It was 1981. I had just completed 8th grade in Catholic school in Jennings, La., and my class took a graduation trip to Houston.The highlight of the trip was a visit to AstroWorld, the city's big amusement park.
It didn't take long for us to notice fliers promoting a big show featuring Adam and the Ants and Bow Wow Wow later that evening at the park's vast outdoor concert space.
We couldn't believe our luck. Not only was it our first pop music concert, but also a chance to see the groups perform two of the hottest videos burning up the airwaves on MTV - "Goody Two Shoes" by the Ants and "I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow.
To say we stood out in our gelato-colored polo shirts, khaki shorts and deck shoes amid a sea of black leather, mascara and spiked do's would be a major understatement. It was country come to the city on steroids.Here's a picture of my New Orleans buddy Michael and his mother taken in the early 1980s when he was doing the punk thing in New York.
It seemed EVERYONE at the AstroWorld concert looked like Michael, except for me and my friends.
Here's "Goody Two Shoes."
And my favorite Ants song, "Stand and Deliver."
Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy" still pops up every once in a while in movies and TV commercials.
Wondering what happened to Michael, my former punk friend from New Orleans?Here he is all grown up.
Thanks Michael for letting me use the pics.
1 comment:
My friend, it's hard to believe that the awkward-looking high-schooler in that pic from 1982 became the handsome college freshman I met in the spring of 1986, even if you weren't exactly my type. You came a long way in a short time.
Post a Comment