It didn't take us very long at all to reach the apartment where Mattie 3.0 was staying in Old Orleans.
I looked around his space, decorated sparsely in monochromatic tones. While taking it all in, I finally figured out what was missing the most. There were little to no personal effects -- and especially no pictures.
He must have caught me processing, because he interrupted my thoughts with a question.
"Are you okay? Something wrong?"
I shook my head and replied. "No, no ... just still shocked at the circumstances."
"Let me guess -- it's not the way you would have written it?" he continued.
Mattie was literally a character that I created and added into multiple short stories back in the late 2010's. To have him appear in person now that I was in 2084 was still hard to comprehend. He had explained that the IntransiGents had perfected the process of defictionalization that had created him ... but still.
"Just noticing that there are no pictures ... no family," I finally offered.
He shrugged his shoulders. "It's a solitary life. No one else from my stories got defictionalized with me. Although you know my Mom and Dad ... so we probably dodged a bullet there."
I couldn't help but chuckle. I did indeed know his parents, as I had created them -- and I would not have wanted to run into them during this trip into the future on which I unexpectedly found myself.
"So what's next?" I queried.
"I have to update my 'Gent and confirm that our original plans will change since you got your invite from that stranger on the corner. And I need to do it quickly because the clock is ticking for you. As soon as you set foot in town, you started showing up on the PCB's facial recognition exception reports."
Ah yes. The Population Control Board kept on coming up in conversations.
"I stayed in back alleys when I went out to wander waiting for your shift to finish. Do you think they saw me?"
It was Mattie's turn to chuckle.
"Of course they did. We are all always being watched. There is no such thing as privacy -- although I would have thought YOU would have known that, since it was your generation that killed it dead." He motioned to the gray couch. "But don't worry ... we have connections everywhere, so we've bought some time. Take a seat and I'll get Brother Bain up and running ..."
And that seems like a perfect spot to stop this part of my tale, especially seeing as how the loophole I'm using to contact you when the Vitalnet updates at the end of every month is a short one. As always, I remain Ilion (the name I took when I time traveled to 2084) using Troy-in-2019's social media to keep you informed of what's happening nearly seventy years in the future. Until the last day of the month next, I wish you health and happiness and I hope you enjoy the last vestiges of privacy that you and your loved ones will ever know.
Thursday, January 31, 2019
30for30: Jukebox Memories #1
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
Drumroll please (followed by any random noises you might make in the style of the Australian Pintupi aboriginals). We have reached the end of our second 30for30 series (rest assured that a new one in a different theme will start tomorrow), and the number 1 cafeteria jukebox memory is an Australian protest song that was played over and over and over again -- Midnight Oil's 'Beds are Burning'. To the best of my knowledge, there were no activists in our school focused on the issue covered in the lyrics ... but there must have been a few people who got into the song for other reasons. Note: the wiki says a reworked version was released in 2009 to focus on climate change ... so maybe we were all so much smarter than we realized back then.
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejorQVy3m8E
THE REWORKED SONG FROM 2009:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBTZOg6l6cA
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 1/30/19
Used in a sentence: 'In celebration of the reality that 2019 marks the fact that I've been micro-blogging for (at least) 10 years and counting ... let's take a look at the top 10 most viewed posts ... (of any of my blogs combined)."
My 7th most popular post of all time (to date) comes from the end-of-the-world series I was doing in anticipation of the Mayan Apocalypse that was "happening" on 12.21.12. (Spoiler alert: it was a super popular series for me, because seven of these ten will come from it.) The actual item is a shout out to Laura B, with whom I once worked at Gretna Theatre, and about whom I have no updates as to what came next for her life. Maybe she's the one that keeps on clicking on it and running up the numbers?
100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending -->
Thing 82:
File this under long overdue thanks ... but Laura B, wherever you might be, I don't want the world to end in 82 days without me expressing gratitude for helping me cope with my job at Gretna Theatre back in the day, particularly during those years of rotating artistic dictators (I mean directors) who threw us all quite a few curve balls in back to back to back seasons in the late 90's. You and I were the constant in that office during those times, and like the true survivors we are, we came out on the other end of that drama intact (with a few great stories to tell) Plus, you "got me", when I departed and changed the ticketing software password to "hairplug" to get back at the last smug pretentious couldn't-embrace-his-balding jackass that was in charge as I was taking my leave. Good times -- and for that, I thank you!
