Circle This Date
THIS WEEK IN BOOMER BIRTHDAYS
May 29 - June 4
Time to toss confetti and blow those blowie things (horns? hooters? who knows?) for these guys, celebrating another 52 weeks on the planet...
May 29 - Danny Elfman, who scored everything from Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1977) to Alice In Wonderland (2010) and leader of Oingo Boingo, born in 1953.
May 30 - Ted McGinley, TV utility player, who showed up in such beloved series as Happy Days, Married With Children and The Love Boat, born in 1958.
May 31 - Joe Namath, the arm of the New York Jets and best looking man in pantyhose, born in 1943.
June 1 - Ron Wood, of Rolling Stones and Birds fame, born in 1947.
June 2 - Jerry Mathers, now and forever known as the Beaver, born in 1948. (Yes, folks, Theodore Cleaver is 62.)
June 3 - Suzi Quatro, who shot to flame as Leather Tuscadaro on Happy Days, born in 1950. (Maybe she and Ted McGinley can celebrate together?)
June 4 - Parker Stevenson, the Hardy Boy who famously gave Kirstie Alley the big one, born in 1952.
Enjoy, y'all. After all, consider the alternative....
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Were You At The Wedding?
This Day In Boomer History
THE BIRTH OF GENIE FRANCIS
May 26, 1962
Does a picture say a thousand words? Well, Bread certainly thought so. But this pic just says two words....and to a generation brought up on GH, that's enough.
I give you....Luke and Laura.
Forget the fact that he was much older. Forget she was married to the young lawyer Scotty Baldwin. Forget that Luke was, at one point, Laura's rapist. Somehow, we forgot all that....and fell in love with this couple in the late 70's-early 80's.
THE BIRTH OF GENIE FRANCIS
May 26, 1962
Does a picture say a thousand words? Well, Bread certainly thought so. But this pic just says two words....and to a generation brought up on GH, that's enough.
I give you....Luke and Laura.
Forget the fact that he was much older. Forget she was married to the young lawyer Scotty Baldwin. Forget that Luke was, at one point, Laura's rapist. Somehow, we forgot all that....and fell in love with this couple in the late 70's-early 80's.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
This Day In Boomer History
HANDS ACROSS AMERICA
May 25, 1986
"I can not stop thinking again and again
How the heart of a stranger
Beats like a friend."
----HANDS ACROSS AMERICA by Voices of America
Growing up, I attended a variety of protests, peace marches, sit ins and activist events. For the most part, I left these moved by the speeches I heard, uplifted by the people I was with, and generally feeling that, yes, we can make a difference.
Some, though, just left me with the question - "Now what was the point of this, exactly?" Looking back, I guess that's how I feel about the "Hands Across America" campaign, culminating in the coast-to-coast event that happened 24 years ago today.
According to reports, approximately seven million people participated, creating a human chain that ran over 4000 miles, from New York's Battery Park to Long Beach, CA. Money raised from the event was designated for the homeless and hungry. Supposedly, people were supposed to pay $10 to reserve their spot in the chain (though I don't recall that happening actually; they just passed a bucket around and you threw in a donation).
And yes, I was there. I took my daughter (then 11 months old) and my mother, and we all headed to Cooper River Park in Camden to hold hands with total strangers. At the time, it seemed important - a legacy passed on from my activist parents to my child, through me. (Remember how deep everything used to seem, before we became so cynical about it all?)
I guess I wasn't the only one who thought it was important. It was reported that numerous celebrities were in the chain - Tony Danza and Dionne Warwick in Trenton, Chewbacca the Wookie in Cincinnati, 50 Lincoln impersonators in Springfield and Kathleen Turner under the St. Louis Arch, just to name a few. Nobody really important came to Cooper River, though. (Maybe that's why they didn't charge us the full ten dollars.)
The event was one of several held under the "USA For Africa" banner, though apparently the $20 million raised by this particular campaign stayed stateside. Though it sounds almost fairy-tale idyllic, Hands Across America was not without its own protesters. Notably, Senators Edward Kennedy and Edward Markey filed an official protest that the New England states were not part of the chain. Tom Selleck, with others, spearheaded a "Hawaiians Are Americans, Too!" initiative. No one spoke out for Alaskans, interestingly enough.
So what was accomplished? For a short while, we felt united. For a brief moment, we felt we still had the power to change things. For just a second, perhaps, we believed that people holding on to each other really was the answer.
Maybe not a lot, bottom line. But plenty, looking back.
HANDS ACROSS AMERICA
May 25, 1986
"I can not stop thinking again and again
How the heart of a stranger
Beats like a friend."
----HANDS ACROSS AMERICA by Voices of America
Growing up, I attended a variety of protests, peace marches, sit ins and activist events. For the most part, I left these moved by the speeches I heard, uplifted by the people I was with, and generally feeling that, yes, we can make a difference.
Some, though, just left me with the question - "Now what was the point of this, exactly?" Looking back, I guess that's how I feel about the "Hands Across America" campaign, culminating in the coast-to-coast event that happened 24 years ago today.
And yes, I was there. I took my daughter (then 11 months old) and my mother, and we all headed to Cooper River Park in Camden to hold hands with total strangers. At the time, it seemed important - a legacy passed on from my activist parents to my child, through me. (Remember how deep everything used to seem, before we became so cynical about it all?)
I guess I wasn't the only one who thought it was important. It was reported that numerous celebrities were in the chain - Tony Danza and Dionne Warwick in Trenton, Chewbacca the Wookie in Cincinnati, 50 Lincoln impersonators in Springfield and Kathleen Turner under the St. Louis Arch, just to name a few. Nobody really important came to Cooper River, though. (Maybe that's why they didn't charge us the full ten dollars.)
