It was late November, 1980 and FM radio in Los Angeles was on FIRE. Local stations KMET 94.7 and KLOS 95.5 were going head to head on the Album Orientated Rock format. AC/DC, Van Halen, Queen, Def Leppard, Billy Squire and Rush all dominated the airwaves.
Kids in the neighborhood were not just listening to the radio, they were taping their favorite songs and playing them back whenever they wanted to on portable radio cassette players.
Small single speaker portables were in my friends hands and all I had was a small AM/FM radio. It was mothers and was on “Loan†to me! It had a handle and took batteries, but it must have been from the mid to late 60’s with just a tuning dial, tone and volume knobs. Not very “Hipâ€.
The jealousy of seeing my friends with these radio cassette’s was more then I could bare. At twelve years old, I knew what “Popularity†was and I knew “I†didn’t have it.
My best friend Scott was sent to live with his grand parents because he got in too much trouble. They spoiled him rotten and he always had the best bike, the best clothes, the best toys and you guessed it, when cassette radio’s came into early fashion, he was right there asking grandma and grandpa for one! :annoyed: He didn't even have to wait for Christmas!
I may not have been the smartest kid in middle school, but when I saw all the girls on the block dancing to his recorded music from his radio cassette, I knew there was only one way to get that kind of attention. I NEEDED A RADIO CASSETTE RECORDER.
As Christmas approached, I knew I was going to make all my gift selections point towards one item. I not only asked for a radio cassette recorder, I’d asked for batteries, blank cassette’s and one new cassette album. I asked for "Tattoo You" from the Rolling Stones.
As Christmas approached my mom worked me over good. Telling me that I shouldn’t “Put all my egg’s in one basketâ€. "Maybe ask for different things", just incase “Santa†didn’t bring the radio. She insisted that, if I got the batteries and blank tapes and didn’t get the radio how upset I would be! Maybe she really hoped I still believed in the jolly big man :santa: , or maybe she was just hoping I would change my mind because money was tight. But there was no way I was going to ask for anything else…No Way!
I have an older sister, 2 years older in fact. Once she heard I was asking for a radio cassette recorder, she then HAD to have one. The problem was, she had already made out her Christmas list. Being younger, I typically copied my sister. If she wanted a toy, I wanted it. This was the first time in my memory where it was reversed. But it led to a battle, because she still wanted all the other stuff on her list!
When Christmas eve rolled around, my parents would typically let us open some presents that night, but we always knew the “Big Haul†would come in the morning. That night I tore through boxes of pants and bags of socks like a wood chipper. A piece of me was hoping my mom would just be kind and let me have it that night. I may have been thinking that the faster I burn through these, the sooner morning would come, but the clock just ticked at normal speed.
At 6:00 am, I was wide awake lying in bed, waiting, waiting waiting. Finally, I could take no more, I went and woke up my sister and my three year old brother and together we woke up mom and dad, always groggy and a little pissed that we woke them up so early (as I remember being with my kids).
Once everyone was moving we started the long process towards the family room where the Christmas tree was. But we had to first stop at the fire place to check our stockings. It was a long laborious process that I could have skipped all together if it wasn’t for my mother dragging out the pain just a little longer. Oh we had to take pictures, then we had to make a big Friggen deal because my brother is THREE. My sister needs to have her picture taken of her using her new hair brush and I’M ABOUT TO PUKE!
“LETS F’N GO†I’m thinking! :angry:
Finally it’s the procession out to the family room and then the last round of presents!
Yeah, Yeah, 14 year old sister got slippers, Big Deal. Little brother got a new high chair…So What… |-)
I start burning through boxes like a forest fire and right off the bat, I know my mom is F#@*ing with me because I open yet another box of G@D Damn socks! I saw her laughing, IT AINT FUNNY!
But things start to look up….I started to open “Radio Related†items…
A Blank Cassette!
A 2 Pack of C cell batteries!
Another 2 Pack of C cell’s! 
Oh Yeah….and then…I hear my sister yell it out…
“I GOT A RADIO FOR CHRISTMASâ€
Hot Damn, I know I’m Hooked Up Now!
But I don’t see any other large boxes left…accept for that one my dad has his feet on, over on the other side of the room where he is drinking his coffee!
I remember walking over and asking him who that present was for? He said he didn’t know! I looked and it had no name tag. I asked mom….“MOM, WHO IS THIS BIG BOX FOR?â€
Still playing me, she say’s “doesn’t it have a name tag on it†from the kitchen. I yell back “NOPE, Can I open it?â€
“YES†she says….
And there it was, Finally…
I don’t remember the brand….it was a mono box, all silver, with a plastic horizontal louver speaker grill.
My sisters was a bit bigger (yes I was immediately jealous). Hers was a Sanyo M2442L. At the time I was
My radio may have had a 3 inch speaker in it, while hers was a solid 4! Maybe even a 4.5 incher! (I ended up with it years later )
I had my radio out of the box and was stuffing batteries in it as fast as I could. With a quick flick of the switch, POWER and static. I pulled the antenna up and gave the tuning knob a twist and BINGO….We Have Music! Portable F’N Music.
The next thing I had to do was find the package that had my TATTOO YOU album…and BANG there is was….I was now playing, rewinding and playing the same song again…and do you know what song it was?
START ME UP! Oh Yeah Baby! :sin:
There was only one thing left to do….Dig out some of my new threads, put on some new undies, some new socks, my new Keds and hit the street corner and just watch the ladies roll in!
And they did….until I played START ME UP 25 times in a row and realized I needed more Hit music!
