United States.My first Christmas present to Rob was a wooden bench with colorful pegs that he could hammer on with a wooden mallet. I considered this to be an ap‐ propriate educational toy. Rob obviously found it not to be exciting enough. He found nailing the living room curtains to the wall with his new wooden mallet more entertaining.Looking back, perhaps that was the beginning of his fascination with beat‐ ing the drums. What we did know was that he was a handful.Rob knew at the age of four that he wanted to be a drummer. His inspira‐ tion came from growing up listening to the Beatles, The Kinks, and The Who.When he was nine, he learned that he was not eligible to play drums in the school band as they required two years of piano lessons as a prerequisite. Rob was not going to give up. His doting parents allowed him to take private lessons.At eleven, he formed his own band. This group practiced every Saturday morning in the McCuens' basement. I was only there once early on to witness the practice and came to the conclusion his parents were saints for enduring this phase of Rob's life. He named that band the Fabulous Riverias. They made their debut at the Spring Sing at Mount Pleasant High School in Rob's senior year. Rob informed me they were a sensational hit.After graduating in 1979 from Truman State University in Missouri, Rob moved to Champaign, Illinois, While there he drove a cab, did some networking, and worked at launching a career. In the fall of 1979, Rob moved to Milwaukee to audition for a band named the Shivvers. When that didn't work out, he began drumming and writing songs for the RPMs. The RPMs pub‐ lished a single that was purchased all over the world.In 1982 Rob joined the renowned psychedelic pop group, Plasticland. Plasticland toured and sold records all over the globe. They were the critics' darlings. Rob tells me he was the token teen idol of the group. He continued to perform in various beat pop groups and is about to release his first solo record. In addition to this, he has been involved in 23 other releases.Rob struggled most of his life with manic episodes, depression, anxiety, and broken relationships. He passed away in August 2021.