Leave Me Alone, I Hate You

It’s not often that one can peruse the pages of their teenage diaries and find a topic that is so damn old, it’s new again.

Actually, it does sort of happen often.

ALL the time.

But you’re missing my point…

Thursday, January 31, 1985

I haven’t had a pop in 6 days. I am cutting down to 2 a week.

Great news. I just knew Michael Jackson would come through!! He and some others are starting an American version of “Do They Know It’s Christmas” for Ethiopia called “We Are the World.” It’s gonna be great!!

Louise’s gerbil had 7 babies recently. Isn’t that nice?

I tended to bury the lead back then (no pop in 6 days…how was I alive?!), but the new/old thing I’m referring to is, of course, We Are the World.

(fyi: the gerbil bit didn’t turn out to be that nice. The mother ate like three of the babies within the space of a week. It was seriously gruesome.)

I was really happy to hear that Quincy Jones gathered a new group to reprise the song We Are the World to benefit earthquake victims in Haiti. I can’t say I’m a fan of all the artists involved, but charity is charity (even if it comes in the form of a Jonas Brother) – and Haiti desperately needs the help. I read that this time the session was filmed in 3D with green screen technology that will allow you to put yourself in the video. Right there! Next to Lil Wayne.

Pretty cool, if you ask me.

25 years ago the big “wow!” was that it was probably the first time Kenny Rogers had ever even heard of Cyndi Lauper. (I would’ve so wedged myself between them via technology if given the chance…)

Friday, April 5^th, 1985

There is so much to tell! I have been very busy with spring break and all! It was great.

But more importantly is USA for Africa. So much progress. Today their song “We Are the World” was played at 10:50 this morning – all over the world – at the same time. No one could escape its sad but at the same time hopeful message.

(Well, you know, except for those without radios…but I was emotional at the time.)

Friday, April 5^th, 1985 (continued)

…If people don’t respond to that then there is something definitely wrong with today’s society…There is one line in that touching song We Are the World that inspires me: “We can’t go on pretending day by day that someone somewhere will soon make a change.” The meaning of that line is the story of my life. I kept telling myself that I would sit around and cry a few tears and someone else would make the miracles happen. But that’s the wrong idea. We have to get off our rears and give it our best shot or else things only get worse!

I have to pass on something special so that I may look back upon this in fond memory: Steve Perry, after singing with the legendary choir USA for Africa, went to a hotel and slept and slept. Then he ordered room service, and as he removed the silver cover from the food he suddenly began to cry.

It gives me a chill each time I hear that story.

Now I’m sure Steve Perry is a great and generous guy, and maybe there is a bit of truth to this room service story (which was likely brought to my attention by the hard hitting journalists at Tiger Beat). I’m just not sure why it had such a chilling impact on me, certainly the famine was enough cause for emotion, but hey…I was a kid who loved Journey.

I laughed out loud when I found this entry, but honestly, I can’t even bring myself to make as much fun of my strange/cheesy/overly earnest 13-year-old self as I probably should.

I went to youtube and watched the video again. It still gets me. Even though I firmly believe that no one (with the exception of Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles) ought to have been allowed to wear their sunglasses during the recording session, I think the song was a heart felt effort by all. Plus, I sort of miss Huey Lewis. Where is that guy?

Anyway, I was not the most eloquent teenager, but some things still ring true 25 years later. We do have to “get off our rears,” or “things only get worse.”

We are (still) the world.