What’s YOUR Best ’80’s Memory?

All weekend long, Y LOVES the '80's. And that got me thinkin' back...

Here's a Fun Fact for you: I was in high school in the '80's. The same high school I graduated from, also graduated Ted Kaczynski. Now, that name might not ring any bells with ya. I get that. Without Google or Wikipedia, you just might know him better as The Unabomber.

The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images[/caption]We did not graduate in the same class. He graduated many, many, years before I did. We did graduate from the same high school, so that's one of my brushes with greatness.

I think I went to elementary school with hockey player Chris Chelios' sister. I wasn't very memorable in elementary school.

When I was in high school, though, I started playing guitar. I bought a Yamaha acoustic guitar at a music store on 95th Street, in Oak Lawn, Illinois. I grew up in the next town over. The store that I bought my guitar from was the same store where Kevin Cronin from REO Speedwagon took guitar lessons. He's never met me, we've never run into each other, But I do have a guitar from the same store where he took lessons... So, there's that.

Guitar in hand, me and a few buddies formed a garage band. We called ourselves Aftermath.

Oh, did I mention that after high school graduation I grew a mustache and beard? And, that I had hair?

My buddy, Steve, on the left, sang and played keyboards and bass. Derrick, on the right, was our lead guitarist. I played rhythm guitar. I think I knew something like three chords. We had a drummer named Vic. He was awesome. He works construction now. We kinda "retired" when Steve went off to college and Derrick got married. It was all kinda "Summer of '69". But in the the '80's.

We did record a demo one summer... Recording the demo, I played a guitar my buddy Derrick built. He was still working on it. There was no panel covering the wiring on the back. There were some exposed wires. I can proudly say that some of my licks were 'lectrifyin'!

That's my best '80's memory.

What's your's?