Oct. 26, 2025

The Streets That Shaped Me - A Personal Story

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Show Notes
Transcript

In this special edition of Back to the 80s Radio, host Toscano steps out from behind the console and takes you on a deeply personal journey through the decade that defined him.

It’s the story of growing up in Southern California in the 1980s—the sounds, the streets, and the song that changed everything: U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name.” More than a memory, it’s a look back at how music can shape a life, heal a heart, and ignite a purpose.

This is one man’s story of faith, family, and the soundtrack that made it all possible.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/back-to-the-80s-radio--5883226/support.

This episode of Back to the 80s Radio — The Streets That Shaped Me — was written, voiced, and produced by Toscano.

Inspired by true events and featured in the upcoming book Life Goes On: The Lessons We Learned from 80s Music. For more stories, music, and memories that shaped a generation, visit fm80s.com or follow @back2theeightiesradio.

WEBVTT

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Live from the heart of southern California to the world.

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This is Back to the Eighties Radio, the show that

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cranks up the past and makes it loud again. Hey,

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everybody's Tocotto here from Tuscono and Chang. Welcome to Back

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to the Eighties Radio. I'm glad that you joined me

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today because we are setting the dial back to two

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years nineteen eighty four and nineteen eighty seven, the year

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of course at Los Angeles became the center of the

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world the Summer Olympics MTV cassette decks. Every song had

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something to say, whether you're cruising down Imperial Highway or

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what are your boulevard, grabbing a slice of pizza man,

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or hanging out with friends in the glow of an

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arcade machine. Today, I'm taking you there to the streets

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where I grew up, listening to the music that saved

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me personally and to the one song that changed everything.

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If you want to find out what band and song

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it was, stick around here Back to.

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The Eighties Radio.

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Hey, this is Laurie Miller from the first and original

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Expose and you're listening to Back to the Eighties Radio.

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Join is a sound celebration and music Land and save

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on your favorite new release. Pick up the latest from

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Roger Daltrees to get Under a Raging Move, featuring the

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hit song after the Fight.

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On sale now just.

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LP a music line, Oh I.

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Under a Raging Move unmistakably Roger Daltrey, only five ninety

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nine to set LP on Atlanta.

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Save on items throughout the store during the Sound Celebration

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sale at music Landing.

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On sale now at all area of music Land locations.

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Won't you come to me of me?

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Hobby the dancer?

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You know it be? Tell me your trouble in our house,

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giving me everything inside and out love strange to really

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think of the tender thing, the news that when we're

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working on slow change before us apart one of life,

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get any harby.

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Anything, don't choose, don't get it out of me, don't

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do don't don't.

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Don't you can't about me?

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Will you stand above me?

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Up my way?

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You never love me?

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Rain keep started rain kisport down.

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We acorn me.

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Call my name by walk on by ray King start

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rain King started down down, down.

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Down, don't try.

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It's my fun.

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Will women and.

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Almost home or to yours?

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Then said find any insecurity?

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Don't you forget about me.

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I'll be in.

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That's what you do, go to food, take you apart,

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I'll go buy together.

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Don't shoot you forget up about me?

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Don't don't don't do don't.

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You forget about me?

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He spun about me?

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Get my way nether love me?

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Ready to keep starting.

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Down?

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Oh my ba?

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Who by.

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K s.

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K s down.

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Down?

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Who forget up about me? Don't don't don't don't don't.

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Forget about me?

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But you were going by?

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Will be come money?

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Ask you more?

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Come by?

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I want cary money.

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Where you wont go in?

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Uh?

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Who you would?

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Cooling with it?

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He will?

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You will come?

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I'll come on.

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You know you wanna come.

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You just heard Simple Minds with Don't you Forget about Me?

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Back to the eighties radio song. That a song that

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became the anthem from The Breakfast Club. You remember that

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movie that managed to tell all of our stories as

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high schoolers without ever leaving the high school library. It

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was a song that captured what the eighties were all about, longing, rebellion,

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and even the fear of being forgotten. And that was

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me in nineteen eighty four. So let's go back. A

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twelve year old kid grew up in Downy, California. We

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lived in a small two bedroom apartment complex off of

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Gardendale Street near I think the other cross street was Paramount.

