Podcast: A Boy's Life - Episode 3

The third episode of my podcast series, A Boy's Life, on my adolescence in Philadelphia in the early 1980s.

While my first two episodes focused on the grittier bones of being a kid (bullying, fighting, and competition) I also tried to frame images of Philadelphia that have really stuck with me.

This episode is a little lighter. It pulls together four vignettes about dancing.

I was in no way a dancer, but it was interesting to think back on all of the opportunities for dance. It was (and is) a bridge from childhood to adulthood...a way for young people to play at being adult...to approach the opposite sex...to put aside childish things.

The four vignettes:

1. my being forced to dance with my mom in the middle of my aunt's living room 
2. our parody of the Village People for the 8th grade talent show
3. the 8th grade dance contest 
4. the local dance show "Dancin' on Air"

A Boy's Life is available for free on iTunes, but the third episode can also be accessed here: The Dancer.