Pottsie's 80s Weblog

Where I've Been and Where I'm Going

WOW! I certainly gave up on this blog for the longest time...well no more I plan and returning to the world of blogging in a big way! With that being said I guess I should catch up with where I've been over the past few months.

The radio show I was doing "The Retro Lunch Show" is finished, it became bigger than I thought it would and it began to consume way too much of my life. I always said when it became work and NOT fun to do I wouldn't do it. Now if I had been getting paid for it that might have been a different story. But, as it was I was putting in way too many hours doing something that just wasn't fun any more. Plus, I enjoy live DJing on air as opposed to canned shows. So now I do a Live show on Saturday nights from 9 PM to Midnight Eastern Time om www.80smeltdown.com. Check it out.

My father passed away in July, it wasn't expected, it was sudden from a heart attack...many unresolved issues between him and I. I have alot of regrets and I'm sure if I were the one who passed away he'd have alot of regrets also. My father was a hard man to get to know, and a hard man to be a father, but he did the best he could and taught me some valuble lessons along the way. I am a better father to my children because I was determined not to raise them the way I was raised. I'm not dissin' ya Dad, I turned out ok...so you did something right. We didn't bury him until September because of the wait to get into Arlington National Cemetary, it's where he wanted to be buried-Rest In Peace Dad.

OK I've taken a few months off, I've regrouped. I've mourned and now I'm ready to get back to it. Do visit here again and again as I will update this as much as I can with my thoughts of the 80s, the absolute best time of my life (not that right now is so bad).

Whiskey A Go-Go

First off, one of the things I said I’d do with this BLOG is be honest and forth coming with my stories. Some may be boring as hell and others just plain silly, but what I had hoped they would do would be to generate some dialogue between me and you, the few readers of the blog. So how about letting me know you’re out there reading this thing by adding your comments to the bottom of the stories I post. Relate your memories and we can share a good laugh.

ALCOHOL-remember the days when you could drink alcohol like you were a fish..a fish that lived in an alcohol pond. Now mind you I in no way condone any of the behavior I displayed back in those youthful days and I, on more than one occasion, drank to excess. I was foolish and I know it…but DAMNIT if it wasn’t FUN!!

I’m sad to say I can remember the first time I got completely hammered…how pathetic is that? It was after I arrived in Germany-now that isn’t to say I didn’t have a couple of beers here and there during my High School years because I did, but I really don’t remember ever getting “drunk”. Maybe that’s my problem I don’t remember getting drunk because I was so wasted…no I don’t think so..we’ll maybe…oh never mind.

Now here I am a silly little 18 year old, fresh out of basic training and at my first duty assignment in Stuttgart Germany. A friend and I decide to go to the NCO Club on base…I mosey on down thinking I’m COOL because this is in all actuality my very first time in a “BAR”.

SO my friend Jeff asks me what I want, I said a beer. He asked what kind of beer? What kind? What’s that mean? He then rattled off different names. You mean there are other beers out there besides that CRAP Miller I was drinking in the woods with my friends. Well GOLLY, didn’t I just feel like Gomer Freaking Pyle! So I think I ordered a Miller ;) and sat down like the man that I was at the BAR! That’s right I was a MAN Damnit-any girls want a sampling of the MAN sitting at the bar drinking a beer? I surveyed the club, damn it just a bunch of soldiers drinking beer and playing pool, all trying to look like MEN!

So my friend, who obviously was an experienced drinker, suggests we try something else. OK I said-OK? OK? Two very stupid letters that I said way too much in the 80s and they always seemed to get me in a whole heck of a lot of trouble-this night was no exception.

I have no clue now and let him suggest a drink for me-damn, this sounds more like I was his date, or his bitch or something. Any way he says I’d like 7 and 7..OK I said…There I go again…can’t I just keep my mouth shut.

Now when I tell this story I usually like to embellish it by saying I drank 20 7 and 7’s, but we all know and inexperienced boy, who was trying real hard to look like a man, is in no way shape or form drinking 20 shots of whiskey. So I’ll say it was 10 but I’ll bet you it was no more than 5 or 7.

I drink my drinks like a man, announce my intentions to relieve myself, you know the old “I gotta take a piss” line. Now girls, you have the old I gotta powder my nose line, when what you’re really going to do is take a big old dump. At least we announce our true intentions. I walk into the bathroom where I proceed to projectile vomit all over the third to last stall. Hey I puked standing up like a man damn it..like a man!!! I then proceeded to sit down on the floor in same said stall, in the same said yucky yuck that just left my body via my mouth and could not get up I was so drunk. Oh this is freaking dignified-here I was a real MAN!

After what was probably a really long time I managed to pull myself up off the floor, stumble out of the club and back to the barracks, where I apparently passed out outside the door. Obviously I was found, a brought to my room where I slept for the better part of two days (at the time we worked 4 on and 4 off 12 hour days so I wasn’t missed I happened to be on my 4 off days) I woke up from this drunken stupor and vowed NEVER to drink again…I’ve made that vow to myself at least 100 times since then...BUT one thing for sure I have NEVER had even a sip of whiskey since then.

Now I don’t want any of you reading this to think Geezz Pottsie is a raging alcoholic…my life certainly isn’t about getting drunk, cause I’m HIGH ON LIFE MAN! (Oh Brother) but I relay this story because of the sheer pathetic nature of it. There was a lot of innocence here and naivety..and a whole lot of STUPIDITY. Could I have possibly learned my lesson early on and avoided these “momentary lapses in judgments” Sadly, NO…it was Germany and what’s Germany famous for? THE OCKTOBERFEST! OMG-just a few short months after this I was carried from the beer tent back to the bus because I was being a man drinking beer at the fest. One minute I was omm pah pahing with the band, and the next I’m passed out on the tour bus wearing Lederhosen. Damn those Germans and their delicious Beer!

Slowly my 18 year old mind began to grasp the “too much alcohol makes you forget things” rule that they some how forgot to teach me in high school. Thank goodness I didn’t have a car back then, I’m not saying I would have driven, ok yes I am I’m saying I would have driven…so thank goodness I didn’t have a car back then.

So I learned my lesson, and certainly have learned to NEVER drink to excess…maybe to the edge, but I’ve stepped over that line and never really liked what was on the other side. I’m happy on this side of the edge-the one were a man should be.

Next time-THE EVIL DEAD and SALEM’S LOT