Tag: 1988

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Career Driving History Home Life Music People Radio

Saturday Night Retro

Every 4 weeks here on the ‘Retro’ I flashback to the 1980s – the decade in which I went from 12-years-old to 22-years-old. It’s when I attended and graduated from high school. It’s when I learned how to drive. It’s when I left home to join the Air Force. It’s when I lived overseas in the U.K. for two years, and then returned back home stateside to move to Homestead Florida – my home of the past 22+ years.

1988 was my first full year here in Homestead. I had no car back then, but my buddies did – so any driving around the local area was courtesy of my good buddies at the time. Within the air base I rode around on my 10-speed bicycle. It was very cost efficient, but the rain and the wind could be quite troublesome at times. I put an end to that misery by purchasing my first new car in January of the following year (1989).

During much of 1988 HOT-105 was the radio station to listen to here in South Florida for mainstream TOP 40 music without deejays during the day. They played it all – pop, dance, freestyle – even power rock and heavy metal !

They even played this COLOSSAL hip hop smash from The Fat Boys. It’s a modern Summer of 1988 update of Chubby Checker‘s “The Twist” – with Chubby himself providing guest vocals on it. CHECK IT !

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History Music Radio Travel

Saturday Night Retro

It’s a short edition of the ‘Retro’ for this Saturday night, as I just returned home late tonight from a one-day trip down to Key West and back with a buddy. It was a total blast. I got to spend a couple of hours out on the big island, but have no fret for I shall return to see it all again in just 38 days as the first of two ports-of-call on my upcoming Carnival cruise vacation.

Having absolutely nothing to do with Key West or Carnival cruises it’s the originally-scheduled ‘Saturday Night Retro’ concept and music video for tonight:

Back during the latter portion of 1988 Miami Top 40 radio station Y-100 was the station to listen to at the workplace. They dayparted their music back then in that they were essentially a ‘work-friendly’ hot adult contemporary station during the work day. But then at precisely 3 PM right after the top-of-the-hour station identification they went totally ballistic, loosened their tie, untucked their shirt, and suddenly rocked hard. We all knew that it was 3 PM and nearly time to call it a work day – when this hard rocker was cranked up as loud as can be:

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History Music Travel

Saturday Night Retro

As I begin this post it’s barely after 7 AM on a Saturday morning, but I’m ready to go all ‘Retro’ on you right now !  The fact of the matter is that I’m leaving for the Florida Keys with a buddy in a couple of hours, and we may head all the way down to the end of the road – Mile Marker Zero – in the heart of Key West. If we reach the end then we probably won’t be back until late tonight, so I wanted to get this posted now in that event.

About 21 years ago during the Spring of 1988 my Mom, Dad, and Brother visited me here in America’s Riviera for the first time ever. We actually stayed at a popular hotel resort in Key Largo (bayside), and we drove all the way down to Key West in our rental car. (I didn’t even own a car at the time.) I think it was the very first visit for all of us into the Florida Keys.

I’ve actually visited Key West via cruise ship more so than via automobile. In fact I’ll be there again on the Tuesday after Labor Day in September as part of another short Carnival cruise that I’ll be on. Key West is a fun town. It’s a nice place to visit every now and then. It seems so far away from Homestead and points north – besides its geographic location. It’s like a whole different world down there.

21 years ago in 1988 when we were discovering the Florida Keys for the first time this tropical song was emerging as a megasmash on the radio. As it turns out it became the biggest-selling (platinum) and longest-running single of their long historic careers. I’m talking of course of the legendary Beach Boys. Here’s their ENORMOUS 1988 smash “Kokomo”.

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History Music

Saturday Night Retro

1988 was my first full year of livin’ large here in the land of the ‘305’. (I actually arrived on the First of December in 1987.)

In 1988 I was a 20-year-old that became a 21-year-old – without a car. I was either gonna be stuck in the dorm (at the Air Force Base), or I was gonna bum a ride with a buddy to see any other part of Miami. Luckily I got to see a lot of Miami during that first year. I also partied a lot within the Miami club scene. I considered myself a Y-100 groupie at the time – following them along as they broadcast LIVE from a different nightclub around town on 4 or 5 nights per week.

It was a lot of fun – although admittingly I don’t remember much from the times. After all it was 21 years ago – a half a lifetime ago for me.

Here’s a song that literally brought chills to me last night as it got cranked up at Splitsville (which incidentally has its own dance floor with deejay and lights and such). There may even be raw video footage of me acting like a dancin’ moron at our dinner table as this song progressed. (I’m not sure if Venus was recording at the time.)  Yep – I still got mad skillz at the age of 42. 🙄

This jam totally defined the land of the ‘305’ in 1988. It was the absolute biz out on the streets and up on the dance floors all across the ‘MIA’.

I present to you for your ‘Saturday Night Retro’ review – MC Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock with “It Takes Two” !

LET’S KICK IT HOMIES !