I Listen to 80s Radio

Yes, you heard me. Air Supply, big blonde-haired, spandex-clad boy-bands, the whole shebang.

Actually, I find myself reaching deep inside to find a reason for being so defensive on the subject. Still, my voice raises and my internal debater scribbles out point/counterpoint lists now and again.

Keep in mind I was around to hear those releases the first time around.; many of them provided the soundtrack for my sometimes highly dramatic younger years. Years of emotional torment, interpersonal relationship wrangling and hormones gone wild, all put to a snappy beat with a kickin� synth.

I still remember how I felt when I realized that the drum solo on In The Air Tonight created such a thick groove on an LP. Or how the guys seemed more and more to enjoy perfecting their slow-dance fumblings to Klymaxx or Stevie Nicks at the Junior Farmer�s dances. Oh man, The Hooters, Starship (not Jefferson Starship, not Jefferson Airplane, just Starship), Joan Jett, Billy Joel�s Glass Houses, Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty belting out Stop Draggin� My Heart Around, Pop Goes the World, Huey Lewis�.as you can see, I stayed well out of the way of the Mods, the Punks, the Stoners and the Headbangers. My music, like my life, was light and bouncy.

Then the 90�s hit.

I got my first real job, found out what paying bills was all about and spiraled down into darker, grittier music, developing a fondness for the power ballad. The only good thing to come out of that time was the strong development of my vocal chords.

Now that we�re comfortably settled in the new millennium? I�m all over the map. It�s nice that I�ve matured to where I can expand my musical horizons, but there are evenings when I pine for the innocent halcyon days of Wham!, Milli Vanilli and Terence Trent D�Arby.

So, everybody Wang Chung tonight. Let�s go baby, come on.

Posted at 4:05 p.m.