It's April 1965 - You're Gonna Start A Band - People Laugh - You Don't.

September 1962 - You're Not A Teenager - Your Life Isn't Complicated . . .Yet.

Figures – you almost threw that photo out – crumpled and stepped-on and stuck in a bottom drawer. You wouldn't have thought twice about it if you didn't recognize the kid sticking his tongue out.

That was you. That was the year you discovered Schlitz and you learned how to inhale. That was the year you got crushes and figured out how to shoplift. That was the year you swore to yourself you were never going to forget because that was the best year of your life and all the others after that were almosts-but-not-quites.

That was the year you had girlfriends – that was the year you discovered French kissing. That was the year you had more funny feelings racing all over your body than you knew what to do with. That was the year you figured out what to do with them.

But you forgot. Sent the memories packing – replaced them with other things. Replaced them with bills and Mortgages and wives and Induction Physicals. The crushes became commitments and the Schlitz became a liability and you don't remember the last time you smoked.

It wasn't complicated then – didn't need to make excuses. People looked past you and figured you were up to no good anyway. Got away with murder because everyone knew you were going to grow out of it and you were cute. Now it's misdemeanors and felonies and nights in jail.

The kid with his tongue sticking out is now the adult apologizing all the time. The kid voted most popular in class is now the guy most likely to have an aneurism.

If everything didn't get replaced by something that doesn't work like it used to life would be okay. If you knew then what you know now and yadda-yadda.

You wouldn't have listened anyway – you were a kid, you had all the answers – you knew exactly how life worked because you saw it on TV and you heard stories.

You had no clue it would get complicated – no clue you would have to make up stories – no clue that it was never the way you first thought.

But that was you and that was then – and you wish you were that you for even a minute, maybe two.

And you stick the photo in an envelope and you promise to take better care of it in the future. And somewhere a radio is on and there's music.

And you sigh and you breathe in September. Somewhere there's a kid . . .

And as a reminder, or introduction – here is KFWB from September 22, 1962 (a Saturday) with Gary Owens.

https://pastdaily.com/2024/09/14/its-september-1962-you-live-in-l-a-youre-not-quite-a-teenager-your-life-is-not-complicated-yet/