Mixology: Lawrence Welk--A Tribute to Iowa

Mixology is a recurring feature in which I take a look at one of the many mix tapes I made over the years. Some are better than others, but all of them are fun to revisit.

Lawrence Welk--A Tribute to Iowa (6/12/88)

By now, you already know this isn't a Lawrence Welk compilation. In the summer of '88, I was making a pittance working as a reporting intern at the Peabody Times. I made the 45-minute drive from Kingston, NH, to Peabody every day, earning the impressive total of $57 and change after taxes each week. To make up for that, I worked night crews at the Market Basket in Plaistow, NH; at the very least, I'd have some beer money for my upcoming senior year at UNH. So I was working 60-70 hours a week and having a blast.

Even though I did little to no partying that summer, I was okay with that. There was plenty of time for that foolishness when I got back to school; this was my future I was working for. Besides, my parents wouldn't have been too thrilled if I was out getting trashed every night. I was too damn tired by the time I got home to do much, anyway.

One of the first stories I wrote was about a preschool class in Peabody; those kids are in their mid-20s now. Damn. I was only 20 when I wrote the article.

I remember making this mix to give me something to listen to on my drives to and from work in my dad's Pontiac J2000. It was a lot mellower than the stuff I was normally listening, more reflective of a lazy summer mood. Too bad it wasn't a lazy summer. It's funny, I probably worked harder during my summer and Christmas vacations than I did in college. Physically, anyway. Mentally, I was already in the working world. The light at the end of the tunnel, however, was the fact that I'd be back at college in a few short months for one last year of carefree living. I made the most of it, too.

Side A:
Take Your Whiskey Home - Van Halen
Hangman Jury - Aerosmith
Cold Shot - Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
Right Next Door (Because of Me) - Robert Cray
Down to the Waterline - Dire Straits
People Get Ready - Jeff Beck with Rod Stewart
Big Log - Robert Plant
Private Life - The Pretenders
Feel It Burn - Kim Mitchell
Shine Like It Does - INXS

Side B:
Friends - Led Zeppelin
Getting in Tune - The Who
In a Simple Rhyme - Van Halen
Summer's Up - Max Webster
Sweet Sixteen - Billy Idol
Wishes - Jon Butcher
That Voice Again - Peter Gabriel
Little Wing - Sting
Rain in the Summertime - The Alarm
Somewhere Down the Crazy River - Robbie Robertson








Private Life:


Somewhere Down the Crazy River: