Doin' the Mess Around

 

I was listening to the oldies station this evening and the song ‘Doin’ the Mess Around’ came on…and I had an immediate flashback to one of our fun movies from years ago…Trains, Planes and Automobiles. 

There’s a scene in the movie when John Candy is driving a car with Steve Martin asleep in the passenger seat. That song comes on the radio and Candy proceeds to play along with the music and the car driving gets a little crazy. 

For Cindy & me, there were many funny scenes in the movie and we had a great weekend watching it multiple times. This was back in the day when you rented a VHS movie at a rental place and brought the movie home to put in your VCR. 

Cindy and I watched it and thought it was hilariously funny. We then invited our neighbors over to watch it with us and we all belly laughed. The next day we drove to Vincennes for the weekend and had Cindy’s parents watch it with us. Then Cindy’s brother and his wife came over and we all watched it again. 

Cindy & I got to the point we were laughing at the scenes in the movie but also laughing at the reactions of our neighbors and family as they watched it too. 

We sure got our money’s worth on that rental. I think we eventually bought a copy and have watched it a number of times since then and still laugh. 

REMEMBER: 
Take pride in how far you have come and faith in how far you can go. 

Be talkin’ to ya. 

Dan

 

Mercurchrome and Methiolate

 

I’ve got a sore thumb. With this winter weather and lots of hand washing, I’ve developed a split in the skin near my thumbnail…and it is as sore as the dickens. And I seem to bump it all the time or pull it open when I reach in my pocket for my keys, or change. 

The pain this morning made me think back to the days as a kid when I’d wreck my bike (which I did a lot) or fall down and rip open a place on my knee or elbow or hands and dad would head me to the bathroom and clean me up and then reach for the medicine cabinet. I knew what was about to happen next. 

He was reaching for the orange stuff…the Mercurochrome or Methiolate. While one hand was reaching for the Methiolate…his other hand had a death grip on me because I was trying like crazy to get away. But dad was so strong...I knew I wasn’t going anywhere. So then, I switched to crying mode (if I had even stopped yet) and begging mode. The begging mode consisted of making him PROMISE…to start blowing on the injury BEFORE he even put the first drop of Methiolate on…because I knew it was going to burn like hell and I wanted a head start on the blowing. Sometimes my brother and sister were there as well to see what I did this time...and I'd tell them to blow too...the burning was that intense. They did what I asked...but it still didn’t help…it still burnt like hell. 

As I got a little older, one thing I grew to appreciate was that the burning and pain seemed to only last for a few minutes….then it was all better. I began to realize that if I DIDN’T have dad put the Methiolate on….the injury seemed to burn all day and maybe into the following days too. I grew to appreciate getting the burn over with. 

Those of us in the baby boomer generation, remember in the 1950s and 60s, playing with our group of friends, and if you saw one of them with a red/orange knee or elbow…you knew their folks had Methiolate at their house too. 

So why don’t they make that 'orange fire ball miracle medicine' anymore? Well if you dissect the name…Mercurchrome…you see it has the name mercury in it…and sometime in the 70s I guess someone decided that mercury was bad for us. 

To tell you the truth, I’m ready for Cindy to put some Methiolate on my thumb right now. Heck with that mercury stuff. I know it’ll burn…but just for a little while…then it’ll be all better.

REMEMBER: 

The overwhelming majority of what is stressing you today will be irrelevant in a year. Don’t lose sleep over petty things. Get over it, move on. 

Be talkin’ to ya. 

Dan

The BEATLES Part 4 George Harrison

 
The last of the 4 LEGO Beatles photos courtesy of the Christmas gift from my daughters. 

George Harrison was born at home in Liverpool England on February 25, 1943, the 4^th child to go along with 2 brothers and a sister. He was blond at birth but his hair turned brown around 10-11 years old. He started smoking at age 11. His mom bought him a used guitar at age 14, one that he soon took apart and couldn’t put back together, so he hid it in a cabinet hoping his mom wouldn’t find out. His brother managed to put the guitar back together and showed him a few chords that someone had taught him. 

