…happy 45th anniversary of Disco Demolition Night!
For those of my readers who may be unfamiliar with what is (in my humble opinion) one of the three great events in sports history, here’s a “game story” from SABR.
You know, I’m not sure I would consider a bat to be a good trade for a silver belt buckle. Also, how do you steal a belt buckle? Unless you’re Apollo Robbins…
Here’s a 25th anniversary documentary that I don’t think I’ve linked to before:
And a more recent 45th anniversary compilation:
Finally, Steve Dahl’s “Do You Think I’m Disco?”:
As someone with no musical talent at all, I will leave it to my loyal readers to judge the quality of this song.
I remember the Disco era vividly. I was born in 1960 so during my high school years the radio waves were filled with songs from the BeeGees, KC and the Sunshine Band, and many others.
I never wore the bell bottom jeans, etc. but I did have long sideburns, but kept my hair cut due to the sports that I played. Because so much Disco music was played on the radio, most of us in my class (1978) were happy to listen to a couple of radio stations in our area that played what is now considered classic rock.
I never could get into Led Zepplin the way many did. I must admit that I really did not understand the hype of that band. Great musicians and such, but their music left me kind of Blah! Foghat, Journey, REO Speedwagon were more of my style.
This video by Steve Dahl reminded me of both Weird Al Yankovic and Rick Dees, with his song Disco Duck.
My twin brother bought record albums, but I just taped the music that I liked on my cassette player, in effect making my own albums of just the songs that I liked without having to buy an entire album just to get one or two songs.
I worked the last two years of my high school at a gas station. We pumped gas, but didn’t check oil or wash windows. My shifts were Friday and Saturday nights from 5-10 pm. And then from 9-9 on Sunday. So I worked 22 hours per week, except for the Friday nights that I played football.
My senior year we were in the middle of the budget crunch in education, and so our home games were played on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm. During September it was in the mid 80’s that fall, and one game I stepped on our medical grade scale before and after the game. I had lost 11 pounds during that game. Of course the only time that I was not on the field was when we kicked off. So I didn’t have much of a chance to get a drink during the games, except for when we either scored or at the start of one of the halves. We only had 78 kids graduating in our class of 1978, a neat coincidence. So I was not the only one who played both ways plus either kickoff returns, or some were on kickoffs.
Looking back at the music that defines ones youth, there were several different themes that I can remember. For my older siblings there was the era of the Beatles and other British groups. Gerry and the Pacemakers was a favorite of mine, as was Gary Lewis and the Playboys.
Then of course the Disco era of my group, as well as the country singers of the day, like Eddie Rabbit, George Jones, the Mandrell sisters, and Waylon Jennings and his group The Highwaymen.
My wife and I actually were able to see BJ Thomas in Florida at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Until I saw him live I never realized just how many hit songs he had. We also saw Christopher Cross at a high school near Grand Rapids for a fundraiser for the school. I think it was Forrest Hills high school. I knew that he had a ton of hits, and he played most all of them. That was a favorite concert of mine, second only to seeing Boots Randolph along with Eddie Arnold at the Starr Theater in Merillville, IN.
My wife gave me tickets for a wedding anniversary, and I loved it. Boots Randolph was the reason that I chose to play saxophone. So seeing him was super cool. We actually took a bus trip there, so all I had to do was just watch and enjoy both of them. The Starr Theater was torn down in 2017.
We actually got to see Don Mclean in Ludington, MI at a high school benefit again. He said at the concert that he now preferred to play small venues with about 600 people or so. He said it felt more intimate.
One other musical era that I recall pretty vividly is the days of groups like Matchbox 20, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Green Day and other similar groups. While I liked much of the music from the 2000’s I have to say that the 70’s music is in my opinion still the music that defines America and our love affair with music. As a saxophone player at heart, I myself love Jazz and used to go to jam sessions in Grand Rapids where there were greater opportunities to play that type of music.
Again, wow, I get started and don’t know when to stop. But it seems I cannot help myself when it comes to music and the memories that I have from playing, both during my school days and in my 30’s as a member of a band. When I see schools cutting music programs and the other arts, I cringe. Because music plays such a huge role in my life and the way that I have lived it. And both discipline and the love of music are things that I wish that every person could have the chance to experience.