We're demented and sad ... but social

(Feathered hair ... a cheesy mustache ... Class of '85 ring on the hand ... forlorn look on the face ... a glass of liquid courage in the hand. Yes, it must be a photo of depressed "80s Steve.") 

I've been reading all the comments about sad songs and breakups on the blog -- along with a handful of really depressing e-mails -- and all I can say is: Whew, it's nice to know I'm not alone in the anguish that's ejected into me when I hear certain songs from the 80s.

Of course, the bad side to all this is now I'll begin to associate misery with just about EVERY song you've mentioned. (I was damn near tears when Chicago's "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" came on the radio on the drive home last night.) And before you begin to think that it's only Genesis and tunes from Invisible Touch that personally haunt me, take a look at the other songs that send me racing to the liquor store.

Take it on the Run (REO Speedwagon): I heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend that my first girlfriend, Janette, was messing around -- with a guy named Harold! A painful first lesson in love. (I'm sure Kevin Cronin would have used the name "Harold" in the song -- if there was anything else in the English language that rhymed with it.)

Don't Let It End (Styx): Part deux with Janette, who came with me to see the Styx "Mr. Roboto" tour in St. Pete's now-demolished Bayfront Center Arena. She was more than happy to hold hands and make-out during "Lady," but when the show was over, she just "let it end." (Didn't she listen to the song?!?)

True (Spandau Ballet): Ah yes. I finally had a date with the lovely Robin, and we danced for the very first time (well, OK ... the only time) to this song. A few years later, I'm her "good friend Steve" and she's telling me how much fun she had sleeping with one of my best friends. "This is the sound of my soul" -- breaking into a million tiny pieces.

Good Feeling (Violent Femmes): Try having girlfriend break up with you in front of all your friends at a party you throw at your own house just one month before prom. There's nothing good about that feeling. (There's an equally great epilogue to this story that we'll tell during a special podcast.)

No One Is To Blame (Howard Jones): A girlfriend actually sent me a tape of this song with a "Dear Steve" letter back in my freshman year at the University of Florida. Note to all women out there: Don't send soundtracks with your break-up letters. Clearly, 80s addicts like us don't need the added torment!

Keep the stories coming. A heart-breaking podcast is in the works to wipe away all the pain.

Comments

[Marissa]

Awe Steve! Do you need a hug?

[Spears]

In that particular photo, I think what I needed most was an Alka-Seltzer.

[VineyardWoman]

Sadly I can relate to your experience with "Good Feeling." In high school a boyfriend took me to the Foreigner concert and serenaded me with "Waiting for a Girl Like You."

Fast forward to THE NIGHT BEFORE PROM and he dumps me because he's "too cool" to be seen with a date in a leg cast from the knee down.

At least your girlfriend had the "courtesy" to give you a whole month to find another date.

"Love Stinks" (J Geils Band)

[Spears]

I ended up taking a Swedish exchange student to prom, so things did end up ok for me. She, on the other hand, went with her next-door neighbor.

Karma exists -- even in the 80s.

[Clyde]

Steve Spears is a lean machine in that photo!

[Ray]

Great Pic. Reminds me of my dorm days...

[Spears]

Oh yeah, I was like "Bataan death march" thin compared to my current status. This was before I discovered the true joy of 24-hour pizza delivery.

[Tonianne]

You have 24-hour pizza delivery?

God, how I hate DC.

[Marissa]

Fine! That's the last time I'll offer a hug to you, Mr. Spears.

[Al]

24-Hour Pizza Delivery?

Ah.......sign of the Apocalypse for America. Or is it?

Tune in next time...

[Spears]

Come to think of it, there wasn't 24-hour delivery in Gainesville, Fla., at that time. But I had a tradition where I'd order a pizza Friday afternoon and basically keep in the frig and snack off it for "buzz killer" power as needed.

[Douglas Arthur]

That photo brought back some sad memories for me too. But I thought of the ultimate breakup/heartbreak song...Billey Vera and the Beaters "At This Moment" from the infamous Family Ties episode where Alex gets left at the station by his girlfriend (Though the happy ending there, is of course, he landed her in real life as his wife). I don't think that you can get any better/worse that that song. maybe not for me personally, but I think it resonates well. What do you think Steve-o?

Duty now,

---Doug

[Ian from Down Under]

In the photo above, a young Spears is contemplating to himself A: "why did I have to use the last clean glass as a sample jar" or B: "is it possible to make this glass into a bong". Knowing Brother Spears, A is a big possibility. Keep the photos coming Big Fella, perhaps you could start up a "Stuck in the 80's photo gallery". Get Brother Daly to participate, I'm sure he has some cracking photos to add. As well as all the other listeners and contributors. I have some shockers I could post. Medication time.

[Spears]

I've got a ton of photos from the 80s to share. But I better get some reader photos before I post another one of mine! Send them to stuckinthe80s@tampabay.com

[Spiky Sandy]

I just sent you a picture of me and a friend from 1986, just before a party at Eckerd College. Both of us came from New England to attend school and both of us still live here. Enjoy!

[Spears]

Great photo, Spiky Sandy! You captured the 80s in a single image. I'll be posting it soon.