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I might be off for a street or two, but

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I remember that it was my mom and dad, myself.

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It wasn't fancy, but it was it was what we had.

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I remember our neighbors had started with cable first when

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we got there, and I was so excited because they

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had on TV and Select TV, two channels of cable.

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And then of course it was our turn and we

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got cable and our cable had like tons of channels.

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We had Showtime and HBO and so exciting and MTV,

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and as a twelve year old, that was incredible. On

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summer afternoons, the smell of asphalt and cut grass mixed

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with barbecue smoke drifting from the balconies. Kids were riding

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their BMX bikes in the parking lot. We were playing

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cops and robbers with toy guns that looked real. And

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across the street from my apartment complex was a supermarket

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called super A Foods, and that's where we spent some

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of our time because our parents used to send us,

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or at least they used to send me to go

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get milk or eggs or whatever, and I'm jaywalking, of course.

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And on the way back, I had to spend that

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change on the arcade machines by the front doors, playing

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either Galago or misspac Man Defender. And I believe they

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had another game called USA Olympics. You might remember that

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one if you lived through the time. If we weren't there.

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We were down at Imperial Highway in Lakewood Boulevard. But

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there was a tiny shopping center. A few of the

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places there, Pizzaman pizzeria, a laundromat, a real state office

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tucked between them, and of course the best place in

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that locale the arcade. It was dimly lit, walls were

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plastered with posters of bands and pinball tournaments. I mean,

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you could walk in and hear the electronic symphony of

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eighties gaming. The high pitched beeps, the joystick clicks, people

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pounding on the machines to give them their quarterback, and

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sometimes guys hitting that pinball machine too hard where he

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made it tilt. It wasn't just fun, it was freedom,

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and that was our world. If you grew up in

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the eighties, wherever you were, you know what I'm talking

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about the tight streets, the familiar phases that the songs

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echoing from car stereos up and down the block, people

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blasting from their cars, Michael Jackson, Van Halen, the police, Duran, Duran,

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and run DMC. It was the soundtrack of growing up

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in the mid eighties. And then, of course life changed

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for me. My parents divorced that year. And before you

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start feeling sorry, of course I wasn't one of the

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kids who, at least I don't think I was. I

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used to ask myself and wonder why all the kids

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that parents get a divorce are so sad. I was

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so happy when they got a divorce. My parents used

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to fight all the time, and it was just madness

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at my house, and as an only child with nobody

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else to talk to but just maybe friends for a

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certain amount of time outside, it wasn't enough. So I

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was really happy when they divorced, maybe deep down inside.

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Of course, like any child, we really hope that they

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stay together and things are good. But it wasn't. And

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I didn't understand all of it. I mean, what kid does.

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But I remember the silence, the kind that lingers after

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the yelling stops, the kind where even the TV sounds

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too loud, And I remember Mom packed what we had

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into boxes and we moved to Santa Fe Springs, pretty

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much a city or two over, and she had bought

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her first real home together, three bedrooms, two and a

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half bath, new carpet smell. It was the kind of

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house that felt bigger than it was, just because it

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was ours. And why Mom? What can I say about

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my mom? Ah, She's stronger than any hero I'd seen

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on TV. She was a tough cookie, still is. She

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worked long hours and still found the time to make dinner,

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helped me with homework at times, unless it was math,

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and she wouldn't help me at all. And she kept

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me in line. As a matter of fact, she kept

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me in line so hard that I used to call

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her sergeants slaughter.

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Well, let me tell you, how does the slaughter?

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Can it?

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South?

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Sanose? Where the men or men? So are the women?

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She used to think it was the funniest thing in

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the world. But trust me, she earned that title. And

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at night, when the house went quiet and the street

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lights outside turned on, I turned my radio on. I

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had a record player, but I also had a boombox,

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one of those lasonic boomboxes. You'll remember those. They're huge.

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They were just great sounding and listened to Kiss FM.

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I used to listen to Karoq and k Loos. Those

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stations became my family. Those jocks, those DJs, those on

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air personalities became my friends.

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After seven, seven t five now on Paro one oh six, Monica,

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I can't believe you didn't report this.

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This is absolutely true.