The event was one of several held under the "USA For Africa" banner, though apparently the $20 million raised by this particular campaign stayed stateside. Though it sounds almost fairy-tale idyllic, Hands Across America was not without its own protesters. Notably, Senators Edward Kennedy and Edward Markey filed an official protest that the New England states were not part of the chain. Tom Selleck, with others, spearheaded a "Hawaiians Are Americans, Too!" initiative. No one spoke out for Alaskans, interestingly enough.
So what was accomplished? For a short while, we felt united. For a brief moment, we felt we still had the power to change things. For just a second, perhaps, we believed that people holding on to each other really was the answer.
Maybe not a lot, bottom line. But plenty, looking back.
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Times, They Were A-Changing
This Day In Boomer History
THE BIRTH OF BOB DYLAN
May 24, 1941
I really don't remember when I became aware of Bob Dylan. I think the music came first, which I suppose is appropriate. "Blowing in the Wind" became a staple in my father's guitar performances, one of the many songs I heard wafting from my family room as I fell asleep each night. But in my head, "Blowing in the Wind" was a Peter, Paul and Mary song, harmonious, wistful and full of hope, one embraced by the growing anti-war movement and even sung in Catholic Churches (remember folk masses?).
I didn't know then that the words and music, the sentiment, the anger and the hope all flowed from the pen of a 20 year old curly-haired Jewish musician from Minnesota who entered this world with the name Robert Allen Zimmerman. (He began introducing himself as Bob Dylan in 1960, once explaining, "You call yourself what you want to call yourself. This is the land of the free.")
Soon, though, Dylan was everywhere. Exploding from the Greenwich Village scene with the strong support of John Hammond and Johnny Cash, Dylan was a force to be reckoned with. He didn't look the part of the streetside prophet - all harmonica and curly hair and a voice that would never get him through to the Hollywood round. His singing wasn't edgy, it was rough - and sometimes what he was singing wasn't all that easy to listen to. But his music, his words, told the story, not only reporting on what was happening but also predicting what was to come.
I've seen Dylan several times through the years, but those performances were in the 80's or beyond. Dylan was iconic, but no longer really relevant. The first time I saw him, on a double date with my sister and some beaus at the Philadelphia Spectrum, I remember being disappointed that he played so few of the songs that made him matter, not only to me but to an entire generation. He had moved on; we were looking back, he was charging forward.
I remember being 11 or 12 and talking to my dad about the depth that was Dylan. My father asked me to interpret one of the most famous Dylan lines, "It don't take a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." I went into some lengthy explanation of how you don't need others to tell you what's happening; you can feel the wind of change yourself, and realize the direction in which it's heading.
My dad looked at me, nodded, and said, "Well, maybe. But maybe it just means you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows."
That pretty much sums up Bob Dylan for me. Iconic, prophetic, born-again and back around....Dylan remains the enigma that somehow ended up speaking for us all over the shots and tears of Vietnam. His voice may not have been much, but was there ever a better voice for a generation?
THE BIRTH OF BOB DYLAN
May 24, 1941
I really don't remember when I became aware of Bob Dylan. I think the music came first, which I suppose is appropriate. "Blowing in the Wind" became a staple in my father's guitar performances, one of the many songs I heard wafting from my family room as I fell asleep each night. But in my head, "Blowing in the Wind" was a Peter, Paul and Mary song, harmonious, wistful and full of hope, one embraced by the growing anti-war movement and even sung in Catholic Churches (remember folk masses?).
Soon, though, Dylan was everywhere. Exploding from the Greenwich Village scene with the strong support of John Hammond and Johnny Cash, Dylan was a force to be reckoned with. He didn't look the part of the streetside prophet - all harmonica and curly hair and a voice that would never get him through to the Hollywood round. His singing wasn't edgy, it was rough - and sometimes what he was singing wasn't all that easy to listen to. But his music, his words, told the story, not only reporting on what was happening but also predicting what was to come.
I've seen Dylan several times through the years, but those performances were in the 80's or beyond. Dylan was iconic, but no longer really relevant. The first time I saw him, on a double date with my sister and some beaus at the Philadelphia Spectrum, I remember being disappointed that he played so few of the songs that made him matter, not only to me but to an entire generation. He had moved on; we were looking back, he was charging forward.
I remember being 11 or 12 and talking to my dad about the depth that was Dylan. My father asked me to interpret one of the most famous Dylan lines, "It don't take a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." I went into some lengthy explanation of how you don't need others to tell you what's happening; you can feel the wind of change yourself, and realize the direction in which it's heading.
My dad looked at me, nodded, and said, "Well, maybe. But maybe it just means you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows."
That pretty much sums up Bob Dylan for me. Iconic, prophetic, born-again and back around....Dylan remains the enigma that somehow ended up speaking for us all over the shots and tears of Vietnam. His voice may not have been much, but was there ever a better voice for a generation?
Sunday, May 23, 2010
What, Me Cheat?
Stuff Boomers Love
CLIFF NOTES
The thing about teachers is this - they always expected us to read the book. Seriously. I mean, who can bother reading all 487 pages of Anna Karenina when the Broad Street Bullies were in the Stanley Cup finals, The Who is blasting from the eight-track and you absolutely need to go shopping for a new pair of Landlubbers? Teachers really need to appreciate you have a life.
Well, teachers may not, but someone did - and that someone was Cliff Hillegass. Cliff knew that teenagers didn't have enough time in the day, so he helpfully started publishing those little yellow and black lifesavers known as Cliff Notes way back in 1958. Marketed as "Study Guides," Cliff Notes did the reading for us, summarizing the plotlines of thousands of literary pieces (from Bleak House to The Bell Jar, the works of Shakespeare to Emerson's essays), identified themes, subplots and protaganists, and interpreted the deeper meaning that too often went over our heads as we tried to read while watching TV.
I guess the current day equivilent would be the kids who rent videos, hoping that the screenwriter stayed true to the book. (Good luck with that!) As an English major, I guess I should come down hard on the use of study guides, and point out that you lose the experience of the book itself by relying solely on these shriveled down versions.
