Things You Miss

I miss Verona Disco Hour. I haven't observed this weekly holiday in several years. It was something that might last 20 minutes or it might last 90, but I called it an hour so it'd sound snappier. I'd get out the songs on all the 45s, LPs, and CDs I wanted to dance to that week and pile them up for easy access. This was important preparation if I planned to drink beer or do shots in observance of Disco Hour.

Disco Hour usually only included me, and I'd dance to some songs or pretend to be the singers of others, sometimes singing along. Disco Hour was my Zoloft or Prozac. It allowed me to punch holes in the jar lid of my life and love it, despite whatever else might be going on that was less than fun or glamorous.

I celebrated Disco Hour regularly up until a few years ago. I'm not sure why I stopped. I guess it's like Bob Seger sings about in Rock and Roll Never Forgets: "Say you used to shake 'em down but now you stop to worry about your dignity." Mainly I worry I'll disturb the neighbors, but I've always had neighbors. I gave away my disco globe a couple of years ago.

During my brief career as a barmaid in London, I had access to a stage for Verona Disco Hour. It cost money to play the jukebox but that was okay, it was worth it. One of our regulars, on his way home from the store, was astounded to look in and see me onstage during Verona Disco Hour one afternoon. "You were just carrying on and there was no one else in there," he said. Today that might embarrass me but back then I was proud. I didn't need an audience to support my rockstar lifestyle.

Clubs are too smoky and full of people trying to dance on you instead of with you, and they open too late, and they don't necessarily play what you want to hear. You might not be able to find anybody else who wants to go. And clubs cost money. Why not simplify things and just party in your living room?

I might try Verona Disco Hour again soon. Here's a sample of things that will be on the playlist: Old School, Dark and Nasty, Nina Simone retooled,two good things at once,and fairly recent poppy.