Every Saturday in 1982, Nancy would make a pilgrimage to her local record store in Philadelphia and browse the latest releases. Although she worked as a paralegal by day, her passion was music. “In my spare time, I was managing and promoting punk bands and writing for fanzines,” she says. In July, she stumbled upon a record by the band Society System Decontrol, whom she had never come across before. “I listened to it and straight away I loved it. There was a note inside saying: ‘SS Decontrol would like to play your city or town,’ with a phone number.”
Deciding she would like to book them for an event, Nancy called the number. She reached Al, the band’s guitar player, who lived just outside Boston. “I was working as a machinist, making parts for jet engines, and playing in the band,” he says. “We couldn’t play the dates Nancy asked for, but we ended up talking for three hours. I knew it was pretty special to keep chatting for that long.” He asked if she would like to come and see the band play live the week after in Staten Island, New York, and told her he would put her name on the guest list.
The next week, she made her way to the gig with some friends. “I was blown away by Al’s talent,” she says. When Nancy went to speak to him, he noticed she was smoking. “Our band was straight-edge, no drink or drugs. That was a dealbreaker for me,” he says. While Nancy says she “wasn’t much of a smoker”, she had had one to calm her nerves. “He looked at me like I had a gun in my hand and asked if I was a smoker. I just said: ‘Not any more,’ and tossed it away.” They spoke about the gig, but became separated when a riot broke out at the venue. “We both had to find our friends and make our way home,” says Nancy.
Over the next few weeks, they chatted more on the phone and the bond between them grew. Al came to Philadelphia and she went to Boston to see him. “We realised there was a real love connection, but the distance was a problem,” she says. That winter, Nancy decided to move to Boston to give their relationship a shot. “I wasn’t bothered about my job in Philadelphia, so it was an easy decision to make. I got a studio for myself and it turned out to be the best thing I ever did.”
In 1985, Al began training to be a mechanical engineer, while Nancy went back to school to become a teacher. They married in 1989, just as they were starting their new careers.
Since then, they have supported each other through the pain of bereavement as well as several health issues. “We both lost our parents,” says Nancy. “Having each other helped.” Since the early 00s, Al has had many operations for degenerative disc disease, a spinal condition that has caused him extreme pain. He was later diagnosed with bowel cancer and is still receiving treatment. “We have had some really rough times,” says Al. “But we still always have fun together and she takes care of me.”
Nancy believes that “laughter is the best medicine” and the couple get through thanks to their shared sense of humour. “I love Al’s forthright nature and the fact you always know where you stand,” she says. “He’s really passionate about what he believes in. We are very much yin and yang and complement each other.”
Al says Nancy is always there to support him and helps him to come out of his shell. “I’m that guy leaning against the wall at a party talking to the dog or something,” he says. “She will be talking to everyone. She’s also very beautiful. I admire that she’s a really hard worker and just a genuinely good person.”