And I do go on record as believing that. But in all fairness, I must admit that I have one or two skeletons of the yellow and black variety in my own closet.
CLIFF NOTES
The thing about teachers is this - they always expected us to read the book. Seriously. I mean, who can bother reading all 487 pages of Anna Karenina when the Broad Street Bullies were in the Stanley Cup finals, The Who is blasting from the eight-track and you absolutely need to go shopping for a new pair of Landlubbers? Teachers really need to appreciate you have a life.
I guess the current day equivilent would be the kids who rent videos, hoping that the screenwriter stayed true to the book. (Good luck with that!) As an English major, I guess I should come down hard on the use of study guides, and point out that you lose the experience of the book itself by relying solely on these shriveled down versions.
And I do go on record as believing that. But in all fairness, I must admit that I have one or two skeletons of the yellow and black variety in my own closet.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Happy Happy Birthday Baby
Circle This Date
THIS WEEK IN BOOMER BIRTHDAYS
May 22 - May 28
Time stands still for no man (don't we know it?). So light the candles, make a wish, and celebrate the birthdays of these boomers this week:
May 22 - Bernie Taupin, British lyricist and the words to Elton John's music, born in 1950
May 23 - Drew Carey, talk show host/actor who put Cleveland on the map, born in 1961
May 24 - Rosanne Cash, daughter of the Man in Black and "Seven Year Itch" songstress, born in 1955
May 25 - Karen Valentine, actress and star of Room 222 and numerous Love Boat episodes, born in 1947
May 26 - Stevie Nicks, singer/songwriter and the face of Fleetwood Mac, born in 1948
May 27 - Lisa Niemi, actress/dancer and wife of the late Patrick Swayze, born in 1956
May 28 - Brandon Cruz, "Eddie" of The Courtship of Eddie's Father, born in 1962
THIS WEEK IN BOOMER BIRTHDAYS
May 22 - May 28
Time stands still for no man (don't we know it?). So light the candles, make a wish, and celebrate the birthdays of these boomers this week:
May 22 - Bernie Taupin, British lyricist and the words to Elton John's music, born in 1950
May 23 - Drew Carey, talk show host/actor who put Cleveland on the map, born in 1961
May 24 - Rosanne Cash, daughter of the Man in Black and "Seven Year Itch" songstress, born in 1955
May 25 - Karen Valentine, actress and star of Room 222 and numerous Love Boat episodes, born in 1947
May 26 - Stevie Nicks, singer/songwriter and the face of Fleetwood Mac, born in 1948
May 27 - Lisa Niemi, actress/dancer and wife of the late Patrick Swayze, born in 1956
May 28 - Brandon Cruz, "Eddie" of The Courtship of Eddie's Father, born in 1962
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor...
Commercial Break
DRINK IT UP!
Now that the weather is getting warmer, my kids are constantly in the fridge, reaching for the drinkables. We go through a gallon of milk a day, plus several pitchers of lemonade, numerous liters of soda and countless bottles of Gatorade. And, of course, water, which comes right out of the front of the fridge (unheard of back in my day).
When we were growing up, we had milk for breakfast and lunch. At dinner, my mom would bring out the sleek plastic teacups, and we would have a cup of hot tea liberally cut with milk while my parents had their evening coffee.
Of course, the real treats were the rare occasions when my parents allowed us to have chocolate milk. Remember Ovaltine? Those chocolate crystals never quite dissolved all the way, sticking to the top of the glass until we scrapped them off with our spoons. They were delicious.
When summer came, however, the four of us wanted something lighter and cooler than glasses of chocolate milk or hot milky tea. By the time school was out for summer, we were pleading for Kool-Aid, in fantastic colors and flavors. My mom reluctantly agreed....the packets of unsweetened drink were cheap enough, but we weren't the neatest kids when it came to adding sugar (and we always complained the drink wasn't sweet enough when she added it). What was your favorite Kool-Aid flavor?
In 1964, Pillsbury decided to challenge the Kool-Aid monopoly by introducing the Funny Face Drink mixes. I can remember the original line up - Goofy Grape, Injun Orange, Freckled Face Strawberry (my personal favorite), Chinese Cherry (complete with gong), Loud Mouth Lime and Rootin' Tootin' Raspberry. I remember loving their commercials, which started like this:
By 1966, the commercials were pulled due to protests from Native Americans claiming the name "Injun Orange" was racist. Pillsbury changed the name to "Jolly Olly Orange" and did some damage control by turning "Chinese Cherry" into "Choo Choo Cherry." The new commercials looked like this:
My mom preferred Funny Face to Kool-Aid because it was pre-sweetened, meaning we didn't need to be near the sugar bowl. Unfortunately, in the early years, Funny Face was sweetened with cyclamates, which were banned by the FDA in 1968 as a possible cancer risk. Goofy Grape and the gang were pulled from shelves, returning the following year sweetened with saccharine. The aftertaste was no winner, so in 1970 a new Funny Face was introduced with the tag line "just add sugar." Back to the sugar bowl!
DRINK IT UP!
Now that the weather is getting warmer, my kids are constantly in the fridge, reaching for the drinkables. We go through a gallon of milk a day, plus several pitchers of lemonade, numerous liters of soda and countless bottles of Gatorade. And, of course, water, which comes right out of the front of the fridge (unheard of back in my day).
When we were growing up, we had milk for breakfast and lunch. At dinner, my mom would bring out the sleek plastic teacups, and we would have a cup of hot tea liberally cut with milk while my parents had their evening coffee.
Of course, the real treats were the rare occasions when my parents allowed us to have chocolate milk. Remember Ovaltine? Those chocolate crystals never quite dissolved all the way, sticking to the top of the glass until we scrapped them off with our spoons. They were delicious.
When summer came, however, the four of us wanted something lighter and cooler than glasses of chocolate milk or hot milky tea. By the time school was out for summer, we were pleading for Kool-Aid, in fantastic colors and flavors. My mom reluctantly agreed....the packets of unsweetened drink were cheap enough, but we weren't the neatest kids when it came to adding sugar (and we always complained the drink wasn't sweet enough when she added it). What was your favorite Kool-Aid flavor?