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I've been reading this in a bunch of newspapers that

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a doctor at Harvard Medical School has been telling women

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that if they have infections of any type and they're

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worried about it. You mentioned this to me the other day, Yes,

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And I had to look at um finally, and I

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did see it the other day. I think in the

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Herald that they're supposed to put their underwear in the

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microwave often. Though, now I'm gonna say that, I'm going

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to say something. I don't know what I'm talking about now,

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but the thing was called a yeast infection. Is that

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a bad thing? Does it hurt? Does it itch? What

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does it do? It's when you have a problem baking bread. No, no, no,

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come on, I'm no.

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It's a female pro problem.

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So if you have this problem you have, well, you

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put your underwear in the microwave of it and it

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kills the germs. I just read that the other day.

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But the US isn't, gosh, this is gross on your underwear.

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It's don't don't mention it. I don't know what else

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it does. So, ladies, if you're having trouble, and the

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doctor said, there's gonna be a lot of jokes made

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about this. I heard this guy talking the other day

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on one of those consumer networks and stuff, so I

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just wanted to bring it to you. I mean, it's

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just another wonderful use that And of course, you know,

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putting toy poodles in there, which was another.

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One more like music became my counselor. It was the

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one thing that didn't change addresses when everything else in

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my life did. And somewhere in those nights prior to

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eighty four, I'm talking maybe eighty two eighty three, as

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I listened to kr OQ with my cousin and I'll

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get into that in a little bit, I discovered the

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band of my life.

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You too.

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I don't remember the exact moment, but I do remember

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the feeling and their sound hit different. It wasn't just

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catchy to me. It was honest. It was it was

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hope and heartbreak all tangled up in reverb. I'm gonna

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take a little break when we come back. There's a

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lot more of this story. Ever, wish you could go

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back to the eighties with the crazy clothes.

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And those wacky hairdoes well, Let Tescano and Chang transport

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you back in time, back to the eighties.

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It certainly is a big bun to get a very

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big fun, big luffy bun.

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It's a very big, fluffy fun.

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Where's the beef?

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Some hamburger places give you a lot less beef on

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a lot of bun.

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Where's the bee?

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Ad Wendy's we save a hamburger We modestly called a single.

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And Wendy's single has more beef than the wholper all

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big Mac Wendy's.

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You get more bean and less bun.

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Hey, I don't think there's a.

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You want some think better?

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Your wind is kind of people.

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All around me, of a million faces, one hearth places,

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one earth faces writing deliver for the daily races, going nowhere,

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going nowhere.

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That is a ring up their glasses. No expression, no

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expression of my head. I want to drown my sorrow,

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not to morrow, not to narrow.

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And I find a kind of funny.

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I find a kind of.

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Sad that dreams in which I'm tying of the best

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home of the head.

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I find it how to tell you because I find

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it not to take when people run in circles.

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It's a very very man.

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Mad mad mad would.

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Children waiting for the take days, feel good, happy birthday,

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Happy birthdays to fill the way the temporary church.

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Citend listen, citandlessa.

260
00:18:30.839 --> 00:18:34.920
Went to school and I was spelling loveus, the one

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00:18:35.160 --> 00:18:37.599
new me, the one new.

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And little teacher tell me what's my lesson? The Christ

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through me, the Christ from me?

264
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And I find it kind of funny.

265
00:18:49.319 --> 00:18:52.319
I find it, kind of said, the dreams in which

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I'm dying of the establiable head.

267
00:18:55.400 --> 00:18:57.400
I find it how to tell you dings.

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I find it how to.

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Take when caper running cycles.

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It's a very very mad was.

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Mad, was.

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Mad mad?

273
00:19:16.880 --> 00:19:16.920
Was?

274
00:19:39.839 --> 00:19:42.799
I think it's a private.

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Kind of funny, a fine kind of sidles it dreams

276
00:19:46.440 --> 00:19:49.359
in which I'm dying all the best out of the head,

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of finding how to tell you, because I finding how

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00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:54.279
to take it when.

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00:19:54.200 --> 00:19:58.640
People run in cycles, it's soil there mad.

