Old Friends & MTV are Southern Fried
Recently. I attended a high school friend’s 60th birthday. The theme was MTV, which brought back wonderful memories. Before the party started, three of my classmates, who traveled from out of town, came over to my place for happy hour before we began our “Video Killed the Radio Star” journey.
It was so great to see Jim Hair, Tracy Cotton, and Martha White at my pre-party. The four of us, as well as Kim Duncan, the birthday girl, graduated from Holy Savior Menard Central High School. Jim and I were in the Class of ’83, and Kim, Tracy, and Martha were in the Class of ’84. I was not creative when it came to attire for Kim’s 60th birthday. I was wearing a standard MTV T-shirt that I had ordered online, paired with faded jeans, when my friends arrived for happy hour. Tracy was dressed as Joan Jett. Jim was Angus Young from AC/DC, and Martha was dressed as Prince. Oh yes, these three put me to shame when it comes to originality. After I made sure they had cocktails and were aware of my famous cheeseball, I rushed to my room, changed into a Hawaiian shirt and white shorts, and transformed myself into Jimmy Buffett. My costume was a hit with Joan Jett, Prince, and Angus. They knew right away that I was the king of Caribbean rhythms.
For two hours, we talked about the funny memories from the past, our fear of Artificial Intelligence, and our family and friends who have passed. Famous music videos from the 80’s, played on my television, as we discussed how strange it is that we are now in our sixties.
When we arrived at Kim’s party, it was like walking into a time warp. Although MTV premiered in 1981, it did not make its way to our hometown of Alexandria, Louisiana, until 1983. I remember how fascinating it was to watch artists such as Duran Duran, Tina Turner, YES, The Go-Go’s, Van Halen, and thousands of other musicians perform 24/7. I remember feeling amazed at how this music channel on cable introduced me to a whole new world. Kim’s house was full of fond memories. I felt 18 again as I looked around to see old and new friends who were Billy Idol, Madonna, and the beautiful women in Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love” video. This party was a huge success. I know I’m old because during this celebration of youth, I found my way to a lounge chair next to the pool and took a nap for 45 minutes.
The next day, several of us, including Kim, the birthday girl, had brunch. We discussed how fun the party was and caught up on what everyone was doing at present. When I got home from having such a wonderful weekend with these amazing people, I had a hard time deciding on what project I needed to work on. I’m currently working on creating a new short film and writing a cookbook…and then it hit me!
I’m bringing back to life my novel, Southern Fried Life! After this recent celebration with old friends, it’s my duty to rebirth my book about high school friendships. So, thank you, Kim, and everyone who attended your 60th birthday weekend! Speaking of MTV, check out the quote at right from one of the OGs from The Real World…
“Southern Fried Life is a gumbo full of tragedies, love, laughter, bad behavior, honest mistakes, and friendships that will last forever.”
I invite you to go back in time with me and read or re-read Southern Fried Life this summer!
- David
