to be one of the cool kids? i mean, i did NOT listen to the smiths in high school. ok, where i came from, the smiths group was like, mmmm, maybe a year under me. i was more in the B-52s/pretenders/lena lovich/van halen (yes, i said it)/prince/sheila e/madonna group. ok, there was no group, really, but, pretenders (and basic teen age angst) not-with-standing, i was into a little more, oh, COLOR than those proto emo smiths lovers et al afforded into their wardrobes…
i mean, i was the girl, a little on the pudgy side (to the extent that you are the kiss of death to anyone actually IN high school with you, but endlessly alluring to anyone older and completely inappropriate), with sun-in-ed, asymmetrical, rocker hair (purple streaks underneath), hot pink lip stick. i had these most fabulous dyed yellow keds onto which i hand colored my tiger stripes (i hadn’t realized my love of sharpies came early) – god i wish i had those shoes now! and note to anyone who hasn’t already found this out the hard way – any UNLINED sequin garment is very itchy and scratchy to wear and high school teachers probably wont appreciate your fashion genius..
in any event, i want to be a cool kid now! i don’t believe that its all about poseur appearance (i mean, i have mixed feelings about my pierced nose now that like every suburban mom has one too) but i do worry about the outre elements that creep in – more and more piercings more and more tattoos… i don’t know
i think i shall turn my newly acquired american graffiti soundtrack back on and worry about it tomorrow
i hung out with these kids…
i know i KNOW how trite is john hughes but cmon, i am NOT made of wood people. and really, did the duckman NOT grow into john cusack? am i right? am i right? plus i love that that looks so much like village music (where jennifer and i bought that lena lovich vinyl kids)… HI DE HO
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August 27, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Jennifer
Wow, what a trip down memory lane!
I shall be forever grateful that you took me to your hair salon and encouraged me to get that blue streak.
August 27, 2008 at 2:12 pm
sambycat
ah yes! tilly at clifford rollins hair design on throckmorton – one of my pre-teen girl crushes! i just loved her! she was s ort of a king kong ers jessica lange look alike. in my memory at least. and gave me an unfortunate perm too in the 6th grade, at my request of course…..
ahhhhh the good old days….
August 27, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Doc Terminus
Its important to differentiate between the ‘cool’ kids and the ‘in’ kids. I’d argue that the ones who are truly cool and studied and mimicked for years are those that do not fit into any category. When 1 girl dressed like Pat Benatar, she may have been mocked but secretly admired. When 10 girls dressed like Pat, no amount of “We Belong” made it any cooler.
That is why today, after reading your post, I’m gonna don my parachute pants, members only jacket and attempt to feather my hair, (using the big huge comb from my back pocket… (The opposite pocket from my velcro wallet, of course).
In closing, I bet you already were a cool kid.
Hey wait a minute! Did you laugh at me singing MY SHARONA at the talent show?
August 27, 2008 at 8:44 pm
sambycat
well said doc, i’d LIKE to think so…… and NO i was not laughing, i was pogo-ing!
and i won’t laugh at your comb if you don’t laugh at my large bonne bell lip smacker (grape) hanging from my neck.
i make no promises however on the parachute pants.
sigh, what a drag it is getting old…