#7 MOST VIEWED POST IN THE LAST 10 YEARS OF MICRO-BLOGGING:
30for30: Jukebox Memories #2
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
Coming in at number 2 on this countdown ... Def Leppard's 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' (coincidentally also named the number 2 song of VH1's countdown of the 100 greatest songs of [all of] the 80's ... and also coincidentally a song that peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Top 100 charts in 1988). As you saw just a few days ago, (see #6 in this series), our administration censored Tone Loc's 'Wild Thing' ... and I'm not saying that they were racist or anything ... I'm just saying that they let this all-white-boy-English band's ode to vaginal secretions get regular airplay -- unless they just felt sorry for the one-armed drummer.
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU7yLn5DYQM
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
30for30: Jukebox Memories #3
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
Breaking into the top 3 of the list ... the song that fellow classmate Jandi G shared that she remembers hearing on near constant repeat (when you eat lunch with the same people in the same period day after day, you tend to hear the same tunes). As it turns out, U2's 'Desire' is the THIRD track off their 'Rattle and Hum' album ... AND it made it to number THREE on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart ... so maybe it's kismet that it shows up in the THIRD position on *this* countdown!
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8rQ575DWD8
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Monday, January 28, 2019
Random Memorial for Monday 1/28/19
That whole cassette/CD thing is relevant because the ongoing #discardedcassette series is all about getting rid of the cassettes for which there is also a CD in the overall musical collection (because at some point it just doesn't make sense to have multiples of media ... especially when the kids nowadays keep everything up in the clouds).
As for the song to attach to this post to memorialize this release -- it's going to be a medley (who doesn't love a medley in a live show?) from an album/soundtrack that I currently ONLY have in cassette form (which means I only get to hear it on the rare [which I assume is the opposite of the phrase "on the regular"]) ... aka ... the songs from 'Yentl' ... aka ... "papa ... watch me ... flyyyyyyyyyy".
YENTL FOR ALL THE FEELS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLy3YDq2xl0
30for30: Jukebox Memories #4
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
Upon reflection, I'm not so sure that the words anyone wanted to be hearing as they walked into the high school cafeteria was old Axl shrieking "You're gonna dieeeeee!" ... and yet I seem to recall Guns N' Roses 'Welcome to the Jungle' blasting from the corner on an *almost* daily basis. So maybe, just maybe, somebody back in 1989 knew that twenty years later, in 2009, that song would be decreed to be "the *greatest* hard rock song of all time". More likely, though, is that someone was sick of all the pop songs and wanted to do some head-banging as an alternative. Unless they just wanted to bring the administration down to it's kn-kn-kn-kn-kn-kn-kn-kn-knees -- that we'll n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-never kn-kn-kn-kn-kn-kn-kn-know.
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #4:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1tj2zJ2Wvg
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Sunday, January 27, 2019
30for30: Jukebox Memories #5
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
As we get closer and closer to the top of the countdown (and, therefore, closer and closer to the reunion date itself), I want to continue to give special shout-outs to those classmates who have shared the songs that *they* remember hearing (over and over again). That includes Bob S, who let me know that his strongest jukebox memory was the follow up to 'Crimson and Clover' and 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll' that was released in 1988: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' 'I Hate Myself for Loving You'.
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #5:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpNw7jYkbVc
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Saturday, January 26, 2019
30for30: Jukebox Memories #6
In just 63 days, the LHS Class of 1989 will celebrate its 30th high school reunion (on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 7pm in the back room of the infamous Downtown Lounge) ... which is why I've been posting special TOP 30 lists.This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
(Almost) in the #6 spot ... the only artist who (almost) made a second appearance on this countdown (see #28) -- except classmate Melissa H just recently reminded me that our class' little jukebox adventure was actually controversial, and that Tone Loc's 'Wild Thing' was pulled for being too sexual for high school students to hear, as if Mr. Rossi taught us *nothing* in health class. (To be clear, we went to school before shootings were commonplace, and so our controversies were a little less life-and-death.) In its stead, we'll put up a Whitney Houston ballad ('Where Do Broken Hearts Go') that was popular during our senior year ... and if Dr. Mawritz says something otherwise (although he won't ... 'cause the interwebs say that he passed away just four months ago), we'll remind him that Whitney was NOT the face of crack until long after we graduated and so no students were negatively influenced to take up the pipe by hearing this song whilst we ate our lunches.
