Talking To Girls About Duran Duran - Intro & Chapter 1

In "Talking To Girls About Duran Duran," author Rob Sheffield takes you on trip back in time to what I think is the greatest decade of music...THE 80's! Sheffield uses references to the songs he was listening to on the radio to help explain how life was for a boy growing up during this "tubular" time. NO Hot Tube Time Machine needed...only a playlist from your past.

Each chapter of this book has a song title which relates to a particular point in time. Chapter 2 "David Bowie - Ashes to Ashes" describes Sheffield's relationship struggles with David Bowie. Although he admits, Mr. Bowie had no idea about their friendship, lack of friendship, friendship, lack of trust...well you get the drift.

The reason for this blog is about what Rob Sheffield talks about in Chapter 1 "The Go Go's - Our Lips Are Sealed." Rob describes be raised by all sisters and dreaming of being in the Go Go's as the only male member. Kind of weird...because I grew up with all girls (sister and cousins,) and we all pretended to be the Go Go's. I of course wished I could be a "real" member.

The chapter continues by suggesting your identity is based on what station you listen to:

"When you're a kid, every step in identity is marked by a step in music. You were totally defined by which station you listened to, graduating from the kiddie station to the teenybop station to the grown-up stations."

How true...how very true! My first memory of the radio was with Rick Dees in the Morning, on KISS FM! Sadly, Rick doesn't do morning radio anymore. I also remember spending a lot of time listening to "The Greatest Songs on Earth," K-EARTH 101. However, my defining moment of "Identity" came when I went past 101 FM, then past 102.7 FM and landed on 106.7 FM....KROQ! What is a Plimsouls? Is the lead singer of Missing Persons really only wearing plastic wrap? Why are the singers of Duran Duran and Depeche Mode wearing make-up...they're dudes? Many questions, many memories, definite "IDENTITY!"

So...what stations shaped your identity? Feel free to comment!

PS...Just in case you didn't know...I'm a huge Duran Duran fan. I remember getting into a huge fight with my friend William Brown over them. You see, William had blonde hair and I have brown hair. William always got to be Simon Lebon, I was forced to be Andy Taylor. I wanted to be Simon soooo bad that I hit William in the stomach and told him it wasn't fair that I didn't have blonde hair. I then told my dad (we lived in Louisiana at the time) that I wanted to dye my hair blonde. Oh the look on his face was priceless. I'm sure he was thinking:
"What kind of (insert insensitive, derogatory, sexual orientation term) are you!"
I never did get my hair died that summer...but when I moved back to California, my new step brother Sean cut my hair the way I really wanted it. He called a "Californian Mo-Hawk." My mom called it a "What the Fu%&!"