Jodi Marcus

News Editor

Throwback Thursday visits the Deans Hall, venturing into the administrative offices of Mrs. Landau and Mr. Lindsay.

Mrs. Landau

Looking back at yourself as a teen, what are the first three words that come to mind?

Rebellious, socially-conscious, determined.

What is your craziest memory from high school?

One time, my friends and I snuck out of the house in the middle of the night and went to the Hollywood Roosevelt because we knew Gerry and the Pacemakers were staying there. I was so small that I was able to sneak in inside a laundry basket. I got to their room and hung out with them for a while. They were so sweet. As I was leaving the hotel, a guard saw me and chased me down Hollywood Boulevard. I fell and broke my ankle, but he never caught me, I was always a good runner.

How would you describe your “look” at the time?

Really short miniskirts! And bell bottoms! I loved the clothes back then. Everyone would wear little sweaters and pearls, so of course I dressed in paisley because I had to be different.

What kind of student were you? 

I didn’t think about grades much until 11th grade when I realized I wanted to go to college. I took my SAT without any practice and I scored so high that I was accused of  cheating. I was marked an MGM (mentally gifted minor), and I was so excited at that point to go to college.

What clubs were you in?

I was the editor of my paper and I always would get in trouble for writing civil rights and anti-war pieces. Being the editor of my magazine was the best thing for me. it was an outlet for me and it gave me a voice. I actually knew Bill Cosby because he started a program for high school paper editors.

What kind of music did you listen to?

When I was younger I was the president of the official LA Beatles Fan Club. I got box A row one seats and I got all the albums sent to me for free.  I used to write back and forth with George’s mother.

If you could give your high school self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Have more confidence in yourself.

Mr. Lindsay

Looking back at yourself as a teen, what are the first three words that come to mind?

Intense, aloof, laid-back.

What is your craziest memory from high school?

My craziest memory from high school was near the very end of my senior year, there was this really big rainstorm. My friends and I were driving through the high school parking lot driving as fast as we could and hydroplaning. We ended up getting involved in a car chase with the assistant principal and we got busted.

How would you describe your “look” at the time?

Lots of black, band t-shirts, very long hair (this is my short hair), and Dr. Martens. Since then I’ve moved on to Converse…

What kind of student were you? 

Lots of detention. I was kind of unengaged but simultaneously very into the subjects I liked, like history and biology. Ironically, I was a horrible student in foreign language class.

What did you do on your weekends?

In Irvine, in the land of suburbia behind the orange curtain, everyone would hang out in the parking lots of fast food restaurants. My friends and I used to play Diplomacy, which was a really geeky board game.

What kind of music did you listen to?

I was known as the “Led Zeppelin kid” at my school, I was weirdly obsessed with him. I loved all grunge music, Beck and Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana. The good 90’s music.

What was your group of friends like?

Interestingly, my now-wife was one of my best friend’s younger sisters. We started dating my senior year and we have been together ever since. The rest of my friends were all kind of the gothic, grungy, smells-like-teen-spirit kind of kids. We were sort of the burn-outs, but we were also all really big history buffs and Dungeons and Dragons kids. We were a little too cool for school.

Interested in reading more Throwback Thursday articles? Check out the rest of the series!