My first love…my endless love (for Lionel)

I think your first celebrity crush says a lot about you. If, for example, your first crush was Jordan Knight when you were twelve, you are most likely on the better side of conventional. You may get your couture from a sensible retail chain like J. Crew, you like your lattés from Starbucks and you love you some missionary position.

Although, as children, we aspired to Jordan Knight first crushes, some of us were not so lucky. In 1983, I was seven years old and my family had been in Canada a total of three years. We were all just starting to get the hang of the English language and my father was really starting to embrace the popular music of the day.

Now I know seven is a bit early for crushes, but I had a boyfriend in kindergarten (the hottest blond in my class, thank you very much) and I was showing my panties to all the boys by the time I was six. You could say I started my “skank” phase early.

I digress. The day my father brought home a little album called Can’t Slow Down was the day I knew I was into dudes. There was Lionel. White pants and baby blue shirt and perched alluringly on a backward chair. His jheri curl was perfection and his moustache gleamed. He made me tingle all over.



Needless to say, I made my dad by every Lionel record and we played them until the broke. These days, when I see Lionel on TV or see him in a photo, I still feel all tingly inside. If it came down to Brad Pitt and Lionel, there would be no contest.



Lionel forever.