Musical Flashback

Since this weekend is, as mentioned before, my 20 year HS reunion, I thought I’d continue with the whole HS/80’s theme. A retro weekend (kind of channeling Minnie Driver’s character in Grosse Pointe Blank here, just without the radio show), if you will. Back to a time where big hair, short skirts, skinny ties, neon, jelly shoes, Vans, pegged jeans, break dancing, Val speak (like, gag me with a spoon), parachute pants, big boom boxes, “Thriller”, banana clips, high tops, Trapper Keepers, synthesizers, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood were cool. I have retained possession of my Swatch watch (they still make those by the way) and Max Headroom (catch the wave!) tee shirt over the years. Max is currently enjoying a renewed career on Sirius/XM radio doing song intros (along with his brother, Less) for the “80’s on 8” channel that I listen to a lot while cooking dinner….last night they played “Girls on Film” by Duran Duran, “Affair of the Heart” by Rick Springfield and “China Girl” by David Bowie…when was the last time you heard THOSE?! It was totally bitchin’, dude! Fer shure! Its so funny how hearing a certain group or song can take you back to a specific point in time (could be this is just some odd quirk I have - maybe you all don’t do that? I seem to have an entire soundtrack for my misspent youth in my head). I thought about that while I was walking last night I had Guns n Roses debut album (yes, still had vinyl back then) “Appetite for Destruction” blasting on the iPod for my “motivational music”…good tunes to run by. From the very first note of “Welcome to the Jungle” I was back in the weight room during last period, student aide for Coach Guilford, listening to that playing on the boom box while the football players lifted and horsed around (believe it or not, I earned half a credit for sitting in the weight room for an hour watching cute teenage boys with their rippling muscles and listening to music…it was tough but I managed to get through it). There are quite a few songs that I associate with specific times in my teen life. “The FinerThings” by Steve Winwood? Senior Sob assembly for the class of ‘87…bawled my little sophomore heart out at that assembly over seniors that I would miss the following years. “Dirty Deeds” from AC/DC and “Send Her My Love” by Journey….reminds me of Kelly Covert, the first song from grade school…6th grade to be exact, her listing to that on a Walkman (she later had a Levi jacket with that on the back)…and the latter from her funeral our sophomore year. A slice of Godfathers pepperoni pizza with ranch dressing to dip it in at lunch with Jana Rydalch? “Rock Me” or “Cassanova”…we’d play one or the other on the jukebox while we ate…mostly the Great White tune. I was “Lovin’ Every Minute of It” in Kalispell, Montana with my friend Kim Cook (one of the 2 Kim’s I ran with growing up) spending a week one ERJHS summer at her grandparents house. Being at my first dance in jr high? “You’re the Inspiration” (really…you are). Chasing down Ron Storer and his friends in his big ol’ Ford out on the cruise? The Whitesnake tape (“Still of the Night”, “Here I Go Again”…that one). “Blow My Fuse” will forever be associated with the Jensen crew. And Pineapple Bomb’s snuck out the back door of Pockets. I rolled my truck on the Lewisville Highway with Darla while listening to “She’s Like the Wind”. Going tanning with Chandra Claver listening to “Venus” (by Bananarama). Rolling with Theresa Hanek in the Toyota listening to “Master of Puppets” and “Electric Circus”. Singing “Funky Cold Medina” (it took me years to be able to sing that song without saying ‘chunky cold Purina’…don’t ask…you had to be there) driving thru Tautphaus Park in Aundria’s car. I could go on. And on. And on yet even more. But you get the idea…I will take pity on you and spare you any more torture. Think I’ll go home and put on some Prince…” dearly beloved,we are gathered here today 2 get through this thing called life….”