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #6 CENSORED:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=387ZDGSKVSg
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #6:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa3tfVjGCQ8
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Friday, January 25, 2019
30for30: Jukebox Memories #7
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
First things first -- back in the 80's at a high school in central PA, we could refer to this group as "the local boys", what with them being from just down the road in Mechanicsburg. (Those that came in classes after us could say the same thing when 'Live' got popular ... although they hailed from York in the other direction.) Second things second -- it only makes sense to feature Poison's only number one hit in the US (really wiki?) since it peaked over the holidays of our senior year. Third things third -- I'd like to do a long distance dedication to Rose M -- not for any of the specific lyrics in 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' but just because her name is in the song title and because Rose was my homeroom buddy every year in high school (alphabetically by last name, I always followed her) AND she was a work buddy a little bit later for a time at McDonalds.
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #7:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2r2nDhTzO4
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Thursday, January 24, 2019
30for30: Jukebox Memories #8
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
Contrary to the way that this series has played out, it was NOT all late 80's all the time in the cafeteria. *Most* of the time, sure ... but every now and then ... someone would play something old school ... as in something someone nearly two decades older would have played on their cafeteria jukebox had they been cool enough to put a jukebox in their cafeteria. I'm pretty sure that someone had a first name of Matt and a last name that started with H ... and I'm pretty sure that he was exposing us all to the classic rock stylings of Led Zeppelin via 'Stairway to Heaven'. What I'm unsure of is whether he had to pay twice as much for such a loooong song. (Note that the link accompanying this post is the remastered version from 2007 and not the classic jukebox version we would have heard.)
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #8:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkF3oxziUI4
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 1/23/19
Used in a sentence: 'In celebration of the reality that 2019 marks the fact that I've been micro-blogging for (at least) 10 years and counting ... let's take a look at the top 10 most viewed posts ... (of any of my blogs combined)."
My 8th most popular post of all time (to date) also comes from the end-of-the-world series I was doing in anticipation of the Mayan Apocalypse that was happening on 12.21.12 (or ... well ... *supposed* to happen). The actual item is an ode to decorating the Christmas tree with ornaments of meaning, and it predates a similar video I post each year on the Facebook about my memor-naments (trademark pending). Here's the exact text from that day:
100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending -->
Thing 20:
File this under a desire to just go on the record about something ... but I sure do love decorating the Christmas tree each year. And if the world really ends in 20 days, then this activity (which took over most of my day today) will have been the last time I will have gotten to do so. I've stated it before in my writings, but I'm an expert reminisce-er and if you combine that with my apprentice hoarding skills (admitting is halfway toward being healthy), then it's no wonder that I enjoy the task [If I had my druthers, I'd have a separate tree with ornaments a la the Hortons on Days of our Lives for each person who played some role in my life ... but I'm just not that crafty.] Today I got to handle classic macrame ornaments that my mom's mom made years ago, various angels that were crafted by my own mom, the McDonald's apple pie Hallmark piece I got in the late 80's when I worked there, a beautiful see through medallion printed with "our first Christmas together" from the holidays in 1989 (my first with Wendy and Judy W), wooden bells that I brought back from Germany when I had my semester abroad, the 12 days of Christmas set that my sister Bonnie B gave many Christmases ago, memorial ornaments for those who have passed (like the 8 ball for DJ and the sugar cookie for JoAnne), the jingle bell that always hangs on the lowest bough to entertain the cats, the Cubs baseball item to commemorate my time in Chicago living so close to Wrigley and new (as of last year) -- the famous German pickle hidden within the tree (google it if you're confused). Bottom line -- each and every item on the tree each year reminds me ... I am so blessed (a statement that gives great comfort as I prepare for the impending apocalypse).
#8 MOST VIEWED POST IN THE LAST 10 YEARS OF MICRO-BLOGGING:
30for30: Jukebox Memories #9
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
As I've said before, the one who makes the lists gets to make the rules ... so if this re-release was a bigger hit in the summer of '89 than it was back when it first came out earlier in the decade, and we graduated at the beginning of that summer ... then was it really likely ever on the jukebox? Or do I just like Real Life's 'Send me an Angel 89' because I own it on cassingle? Doesn't matter -- I declare it to be #9 on the countdown, and I do it long-distance dedication style to all the BMXers out there who swear by the song because of its inclusion in 'Rad' (you know what I mean if you knew any of those kinds of 80's kids).
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #9:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R6WIbx8ysE
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
30for30: Jukebox Memories #10
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
Courtesy of the fact checking I have to do for these posts, I now understand John Parr's classic tune from the 80's that was co-opted for the 'St. Elmo's Fire' film much better. It turns out that the wiki says that the whole 'Man in Motion' concept was originally an anthem for a guy in a wheelchair touring the country giving inspirational speeches about surviving spinal cord injuries (i.e. ... "gonna be your man in motion ... all I need's a pair of wheels"). All of that is information I did NOT know when I purchased this song ON A freakin' 45 (kids might have to google this reference) ... and yes, I *still* have said freakin' 45.