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Back to the eighties radio that was tears for fears

281
00:20:21.160 --> 00:20:25.599
in the mad, mad world, just like today. Right, Hey,

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I just want to take a little pause before I

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continue with my story and just thank you from wherever

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00:20:31.160 --> 00:20:35.680
you're listening to us from. If you're from the United States, hey,

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thank you. Thank you guys for the support. If you're

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listening to us from Canada or Mexico, Central America, South America,

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00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:45.880
thank you, guys. And if you're listening to us from

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Europe or the Caribbean, or Australia or somewhere in Africa,

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00:20:51.279 --> 00:20:55.039
or you know, Croatia or Ukraine or Russia, I mean,

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who knows, somewhere in Asia. Thank you guys for listening.

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00:20:59.359 --> 00:21:03.000
You make this all possible, and you mean the world

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to me and to Chang as well. But all right,

293
00:21:06.519 --> 00:21:11.839
let's go to nineteen eighty five, because by nineteen eighty five,

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radio wasn't just my personal escape, it was my own dream.

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Every summer before that, like let's say, from eighty one

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to eighty three, eighty four, somewhere like that, I'd stay

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with my cousin Ralph. Now Ralph was the kind of

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cousin that he should have been my brother, and I

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always felt he was my brother, still do till today.

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He lived in Highland Park in southern California, right off

301
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the seven to ten near forty third Street, I believe,

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or forty eighth Street, one of those. He was five

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years older. He was much cooler than I could have

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ever thought I was at his age. He just embodied

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everything that I wanted to follow. What a role model.

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He was confident, He was sort of hero for me.

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He had this silver top loading tape recorder you'll remember,

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like they kind of used in office buildings or medical offices,

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the kind that made the loud clack or click when

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you hit the record. And we'd sid cross legged on

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the carpet pretending to be DJ's from KROQ one O

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six point seven, the rock of the eighties, and we'd

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00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:19.799
intro songs by in Excess to Cure Duran Durand, and

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00:22:19.960 --> 00:22:23.920
we'd throw in fake commercials, crank calls, and announce our

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own top five countdown, and we had fake personalities. I mean,

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we were awful, probably, but we thought we were legends.

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And looking back, that's where it all began. That's where

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I learned that radio wasn't just about playing songs. It

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was about connection, the kind that reaches through static and

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somehow touches our souls. Now fast forward to nineteen eighty seven,

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00:22:48.440 --> 00:22:52.799
in particular March twenty seven, when that day came. Rick

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00:22:52.920 --> 00:22:56.359
Dees announced it on KSFM on one oh two point

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00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:58.640
seven that year. Yes, there is an in case you're

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00:22:58.680 --> 00:23:01.119
just joining us, I'm not making this. Three thirty today

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00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:02.839
at seventh and Maine.

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00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:05.759
Re announced first here in southern California that they were

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00:23:05.960 --> 00:23:08.680
being not going to be shooting their video here in

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00:23:08.839 --> 00:23:10.200
La at seventh and Main Street.

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00:23:10.559 --> 00:23:12.119
I'm going to be there. I turned on the TV

330
00:23:12.319 --> 00:23:14.599
later and saw the Chaos motto on the roof the

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00:23:14.680 --> 00:23:18.279
band blasting through the desert like intro. People were just

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00:23:18.519 --> 00:23:21.200
flooding the streets. Police were trying to shut it down.

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00:23:21.240 --> 00:23:24.799
They got the mayor involved. He was a pretty pissed.

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00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:28.160
Major thoroughfare at three thirty in the afternoon. Okay, what

335
00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:30.640
I was explained to Ben there is we would have

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00:23:30.759 --> 00:23:32.519
to go on what's called attack alert to get this

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00:23:32.680 --> 00:23:34.799
problem solved, and we're not going to do. They've got

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00:23:34.839 --> 00:23:38.000
a responsibility to the citizens of this city. You're drawn

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00:23:38.039 --> 00:23:40.519
people in Ericam, Orange County and all over the goddamn place.

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00:23:40.599 --> 00:23:43.359
We're shutting the location down. There is no vote. It

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00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:44.000
happens now.

342
00:23:44.279 --> 00:23:45.279
They wanted to play bay.

