Category: 1980s

The Washington Star

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date August 6, 2020

TOMORROW – the 07TH of August – is the 39TH anniversary of the end of my very first job. On that date back in 1981 one of the two major daily newspapers in our nation’s capital – ‘The Washington Star’ – published its final edition after over 128 years. It went bankrupt, and most of its equipment was bought out by its longtime rival ‘The Washington Post’.

I was a newspaper carrier / “paper boy” for The Star (and The Post). As a rare afternoon big city newspaper I delivered The Star to the homes around my McLean Virginia neighborhood every day after Junior High School. (I was in the 8TH grade at the time.) That final edition of The Star was a collector’s item, and many of those newspapers that were delivered on that final afternoon by carriers just like me all around the Washington D.C. area were stolen. It was also sold out at all of the stores. An institution had ended.

That was my very first paid job. Very soon after that I was pursued by a local distributor for the competitor – ‘The Washington Post’. They wanted me as their “paper boy” for my neighborhood, and I accepted. I delivered The Post every morning up until a few days before I left home and joined the Air Force right after my 18TH birthday.

I also delivered during the week for The Post’s new competitor – ‘The Washington Times’.

So I delivered a lot of newspapers around my neighborhood from early-1981 until mid-1985. Additionally I earned money cutting some of my neighbors’ lawns during the growing seasons (not winter). I made a lot of money from age 13 to 18. I learned how to interact with customers. I learned how to manage and save money during those critical teen years. I even got my own checking account back then. I got to buy a lot of my own things for fun. I also got to buy my first car to help me deliver newspapers. (That was a major upgrade from my previous newspaper delivery method – via 10-speed bike.)

Nowadays the newspaper carrier is pretty much an extinct job. In fact the newspaper itself is fading fast.

Tags 1981, Newspaper, Washington Post, Washington Star, Washington Times

1980s Advertising Career Driving Home Life Military Travel

My First Car

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date May 7, 2020

1980 Chevy Citation

My first car was a 1980 Chevy Citation. I bought it used with my own money as a 16½-year-old in early-1984 as a Junior in High School. It was a beige 2-door hatchback. It looked very much like the car that is 2ND from the bottom in the ad above.

I was a “paper boy” back then. Once I bought the car my delivering of the newspapers around my neighborhood early in the morning became so much easier. It got a major upgrade. I went from a 10-speed bicycle that often got flat tires to an actual car !

I also drove my car to school sometimes, but not all the time. I’d get made fun of for my “cheap used car”. I lived in a rich neighborhood at the time, and my high school was one of the top in the nation as far as income of the parents of the students, so naturally the students were rich too. My parents were not rich, so I wasn’t either.

On June 12TH 1985 I shipped-off to Air Force Basic Military Training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio Texas. 2 months later I was at Tech School at Chanute AFB in Rantoul Illinois. Right around Labor Day Weekend my Dad and my little brother drove my car 700 miles from McLean Virginia to Chanute AFB. They essentially delivered my car to me. I showed them the base and the local area, they spent the night at a local hotel, and then they flew back home the next day.

Here’s a photo of that day. My 10-year-old brother took this picture:

Chris Soldier Dad_0002

Unlike high school I suddenly became popular in my dorm when people saw me with car keys and an actual car. Everyone wanted to be friends with me. People wanted to be advised whenever I planned to drive off-base to visit places in Rantoul or Champaign.

In October 1985 I received notification that after I graduate from tech school my first permanent duty station would be – overseas in the United Kingdom. I was enjoying the final month of my car. After graduation I drove my car back home to McLean Virginia, and then about a week later I shipped-off to England. My dad sold my car.

May is National Military Appreciation Month. I’ll present military-themed stories every Thursday this month.

1980s Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1980

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date January 31, 2020

Every Friday I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from either 10, 15, 20, or 30 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 5TH Friday of the month, so it’s a SPECIAL ! Let’s go back 40 years ago. Now I didn’t write down my own chart back then, but I did follow Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100, and I did listen to Casey Kasem present “American Top 40” from coast to coast. Here it is – the Billboard Top 5 for the week ending Sunday February 03RD 1980:

“Rock With You” – Michael Jackson
“Do That To Me One More Time” – The Captain And Tennille
“Coward Of The County” – Kenny Rogers
“Cruisin'” – Smokey Robinson
“Crazy Little Thing Called Love” – Queen

I wasn’t a big fan of 1980 pop music. It hasn’t aged well either over the decades. I was 12 going on 13 in 1980. I was in Junior High School in Lanham Maryland. I listened to Q-107 out of Washington D.C. They were famous for their “commercial-free music sweeps”.

Q107

One song in particular was huge in 1980, and it’s still huge (for me) in 2020. It’s Gary Numan’s “Cars”. It was a Top 40 hit here in the U.S. for about 4 months, and it reached the Top 10. Q-107 played it around the clock, and it’s played 1,119 times on my iPod Shuffles over the past 10 years. I saw Gary LIVE in concert in Oxford England in September 1987, and at the time of that concert “Cars” had been reissued as a single, and it was on the U.K. Top 20 !

Next Friday on RETRO I’ll start over and check out the music of my life from February 2010. It actually ended a chapter of my Christian life that was quite bittersweet. I’ll share it with you in 7 days. But until then keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for God !

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going RETRO with me !

Tags 1980

1980s Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1989

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date December 27, 2019

It’s the 4TH Friday of the month, so I go back 30 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday December 31ST 1989:

“Leave A Light On” – Belinda Carlisle
“Love Shack” – The B-52s
“Bust A Move” – Young MC
“Blame It On The Rain” – Milli Vanilli
“With Every Beat Of My Heart” – Taylor Dayne

And that’s how the 1980s ended high atop my Top 40 chart exactly 30 years ago this weekend. The 1980s were definitely not one of my favorite decades of secular hit music. Looking back in hindsight I place the 1990s, the 1970s, and even the 2000s (in that order) ahead of the 1980s. 1980 to 1985 (my teenage years) can be completely written off, but then it started getting good during my two years (1986-1987) in the United Kingdom (British pop). Back home stateside 1988 was essentially a rerun of 1987 in the U.K., but then the music got really good in 1989. I’ve always considered 1989 to be the first real year of 1990s music (my all-time favorite decade).

Starting next month on the 4TH Friday of the month 30 years ago will be January 1990. We’ll jump in to my all-time favorite decade then. We’ll check out the # 1 smash from one of my favorite artists of the early-1990s – a duo with a string of hits – and just a few weeks ago one-half of the duo passed away.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday (New Year’s Eve) with 3 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going RETRO with me !

Tags 1989