It didn't matter....1981 was going to be a GREAT YEAR!
(Thanks Mom....I love you
)
Kids in the neighborhood were not just listening to the radio, they were taping their favorite songs and playing them back whenever they wanted to on portable radio cassette players.
Small single speaker portables were in my friends hands and all I had was a small AM/FM radio. It was mothers and was on “Loan†to me! It had a handle and took batteries, but it must have been from the mid to late 60’s with just a tuning dial, tone and volume knobs. Not very “Hipâ€.
The jealousy of seeing my friends with these radio cassette’s was more then I could bare. At twelve years old, I knew what “Popularity†was and I knew “I†didn’t have it.
My best friend Scott was sent to live with his grand parents because he got in too much trouble. They spoiled him rotten and he always had the best bike, the best clothes, the best toys and you guessed it, when cassette radio’s came into early fashion, he was right there asking grandma and grandpa for one! :annoyed: He didn't even have to wait for Christmas!
I may not have been the smartest kid in middle school, but when I saw all the girls on the block dancing to his recorded music from his radio cassette, I knew there was only one way to get that kind of attention. I NEEDED A RADIO CASSETTE RECORDER.
As Christmas approached, I knew I was going to make all my gift selections point towards one item. I not only asked for a radio cassette recorder, I’d asked for batteries, blank cassette’s and one new cassette album. I asked for "Tattoo You" from the Rolling Stones.
As Christmas approached my mom worked me over good. Telling me that I shouldn’t “Put all my egg’s in one basketâ€. "Maybe ask for different things", just incase “Santa†didn’t bring the radio. She insisted that, if I got the batteries and blank tapes and didn’t get the radio how upset I would be! Maybe she really hoped I still believed in the jolly big man :santa: , or maybe she was just hoping I would change my mind because money was tight. But there was no way I was going to ask for anything else…No Way!
I have an older sister, 2 years older in fact. Once she heard I was asking for a radio cassette recorder, she then HAD to have one. The problem was, she had already made out her Christmas list. Being younger, I typically copied my sister. If she wanted a toy, I wanted it. This was the first time in my memory where it was reversed. But it led to a battle, because she still wanted all the other stuff on her list!
When Christmas eve rolled around, my parents would typically let us open some presents that night, but we always knew the “Big Haul†would come in the morning. That night I tore through boxes of pants and bags of socks like a wood chipper. A piece of me was hoping my mom would just be kind and let me have it that night. I may have been thinking that the faster I burn through these, the sooner morning would come, but the clock just ticked at normal speed.
At 6:00 am, I was wide awake lying in bed, waiting, waiting waiting. Finally, I could take no more, I went and woke up my sister and my three year old brother and together we woke up mom and dad, always groggy and a little pissed that we woke them up so early (as I remember being with my kids).
Once everyone was moving we started the long process towards the family room where the Christmas tree was. But we had to first stop at the fire place to check our stockings. It was a long laborious process that I could have skipped all together if it wasn’t for my mother dragging out the pain just a little longer. Oh we had to take pictures, then we had to make a big Friggen deal because my brother is THREE. My sister needs to have her picture taken of her using her new hair brush and I’M ABOUT TO PUKE!
“LETS F’N GO†I’m thinking! :angry:
Finally it’s the procession out to the family room and then the last round of presents!
Yeah, Yeah, 14 year old sister got slippers, Big Deal. Little brother got a new high chair…So What… |-)
I start burning through boxes like a forest fire and right off the bat, I know my mom is F#@*ing with me because I open yet another box of G@D Damn socks! I saw her laughing, IT AINT FUNNY!
But things start to look up….I started to open “Radio Related†items…
A Blank Cassette!
A 2 Pack of C cell batteries!
Another 2 Pack of C cell’s!
Oh Yeah….and then…I hear my sister yell it out…
“I GOT A RADIO FOR CHRISTMASâ€
Hot Damn, I know I’m Hooked Up Now!
But I don’t see any other large boxes left…accept for that one my dad has his feet on, over on the other side of the room where he is drinking his coffee!
I remember walking over and asking him who that present was for? He said he didn’t know! I looked and it had no name tag. I asked mom….“MOM, WHO IS THIS BIG BOX FOR?â€
Still playing me, she say’s “doesn’t it have a name tag on it†from the kitchen. I yell back “NOPE, Can I open it?â€
“YES†she says….
And there it was, Finally…
I don’t remember the brand….it was a mono box, all silver, with a plastic horizontal louver speaker grill.
My sisters was a bit bigger (yes I was immediately jealous). Hers was a Sanyo M2442L. At the time I was
My radio may have had a 3 inch speaker in it, while hers was a solid 4! Maybe even a 4.5 incher! (I ended up with it years later
)I had my radio out of the box and was stuffing batteries in it as fast as I could. With a quick flick of the switch, POWER and static. I pulled the antenna up and gave the tuning knob a twist and BINGO….We Have Music! Portable F’N Music.
The next thing I had to do was find the package that had my TATTOO YOU album…and BANG there is was….I was now playing, rewinding and playing the same song again…and do you know what song it was?
START ME UP! Oh Yeah Baby! :sin:
There was only one thing left to do….Dig out some of my new threads, put on some new undies, some new socks, my new Keds and hit the street corner and just watch the ladies roll in!
And they did….until I played START ME UP 25 times in a row and realized I needed more Hit music!
It didn't matter....1981 was going to be a GREAT YEAR!
(Thanks Mom....I love you
)
I guess he and I both got what we wanted for Christmas that year. I got a killer Boombox that became the heart of my first sound system, and he got his sound system back to himself.... 