In 1964, Pillsbury decided to challenge the Kool-Aid monopoly by introducing the Funny Face Drink mixes. I can remember the original line up - Goofy Grape, Injun Orange, Freckled Face Strawberry (my personal favorite), Chinese Cherry (complete with gong), Loud Mouth Lime and Rootin' Tootin' Raspberry. I remember loving their commercials, which started like this:
By 1966, the commercials were pulled due to protests from Native Americans claiming the name "Injun Orange" was racist. Pillsbury changed the name to "Jolly Olly Orange" and did some damage control by turning "Chinese Cherry" into "Choo Choo Cherry." The new commercials looked like this:
My mom preferred Funny Face to Kool-Aid because it was pre-sweetened, meaning we didn't need to be near the sugar bowl. Unfortunately, in the early years, Funny Face was sweetened with cyclamates, which were banned by the FDA in 1968 as a possible cancer risk. Goofy Grape and the gang were pulled from shelves, returning the following year sweetened with saccharine. The aftertaste was no winner, so in 1970 a new Funny Face was introduced with the tag line "just add sugar." Back to the sugar bowl!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
They Say It's Your Birthday
Circle This Date
THIS WEEK IN BOOMER BIRTHDAYS
May 15 - May 21
Need a reason to celebrate this week? Then check out these Boomer birthdays...and remember, we're not just getting older, we're getting better! (Ten points if you can ID that ad of our youth!)
May 15 - George Brett, baseball player and American League MVP of 1980, born in 1953
May 16 - Debra Winger, actress who was lifted up where we belong, born in 1955
May 17 - Bob Saget, daddy dearest of the "Full House" crew, born in 1956
May 18 - Rick Wakeman, rocker and Yes keyboardist, born in 1949
May 19 - Joey Ramone, one of the, duh, Ramones, born in 1951 (RIP 2001)
May 20 - Ronald Prescott Reagan, ballet dancer and Presidential son, born in 1958
May 21 - Al Franken, comedian, writer and exposer of lying liars, born in 1951 (oh, yeah, did we mention senator?)
Oh, and answer to the trivia question - that was Nice and Easy hair color. Proving once again that truth in honesty isn't a given.
THIS WEEK IN BOOMER BIRTHDAYS
May 15 - May 21
Need a reason to celebrate this week? Then check out these Boomer birthdays...and remember, we're not just getting older, we're getting better! (Ten points if you can ID that ad of our youth!)
May 15 - George Brett, baseball player and American League MVP of 1980, born in 1953
May 16 - Debra Winger, actress who was lifted up where we belong, born in 1955
May 17 - Bob Saget, daddy dearest of the "Full House" crew, born in 1956
May 18 - Rick Wakeman, rocker and Yes keyboardist, born in 1949
May 19 - Joey Ramone, one of the, duh, Ramones, born in 1951 (RIP 2001)
May 20 - Ronald Prescott Reagan, ballet dancer and Presidential son, born in 1958
May 21 - Al Franken, comedian, writer and exposer of lying liars, born in 1951 (oh, yeah, did we mention senator?)
Oh, and answer to the trivia question - that was Nice and Easy hair color. Proving once again that truth in honesty isn't a given.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
You Are My Candy Girl
TOP OF THE POPS 1969
Welcome back to another episode of our very own top ten. This time, the year is 1969, and the list comes courtesy of Wolfman Jack. Clap for the Wolfman....and take a trip back to the days when our radio was blasting these babies:
1. "Crimson and Clover" - Tommy James and the Shondells
2. "Everyday People" - Sly and the Family Stone
3. "Dizzy" - Tommy Roe
4. "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In" - The Fifth Dimension
5. "Get Back" - The Beatles
6. "Love Theme from Romeo & Juliet" - Henry Mancini
7. "In the Year 2525" - Zager and Evans
8. "Honky Tonk Woman" - The Rolling Stones
9. "Sugar, Sugar" - The Archies
10. "I Can't Get Next To You" - The Temptations
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Where Have All The Folkies Gone?
This Day In Boomer History
PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON PEAKS AT #2
May 11, 1963
"A dragon lives forever
But not so little boys..."
When I was in my formative years, both of my parents played guitar. It was almost like Hootenanny when friends and family came to visit. Everyone would get together downstairs in the family room and play guitar and sing their favorites, the songs they grew up with and old church songs and even a few original compositions. It was such an important ritual in my family that I asked for a tambourine for my sixth birthday, wanting to be part of the music coming from the grown-ups downstairs.
Before that birthday, my dad discovered folk music, and soon songs by Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Pete Seegar became staples in his musical line-up. So I probably first heard "Puff the Magic Dragon" not on the radio or from our old RCA Victor record player, but wafting up the stairs from our family room while I nodded off down the hall.
"Puff", written by Leonard Lipton and Peter Yarrow and performed by Peter, Paul and Mary (Yarrow was the "Peter" part), became a staple across the country, too, embraced by nursery schools and New York hippies alike. Children loved the story of a dragon and his friendship with the magical dragon, while the soothing melodies made it a favorite of coffeehouse performers and their audiences. There was even the hint of scandal - did Puff and his little human friend (with the suspicious surname of "Paper") really refer to smoking marijuana?
This interpretation was dismissed by Yarrow and the group that made the song famous, and "Puff" went on to be covered by such diverse artists as Bing Crosby, John Denver, Seal, Dolly Parton and Alvin and The Chipmunks.
But for me, the best version will always be the one I heard coming from my family room on a Saturday night after I'd been tucked into bed. My parents divorced, my mother died, and my siblings and I followed the lead of Jackie Paper and grew up. But the music continues on. One of my brothers bought our childhood home, and whenever our family and friends get together, we always seem to end up in our family room, guitars in hand and songs in heart.
