Sunday, July 15, 2012

Makes you wonder what that model-teacher looks like now, 30 years later? Of course, we all secretly




The town I grew up in got cable when I was eight years old. It consisted budget inn of three channels: WTBS-Atlanta, WGN-Chicago, and USA. Plus you got a free month s trial of HBO and I remember straining to listen through the family room door while my father watched Bo Derek in  Ten,  which was deemed inappropriate for my sister and I.
Between the summer we moved and the summer my grandma died from cancer, she came to visit us at our new apartment. That was my eighth grade year, highlights of which included seven Jennifers in my class (none of whom would speak to me), my locker number ( 666 ), getting mono , and wearing out the grooves on Duran Duran s Rio and Motley Crue s Shout at the Devil . My sister and I introduced Grandma to MTV, and her favorite video, inexplicably, was Van Halen s Hot For Teacher.
CC has a theory that you can t be depressed while listening to Van Halen (and by Van Halen I mean everything up to and including budget inn MCMLXXXIV and not anything after that). I ve tested this theory numerous times over the years and it appears to be true. Also, I have found that you cannot drive the speed limit while listening to Van Halen, and it is compulsory to  scream  sing along.
Grandma loved  Hot For Teacher s  itty-bitty Van Halens, the ridiculous four-man choreography performed by a band containing only one member who could actually dance, and even the stripping teachers, but most of all she loved Waldo. Waldo in all his nervous, nerdy glory.
This entry was posted in Music , Solely for my own amusement , staying sane during production and tagged family , grandmas budget inn , JM Randolph , memoir , music , stepmom blog , Van Halen . Bookmark the permalink .
That was awesome. I had forgotten all about that video the pan across all the kids was like every John Hughes movie I can remember. I m glad you had a cool grandmother, and something so fun to remind you of her.
Makes you wonder what that model-teacher looks like now, 30 years later? Of course, we all secretly hope she s fat and has dried-out straw hair. And I saw somewhere that David Lee Roth became an EMT after one saved his life during a drug overdose or something. Plus, Waldo is adorable. Especially like the squeeky sound his mothers fingers make smoothing down his oily hair.
Love this. I m sure your grandma is rockin in the great beyond right now. This post has uncanny timing in that on the radio on the way to work this morning they played a mash-up of some random songs by David Lee Roth and the fat guy from Smashmouth with all the music taken out, just the vocal tracks. It might not sound like something budget inn that would be funny, but seriously, it was so hilarious my mascara was runny before I got to work today. The David Lee Roth parts were particularly silly. If I can track it down I ll post it.

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