Never Let Me Down

Back in 1987, I went to a club called Kryptons for the first time. I was 17 at the time, and you could get in if you were 18. I didn't even have a drivers licsense then. My friend Pete and I got there and bribed a bouncer $5 to get us in. A friend of mine who lived down the street named Vicki was a waitress there, so she hooked us up with drinks. All the bands I loved at the time were spun by the DJ. Bands such as Depeche Mode, New Order, The Cure, Gene Loves Jezebel, Alphaville and so on. I was into the classic rock stuff, but this was new and cutting edge at the time.

For the next couple years, I spent as much time as I could there. More bands joined the list: Echo and the Bunnymen, When In Rome, OMD etc. I would spend hours dancing and drinking. Vicki even let me join Gene Loves Jezebel in the VIP room after one of their concerts. I would go with Pete, or other friends or girlfriends at the time. It was the height of my teenage years. I can honestly say I never had a bad time there. Friends of mine from high school would wonder why I was never at parties. I was at a party all right, one that never ended!

My drink of choice was Vodka, mixed with pretty much anything. I remember one night I was so hammered I didn't remember my friend left and I had Vicki drop me off in front of my job at the pharmacy I worked at. Granted, it was at 4am, and I didn't start work till 7:45am. And it was in the middle of January, with a high of about 25 degrees. I sobered up real quick after that.

The best night there was at the end of 1988. It was still the same place, but that night had a certain magic to it. I will leave it at that.

My parents were either oblivious to my late nights stumbling in, or they truly believed I was just hanging out with friends at someone's house. I hope I can see the signs in my own son when he reaches that age!

I went to Kryptons after it switched hands. It became The Ivy, and then The Haven. I knew I was getting too old for the place when my cousin who was five years younger than me was sneaking in getting beers. It was hard to believe that I felt old at a club when I was 22!

I had been to many clubs in my youth, but Kryptons was the first and always the best.