My site via Google attracted this person and not Facebook…for a change!
The person in question is an old high school friend named Darren and I was initially notified by Picayune sending me an e-mail about his post in the FAQ. He said he was using Google to search what could be found with his name and the software probably discovered this Spring’s entry regarding the move to Beulah 25 years ago. Lucky him. My name either pulls up this site or my Right Wing doppelganger.
We used to hang out and since Darren had wheels so we’d hit Mercer County’s few cool places (few because the population was small unlike Bloomington-Normal’s problem) such as the bowling alley, the movie theater in Hazen and I can’t recall much else after those two. Our clique wasn’t into booze and drugs, therefore the kicks we got were considered nerdier: playing D&D, board games, watching videos, playing volleyball on nights they’d open the high school gym, etc. Definitely the smarter move in the long run, or at least to get into college, then I caught up on all my drinking! I have the weight gain to prove it.
Like many people, I lost touch with him going to university where the distractions are powerful (girls) and compelling (girls again). Shame on me for being born 10 years too early, I bet e-mail in the Nineties would’ve avoided such a thing.
The last I heard from him was through a tape he sent me in the Spring of 1987. Darren put it together during his part-time gig at Beulah’s local AM station KHOL (sounds like coal, the primary product of the area). It was very amusing. The format there was Country but record companies used to send everything imaginable with the slim hopes of it getting played (something I learned during my WQFM days). The musical content consisted of stuff Darren found lying around that wasn’t country. One thing I have always remembered was Russ Ballard’s “Fire Still Burns” being present. Good thing iTunes has an anthology of the former Argent singer’s stuff to get the brainworm out! Hmm. If what’s on the Internet is credible, another search result claims KHOL is now an AC station yet its playlist reads like a pseudo Pop/Hip Hop (aka craptacular). Rather odd for a low-powered AM outfit to be playing in a place with less than 40,000 humans.
Anyway, we’ve had a couple e-mails going back n’ forth. Let’s see what comes of this.
Was the Darren in question in my class? If so, please greet him warmly from me. I ran into him several years ago when I was home & downtown for some reason. We had a very nice chat and I hadn’t heard anything about him since. Good to know Facebook isn’t the giver of all lost-friend miracles!