Everythig I Know About Lexington & Concord Sung In 3 Minutes

Whether or not the attacker(s) intended it, there is clearly symbolic significance to the Boston Marathon bombing happening on Patriots Day; however, I could not tell you what that significance might be. Despite having lived in Boston for several years, I never really got into the whole Patriots Day thing. Perhaps it's because I know so little about the Revolutionary War. In fact, pretty much everything I know about it I learned from Schoolhouse Rock.

As great as the math and grammar segments of Schoolhouse Rock were, the American history ones are rather lacking. This is really just a bunch of names and phrases associated with the start of the American Revolutionary War rather randomly thrown out there instead of any sort of lesson. To be fair, history is much more complex than multiplication tables or grammatical rules, but wouldn't telling some sort of story have worked better. So really, it's not my fault that I'm woefully ignorant about our countries fight for independence; television failed to educate me properly.

Welcome Home, Boys

40 years ago, on March 29th, 1973, the last American combat troops left Vietnam.

The American flag is furled at a ceremony marking official deactivation of the
Military Assistance Command-Vietnam (MACV) in Saigon,
after more than 11 years in South Vietnam.

Watching the troops come home is the first news I remember watching on TV. In my memory--which is admittedly a bit hazy here--it's just my mother and I watching (was it during the day so Dad was at work and the other kids were at school?) and Mom is crying tears that are a mix of joy, regret, relief, sorrow and vindication. Of course, at age five, I didn't understand the complexities of the Vietnam War, but I knew it was bad and that we were happy to see the troops come home.

It's no coincidence that "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree" by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando (not Tony Orlando & Dawn as is commonly thought) was the best selling single of 1973.

At Least I Know Who Judy Collins Is

Long story short: It came up in Facebook conversation today that a friend didn't know who Judy Collins is. I said:

"A good rule of thumb: Every guest host of The (original) Muppet Show should be at least vaguely familiar to people of our generation. Judy Collins totally hosted and sang 'Send In The Clowns' with a Muppet circus in the background."

  
I had a really strong memory of that number, but it turns out my memory was somewhat wrong. I remembered the circus performers as puppets, and I thought there were more circus acts. In particular, I was sure there was a high-wire performer. It turns out, there are only clowns and they are some of the least puppety Muppets ever. They are really dancers/acrobats/mimes in masks.

I was confusing this number with Melissa Manchester singing "Don't Cry Out Loud" on The Muppet Show which features the same (kind of creepy, to be honest) clowns, but also has the puppet on the tightrope that I distinctly remembered being in the Judy Collins number.

I can't believe my memory is failing me like this. It's a slippery slope from confusing Judy Collins' and Melissa Manchester's Muppet Show appearances to no longer recognizing family members.

XIII

This is one of my father's favorite poems. He will gladly recite it for you if you ask.

   
When I Was One And Twenty
by A.E. Housman from Shropshire Lad

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say,
'Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;
Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free.'
But I was one-and-twenty,
No use to talk to me.

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again,
'The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;
'Tis paid with sighs a plenty
And sold for endless rue.'
And I am two-and-twenty,
And oh, 'tis true, 'tis true.

1983 : 1948 :: 2013 : 1978

For no good reason, it occurred to me tonight that the Disco era is as far away to today's high school students as the Big Band era was to my generation when we were in high school.

# 1 single of 1948: "Twelth Street Rag" by Pee Wee Hunt

#1 single of 1978: "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees

That makes me feel really old.

"I'd like to sing a song of great social and political import."

The first great album in my life was Pearl by Janis Joplin & The Full Tilt Boogie Band. It was one of my earliest exposures to amazing rock music, and the record was played very often in our house while I was growing up. I still love it a lot and listen to it often. Janis Joplin had a magical talent: she could express devastating heartbreak and profound strength at the same time. The older I get, the more I appreciate her.

 

Life Of Reilly

In the 70s, there was Charles Nelson Reilly on morning television:

There was Charles Nelson Reilly in the afternoon:

There was Charles Nelson Reilly at night:

If all that weren't enough, there was Charles Nelson Reilly during the commercial breaks:

It's no surprise that I turned out gay after watching Charles on television all day. It's a wonder that anyone emerged from the 70s as straight.

Time For Bed

Too tired to really blog tonight, so I'll just post the rather unlikely song my mother would sing to us at bedtime.

The perfect lullaby, really.

My Groovy Education

Learning to read in the Seventies was weird and kind of creepy.

Like, really weird and sometimes creepily inappropriate.

It's amazing any of those of us who grew up in that decade can even look at the printed word without having some weird flashback and completely freaking out.

My Childhood Is For Sale On Esty

It's amazing how much of my past can be found on the Internet considering the fact that almost half my life was spent before the Internet went viral. Here was today's reminder that your memories are just a Google away.

A friend was worried about me in the cold snap in Minnesota and suggested I get a lovely knit hat. Here are a couple he found--which I agree are quite fetching.

Their 70's retro look made brought to mind the only knit hat I can honestly say really stands out in my mind. My mother had a winter hat that my siblings and I hated. It was deeply embarrassing to be seen with her when she was wearing it. I thought my friend would appreciate it, but I didn't have a picture. So, I Google "hand knit brown hat with sequins" (yes, my mother wore a hand-knit brown hat with sequins--BIG sequins!) which got me an image that came very close:

Next, I tried "brown knit hat with paillettes". See? Watching every episode of Project Runway paid off, I learned the word "paillette". Admittedly, I had to scroll down, but there it was in all its hideous glory:

1983

One of my best buddies, Brendan, turned 30 today. In honor of his milestone, let's take a quick look back at the year of his birth, 1983. First, you must check out "Fads & Trends in 1983". Not only is it full of great  trivia (Ocean Spray introduced the juice box in 1983), the web page looks like it might actually have been created in 1983. Seriously, go check it out.

"Every Breath You Take" by The Police was the #1 song of 1983.

I bought Syncronicity on vinyl in 1983 and listened to it pretty much no-stop that year. Still, in retrospect, the big story in pop music was the year's #2 song. Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" was the second single from Thriller.  In addition to being part of the the best-selling album of all time, "Billie Jean" is one of the most iconic music videos ever.

Vanessa Williams became the first African American Miss America. As you may remember, that her reign ended when nude pictures of Williams were published in Penthouse. So, one outdated, sexist institution got rocked by a "scandal" created by another outdated, sexist institution. Vanessa Williams being the fabulous diva that she is went on to have arguably the best career of any former Miss America. Seriously, how many other Miss Americas can you even name?

Terms of Endearment won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1983, and Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi was the top grossing film. However, for me, as a young gay coming of age, there is one moment of 1983 cinema that stands head and shoulders above the rest.

By the way, I saw Risky Business with my parents who would not allow me to see violent movies but didn't bat an eye at one that featured prostitution and sex on public transit which partially explains why I love my parents so much.

On television in 1983, there was this on Saturday mornings:

Thanks Mom!

When I was ten years old, my mother and I made a date to watch Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back together. Somehow, in the middle of Iowa in 1977, she had become a Bette Midler fan. When she saw the commercials for the television special, my mom thought this would be the perfect way to introduce me to The Divine Miss M. I have a distinct memory of sitting in our TV room when this opening number began and laughing with my mother and loving it all.

No good, self-respecting gay is supposed to give any credit to the idea that mothers make their sons gay. However... I mean, really... How unhappy could she have been when I came out?