A Short Story From 1983

In the summer of 1983, I was working as a farm hand, part-time mobile d.j., all-star slow pitch softball right fielder, part-time community theatre actor, and eligible bachelor extraordinaire. As I remember, it was very warm that year. When I hear Electric Avenue by Eddy Grant, it takes me back to a hot night in Madison. You could hear that song playing on car radios everywhere as the vehicles moved along with windows down. I did not grow up wearing shorts unless it was a for a workout or a sports practice. There were not a lot of stylish shorts for farm boys who were worried about looking ‘geeky’. Shorts were not smart to wear during hay making and so my legs looked like a pail of vanilla ice cream. I am pretty sure, though, walking around in the city of Madison wearing new blue jeans in 90-degree heat looked a bit nerdy. Going to the mall was the thing to do in the 80’s. Every shopping facility had a record store, Spencer’s novelty gifts, Cinnabon, a food court, an arcade, Radio Shack, and Buddy Squirrel’s nut shop. I could spend a whole day and night just wandering around the mall. My friends who were also wearing tight pants on hot days and nights would loiter and watch the beautiful young ladies walking with goofy looking guys. We would wonder what she saw in that fellow. In later years when I had an actual date, I realized that other fellows were wondering that about me and my gal. This reminds me of a song by Joe Jackson called Is She Really Going Out with Him? (‘Pretty women out walking with gorillas down my street’)

Saturday night during Those Were the Days on WRCO, I will be counting down the Top 40 records from July of 1983. Some of the most iconic artists of the 80’s will be represented including Journey, Prince, Men at Work, Def Leppard, David Bowie, Styx, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, Bryan Adams, Loverboy, and Flock of Seagulls. MTV had made it to Sextonville that summer and there were many groups that got a big push by the music channel. This motivated me to pay attention to the best dance songs so that I knew what to purchase at the Music Shop in downtown Richland Center.

I will not be taking your requests this weekend. We have special family plans. During the first hour, Chris Simonson and his wife Heather will do a guest d.j. appearance. They had the top bid during this year’s Passages radio fundraiser and they receive the chance to play an hours’ worth of their favorites. Chris will be staying after school after Saturday’s with Simo. Have fun and I hope you enjoy this weekend’s Those Were the Days on WRCO FM, WRCO.com and the Civic Media app. Wear your short pants and dance to the music.

Phil