I hit the jackpot today, scanning to find a song that is at the heart of one of MamaKitt’s and my favorite stories from high school. Be forewarned: It’s possible I will remember it incorrectly. She’ll let me know.
M-Kitt and I had most of our high school classes together, along with the same other dozen or so people. Among these was one character named Josh, whom we adored. Always cracking wise, always teasing the lizz-adies, always making teachers laugh against their better judgement. I don’t think either of us has seen him since high school, and he’d probably be appalled (or, equally likely, delighted) to know how often we talk about him.
Other important things to know about Josh:
1) He wore MC Hammer pants.
2) He went gray when we were in second grade.
3) I have a picture of him making out with a mannequin at the Shaker village near our high school.
Anyway, as I remember the story, it was 1991 or thereabouts, and we were all in calculus class, and Josh was cutting up as usual. Our teacher (who was so icky, and not in the good way) had a difficult problem up on the board, and it was taking our collective brain trust a while to come up with a solution. The drudgery went on and on, til finally the sharpest tack among us, math-wise — who had probably known the answer all along — spoke up, and had the right answer. At this point, Josh threw up his hands, turned toward the sharp tack, and exclaimed, “Oh, you just think you’re Mr. Big, don’t you?!?!”
And friends, then he busted out with a loud, impassioned rendition of ”I’m the one who wants to be with you / Deep inside I hope you feel it too,” etc.
Because, um, remember that band Mr. Big? That had that one song? With those lyrics? Yeah, I’m realizing now that this story is potentially not that hilarious to anyone but me and MamaKitt, and that you DEFINITELY had to be there, but trust me: It was a flocking riot, and that song never comes on that MK and I don’t think of Josh and tell the story to each other and remember it as one of the funniest moments of our young lives.
Oh, Josh. How we miss you.
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September 30, 2009 at 4:21 pm
mamakitt
I’m pretty sure the best part of this post — excuse me, one of the best — is the adjacent tags, “Mr. Big, Shakers.”
I do of course remember it slightly differently — that it was someone else who used the phrase Mr. Big, potentially even the teacher, and that Josh-u-ay then busted out with the song.
Whichever the true course of events, the point is: that was one funny kid.
September 30, 2009 at 5:09 pm
thegirlontheswing
HA! Well, only fitting, since we got up to some bad business at the Shaker Village. SO inappro.
In my head I can so clearly see Josh-you-ay swinging around contemptuously to take down you know who, but that may just be how it happens in my dreams. Of Josh. Of which there are SO MANY.
October 1, 2009 at 10:08 am
We’ll get wild, wild, wild « Auto Tunes: We Drive, We Listen, We Write
[...] wonder whatever happened to Corey … perhaps she and Josh are somewhere having a boy-girl party together. [...]