George Thorogood and the Destroyers - 'I Drink Alone'

Here's a throwback Thursday post, inspired by a nightcap of rye whiskey (and by my fellow contributor Steve's closet favorite radio station, 95 KGGO).

There's something about pop culture that takes what's inherently cool, and then twists it and repackages it until it doesn't seem cool any longer.  A cliché.  That was always my relationship with George Thorogood and the Destroyers' biggest hit, "Bad to the Bone".

Granted, that song came out a whole year before I was born, but I grew up feeling like it was an "ode to being cool" that was really just pretty corny.

It's the type of song that's reserved for Harley Davidson rallies... no, not a Hell's Angels gathering, but more like an aging gang of American flag bandana-wearing financial planners who take a weekend to ride to Sturgis and drink one Michelob Ultra, because it has fewer calories and is still rather refreshing.

I even had a pair of boxer shorts as a kid that my mom bought from Pamida (anyone still with me?) that was covered in cartoonish skeletons and had a waistband that read, "Bad to the Bone".

You get my point.  But apparently I didn't get my own point recently when I found myself completely and utterly sucked in by one of G.T. and the Destroyers' other singles, "I Drink Alone".

There I was, cruising down a stretch of rural highway, when I quite randomly decided to switch to some classic FM rock radio.

I'd heard the song before, but I'd forgotten just how cool it actually was.  The dirty, blues-rock vibe of the song is undeniable.  Thorogood's voice has that distinctive grit and wail that really nails it on this song. The lyrics are simple, but witty and funny and delivered to perfection.  And then there's that saxophone solo. Seriously, what else do you need?  By the end of the song, I felt like I was Patrick Swayze doing flying kicks in Roadhouse.  It was invigorating.

The moral of this story is that much of what surrounds us deserves a fresh lease on life.  Take something old and look at it in a new way. You might be surprised how much you enjoy it.

Here's the video for "I Drink Alone" by George Thorogood and the Destroyers: