The Happy Hour Deejay

Time is running faster and faster. How is it that 26 years seems like just yesterday? I met up with two old acquaintances last night. Of course, as it is always said, it seemed like it was yesterday. And you fall back into the old speak, old memories, old stories. And of course new stories as you catch up.


It took a while to pull it all together. If there is one good thing about Facebook, it does give people a chance to find each other and catch up if it is desired. Of course, there are the people from yesteryear that pop up, find you, and create a big whoo ha about finding you. How are you? Where have you been? What are you doing? Remember this? Remember that? Remember that person?



Toga Night!

 So we finally got together. I went home quickly after work and tried searching through old photos to find those from our times together. We were all deejays for Stuart Anderson’s Cattle Company Restaurants back in the 80’s. These restaurants were the first of their kind, with attached bars, open deejay booths, and dance floors.

I was the happy hour deejay, Monday through Friday, 4-8PM. Remember happy hour? It was real back then. Half priced drinks and a full “free” appetizer bar. I would spin records (remember vinyl records?); customers would stop on their way home from work and have a few drinks and a couple of tacos (Wednesday appetizer special). I had my regular customers who eventually would be waiting for me before I even got there. And they would stay till 8pm and then sometimes stay later and have a drink with me at the bar.   There was no running to get here or there in a hurry like today. 

Oh, the parties we would run! When there was a big event, we would fill the place from 4pm till 2AM when the bar would close. There were times when I needed bouncers next to the booth during happy hour!

I have photos of events, videos of productions we staged and filmed. We made our own music videos using deejays from the other Cattle Company locations, some waiters and other staff. Last night’s meeting prompted me to gather up all the videos and restore digitally before the VCR tape disintegrates. Of course, I will watch them over again and reminisce and laugh at our craziness. I showed them to my older son and his girlfriend not too long ago. I was their age when they were created.

And yet, it seems like yesterday. I can still remember the moves. I remember standing in my booth, having the time of my life. It was my family, my stage, my performance each day, my audience. Damn, how lucky can you get to have these memories! Next time, we will ask to be seated at the table that now occupies what used to be my deejay throne. And we will hoot and holler about old times as those around us watch the crazy old folk!