The first time he heard Elvis ‘I was riding my bicycle and heard Heartbreak Hotel coming out of somebody’s house. It was one of them things I’ll never forget, what a sound, what a record. It changed the course of my life.’ He began to practice hour after hour, day after day with his moms encouragement. 

At age 14 he booked his group to play at a British Legion social club nearby, then went home to tell his mom to which she said, ‘you don’t have a group’. George said, 'don’t worry, I’ll get one'. He got his brother and two friends to join him, one playing the tea-chest bass, the rest were guitars with no drummer. They played skiffle songs under the group name The REBEL's. 

George first met Paul on the bus to school and they became friends after talking music and guitars. Although friends with Paul, it wasn’t a perfect relationship as Paul liked to remind George that he was 9 months older than him. 

One of the things John liked about George after they met, besides his guitar playing, was that George was a fighter and though small in stature, he could handle himself in a fight. When John threw out his frequent barbs, George threw some right back, which won John’s approval. 

From that early meeting, George became the lead guitarist for the world’s most famous band. 

After the Beatles breakup, George began doing the music he wanted to do. He did a number of charity events including the Concert for Bangladesh. In the late 80s he formed a group with Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison and called themselves the Traveling Wilburys, creating 2 top selling albums and several hit singles. Showing George’s sense of humor, he asked the group to name the second album, Vol. 3, 'just to confuse the buggers'. 

In 1998 George was diagnosed with throat cancer, likely contributed to his chain smoking since he was a teenager. Although he went into remission from that cancer, in 2001 he was diagnosed with lung cancer that metastasized to the brain. George died at age 58 on November 29, 2001 at a home in California previously owned by Paul McCartney. He had long followed the Hindu religion and according to his wishes, his remains were cremated and the ashes were scattered according to Hindu tradition in a private ceremony in the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in India.

REMEMBER: Some of the rather unique things that George said about his career were:

In their bid to tell what they know, sometimes people tell more than what they know.

I wanted to be successful, not famous.

I remember thinking I just want more. This isn’t it. Fame is not the goal. Money is not the goal. To be able to know how to get peace of mind, how to be happy is something you don’t just stumble across. You’ve got to search for it. – George Harrison

Be talkin’ to ya.
Dan

The BEATLES Part 3 Ringo Starr

 

Photo number 3 of the LEGO Beatles Christmas gift from my girls (see prior posts for images of John and Paul). People that casually know of the Beatles know they are John, Paul George and Ringo, but it didn’t start that way. Here’s a little info you may not know. 

A 16-year old John Lennon (born John Winston Lennon October 9, 1940) of Liverpool England got his first guitar in late 1956, and began playing using banjo chords taught to him by his mother. In November of that year he formed a group with his friends and called themselves the Quarry Men. They played a type of music called Skiffle, popular in England at the time. 

One of group members introduced John to a boy named Paul McCartney (born James Paul McCartney June 18, 1942) at one of the Quarry Men’s gigs on July 6, 1957. Paul, also a guitar player himself, watched John with interest during the show, not quite able to follow the chords John was playing since they were banjo chords, but he could see John was quite the entertainer. The two talked after the show and Paul showed John a few things he knew on the guitar and even though John felt a little threatened by Paul’s ability, he thought it’d be better to have Paul as a bandmate than as a rival in another band. The following day, John asked Paul if he’d like to join the group. Paul played his first official gig with the Quarry Men on October 18, 1957. John and Paul were together almost daily now and began writing their own songs. 

In February 1958, Paul introduced John to a friend, George Harrison (born February 25, 1943). John wasn’t too keen on hanging around with such a young kid, (George was not yet 15), since John was all of 17 at the time, but he could see George was a more skilled guitar player than either he or Paul. Soon, John asked George to join the group as well. 

By this time, skiffle was on its’ way out and rock and roll was in. Elvis, Little Richard and Buddy Holly and the Crickets were making music that teenage kids wanted to hear. The band, featuring the three guitar players would sometimes play under the name Quarrymen and Johnny and the Moondogs through the fall of 1959, including an event in August where they played at a newly opened venue, the Casbah Club, run by a woman named Mona Best. 

