Back at work on a cloudy Monday morning, the 13th day of April. Slept OK last night, one or two interruptions. I intend to do better this evening. AT my little old fruit stand today and tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday. Sitting at my desk, listening to the B-52s playlist I made a few years ago.

I remember back in the day, 1979, I think, I was doing my record buying, walking up Rochelle Avenue from Lodi to Paramus. I bought their first album, with the yellow cover, and was in the underground concourse, sitting on the floor and going over my purchases.

A guy, perhaps a few years older than me, commented on the B-52’s, and I showed the LP I had just purchased and made an encouraging remark, which I cannot remember 47 years later. Their first album came out in July 1979, and it must have been August of that year when I bought the album.
I was 16 and working, which is how I had the cash. Not driving though.

Hard to see nowadays how the B-52’s were considered a punk threat. The only place where they were getting airplay was WPIX FM in the NYC area. And I have to admit I was not too crazy about Rock Lobster initially. I think the encouragement from the young guy in the Garden State Plaza concourse sealed the deal. I was cool by association.

I saw the B52s in 1980 with my brother Frank, they were touring behind the not yet released Wild Planet album. Pylon opened up for the B-52’s and sadly I was just not into Pylon at that time. I was there to see the B-52’s and though a year or two later I finally connected with Pylon, August 25, 1980 was not the night. Their sound was swallowed up in the humid summer night.

It was a year or two later when I bought Chomp! By Pylon at Free Being on Second Avenue in the East Village off St. Mark’s Place.

Now I am playing Donna Summer, Bad Girls & Hot Stuff. If I recall correctly, the first time I heard these songs was with Henry Venegas and his girlfriend Lisa, and we were going to see the Cosmos soccer team at Giants Stadium. Donna Summer was a big deal back then and I was starting to have a crush on Henry. Henry was always grabbing his dick through his pants, and that always got my attention. We would hang out and smoke cigarettes at his father’s Texaco gas station at the corner of Riverview Ave and Essex Street.

I acted on my crush for Henry and told him I wanted to blow him. He was horrified by my suggestion and effectively ended our friendship. Not like today’s kids, where one boy might offer oral sex to another boy, who was not into it but thanked him nonetheless and was flattered by the offer. No, back in the 1970s it killed friendships.

Both the B-52’s and Donna Summer releases were from 1979, an innocent year edging into sexual pandemonium. I was in my beginning stages of participating in the sexual revolution that I had heard so much about.
Reckless, dangerous, young, dumb and full of cum.

I am participating in an LGBT panel discussion online regarding the 1993 March on Washington. I