Phileas Fogg and Black Leather Pants

4.5" gourd hot air balloon

I’m not sure how this happened, but whereas I was once as anxious as anyone to pick up Eric Clapton's latest in the record store, most of my musical tastes stopped developing sometime in the ‘80’s, shortly after MTV began.  I loved it; I owned my first VCR from Monkey Ward’s and taped hours of spectacles unlike anything I’d seen:  Cindi Lauper, that fellow with the hairstyle shaped like a beak…Flock of Something…and Boy George, who made Bowie look tame.

12" gourd balloon

I bought a pair of black leather pants because of Pat Benatar, returning the $100-plus extravagance the following day with a lame excuse.  I’d have rationalized the splurge except I looked nothing at all in mine like she looked in hers.  5’3” at most, I was still battling thunder thighs at the time, before gravity took over.

But for that one evening I was a rock star, creaking and stretching along with Pat to a Little Too Late.  The lesson learned:

EVERYONE needs to own a pair of leather pants just one day in their life.  You just don't feel like your old self.