Monday’s Theme Music

“You come and go, you come and go.”

Culture Club released “Karma Chameleon” in 1983. Stationed at Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan, I was hanging out with Jeff. Several years older than me, he was my best bud. While I enjoyed guitar-driven tunes, Jeff was a fan of lyrics and vocals, and he loved harmonies. “Karma Chameleon” was one of Jeff’s favorite songs, so I heard it quite a bit.

Oddly, Jeff associated it with an event that happened to him while he was stationed in Thailand. I think it’s the karma connection. I don’t know. He didn’t realize that he often told this story after having a few beers and hearing “Karma Chameleon”.

Getting off a mid shift, he was heading home in the morning. As he was at the corner waiting for the bus, smoking a cigarette beside a stranger, a car pulled up and stopped. People in the car opened up, shooting and killing the stranger. They then looked at Jeff. Still smoking, Jeff turned around, looked the other way, and waited to be shot. He was hoping to convey, “I saw nothing.” It must have worked, as the car drove off after a few tense seconds. Jeff then hauled ass himself.

Something released Jeff into the memory stream this morning, dragging this song with it. So, for your pleasure….