In late 1981 I probably had no idea who the Pirate Twins were, but the promises made in youth Illustrated in this lyric made sense over the years. Europa came early on with synthpop and was my first introduction to Thomas Dolby, yet another British artist my age who was bringing me adventures in music. Here was a taste of what can only be described as my personal heyday era of music. The ‘60s introduced and enthralled me, the ‘70s had me dancing, going to concert after concert, and either partying or just getting stoned and zoning out in basements on the north shore of Long Island. Once the 1980s hit I was well into my young-“adulthood,” (I maintain that I had no intentions of growing up,) and every song, every artist, and every lyric was stored for posterity in my musical archives to remind me of the time when I felt free and didn’t worry about life because I was usually denying or ignoring its existence.
Thomas Dolby’s curious track from 1982’s album The Golden Age of Wireless was released as a single in October of 1981. The energy and influence behind the lyric are said to be about the last large world conflict of WWII in the 1940s and the relatively close proximity in years at the time. When I feel this trigger it feels surreal to understand that the 36 or so years felt by Dolby in 1981 have doubled and more since its creation as I write about it today, some 43 years after its release.
In the fall of 1981, I had already been a resident of Los Angeles for almost a year and a half. This was my home, and I was still in a honeymoon phase with it. At age 23 I had not yet come out of the closet, and I was living primarily straight to the world around me. I was still living with my friend David from Phoenix who I had moved out here with, but that setup was coming to a close soon after and we were about to go our separate ways. Back in those days, I was still working at TGI Fridays in Marina del Rey off of Maxella Ave. and Lincoln Blvd. David and I had transferred to this store in June of 1980 from Phoenix, for as much as I can’t believe how many years I had to spend in red and white stripes I am going to have to admit gratitude to the company for finally getting my ass to Los Angeles.
To my recollection, I only remained with the company through 1982, as I found myself traveling inland to go to West Hollywood and a couple of the premier bars and dance floors on order (Studio One, Motherlode, The Four-Star). In October of 1981, I was waiting tables with several like minds, imbibing on one substance or another before, during, and most definitely after each shift. I never took the addiction very seriously back then. This was a time when there weren’t a lot of rules around the employees like there might be today. I can tell you they were adamant about taking the client’s ID at the door, but all the servers and bartenders were of age and nothing (seemed) ever to be checked for them.
I remember getting fired from the TGI Fridays in Phoenix probably around 1978 because I was drinking incessantly while waiting on tables. A little sloppy apparently… there wasn’t as much cocaine to keep me sober-adjacent as there would be when I got to California. I left the employ embarrassed but determined because the bar was my main social site as well. TGI Fridays was set up with a large square bar raised up and in the center of the restaurant. It’s where we went after every shift. They would entice us up with a shift drink and then we’d proceed to spend our tips for the rest of the evening. I charmed my way into the manager’s good graces within a couple of months and got my job back, playing it a little safer, (but not sober) and doing well enough to be sent for a summer to San Diego in 1979 to help out a struggling TGI in that city, and then my ultimate transfer to Los Angeles and the Marina del Rey store the following June.
TGI Fridays had its perks as a job. I remember having a great deal of fun with the people I worked with in each of the stores I set foot in. I worked in several over the time that I was an employee. I have worked in Phoenix, Portland, San Bruno, San Diego, Boston, and finally in Marina del Rey. They offered shift meals, and a cocktail at the end of the shift (at least in the late 70s and early 80s.) I would spend hours both on and off the clock in those buildings because I did not have a life balance or the need for one at that time. I was probably 19 or 20 when I first worked for them and 22 when I got to the Marina del Rey store. It started me out in Los Angeles, it gave me a foot in the door. For that, I will always have appreciation. Granted we did have to wear those hideous red and white striped shirts for every shift and were encouraged if not bullied to add as much flair as possible. The sillier, happier, or more entertaining you were to these customers, who came from all over the country, the better money you made and the more you would have to spend at the bar at the end of the day or night.
One of my favorite tricks to use with customers was the great lie of being wherever the people I was serving were from. This was not an easy manipulation, you needed to know the country, the different states, and cities. I would have to be careful to make sure different tables did not hear me proclaiming my upbringing to be somewhere besides what I had just told them. Admittedly, I never got caught. I made a ton of money and, even with drinking pretty much every shift, I never slipped up or forgot where I came from for any particular customer. It was a contest for me, I have always loved a good challenge. Fortunately, none of the challenges today involve lying.
Thomas Dolby became a character in this period’s soundtrack. The Europa Twins were a part of my lyrical vocabulary for the time. Synth-pop was taking over my life, even if it was more personal to me than the places I was drinking. Bars like TGI Fridays were far more into the standards of the 1970s pop or Southern rock era. I would find the English sound on my own through the radio or by going into West Hollywood to dance at Studio One or pose sheepishly in Motherlode. Dolby’s other sounds became a part of my vocabulary as well. The better known “She Blinded Me With Science,” “Dissidents (The Search for the Truth Part 1),” “Transmission,” or “I Scare Myself.” For those unaware Dolby also played a part in the classic “Pop Muzic,” and Lene Lovich’s “New Toy,” two more classics in my vault. 43 years later the triggers remain strong and Mr. Dolby, like myself, are both turning 66. At least I am not alone.
I was fourteen, She was twelve
Father travelled, hers as well, Europa
Down the beaches, hand in hand
Twelfth of never on the sand
Then war took her away, we swore a vow that day:
We’ll be the pirate twins again, Europa
Oh my country, Europa
I’ll stand beside you in the rain, Europa
Ta république, Europa