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #10:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or20Ovv0Mag
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Monday, January 21, 2019
Random Memorial for Monday 1/21/19
GENERATION (as relevant to me): grandparents (on my father's side)
Paul Hornberger Neidermyer
born: August 17, 1902 in Rothsville PA
died: May 2, 1986 at St Joseph Hospital in Lancaster PA
aged: 83 years old
occupation: silk weaver at the former Stunzi's Silk Mill in Ephrata until 1934, after which he ran his own retail poultry and egg business at the 69th Street Market in Philadelphia for 24 years as well as the Green Dragon and Reading Fairgrounds markets. He also raised and dressed his own chickens until the late 1960's
additional obituary excerpt: "He was a member of Ebenezer Evangelical Congregational Church, Brownstown and a former member of the West Earl Lions Club. He was an avid bowler. Neidermyer served as a Private First Class in the U.S. Army from 1919 to 1920."
Esther Mae Peiffer
born: June 1, 1904 in Manheim PA
died: June 18, 1992 in Lancaster PA
aged: 88 years old
occupation: housewife, "raising chicken and tending markets" (see Paul's occupation above)
Paul and Esther together
married: October 6, 1921 in Lititz
children (7): Evelyn, Ralph E Sr, Paul D Jr, Mary A, Carl R, Fred J and James D
cemetery location: Emmanuel United Methodist church on N Church Rd in Brownstown, PA
The oldest Neidermyer ancestors I ever knew in my life ... you are missed.
30for30: Jukebox Memories #11
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
Placing *just* outside of the top 10 in position number 11: part time Power Station singer who also had his own separate solo career Robert Palmer with his late 80's smash 'Simply Irresistible'. Although the jukebox was clearly an audio experience, I think it's fair to say that hearing this song made most (but not all) of the teenage boys get "feelings like [they'd] never felt before" thinking about the *visual* of the ladies playing instruments in the band backing him up in the video ('cause let's face it ... teenage boys are easily stimulated and those ladies were something else).
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #11:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrGw_cOgwa8
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Sunday, January 20, 2019
30for30: Jukebox Memories #12
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
All together now: "Don't call me when your toaster won't pop up ... don't call me just to cut your lawn ... don't call me when your radio cuts off in the middle of your favorite song ... don't call me when your shower just went (bubbly sound) ... uh-uh, no, baby, don't call me ... I think I told you this about a million times ... you know, it's not ... my ... cup ... of ... tea!" If you did not join in ... or you did now know what bubbly sound to make when talking about the shower ... or you did not slow down for dramatic pause with the final words ... then should you really be reading this? I mean, either you graduated in 1989 like we did ... or you have absolutely no idea about 'Rocket 2U', by the Polynesian-American sibling group (?!) The Jets.
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #12:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkTMLMICR3Y
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Saturday, January 19, 2019
30for30: Jukebox Memories #13
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
Truth telling time. There is a very *small* chance that I actually heard this song in our cafeteria on the jukebox before graduation in June of '89 -- despite it being released in 1988 But I know FOR SURE that I heard it blaring from a car or two making the rounds on "the strip" aka the 422 loop ('cause my hometown was small enough that, once you got a car or a friend with a car, you got out of the mall life in order to drive around for hours on end doing nothing much else but driving around for hours on end just to prove that you could). Sir Mix-a-lot's most famous song where Becky and the girls discussed big old butts wouldn't come along until a few years later in the 90's ... but first was this ode to square dancing, something our group actually did have to do in gym classes of yore. That's all the long way to say that you should enjoy 'Buttermilk Biscuits', taking an honorary position at this spot on the countdown.
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #13:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jvVCJp429A
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Friday, January 18, 2019
30for30: Jukebox Memories #14
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
On the topic of mall singers (a topic we raised for the song in yesterday's entry in the countdown), you can't mention one Debbie Gibson without *also* referencing a certain Ms. Darwish -- or as you and I would have known her, Tiffany. Although, back then, it would have been Tiffany with her original endowment and NOT the extra sized breasts she bought later in life to boost her self-confidence (or says the interwebs [and by interwebs, I mean those pics from Playboy]). But I digress -- I just mean to say that anyone from our generation immediately knows what's coming (i.e. possible sexual danger) when they hear the heavy staccato simulated heartbeats via synthesizer and drum opening of 'I Think We're Alone Now'.
