So yesterday was Family Day north of 49, and the Piper Clan needed something to do. I suggested we take the Cub bowling, and Mrs Piper thought it a good idea. We dropped by the local alley at 2 pm, but it was booked solid until 5, so we made a booking for 5 pm and left.
Hadn’t been in that bowling alley before, but it seemed pretty normal. Regular lighting, no music playing, just the bang and crash of bowls and pins. As we left Mrs Piper commented, “It was a pretty grey-haired crowd playing there.”
Little did we know.
When we came back at 5 pm, there had been a shift in generation and in ambience. No more fluorescents, no sir! Black lights! Purple glowing people, with natty purple piping on the bowling shoes! (Fortunately, the greyhairs had all left, or else they would have been purple-hairs.) LED flashing lights along the bumpers, changing colour as the balls rolled!
And the music! Video screens for each alley, showing: 80s Big Hair Music! As we came in, it was Lionel Richie, followed shortly thereafter by Jagger and Bowie singing a duet. As we bowled we saw Whitesnake videos! Men without Hats! Foreigner! Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (“I love Rock n Roll!”) A (youngish) Jagger again, in a pink leisure suit, singing Brown Sugar! About the only song from that era that didn’t come on was Timewarp, which was bit of a disappointment, all told.
Piper Cub ignored it all, of course - for him, rolling a ball and knocking things down was the most fun imaginable. Mrs Piper and I, initially taken aback, just settled down to enjoy the weirdness of it all.
Then we went off to see the latest Muppet Movie, to continue the timewarp.