Sometimes, if pressed, I'll even play a tambourine solo.
PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON PEAKS AT #2
May 11, 1963
"A dragon lives forever
But not so little boys..."
When I was in my formative years, both of my parents played guitar. It was almost like Hootenanny when friends and family came to visit. Everyone would get together downstairs in the family room and play guitar and sing their favorites, the songs they grew up with and old church songs and even a few original compositions. It was such an important ritual in my family that I asked for a tambourine for my sixth birthday, wanting to be part of the music coming from the grown-ups downstairs.
Before that birthday, my dad discovered folk music, and soon songs by Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Pete Seegar became staples in his musical line-up. So I probably first heard "Puff the Magic Dragon" not on the radio or from our old RCA Victor record player, but wafting up the stairs from our family room while I nodded off down the hall.
"Puff", written by Leonard Lipton and Peter Yarrow and performed by Peter, Paul and Mary (Yarrow was the "Peter" part), became a staple across the country, too, embraced by nursery schools and New York hippies alike. Children loved the story of a dragon and his friendship with the magical dragon, while the soothing melodies made it a favorite of coffeehouse performers and their audiences. There was even the hint of scandal - did Puff and his little human friend (with the suspicious surname of "Paper") really refer to smoking marijuana?
This interpretation was dismissed by Yarrow and the group that made the song famous, and "Puff" went on to be covered by such diverse artists as Bing Crosby, John Denver, Seal, Dolly Parton and Alvin and The Chipmunks.
But for me, the best version will always be the one I heard coming from my family room on a Saturday night after I'd been tucked into bed. My parents divorced, my mother died, and my siblings and I followed the lead of Jackie Paper and grew up. But the music continues on. One of my brothers bought our childhood home, and whenever our family and friends get together, we always seem to end up in our family room, guitars in hand and songs in heart.
Sometimes, if pressed, I'll even play a tambourine solo.
Monday, May 10, 2010
And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor...
Commercial Break
CLASSIC BOOMER COMMERCIALS
The other day, the old Henry Mancini theme for The Pink Panther movies began looping in my head. (Yeah, these things happen all the time once you're on this side of the hill). So I hummed along, "Doo doo doo doo, do do, doo do doo do doo doo..."
"What's that?" my daughter asked.
"The Pink Panther song," I told her. Then the words of the old ad came back to me:
"Pink panther flakes are pink and sweet as you can tell
The color of pink tickles me pink."
Pink Panther Flakes, the cereal introduced by Post in 1973 to coincide with the feline's Saturday morning cartoon, were actually frosted flakes with a pink coating which turned the milk in our cereal bowl pink. I remember the commercial in more detail than the actual cereal, and I found it on YouTube to appease my curious child:
So I got to thinking about the other commercials of my youth, back in the day when we couldn't TIVO the show and fast-forward through the advertising. Remember the Frito Bandito?
How about when Hawaiian Punch was downright violent?
And this ad for Good N Plenty must be one of my earliest memories...I remember it distinctly, yet it ran in the very early '60's:
What are the favorite commercials of your youth? We'll revisit this topic later, so let me know what you'd like to see!
CLASSIC BOOMER COMMERCIALS
The other day, the old Henry Mancini theme for The Pink Panther movies began looping in my head. (Yeah, these things happen all the time once you're on this side of the hill). So I hummed along, "Doo doo doo doo, do do, doo do doo do doo doo..."
"What's that?" my daughter asked.
"The Pink Panther song," I told her. Then the words of the old ad came back to me:
"Pink panther flakes are pink and sweet as you can tell
The color of pink tickles me pink."
Pink Panther Flakes, the cereal introduced by Post in 1973 to coincide with the feline's Saturday morning cartoon, were actually frosted flakes with a pink coating which turned the milk in our cereal bowl pink. I remember the commercial in more detail than the actual cereal, and I found it on YouTube to appease my curious child:
So I got to thinking about the other commercials of my youth, back in the day when we couldn't TIVO the show and fast-forward through the advertising. Remember the Frito Bandito?
How about when Hawaiian Punch was downright violent?
And this ad for Good N Plenty must be one of my earliest memories...I remember it distinctly, yet it ran in the very early '60's:
What are the favorite commercials of your youth? We'll revisit this topic later, so let me know what you'd like to see!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen
Circle This Date
THIS WEEK IN BOOMER BIRTHDAYS
May 8 - May 14
Boomers are always up for a party, so each Saturday we'll give you reason to celebrate. Here are the birthday boys and girls for this week:
May 8 - Alex Van Halen, of the group and the brothers Van Halen, born in 1955
May 9 - Alley Mills, "Norma Arnold" of The Wonder Years, born in 1951
May 10 - Bono, Irish activist and front man of U2, born in 1960
May 11 - Martha Quinn, one of the original MTV VeeJays, born in 1960
May 12 - Emilio Estevez, Brat Pack member and Martin Sheen's son, born in 1962
May 13 - Peter Gabriel, former member of Genesis and rock artist extraordinaire, born in 1950
May 14 - Robert Zemeckis, director of Romancing the Stone, Forrest Gump and the Back to the Future series, born in 1948
THIS WEEK IN BOOMER BIRTHDAYS
May 8 - May 14
Boomers are always up for a party, so each Saturday we'll give you reason to celebrate. Here are the birthday boys and girls for this week:
May 8 - Alex Van Halen, of the group and the brothers Van Halen, born in 1955
May 9 - Alley Mills, "Norma Arnold" of The Wonder Years, born in 1951
May 10 - Bono, Irish activist and front man of U2, born in 1960
May 11 - Martha Quinn, one of the original MTV VeeJays, born in 1960
May 12 - Emilio Estevez, Brat Pack member and Martin Sheen's son, born in 1962
May 13 - Peter Gabriel, former member of Genesis and rock artist extraordinaire, born in 1950
May 14 - Robert Zemeckis, director of Romancing the Stone, Forrest Gump and the Back to the Future series, born in 1948
Friday, May 7, 2010
Up Your Nose With A Rubber Hose
This Day In Boomer History
THE BIRTH OF ROBERT HEGYES
May 7, 1951
"Welcome back,
Your dreams were your ticket out..."