In early 1960, one of John’s friends from art school, Stuart Sutcliffe, won an art contest and John convinced him to use his winnings to buy a bass guitar. Even though he had no skill at playing, Stu bought a bass guitar and amp on January 21, 1960 and was now a member of the band, now with 4 guitar players and no drummer. The boys taught Stu a few chords for the bass but he was so shy about his lack of playing ability that he often played with his back to the audience. The band would occasionally pick up a drummer here and there but no one seemed to click with the rest of the band. 

A club owner and manager, Allan Williams, helped get more playing dates for the boys including a booking in Germany in August of 1960, but he told the band they must add a drummer to be recognized as a complete band. Their minds went back to the Casbah Club owner, Mona Best, whose son Pete had a drum set. Pete didn’t play them often and wasn’t very good, but needing a drummer badly before they could head to Germany, they auditioned Pete on August 12, 1960. 

Meanwhile, John, Paul, George and Stu had talked of names for the new band and since they enjoyed the music of Buddy Holly and the Crickets they toyed with the Beatals, Beetles, Silver Beetles among others, but John, with his love for word play, made the final decision, and on August 17, 1960, the 5 boys headed to Hamburg playing under the name of The Beatles. Their agreement for their first season at a seedy nightclub in Hamburg was to play for 4 ½ hours a night Tuesday through Friday and 6 hours a night on the weekends, for the next 48 nights. When that gig ended in October, they signed on with another venue up the street for another 58 nights. The demanding schedule only helped to sharpen their skills...all except Pete...but he was a favorite with the girls in the audience who swooned over his good looks. The rest of the band didn’t know how to dump him, so he stayed on. 

During one of their rare nights off, they took in a show at another Hamburg club where Liverpool’s top group at the time, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes was playing. They had a unique playing style and a very good drummer. He wasn’t flashy, but he was able to keep the beat and had an outgoing personality, much like John, Paul and George. His given name was Richard ‘Richy’ Starkey (born July 7, 1940). Richy had a passion for rings, one that his mom had given him for his 16^th birthday, another being the wedding ring of his recently deceased grandfather. When he added a third ring, people started calling him ‘Rings’, and over time Rings became Ringo and Ringo Starkey eventually became Ringo Starr.

After more than 3 months in Hamburg, the boys, returned to Liverpool with improved skills and were a big hit with the locals. In April 1961, they returned again to Hamburg for a 13-week engagement and while there, played backup musicians to a singer named Tony Sheridan, and were credited as the Beat Brothers on his record, ‘My Bonnie’ when it was released in August. By this time, Stuart had decided to stay in Hamburg with his girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr and resume his artistic career. Paul became the new bass player for the band. 

Once back in Liverpool, the four remaining Beatles fame and following continued to grow and on October 28, 1961, one of their fans stopped by a record store, owned and ran by a man named Brian Epstein, and asked if he had a copy of ‘My Bonnie’ for sale. Brian’s policy was to obtain any record a customer ordered and set about to find it. In the process he heard that the musicians the kids wanted to hear were playing in a nearby venue called The Cavern. The Beatles first gig at the Cavern was Feb 9, 1961 and when Brian stopped by for a lunchtime show on November 9, 1961, the Beatles had a fan base that was nothing short of electric to be a part of. Brian was impressed by their musical skills but moreso by their personality and the way they interacted with their audience. Brian was mesmerized and soon set up a meeting with the band and offered himself as their manager. They were impressed by Brian more than with previous managers and agreed. 

Brian increased the number of play dates and cleaned them up, getting them out of their leather outfits and sloppy clothes into suits and ties. On January 1, 1962 the Beatles got an audition track recorded for Decca Records but neither Decca nor other record producers were interested in the boys. In fact, one executive is famous for saying, ‘groups of guitarists are on their way out’. While Brian continued to find a record company that would audition the boys, they kept a prior agreement to return to Hamburg in April 1962 for 13 weeks and upon their arrival, were met by Astrid who told them their friend Stuart had died of a brain hemorrhage just a few days before. 

