So I dropped Night Flight on the old phonograph and am tripping down yet another memory lane.
Paul Davis’s Cool Night started playing and I remembered. We were twelve or thirteen. I can’t even remember her real name. She wanted to be called Zazatapill and now that’s all I can remember about her identity. We were laying on the floor in that one bedroom thing my mom rented after her third escape from marriage. We made up the whole crazy romantic scenario with an fire and snow capped mountain in the distance. None of which were true in Southeast Texas. Me, being the man of the house (a theme that was often present in much of my pretend times), and her pretending to be my girlfriend. We made fake kissing noises into the air and laid next to each other in our pretend cabin bed. I don’t think we ever thought it was even weird to pretend this way.
Then, Quincy Jones came on to remind of the first time I watched a cable movie without permission. Last American Virgin. Every time I hear the song I think of that movie which now I doubt would even qualify for a pg-13 rating. But at the time it was my first real true attempt at teen rebellion. It was all about the sneaking that made it for me. It took me a few more years to realize it wasn’t necessary and she probably would have watched it with me.
There I was in the late hours of a Friday night. The house was quite. My hand rested carefully on the clicker in case I needed to make a sudden channel change to say, Fraggle Rock. I was watching teenagers having sex and other taboo themes like abortion. But the thing I remember most about that movie was the cruelty of the girl. The loser guy who loves her so deeply and the way he was there for her in this crucial time only to watch her go back to the real loser who knocked her up. I remember the last scene as him driving alone in a convertible down the street crying and the music is the only thing with him. One time a few years ago, I was in the video store and saw it on the rack in the comedy section. I don’t think so.
I can’t believe I have a record that combines, Juice Newton, Al Jarreau, Eddie Rabbit, Smoky Robison, the Pointer Sisters and Air Supply on the same record. I am off to change to Honeymoon Suite and Frozen Ghost. I’m saving the Corey Hart series for some late night. Welcome the 80’s time warp.
Dixie's Road Trip 