The year was 1975. TV, that nursemaid of my generation, was going through a lot of changes. In January, Another World became the first soap opera to air hour-long episodes. A brand new game show, Wheel of Fortune, made its debut, and the beloved Colonel Henry Blake was killed off on M*A*S*H.
And then - in September, of course - America headed back to school, and TV did too, by way of Brooklyn. Welcome Back Kotter entered our homes - and our vocabularies - in September 1975. It was a vehicle for stand-up comedian Gabe Kaplan, and based on his own high school years. Now, the show is probably best known as the show that introduced us all to a young unknown named John Travolta.
Travolta played Vinnie Barbarino, the leader of a group of, er, academically challenged teens who called themselves The Sweathogs. Check out this video - it looks like an early audition for Saturday Night Fever, eh? The other Sweathogs were the smooth black basketball player Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington (played by Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs), the childish oddball Arnold Horshak (Ron Palillo), who raised his hand enthusiastically and yelled, "Oooh, ooh, oooh!" whenever he "knew" an answer, and the tough "Puerto Rican Jew" Juan Epstein (played by birthday boy Robert Hegyes), who had a note from his mother for every occasion.
The Sweathogs' time in high school pretty much echoed my own, and the show was canceled in 1979. As a side note, Hegyes was a Jersey boy who attended Glassboro State College (now Rowan University), which is where I took my post-baccalaureate certification classes. While I was there, Hegyes came back (a conquering hero, I guess) and took the stage for one night in a college production. I attended the production, which was a vanity piece for the local-boy-done-good, who didn't turn out to be nearly as interesting as I remembered Epstein to be. But at least he isn't getting beat up by Screech!
THE BIRTH OF ROBERT HEGYES
May 7, 1951
"Welcome back,
Your dreams were your ticket out..."
The year was 1975. TV, that nursemaid of my generation, was going through a lot of changes. In January, Another World became the first soap opera to air hour-long episodes. A brand new game show, Wheel of Fortune, made its debut, and the beloved Colonel Henry Blake was killed off on M*A*S*H.
And then - in September, of course - America headed back to school, and TV did too, by way of Brooklyn. Welcome Back Kotter entered our homes - and our vocabularies - in September 1975. It was a vehicle for stand-up comedian Gabe Kaplan, and based on his own high school years. Now, the show is probably best known as the show that introduced us all to a young unknown named John Travolta.
Travolta played Vinnie Barbarino, the leader of a group of, er, academically challenged teens who called themselves The Sweathogs. Check out this video - it looks like an early audition for Saturday Night Fever, eh? The other Sweathogs were the smooth black basketball player Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington (played by Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs), the childish oddball Arnold Horshak (Ron Palillo), who raised his hand enthusiastically and yelled, "Oooh, ooh, oooh!" whenever he "knew" an answer, and the tough "Puerto Rican Jew" Juan Epstein (played by birthday boy Robert Hegyes), who had a note from his mother for every occasion.
The Sweathogs' time in high school pretty much echoed my own, and the show was canceled in 1979. As a side note, Hegyes was a Jersey boy who attended Glassboro State College (now Rowan University), which is where I took my post-baccalaureate certification classes. While I was there, Hegyes came back (a conquering hero, I guess) and took the stage for one night in a college production. I attended the production, which was a vanity piece for the local-boy-done-good, who didn't turn out to be nearly as interesting as I remembered Epstein to be. But at least he isn't getting beat up by Screech!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The Sound Waves
Things Boomers Loved
DOCTOR DEMENTO
Once upon a time, long long ago, we listened to AM radio.
No, really, I'm serious. The FM band was just coming into its own, back then in the 60's. Most of the boomers grew up listening to the pop sounds over their AM dials. Here in the Delaware Valley, we tuned in to the latest and the greatest coming from the boss jocks at WFIL (560 on the AM dial) or to Hy Lit and Joe Niagra over at WIBBAGE (that's WIBG, 99). That was the way it was, at least until WMMR opened its FM doors and opened our teenybooper minds to progressive rock.
But whatever your musical preference, in 1974 you were introduced to something completely different. That was the year Barrett Eugene Hansen - better known as "Dr. Demento" - started syndicating his four year old all-novelty radio program. For two hours every Sunday night (later it went to four), my friends and I would tune in to to hear such classics as the Monty Python crew's "Spam," "The Time Warp" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, silly favorites like "The Monster Mash," and the latest efforts by an unknown (but crazy funny) songwriter/mimic who called himself Weird Al Yankovich.
I remember listening to the Dr. Demento show on Sunday nights, waiting for the Funny Five (the final countdown) and hoping for an Allan Sherman or Kip Addotta song to close out the weekend and put me in the proper frame of mind for the next day's Bio test. The old Doc was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2009, and his show can still be heard...though now, he's streaming over the internet.
Where can I put in a request for "The Lumberjack Song"?
DOCTOR DEMENTO
Once upon a time, long long ago, we listened to AM radio.
No, really, I'm serious. The FM band was just coming into its own, back then in the 60's. Most of the boomers grew up listening to the pop sounds over their AM dials. Here in the Delaware Valley, we tuned in to the latest and the greatest coming from the boss jocks at WFIL (560 on the AM dial) or to Hy Lit and Joe Niagra over at WIBBAGE (that's WIBG, 99). That was the way it was, at least until WMMR opened its FM doors and opened our teenybooper minds to progressive rock.