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00:23:45.480 --> 00:23:48.000
It was the most rebellious act of beauty I had

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00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:52.200
ever seen, a band taking faith, aren't in passion and

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00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:56.400
giving it to the streets. And I thought, Wow, that's it.

346
00:23:57.799 --> 00:24:00.720
That's what I want to do. Not be a musician

347
00:24:00.880 --> 00:24:04.519
like them, but to stand on a rooftop of sound

348
00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:08.640
and give people something to believe in again. And with that,

349
00:24:09.720 --> 00:24:13.079
let's take a little break, a break to experience more

350
00:24:13.359 --> 00:24:14.359
of the nineteen eighties.

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00:24:33.119 --> 00:24:38.440
See the stone set in your eyes, see the thorn

352
00:24:38.839 --> 00:24:43.160
twist in your side. Ah ways.

353
00:24:44.359 --> 00:24:44.759
For you.

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00:24:50.519 --> 00:24:55.559
Slive hand and to still face on a bed of me.

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00:24:56.279 --> 00:24:58.000
She makes me ways.

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00:24:59.359 --> 00:25:00.079
And we.

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00:25:02.119 --> 00:25:07.079
Found you, were fully found you.

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00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:12.480
We fall, We found you.

359
00:25:16.680 --> 00:25:19.759
Through the storm, rich less shot.

360
00:25:20.599 --> 00:25:26.000
You give it all, but I want more and I'm

361
00:25:26.079 --> 00:25:33.200
waits to be four year were fully thought you.

362
00:25:35.759 --> 00:25:37.079
Who we love.

363
00:25:40.519 --> 00:25:41.559
I can't leave?

364
00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:45.640
Were goll We.

365
00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:01.279
Said, where.

366
00:26:02.559 --> 00:26:04.720
Any yourself?

367
00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:09.440
Alf an you.

368
00:26:11.240 --> 00:26:13.440
An yourself?

369
00:26:13.880 --> 00:26:18.759
Where to turn.

370
00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:22.839
The body reach?

371
00:26:23.359 --> 00:26:30.519
She got me with nothing to win and nothing live

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00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:51.480
to anything, So yourself edit yourself where we don't gotch?

373
00:26:54.160 --> 00:26:56.400
Who goes gotch?

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00:26:58.640 --> 00:27:26.440
Goda we go, we go to.

375
00:27:29.279 --> 00:28:50.359
We go wee, I thay we Where are you holding

376
00:28:50.440 --> 00:28:50.920
my hand?

377
00:28:53.359 --> 00:28:56.640
There's your brother hand between two pillows.

378
00:28:58.279 --> 00:29:10.599
Those aren't killows. Oh see that.

379
00:29:10.640 --> 00:29:11.559
Bears game last week?

380
00:29:11.799 --> 00:29:12.839
Hello game, Hello game.

381
00:29:13.799 --> 00:29:15.759
Team This year, they're gonna go all the way.

382
00:29:16.920 --> 00:29:19.319
That was you too, singing with or Without You from

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00:29:19.359 --> 00:29:22.000
the Joshua Tree album, where Bono once said that that

384
00:29:22.119 --> 00:29:25.000
song was about the tension between family, faith, and calling

385
00:29:25.440 --> 00:29:27.880
and man, and that's exactly what it felt like to

386
00:29:27.960 --> 00:29:30.200
grow up in those years. Thank you for joining me

387
00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:33.440
on this intentional time machine where I'm talking to you

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00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:37.400
about my personal story where I turned fifteen in nineteen

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00:29:37.440 --> 00:29:41.279
eighty seven going to Santa Fe Springs High School, and

390
00:29:41.400 --> 00:29:44.799
Santa Fe Springs had become my home, where my collection

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00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:49.240
of vinyl and the collection of cassettes grew large with

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00:29:49.480 --> 00:29:55.559
music from Journey You to Genesis, Van Halen Queen, and

393
00:29:55.680 --> 00:29:59.880
a stack of blank tdks and memorys and Maxel Ta

394
00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:04.640
apes and an incredible looking Losonic boombox that my dad

395
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had given to me. Yeah, well, what can you say?

396
00:30:07.519 --> 00:30:10.079

The Streets That Shaped Me - A Personal Story

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