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Rocky Road From Classic Rock to Progessive to hip hop to today's hot new tunes! |
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Rocky Road From Classic Rock to Progessive to hip hop to today's hot new tunes! |
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Our writing partner is MS, our high school classmate. When we were freshmen in 1985-86, you and MS were in the same English, PE, and World Civilizations classes.
As you walked down the hall, you passed by MS at her locker. "Hey Inmate," she called out to you. She then flattened her foot, and kicked/tapped/toed your butt.
Taken aback, you shouted, "Why'd you kick me?!"
Sort of stunned, MS stepped back, and stammered, "I've seen others do that."
You frowned, "You're not one of the guys, and this isn't PE!"
Later that month, at one of the school's massive dances, you came across MS, who, like you, was not part of any clique. Thus, she wasn't with a horde. She raised her hand, to high-five you. "Inmate," she shouted over the music, "I owe you an apology. I'm sorry I acted like one of the guys, and kicked you. Can we go back to being friends?"
Most audiophiles still hate this, but you learned of certain types of popular music via these dances. Just then, the modern rock DJ played Book Of Love's "Boy." Unusual for pop/dance music, it featured tubular bells. At arm's length, you and MS did the herky-jerky, ill-timed "dance." No. As freshmen, you did not embrace or touch each other, let alone kiss.
No. Radio stations did not play Book Of Love's "Boy." But one Saturday, you went over to MS' house. There, you discovered that she was fairly close to her only sibling, an older brother. MS stated that she and her brother were 3 grades apart. They were last together in elementary school, when she was in 2nd grade. Because of the age gap, they were never in middle school together. And here in high school, they still were not together, because he went to Galileo, way across the City from our high school. She smiled, and admitted that she liked or had a crush on 3 or 4 of her brother's friends.
You did not take it personally, that MS preferred the seniors over a freshman like yourself.
Back in school, your PE teacher pulled you and Seth out, to be opposing team captains in softball. Of course, Seth picked the best athletes. But you chose (1) the nice but kind of bland Lily, (2) your geeky friend Dick, who was stunned at being drafted so high, and (3) MS. Lily, as pitcher, got rocked. As a centerfielder, MS ran all over, chasing well-hit balls.
You ate lunch with Lily and MS. Lily said, "We got our ass kicked," which made MS stare at your butt, roll her eyes, and make a face, remembering how she toe-tapped your butt. MS then, refraining from patting you on the back, said, "Thank you for picking us, and making us feel like one of the guys."
Setting aside her crush or fantasy about her brother's friends, MS lamented the lack of success in dating or finding guys at our own school. With "Boy" ringing in her head, MS sighed, "If I buzzed off my hair, do you think I could pass as a boy? I don't have boobs, so..."
You waved to your short (he was no taller than 5'2") friend/classmate, Jackson, and told him to come on over. You had him and MS stand next to each other. "Uh, no," you mumbled at MS. You pictured MS with short hair, and a way of flattening her chest. Her upper body was simply narrower than Jackson's, not broad enough at the shoulders. Though MS was kind of a stick figure, her hips nevertheless were wider towards her legs, not her tummy (cf. Jackson's hips). Moreover, MS's neck skin was soft and supple, not boyish at all.
You know what, though? By comparing MS and Jackson, you, as an audiophile, gained the ability to compare products.
Late in the Spring 1986 semester, you, MS, and a few friends went to a movie theater on Polk Street (sorry, I don't have any old photos from the 80s). As you waked down Polk Street, you encountered lots of colorful characters. You stopped off at a small record store, where MS bought Book Of Love's cassette, which included "Boy."
You didn't know it at the time, but "Boy" was another chip, in breaking down that concrete wall, which represented homophobia. You see, "Boy" was about the female lead singer being friends with guys. But when they go to, ostensibly, a gay bar, she is not allowed in. You can change up the roles, genders, place settings. But the effects are the same. All of this, within the context of a very enjoyable synthpop tune.
-Lummy The Loch Monster
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Topic - Book Of Love, "Boy" - Luminator 12:19:19 02/21/21 (0)
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