I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye
Tell me baby, do you recognize me?
Well, it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me"
When I was at the College of Charleston the hip store to go to was Granny's Goodies on King Street. It was the late 90's so Amazon was a place you could only buy books and if you were looking for a vintage Def Leppard t-shirt you could go try your luck on something called eBay (and yes dial up internet was still a thing) Anyways to get something unique your best bet was to go to the store. Granny's was one of those stores you could always find something interesting to pick up and it was a destination you'd wow out of town guests with. It was a place that constantly smelt of incense and if you needed a tie dye tapestry you were in luck. Besides being a head shop, Granny's was the spot for Halloween costumes and in my case random relics from the 70's and 80's. Three distinct purchases I made at Granny's through my college career were a Saturday Night Fever John Travolta poster (displayed next to the Bob Marley poster in my freshman dorm room) a Mr. T air freshener (Hung in my car for years till poor T's face faded from the sun. In case you were curious Mr T. had a minty smell) and lastly a Wham! keychain. I believe this was an impulse cash register buy (you know like a pack of gum or a Soap Opera Digest at the grocery store check out?) Interesting side note, the impulse item at a drug store in Germany I went too was mini bottles of Jagermeister.
So what happened to the Wham! keychain? Nothing, this picture was taken earlier today. The keychain safely sits in my sock drawer and has somehow stayed with me for I believe 9 different moves since purchasing? While Wham! rests in my bureau now it graced my keys for the later years of my college life. Truth be told it was used as a conversation starter with the ladies. (Hey not all of us are Brad Pitt so I had to use humor and individuality for my discourse with the opposite sex)After all, how many people have you met that had a Wham! keychain?
While I did find the Wham! keychain humorous, I am a fan of their music and of course Mr. Micheal's later solo work. For me it's not the Christmas season till I hear A Charlie Brown Christmas album by Vince Guaraldi or this tune (which may be my favorite Christmas song of all time, yeah I said it) Often imitated, never duplicated. Oh yeah Granny's Goodies is no longer with us. Once they moved out, a music club called Cumberland's moved in (which used to make more sense when it was actually on Cumberland Street) and if you walk by this spot today.... it's an Apple Store. Doh!
Happy Holiday's everyone! Although the last year hasn't always been ideal, I've enjoyed getting back to sharing some stories and music with everyone. Hope you've enjoyed it too.Till next time, Cheers!
