Johnny D’s B-Day

Electronically restrained, that’s the difference, we didn’t have that and a lot of the times when we went out, we made no decisions on what to do until we were three beers in, that was the magic. Yeah, we were free range that’s for sure. My wife waxing poetically.

Yeah, we didn’t have that, we went outside and did things, we made it happen.

We worked, we always had a job but we went out a lot. To the Star System (Merlin’s) Friar Tucks, After the Gold Rush or Mad Gardens, we would see a band, a lot of the time one of us was in the band. Things didn’t really get started until about ten and this is on a Tuesday or Wednesday, work the next day. I remember a few times, after shutting a bar down, we weren’t done. “Let’s go surfing” we were fueled up, grab our trunks, wetsuit and strapping boards on the racks, grab the cooler, fill up with gas and drive the six or so hours to San Diego or K-38. At night we turned on the am radio, see if we can get K-15 and Johnny D. “I wish I was in Tijuana, eating barbecue iguana…”

I found out about it on social media, I saw the flyer, Johnny D’s Birthday (80th) Party at the Dirty Drummer. Wow, cool, one of my favorite dives. It’s close to the house, I gotta go.

K-15 was Phoenix metropolitan areas first alternative radio station.

"K-15" refers to KDJQ-AM (1510 kHz), a notable, short-lived alternative rock radio station in Mesa, Arizona, that operated in the early 1980s and is remembered for its pioneering, low-wattage format.

Low wattage for sure, drive behind a building in the way and you lost the station but that was sort of the allure. There was nothing else on the radio at that time. You had a cassette player or you had K-15, Johnny D was the DJ.

Here we were, some forty years later, we are our parents, many of us grand parents. I’m looking around and see Michael, an old skateboarding friend, an original band member of JFA. I felt like I knew everyone there but everyone was old.

I’m old.

Johnny D is old.

We’re still here.