SAN DIEGO — Decades have passed yet a healthy debate continues regarding the inspiration of the 1982 hit movie 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High'.
In this Zevely Zone, I met the 'Clairemont Crew'. If you grew up in Clairemont, the Offshore Tavern and Grill is a place where everybody knows your name. We went to the bar and restaurant for a reunion of sorts. After the hugs, these same friends always embrace an old story.
"Clairemont campus split over dope arrests," said Carole Bringas while reading the headline from an old newspaper from 1972.
"This is why Cameron Crowe came to Clairemont High School because of what happened in the mid-70s," said Carole.
The movie 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' didn't premiere until 1982, but the Clairemont Crew says their legacy started a decade before. "It's so fun to see where everybody is at in their life and how we've changed and how we haven't changed," said Carole.
"It's kind of funny that's my claim to fame if that's the only thing I ever did in life, ha, ha," laughed Valerie Rawlins who was Clairemont High's homecoming queen.
We then met Sue Robinson who was the school jock. "This was track. I did hurdles, and I was captain," said Sue.
"That's one hunky mountain man right there," I said while looking at a picture of Jim Barry from the '70s. He told me flipping through the Clairemont High yearbook can still spell trouble. I tried to read the comments from an old girlfriend. "No, no, no, I don't think you need to do that, we don't need to go that far," said Jim. "That's for another interview."
There are some racy stories at this table. "I was the young motorcycle racer of the group," said Bill Bandy who often rode his motorcycle wearing boots and a helmet and that's all.
He called it motorcycle streaking. "I did a bit of that ha, ha, ha," laughed Bill. "You have to be careful."
At least he was never cold, according to his buddy Howard Brutschy. "What's the temperature out there 73? It's 73 every dang day, being a weatherman in San Diego has got to be the easiest job in the world," said Howard.
It's certainly not a feature reporter because I've learned there's always one person who wants to overshare.
"Okay!" I yelled as Gary Stemple, a former student revealed way too much following his double hip replacement that occurred two days before our interview. "That will look good on the 6 o'clock news," laughed Jim. Gary responded, "But it would draw your ratings up a lot."
Maybe the movie was named 'Fast Times' because for the Clairemont Crew all of those years just flew by. "San Diego born and raised!" said Gary.
Legend has it, Cameron Crowe really did go undercover at Clairemont High. His book was then turned into the movie starring Sean Penn and Jennifer Jason Leigh.