But whatever your musical preference, in 1974 you were introduced to something completely different. That was the year Barrett Eugene Hansen - better known as "Dr. Demento" - started syndicating his four year old all-novelty radio program. For two hours every Sunday night (later it went to four), my friends and I would tune in to to hear such classics as the Monty Python crew's "Spam," "The Time Warp" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, silly favorites like "The Monster Mash," and the latest efforts by an unknown (but crazy funny) songwriter/mimic who called himself Weird Al Yankovich.I remember listening to the Dr. Demento show on Sunday nights, waiting for the Funny Five (the final countdown) and hoping for an Allan Sherman or Kip Addotta song to close out the weekend and put me in the proper frame of mind for the next day's Bio test. The old Doc was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2009, and his show can still be heard...though now, he's streaming over the internet.
Where can I put in a request for "The Lumberjack Song"?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Reach for the Stars
This Day In Boomer History
FIRST AMERICAN IN SPACE
May 5, 1961
It's been 49 years since Alan Shepard boarded the Mercury spacecraft Freedom 7 and performed a suborbital flight, thus securing his spot in the history books as the first American in space. You can find footage of the event here.
Looking back, the voyage may seem like just a small blip - just 15 minutes, 28 seconds long, covering some 302 miles. But that blip was echoed by the rapid heartbeats of Americans chomping at the bit to become a viable part of the space race. The goal, of course, was the moon and bragging rights over the Russians (who beat us into space, but came up short in that moon race).
Yes, the moon was our goal, but we were reaching for the stars.
Now, our feet are firmly planted on earth. Sure, there are still the occasional space exploration missions, but we no longer gather around the television and watch, holding our breath in wonder, at the journey through that new frontier. We barely pay attention now, unless something tragic happens.
I can understand the change, of course. Money is too tight to spend too much on these missions. Still, for a brief shining moment, we had a national goal we could all agree on. We've grown up, but every now and then I still find myself reaching for the stars.
FIRST AMERICAN IN SPACE
May 5, 1961
It's been 49 years since Alan Shepard boarded the Mercury spacecraft Freedom 7 and performed a suborbital flight, thus securing his spot in the history books as the first American in space. You can find footage of the event here.
Looking back, the voyage may seem like just a small blip - just 15 minutes, 28 seconds long, covering some 302 miles. But that blip was echoed by the rapid heartbeats of Americans chomping at the bit to become a viable part of the space race. The goal, of course, was the moon and bragging rights over the Russians (who beat us into space, but came up short in that moon race).
Yes, the moon was our goal, but we were reaching for the stars.
Now, our feet are firmly planted on earth. Sure, there are still the occasional space exploration missions, but we no longer gather around the television and watch, holding our breath in wonder, at the journey through that new frontier. We barely pay attention now, unless something tragic happens.
I can understand the change, of course. Money is too tight to spend too much on these missions. Still, for a brief shining moment, we had a national goal we could all agree on. We've grown up, but every now and then I still find myself reaching for the stars.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Four Dead In Ohio
This Day In Boomer History
THE KENT STATE SHOOTINGS
May 4, 1970
"Tin soldiers and Nixon's coming
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming
Four dead in Ohio..."
Allison Krause, 19. Honor student and daughter of a Holocaust survivor.
"Four dead in Ohio..."
Jeffrey Miller, 20. A recent tranfer to Kent State from Michigan State University. Member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. An active demonstrator against the war in Vietnam.
"Four dead in Ohio..."
William Knox Schroeder, 19. Eagle Scout. Psychology major. Recipient of the Association of the United States Army award for excellence in History.
"How many more?"
Sandra Scheuer, 20. Honors student in speech therapy. Not a demonstrator, but killed as she walked across the college green between classes.
"Four dead in Ohio."(OHIO by Neil Young)
Monday, May 3, 2010
Ooh, Ee, Ooh Ah Ah, Ting Tang
Top Ten List
TOPS OF THE POPS 1958
Throughout the month, I'll be sharing some top ten lists from our formative years. This week, I'll be your very own Casey Kasem, counting down the top ten songs of 1958. So hey, daddy-o, here's what was blowing your top way back before I was born....
1. "At The Hop" - Danny and the Juniors
2. "Don't I Beg of You" - Elvis Presley
3. "Tequila" - the Champs
4. "Twilight Time" - the Platters
5. "Witch Doctor" - Dave Seville (yes, he of Chipmunk fame)
6. "All I Have To Do Is Dream" - The Everly Brothers
7. "The Purple People Eater" - Sheb Wooley
8. "Hard Headed Woman" - Elvis Presley
9. "Poor Little Fool" - Ricky Nelson
10. "Volare" - Domenico Modugno
TOPS OF THE POPS 1958
Throughout the month, I'll be sharing some top ten lists from our formative years. This week, I'll be your very own Casey Kasem, counting down the top ten songs of 1958. So hey, daddy-o, here's what was blowing your top way back before I was born.... 1. "At The Hop" - Danny and the Juniors
2. "Don't I Beg of You" - Elvis Presley
3. "Tequila" - the Champs
4. "Twilight Time" - the Platters
5. "Witch Doctor" - Dave Seville (yes, he of Chipmunk fame)
6. "All I Have To Do Is Dream" - The Everly Brothers
7. "The Purple People Eater" - Sheb Wooley
8. "Hard Headed Woman" - Elvis Presley
9. "Poor Little Fool" - Ricky Nelson
10. "Volare" - Domenico Modugno
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Bringing Up Baby
This Day In Boomer History
THE BIRTH OF BENJAMIN SPOCK
May 2, 1903
Let's get things straight right from the start: "Benjamin" was not Mr. Spock's first name. I made that mistake numerous times growing up, and I think it's an understandable one. But Dr. Spock does not equal Mr. Spock, so Trekkies, move on.
So who was Benjamin Spock? Just the author of the second biggest selling book of all time. (And he's coming in number two only to The Bible, so that competition is pretty stiff.) Dr. Spock was the author of The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, the tome that guided our parents during our crucial formative years. The book, which sold for a quarter when first released, landed on the bookstore shelves in 1946. Does that year ring any bells? Yep, this handy dandy guide was published just when the first of the Baby Boom generation was being born. Talk about a case of being in the right place at the right time!
