Retro Video of the Week: "I Drink Alone" by George Thorogood and The Destroyers

This Saturday marks the 40th anniversary of the release of blues rockers George Thorogood and The Destroyers' sixth studio album, Maverick.  The album reached #32 on the Billboard album chart -- the band's highest-charting album up to that time (1988's Born to Be Bad also hit #32).  The album was a mix of originals and blues covers, and the second single from the album was an original that became one of the band's signature songs, "I Drink Alone."

An ode to alcoholism, "I Drink Alone" tells the tale of a guy who gets up in the morning and has beer for breakfast -- by himself, mind you.  He then copes with everything in his life with whiskey, be it insomnia, avoiding social interactions, or dealing with the familial relationships he's ruined, presumably because of his alcholism.  The song helped teach a generation of youngsters like me all kinds of brands of whiskey:  Jack Daniel's, Jim Beam, Johnnie Walker (black and red), and Old Grand-Dad.

The video, shot entirely in black and white, features Thorogood -- guitar strapped to his back -- riding a motorcycle to a deserted bar in the middle of nowhere.  Upon his arrival, he proceeds to play the guitar, smoke a cigar, and drink alone.  Then a hot chick shows up and sits next to him, since that was a common occurrence in '80s videos, but Thorogood is having none of it.  He promptly gets up, grabs his guitar case, and walks out, turning back to the girl as he opens the bar door to leave to tell her "I drink alone."  We don't see what happens next, but I assume a sauced Thorogood was quickly pulled over by local law enforcement after being spotted swerving all over the two-lane highway on his chopper.