Days later they began their 7-week residency at the nightclub, this time playing 7p-2am weekdays and 8p-4am weekends. Their skills continued to improve with this heavy playing schedule and they became as popular in Hamburg as they were back in Liverpool. While in Hamburg, Brian sent a message for them to begin working on new material as he had secured a contract with EMI records in England for an audition. 

On June 6, 1962, they arrived at Abbey Road Studios to meet with record producer George Martin. George thought their music was fair, it had potential, but their charisma and charm was off the charts. The one band member he didn’t like was the drummer Pete Best who he felt just couldn’t keep the beat and threw the rest of the boys off. A follow up session was scheduled in August but the boys were told Mr. Martin would supply a session drummer because he didn’t want Pete Best. Brian was given the task of firing Pete and two days later Ringo joined the group for their first concert. 

The new Beatles, John, Paul, George and Ringo recorded ‘Love Me Do’ and ‘PS I Love You’ as their first single and it was released in Britain on October 5, 1962, eventually rising to #17 on the record charts. On November 1 they started another 14-night engagement in Hamburg and upon their return recorded ‘Please Please Me’. On December 18 they made their final return to Hamburg for a 13-night engagement while their single Please Please Me became their first Number 1 hit.

On February 2, 1963 they began their first British tour and their album titled Please Please Me debuted on February 11. As they toured more of England intermixed with more recordings with George Martin, their fame exploded across England, yet they were unknown in America...until their song 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' was released in December 1963 in America and quickly rose to Number 1. Based on the excitement their music and personalities created, Ed Sullivan signed them to appear on his weekly Sunday Night entertainment program and on February 9, 1964, the Beatles were seen by 73 million viewers on The Ed Sullivan Show…becoming worldwide sensations. And...as they say...the rest is history.

REMEMBER: 

Be a reflection of what you’d like to see in others. If you want love, give love. If you want honesty, give honesty. If you want respect, give respect. You get in return, what you give. 

Be talkin’ to ya.
Dan

KARMA - TV

I’m not much of a TV watcher anymore…there are very few shows and movies that hold my interest. I bet our radio is on and playing oldies more than the TV is on. I have decided there IS a TV show that I would watch…faithfully…and I think lots of other folks would too…so I think I’ll create my own TV show. I’m going to name it KARMA-TV. 

The show’s format it going to be about KARMA catching up with people who make me upset. Here’s some examples of the shows we’ll have. 

As you likely know from a previous blog, I get angry with people who don’t use turn signals. So on one week’s episode of KARMA-TV…there will be cameras installed at or near all intersections. When a driver doesn’t use his or her signal as they turn at an intersection, the camera will have the ability to kill the power to their car battery. The car will slowly coast to a stop and will sit there for 5 minutes before the camera will switch the power back on to their battery. During those 5 minutes, we’ll be able to watch them cuss and throw hissy fits and kick their tires and listen to bypassing motorists honk and yell and make gestures at them for messing up the traffic flow with their stalled car in the middle of the lane. I will be glued to my TV every week laughing and pointing my finger at the screen and yelling…”serves you right…jerk.” 

The next weeks’ episode will take place at all grocery and department stores. Cameras are already installed overhead at the checkout counters so we’ll be able to watch the action. Here’s the scenario…when the customer has had all their merchandise scanned and the cashier is telling them how much they need to pay…if that customer reaches for their checkbook to start writing a check…the cashier will push a little button on their register, a trap door will open up and the customer will fall into a hole in the floor and be flushed out into the parking lot. I’m going to be in my chair watching and laughing and yelling at the TV saying…”It’s 2021 people…lose the checkbook!” 

Other future episodes would include telemarketers…when they get home at night after a long day of calling and hassling innocent people…the telemarketers’ phone will continually ring…all night long…they will try to turn it off but the phone will ring anyway…they won’t be able to get a minute of sleep all night…they will be non-productive at work the next day and the boss will fire them…and I will laugh at my TV screen until I pee my pants. 

More episodes will include those morons who have their bass boom speakers turned up so loud in their cars that your house windows rattle when they drive by. Karma will have the ability to gradually turn their speaker volume up to 11…12…13…14…15 until the windows blow out on their cars and their speakers are nothing but a pile of melted, smoking plastic. Oh, I will joyously laugh and laugh. 

