Current best song ever: “Like Egypt Was” by Michael Penn

Making these Eighties CDs for Jaime reminds me of the retrospective enormity not only of the music, but of that era. It’ll always be the decade of my innocence even while the rest of the country was anything but. Jaime says she loves Eighties culture for those reasons, because it represents fun and abandon and we didn’t worry about anything, not only because we were kids but because no one else in the country, of any age, seemed very worried about anything, even while so very much was going wrong. No one had to take responsibility for anything in the Eighties—that’s why Republicans never wanted them to end. In some perverse way, we might have the Reagan Administration to thank for our memories and perception of the cultural Eighties—without the reckless spending and insular global outlook and not-my-problem politics promoted by the powers that were, musicians and flimmakers might not have created such saccharine, comforting artifacts as an antidote to the rampant and scary politics of the time.

This home is now very much a home base, a headquarters. With my brother and me both living here, it even resembles a bachelor pad. An extremely clean, well-kept bachelor pad we share with our mom, but a bachelor pad nonetheless. We still drink beer and watch Mr Show at night, and really, isn’t that what it’s all about? We will get out of here soon enough, Joe. Enjoy this while it lasts.

And when I’m out and about in Grinnell—an occurance I try to keep to a minimum—and I run into someone my age, someone I went to high school with, I want to ask them what their excuse is. What’s your excuse for being here? I’ve got mine. It’s temporary, I’m quick to point out—there’s the tour, and there’s Chicago after that. So what’s your story?

1. Best Actor in a One-Act award, June 1995
2. GTE Outstanding Fine Arts Senior award, 1995
3. Best Thespian award, 1995
4. Door County, Wisconsin, charcoal on vellum, autumn 1997
5. Brechin Place, London, color photograph by Colleen Ayers, autumn 1998
6. Carved wood sculpture, James Ayers, summer 1999
7. Charcoal on sketchpad, autumn 1997
8. Promising Teacher Award, ICTELA, November 2000
9. Charcoal on sketchpad, November 1997
10. B&W photograph, Neil Stone, 2001
11. High school graduation tassel, Class of 95
12. Pinhole camera photograph, Colleen Ayers, 1999
13. Awesome desk chair pilfered from my father’s den