Spock reinvented the art of child rearing by telling parents they were the true experts in raising their children. Our parents were encouraged to trust themselves and enjoy their children. The "old rules" - such as "spare the rod, spoil the child" - were set aside for a bit of cuddling and even some coddling. (And they wonder why we were so confused!)
The book, an instant classic, was revised and updated numerous times throughout Spock's lifetime. It sold more than 50 million copies (including at least one to my parents - I remember the pink paperback edition on our bookshelf at home). Dr. Spock died in 1998, but parents can find his advice on his web site.
THE BIRTH OF BENJAMIN SPOCK
May 2, 1903
Let's get things straight right from the start: "Benjamin" was not Mr. Spock's first name. I made that mistake numerous times growing up, and I think it's an understandable one. But Dr. Spock does not equal Mr. Spock, so Trekkies, move on.
So who was Benjamin Spock? Just the author of the second biggest selling book of all time. (And he's coming in number two only to The Bible, so that competition is pretty stiff.) Dr. Spock was the author of The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, the tome that guided our parents during our crucial formative years. The book, which sold for a quarter when first released, landed on the bookstore shelves in 1946. Does that year ring any bells? Yep, this handy dandy guide was published just when the first of the Baby Boom generation was being born. Talk about a case of being in the right place at the right time!
Spock reinvented the art of child rearing by telling parents they were the true experts in raising their children. Our parents were encouraged to trust themselves and enjoy their children. The "old rules" - such as "spare the rod, spoil the child" - were set aside for a bit of cuddling and even some coddling. (And they wonder why we were so confused!)
The book, an instant classic, was revised and updated numerous times throughout Spock's lifetime. It sold more than 50 million copies (including at least one to my parents - I remember the pink paperback edition on our bookshelf at home). Dr. Spock died in 1998, but parents can find his advice on his web site.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
All Shook Up
This Day In Boomer History
ELVIS PRESLEY WEDS PRISCILLA BEAULIEU
May 1, 1967
Okay, so first the disclaimer: I was never a big fan of Elvis Presley. As an adult, I learned to appreciate the man and his catalog, and I am forever grateful to him for the influence he had on the career of one Bruce Springsteen. I own a total of one Elvis album, which I purchased for its novelty (and probably at a yard sale).
That aside, I imagine the wedding of Elvis and Priscilla after his well-publicized stint in the Army may have been met with wailing and gnashing of teeth from the older Boomer girls. I was too young to be interested in the King in 1967....especially in that way. But I can imagine he was one hot commodity, especially amongst the preteen set. I remember my own crushes on Paul McCartney and David Cassidy. I think we all have those crushes, before we're old enough to transfer our dreamy-eyed stares to the boy in the second row who runs faster than anyone else when we're playing kickball.
Again, I digress. What I do remember about this particular royal wedding is this: it was my first glimpse at Priscilla Beaulieu Presley. I remember their picture on the front page of The Evening Bulletin. The young couple with their dark eyes and dark hair, smiling right into the camera as they cut their wedding cake together. Another picture showed them headed off for their honeymoon. Priscilla was all black eyeliner, and her hair was piled on top of her head in a beehive that towered over the tiers of the cake.
I remember thinking she looked a little scary. But then, I never was a fashionista.
Anyway, I encountered Priscilla again decades later, when she appeared as Jenna Wade in that Boomer favorite, Dallas. And guess what? Under all that eyeliner and black hair, the former Mrs. Presley was quite a looker. I could see what attracted Elvis (though I still wasn't sure what she saw in him).
Elvis and Priscilla divorced in 1973, but remained friends until his death. Unfortunately, the real unhappy ending to this story is what happened to Priscilla's lovely face since that time. When she appeared on Dancing With The Stars a few seasons back, it was evident that Priscilla had a lot of work done, and it was of the "plastic surgery gone wrong" type. I felt sad just looking at her and remembering how lovely and happy she looked during the Dallas era.
I guess beauty doesn't last forever. Sorta like celebrity marriages.
ELVIS PRESLEY WEDS PRISCILLA BEAULIEU
May 1, 1967
Okay, so first the disclaimer: I was never a big fan of Elvis Presley. As an adult, I learned to appreciate the man and his catalog, and I am forever grateful to him for the influence he had on the career of one Bruce Springsteen. I own a total of one Elvis album, which I purchased for its novelty (and probably at a yard sale).
That aside, I imagine the wedding of Elvis and Priscilla after his well-publicized stint in the Army may have been met with wailing and gnashing of teeth from the older Boomer girls. I was too young to be interested in the King in 1967....especially in that way. But I can imagine he was one hot commodity, especially amongst the preteen set. I remember my own crushes on Paul McCartney and David Cassidy. I think we all have those crushes, before we're old enough to transfer our dreamy-eyed stares to the boy in the second row who runs faster than anyone else when we're playing kickball.
Again, I digress. What I do remember about this particular royal wedding is this: it was my first glimpse at Priscilla Beaulieu Presley. I remember their picture on the front page of The Evening Bulletin. The young couple with their dark eyes and dark hair, smiling right into the camera as they cut their wedding cake together. Another picture showed them headed off for their honeymoon. Priscilla was all black eyeliner, and her hair was piled on top of her head in a beehive that towered over the tiers of the cake.
I remember thinking she looked a little scary. But then, I never was a fashionista.
Elvis and Priscilla divorced in 1973, but remained friends until his death. Unfortunately, the real unhappy ending to this story is what happened to Priscilla's lovely face since that time. When she appeared on Dancing With The Stars a few seasons back, it was evident that Priscilla had a lot of work done, and it was of the "plastic surgery gone wrong" type. I felt sad just looking at her and remembering how lovely and happy she looked during the Dallas era.
I guess beauty doesn't last forever. Sorta like celebrity marriages.
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