Yet one more episode will be about those professional football players who feel they have to do their little dance routine for the fans after every play they make…”look at me, I just made a tackle…I just ran for a first down…I just scored a touchdown.” Hey moron…that’s your job…you get paid handsomely…some of you millions of dollars to make those plays…shut the hell up and get back in the huddle and do it again. Do you think every nurse does a big dance down the hall of the hospital saying…”I just gave a shot to the guy in room 6”…or the teacher says…”woo hoo…I just gave the kids a spelling test?” No you goof ball…that’s their job…that’s what they are paid to do…that’s what they love to do. So KARMA-TV will deduct one days’ pay from that football player for every little prank they pull…and that pay will be deposited in a designated nurse or teacher account. Let’s see you dance that off…you jerk. I will gut-laugh every time I see it happen and yell at my TV saying…"CHA-CHING…a teacher and a nurse just got a pay raise!" 

Maybe you have some ideas to add to KARMA-TVs list of shows. What frustrates you? What episode do you wanna see next week?

REMEMBER: 

When angry, count to four. When very angry, curse. – Mark Twain  

Be talkin’ to ya.
Dan

Self-Storage Units

Going to my softball game today on the west side of town (we play at an indoor facility in the winter), I saw a new Self-Storage Unit has opened at the intersection where I turn. When Cindy and I were out yesterday we drove by the old Toys-R-Us store on the southeast side of town and saw they are refurbishing it. The rumor mill has it that it too will become a storage unit building. 

We live on the south side of town and within a 1-minute drive to the south and north of us, there are Self-Storage units. I’m spit-balling here, but I’d guess there are 15 such businesses within our city…downtown, north, south, east and west. 

If I go down to our basement, I see that Cindy and I have our own self-storage unit down there. We were sure that the girls would want their dolls and games and baby blankets and pictures that they grew up with when they got older…so we saved that stuff for them…lots of it. 

The short answer to the question do they want that stuff, is…NO! 

It’s all interesting to them and it brings back fond memories when we talk about it or when they see it…but they don’t want to be burdened with having it at their houses. So it just comes down to the fact that Cindy and I have too much stuff that we need to start getting rid of. And apparently, based on the fact that there are so many storage units in our city…places that you have to pay money for them to keep your stuff…we ALL have too much crap. 

Well for us, that’s gonna stop. We’re gonna start getting rid of that stuff. It’s gonna be a lot of hard work but it’ll be nice when it’s done. I think we’ll start on that tomorrow…or maybe next week.

REMEMBER: 

Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.

Be talkin’ to ya. 

Dan

The Beatles Part 2

The LEGO building continues. 

If you missed one of my prior articles, my kids got me a Beatles LEGO set for my birthday. I finished the John Lennon photo (look at prior blog) and today I post one of Paul McCartney. 

The slow part of the process was taking the 3000 Lego pieces off the board from John’s picture, a job which took several hours over 2 days. Putting them back on for Paul’s seemed to go a little faster. 

Cindy and I saw Paul in concert back in the '90s (nearly 30 years ago). It was a wonderful concert with a chance to see and hear him play and sing many of the Beatle tunes we grew up with. I felt a little nostalgic at times...my mind going back to those early years of hearing those songs. He played many Beatle’s hits as well as some songs from his post-Beatle years. He spoke fondly of his Beatle mates and played a song dedicated to John with whom he wrote many of those great Beatle hits. 

Cindy and I had an opportunity to see Paul again in 2019 but chose not to go. It was about a 3 hour drive on a weeknight and the tickets were about $1500, but those weren’t the reason I didn’t want to go. I was afraid after 30 years, his voice wouldn’t be as good as when we saw him that first time (those were the stories I was reading from those who had attended his recent concerts), and I just didn’t want to be disappointed. I didn't want to spoil our memories of that wonderful time we had before. 

Silly thinking probably...and if I had another opportunity...I might chance it.

REMEMBER: 

Don’t let someone change who you are, to become what they need. Live so that you can look any man in the eye and tell him to go to hell.

Be talkin' to ya.

Dan