In search of kindred spirits

I was flipping through an old Star Hits (aka Smash Hits) magazine this morning and came across the RSVP page, where people could place ads looking for pen pals. With a wistful look back I remembered how all youth-oriented media at the time seemed to have places for kids to hook-up and find pen pals. (Even I used to have 2 pen pals that I connected with via the "Big Blue Marble" tv show back then!) Of course the whole "pen pal" thing has gone the way of the dodo, given the advent of Internet message boards, and probably too because people are a lot more suspicious and protective of their kids and of strangers these days. It's a different world for sure.

Looking over the RSVP page, I was struck with how interesting these kids seemed. Here are a couple of examples:

"16 year-old liberal philosopher mourning the loss of London Calling, seeking value of life, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions fans and world travelers..."

"Help me!! Stuck in suffocatingly small town with no style. Love to hear from any diehard Bow Wow Wow fan..."

"Seeking Progressives who believe everyday is Halloween. Detest: red meat, phoniness, top 40. Thrives: black clothing, skulls, clubs, Cure, big hair, '60s make-up..."

"Yowch, you creeps! I'm a 17 year-old thing and I like Eurythmics, Tears for Fears, The Smiths and Sting. Also into Depeche Mode, Frankie and classical. Must be an individual and a vegetarian (no, not really). Write soon."

"Seeking all those into Bloom County, The Blue Gels, Italian drummers, gargling Windex, and the now theory of the Universe. Absolutely NO weirdos!..."

Wouldn't it be fun to write some of these people now and see if you got a response...? I mean, these addresses are likely their parents' houses and surely there's a chance your letter would reach someone & get passed along. Based on these ads, they sound like pretty interesting people that I'd like to know!

With all the connectivity we enjoy now, it's probably hard to imagine how isolated some of these kids felt back then (although I remember it myself growing up). Living in a little hick town somewhere, with no one around who shared your offbeat tastes and interests, seeking acceptance and like-minded individuals in the pages of a monthly magazine, checking the mailbox each day with eager anticipation...


(Jesus, living in SJ today isn't all that different!)