The First Real Job Oxford Sir Speedy Blues

25 years ago today I began my first real job after college, as a graphic designer at Sir Speedy in Oxford, Mississippi. I got the job by calling the owner, David Magee, from the English phone booth in the Square and convincing him to hire me for the job despite the fact I barely knew how to turn my new Mac Perfoma on/off, had no experience with ANYthing, and had no idea what graphic design was anyway. Not only did he hire me, but he stuck with me over the next two weeks during which I was stuck in Virginia in two feet of snow, despite the fact that he probably thought my story about the snow was bullshit, him living in Mississippi.

We had a lot of fun over the next two years. Dave printed the album covers for The Happy Scene ep for free for me, which puts him in The Happy Scene Hall of Fame...which, now, has one member. Fuck it let's make it two members, I'm counting myself. Congratulations, myself! After the album covers came hot off the printing press I spent hours folding all 500 of them in the shop, knocking back 40s malt liquor. He also kept the store stocked with outrageously hot Ole Miss sorority girls, which is even better. I can still remember this girl Caroline that would come into the store every once in a while. I was in love. Course, I never talked to her, but I'm getting sidetracked here.

Semi-Famous People I Met There:

Coolidge Ball: first black athlete ever at Ole Miss, played basketball in the early 1970s and as of August 2008 ranked 11th in career scoring with 1,072 points and 5th in rebounds with 754.Was (is) a super-nice guy, was very quiet whenever he came in. In both the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and the Ole Miss Hall of Fame.

Dick Waterman: a living legend who discovered Son House and worked with many of the Delta blues greats from the 1960s. In the Blues Hall of Fame. He had the weirdest accent/diction/way of talking I've ever witnessed to this day. Never stopped talking.

I kept up with David a little over the years, even calling into his show a few times - he's also a best-selling author, with books about Carlos Ghosen, Jerry Jones, the importance of the whoopee pie in the American South, among others - but haven't talked to him in about 10 years. But I know that if I ever saw him again we'd have a hell of a time laughing about our days back in the shop. There's just something about those first jobs, isn't there?