Chapter 6 MartMan Memories BÖC 80’s

I got out of the Army in 1981, and I remember when FOUO came out, I brought it down to the park where my brother and friends were playing basketball, and we loved the title track and Burnin’ For You, but after that, well, let’s say it was an acquired taste. I caught a couple dozen shows, in the 80’s, loved them all. My last show with the originals was a shed show, Hoffman Estates, IL, with Humble Pie as the before band. I attended all of the BÖC Poplar Creek shows. The show with Foghat, at Horton Fieldhouse, was really good, too. I was in the front row, at that one. It took 6 months to find a job, so I spent the Summer and Fall playing pool and being a roadie with my brothers band, “Gun Smoke” (named after The Outlaws song) It was fun and wild and occasionally rough, but nowhere near as violent as the Army. I’d rather fight drunk guys than sober ones, who are nuts, any day. By the time Flat Out was released, I had settled down a bit, but still had no idea what I wanted to do, with my life, I just knew it wasn’t what I was doing, at the time. We all loved Flat Out, so much! Still do, but back then, it just ushered in some good changes, for me. 
In March, 1983, BÖC played in my hometown, and we bought all of the seats in the first two rows, only to find out that there was no security to make sure people sat in the right seats. Good thing there was 35 of us (my entire gang) so we just went up front and stood, like we would have, anyway. 83 was a good year for music, I’m my opinion. I like it more, now, than I did, then.

At the end of March, my life was turned right side, up. I met Sheryl while I was running lights for Gunsmoke, and we both knew, the night we met, that we had met our person. We’ve been together, since that night. I met her folks a week later, and she had gone out and bought Flat Out, and was playing it when I met her folks. So, FO to RBN was our dating period, so special. As much as I love Harvest Moon, I’d still yell for Shooting Shark, if offered the choice. After I met Sheryl, I backed away from being roadie, and tried to reduce the bar scene, totally, but it would take a couple years to really settle down. I started my career at the USPS and also got married, in 1984. We bought a house in 1986, still live there, so it helped, by building a bar and man cave in my basement. My highlight memories of the late 80’s were listening to Dick Bartley’s solid gold Saturday night, on the radio, and all of the Theater in the round shows at Westport Playhouse, in St. Louis. But the very best thing that happened in the 80’s was becoming a dad. I finally found my purpose, in life.