I could go on a long diatribe about all the heartbreak I've suffered at the hands of Houston teams but I'm sure most folks are familar with the history of failures and heart break. Other than the Rockets and the Dynamo and a long time back, the Houston Aeros, who I used to love to go watch in the Coliseum, our major teams just can never seem to get over the hump.
So the Texans have roared out of the gate at 7-3 are smashing teams they are supposed to and for a minute I thought this town would go football crazy again. I've been hard pressed to get attached to the Texans as I grew up an Oiler fan, not the ones that moved to Tennesse, but the ones who I knew as sad sack losers at 1-13 and then grew into a power house under Bum, Dante Pastorini, Earl Campbell, Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, Elvin Bethea, Carl Mauck, the Oilers of "Luv Ya Blue"!
1978 and 1979 were different times around this city, Oil was booming and so was Houston. The "multi culturism" that dominates the scene today was not as prevelant. Though Houston was growing rapidly via immigration and the rough times in the Rust Belt it was still an oil town filled with Rough Necks, Red Necks, Hippies and Goat Ropers, keep in mind the Urban Cowboy was filmed here and released in 1980 so, honestly, that persona was not just one found in Pasadena. I know very few folks who did not own a pair of Wranglers or boots. Unless they were sporting a Van Halen T-shirt and smoking weed, well okay some of the folks in Wranglers smoked weed as well, but I digress.
I was in 8th and 9th grade during these years, years that are influential in your life I think, perhaps not, but I can remember all of it pretty vividly. One good friend of mine's dad had the contract to print Luv Ya Blue Tshirts and we worked after school and on weekends to get them screen printed and boxed up. They were an important piece of apparel back in those days.
So, when I say "football crazy", it's because I've been to a Texan Game, I've seen them on TV and they are nothing compared to the games in the Dome during the Luv Ya Blue era. This town was absolutely nuts about the Oilers.
So, when reading the Chronicle online, I came across this passage from Dan Pastorinis new book.
I had a limousine waiting for us again when we landed in Houston.
Bum and I got into the same limousine, with (Carl) Mauck and (Ted) Thompson.
Bum and I were the only ones who knew this would be our last ride together. The roads were packed again with fans honking their horns, hanging over bridges, waving, yelling. The Astrodome was beyond capacity and there were 20,000 people outside stuck in traffic. It was a bigger and crazier scene than the year before, which I thought I never would see again. I rode around the Dome on the back of a police motorcycle, then got on stage and sat behind Bum when he got up to address the crowd. I had my elbows on my knees, thinking, “Am I doing the right thing? Will I be better off? Yes, I will. No, I won’t.” The Gemini in me was roaring.
Then Bum uttered one of the most memorable lines in NFL history.
“Last year, we knocked on the door. This year, we banged on the door. Next year, we’re gonna kick that sumbitch in.”
That took me flying back to being there when this happened. Long before Internet and Cell Phones and Twitter and Facebook, somehow, the word got out that there was going to be a Pep Rally at the Astrodome. I can remember piling into Jorge's brother Marios, 1967 Ford Falcon and heading 59 to the 610 loop and closer we got, the crazier it got, fans hanging out of windows, Oiler Pom Poms waving, Luv Ya Blue painted on cars, it was truly, truly amazing. The video below claims to be the 1978 Rally and perhaps it was but I can assure you the one in 1979 that I went to looked just like this and as Pastorini describes above, CRAZIER. So here is what a football crazy town looks like.. after the team LOSES.
Some folks have tried to convince me that this was just for this homecoming, but you can search YouTube, look for Earl Cambpells 81 yard run against Miami, you will see this was the environment for every game. It was a boom town awash in Oil Money and the Oilers and the Astrodome were special at that time. I just don't know that things will ever be like this again. A special time, a special team that folks identified with, hell the coach wore a stetson and ostrich skin boots on the sideline and the star running back was from UT. It was a special time in Htwon. I'm glad I got to be a part of it.
SPECIAL TIME, SPECIAL VOICE IN RADIO
During this same era, one of the DJ's who deifed programming was Maurice "Crash" Collins of Rock 101.
Crash died from Colon Cancer on 06 November 2011, he was 68.
He had a great voice and always played Deep Tracks. He was the last and KLOL was probably one of the last DJ's and Stations that allowed free form artists, in other words, play what you want.
Rock 101 was my go to station growing up, its small studio just off Westheimer in lower Montrose epitomized its status as a rebel station and Crash was part of that.
"Crash in your Dash, helping you keep it between the ditches".
I've said on here before, I guess as we get older, we miss those things that were important parts of our lives, though perhaps we don't miss them till they are gone. 101 is gone and I miss it.
in the world of Satellite Radio, there are no Dana Steeles, Col. St. James and never another Crash.
Crash was a family friend, knew my dad for years and was at his funeral. We did some business after my dad died, I last saw Crash in late 2006. Ironically, he tried to date my mother in the early days as did Mr. Pastorini above, small world this 4th largest city at times.
Guarantee the first time I heard these lyrics, Crash was in my Dash and I was listening to Rock 101. Godspeed Crash, you will be missed as will good radio.
Begin the day with a friendly voice
A companion, unobtrusive
Plays the song that's so elusive
And the magic music makes your morning mood
Off on your way, hit the open road
There is magic at your fingers
For the spirit ever lingers
Undemanding contact in your happy solitude
Invisible airwaves crackle with life
Bright antennae bristle with the energy
Emotional feedback on timeless wavelength
Bearing a gift beyond price, almost free
The Runaway Radio below is iconic as was Crash who is second from left if in the pic below with ZZ Topp.
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