How a Cassette Stack Cued a Lifelong Friendship
Centennial High School (1988-1992)
Champaign, Illinois
It’s 1988. I still loved music. And I still loved to run.
After two years of cross-country at Columbia Middle School, there was no doubt this freshman would join Centennial High School’s team. It was a chance to be part of something with untapped potential.
You see, just one year prior to joining the team, there were only 7 boys and 2 girls competing. My Hall-of-Fame coach, Greg Walters, was on a mission to build both teams from the ground up seeking signs of potential Charger runners roaming the halls.
One of those potential athletes was Iran - pronounced EYE-rin - a transfer student from Urbana. Iran’s raw talent and drive were more than enough for the cross-country and track & field teams at Champaign Centennial. I certainly saw it in him.
I also saw things in Iran that went far beyond running. Intelligence. Strength. Determination. Boundless energy. An endless sense of humor. An unmistakable laugh. And a mutual love for music. When I met Iran for the first time at practice, I just knew we would be friends.
One Saturday morning, the team headed out of town for a cross-country meet. We all piled in a standard issue yellow Champaign Unit 4 School bus and planted in those signature high-back vinyl seats.
As I stepped on the bus and turned down the long aisle, I remember instantly hearing that distinctive bass line and TR-808 beats from the back:
“Bump, buh bah bump...buh bah buh...bump, buh bah bump…”
It was Too $hort’s “Freaky Tales”.
Explicit lyrics aside, I followed that beat passing each pair of seats. I found Iran sitting low with his knees resting on the back of the seat in front of him. In his lap sat his sleek silver boombox: the source of that bump.
The seat across the aisle from Iran was open. I parked it there with my own boombox, my coveted red dual-cassette player/recorder. I was eager to share the next song on our pre-meet motivational mix.
When Too $hort ended, I went for the once blank Maxell cassette tape my brother, Todd, made for me.
It was 90 non-stop minutes of Chicago House music spun by DJs Mickey “Mixin’” Oliver, Julian “Jumpin’” Perez, Kool Rock Steady, Edward “Get Down” Crosby and others on 107.5 WGCI and 102.7 WBMX (now V103).
Back and forth, Iran and I traded songs we wanted to share shifting from one boombox to the other. This went on for about 30 minutes before we even left the school parking lot.
That’s when we heard a different sound from someone in the seats in front of us…
“Turn that down! Don’t you have headphones or a Walkman or something?!”
No, but I have a new friend.
The Boombox Series (Part III) Playlist:
Playlist Highlights:
“Mack Attack” (Born to Mack) - Too $hort
“Rhymes” (Life is…Too $hort) - Too $hort
“Yo Yo Get Funky” (Jack to The Sound) - Fast Eddie
“I’ll House You” (Straight Out The Jungle) - The Jungle Brothers
“Git On Up” (Most Wanted) - Fast Eddie
“Hip House” (Jack to The Sound) - Fast Eddie
“Good Life” (Paradise) - Inner City
“That’s The Way Love Is” (Foundation) - Ten City
“Follow Me” - Aly-Us
“Can You Party” - Royal House
“Partytime” (Born to Mack) - Too $hort
“You Know What I Mean (Born to Mack) - Too $hort
“Freaky Tales” (Born to Mack) - Too $hort
“Life is…Too $hort” (Life is…Too $hort) - Too $hort
“I Ain’t Trippin’” (Life is…Too $hort) - Too $hort
Anything from The Boombox Series, Part II playlist