In 1999, I knew a raver named Bonnie. She was 14 years old and wore homemade pink fuzzy Strawberry Shortcake overalls. I knew her in part because she was super active in the rave scene, but also because she was close with a friend and Lotus employee. This friend/employee was really sweet, a dedicated raver the likes of which you don’t see often. He saved every glowstick he ever used, archiving them by party name and date. He carried the most well-stocked rave bag I’d ever seen, filled with everything anyone might need: water, candy, lotion, Band-Aids, chapstick, and even tampons for his ladyfriends. He went out at least three nights a week. He lived with his parents so that rent money could go towards raves. He was also a 28 year old man who was in a close relationship with a 14 year old girl.

Those of us around him were always cautioning him. “Danger! Danger!” we’d say. The situation was legally sketchy for him, and an emotional nightmare. It could have been really bad news. It was trouble.

Despite the dangerous situation, I always sort of liked Bonnie. When a writer friend was writing an article about young ravers for a now-defunct teen magazine called Jump, I referred her to Bonnie. I wish I had a copy of that article. Bonnie posed in her pink strawberry overalls and talked about how drugs were bad and she had to go on antidepressants because of her bad experiences at raves. It was funny, because when I referred Bonnie for the article, Bonnie told me that she wasn’t totally sure about doing the piece. “I’m going to be a pop star,” she told me in all seriousness. “I can’t go burning my bridges.” At the time I laughed. Tee hee. Little candyraver is going to be a pop star.

Anyway, here we are in the present, and that 14 year old is now 19 and she got signed by a record label, moved to LA, and just released her first album, which I guess has been in the works for three years. You can look at her website, if you want.

When I saw that her album released, I decided to do some poking around for news. I found this article, in which Bonnie claims that most of her album, “Trouble,” is about “this guy who was much older than me. He was my first love, my first real experience with relationships.” Er, so this album is all about my former employee? The notorious candy raver of yesteryear? My goodness!

The interview is confusing though:

SM: Was it strange being with someone so much older than you?

BM: Well, in retrospect, it was ridiculous. I mean, I don’t hate him at all–he really saved me at a time when nobody else wanted to take the time to deal with me. But I do think that I was exploited. It was a really rocky relationship, and I definitely have a Lolita complex because of it. [laughs] … Teenage girls aren’t victims–they know a lot more than people think or probably want to admit. Nobody wants to believe that adolescents can be sexual beings and understand themselves…

So wait, she was exploited, but teenage girls aren’t victims? I’m so confused. One thing’s for sure: she’s certainly working it hard these days.

Regardless, my congrats to Bonnie for her album’s release. It looks like it’s getting some decent reviews. And to my former employee who seems to have inspired the album? Dude, we tried to tell you she was Trouble.