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #14:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6Q3mHyzn78
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Thursday, January 17, 2019
30for30: Jukebox Memories #15
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
Hey look -- we're halfway through this countdown -- and we're ALL the way to the first of two mall singers from our youth. Because, let's face it -- if you grew up when we did, you escaped your parental units and you learned all kinds of socialization skills (or anti-socialization skills, depending on the group of folks with whom you hung) by walking around the mall all hours of the day and night. I'm pretty sure that Debbie Gibson never made it to the Lebanon Valley Mall (which was the mall for our high school ... the rich suburb kids had taken over the Plaza on the south end of town), but if she had done so, then she surely would have sung the song that gave her the record for the "youngest person to write, produce and perform a [Billboard 100] number-one single entirely on her own" (or so says the Wiki): 'Foolish Beat'.
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #15:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf8BoWKeHow
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 1/16/19
Used in a sentence: 'In celebration of the reality that 2019 marks the fact that I've been micro-blogging for (at least)10 years and counting ... let's take a look at the top 10 most viewed posts ... (of any of my blogs combined)."
Coming in at number 9 on that list ... something near the top of another countdown series I was doing (I do love me a countdown series) whereby I was using the Mayan Apocalypse that predicted the end of the world to occur on 12.21.12 in order to say things that I might not say except for the fact that the world was *maybe* ending. The specific post was a shout out to my Whitman brother Corey (who isn't even on the social media), that went as follows:
100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending -->
Thing 6:
File this under love ya like a brother, man ... but Corey W, if Friday is the end (yep, it's down to six days so I can call it "Friday" and it is clear to everyone that I'm talking about the next [or is that the "last"] Friday that we'll all have together), then I won't get to see you again. So here's a toast to you (would that I could find Purple Passion -- that's the name of the celebratory drink when you won your wrestling matches, right? -- which was every time as you went undefeated, no?) and to the lifetime of events we somehow squeezed in to so few years. Here's to trips to the rockpile and frat house living at its finest (whether in the town house or next to Big Bertha herself) with all that that entailed, but most importantly -- here's to you for the way you accepted me into the family. The parties have come and gone, but the memories are as if they were just yesterday, and the bond -- well that's for a lifetime. For all that we've been through ... here's to you!
#9 MOST VIEWED POST IN THE LAST 10 YEARS OF MICRO-BLOGGING:
30for30: Jukebox Memories #16
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
Remember the other day when I mentioned teenage angst and teenage relationship drama in a space where teenagers congregated daily for lunch? (If not, it was #22 in the countdown, so you can search/find it on the blog by typing Brenda in the search bar ... or keywords 'piano' or 'dark'.) Well, eventually, those crazy kids had to move *past* their break-ups ... and luckily Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam were there to take them through the pain to help them stay strong after they were 'All Cried Out' in order to turn away anyone that tried to come crawling back. (Bonus: me and mine got to see Lisa Lisa here in the SoFlo our first year after moving in 2014 ... although she was Cult-Jam-less at the time.)
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #16:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rErBPw7pk2o
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
30for30: Jukebox Memories #17
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
I find it pretty safe to say that very few and/or NONE of us were "woke" enough back in '89 to understand the social commentary within the next song on the countdown ... but as they used to say on Dick Clark's 'American Bandstand', it sure did have a funky beat and you could dance to it. The "it", of course, being the classic De La Soul's 'Me, Myself & I' -- not to be confused with the modern version by Bebe Rexha, which shouldn't happen anyways what with how this series is basically all (late) 80's all the time
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #17:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJmPTQipOeI
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Monday, January 14, 2019
30for30: Jukebox Memories #18
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
Did we really appreciate the pedigree of the singer behind the #18 song in the countdown? Probably not. I mean sure -- there might be some who knew the connection that Steve Winwood had to super-groups like Traffic and Blind Faith, but probably not the bulk of our class. Did we know that Chaka Khan was singing along in the background? Again -- probably not. Did we understand that a plea for something greater to address the ills of a world gone crazy would still resonate some three decades later? I'm thinking not. Let's face it -- all we were doing back in the late 80's was appreciating that, when "things look so bad everywhere", we were not alone and that others were out there too ... waiting for the 'Higher Love'.
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #18:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bcSoHoJh0c
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Random Memorial for Monday 1/14/19
In other words, this is the latest entry in my ongoing #discardedcassettes series and now I have to complete the task by selecting one song from said item to feature as an accompaniment to this post.
According to the wiki, there were only two new songs on it and although both were released, the first one to radio (which is how things were done back then) was special because it was only the third time that Ms. Streisand had an official video made (although a different wiki reference implies that it was only the second time ... which just goes to show you that you can't always trust the wiki). Regardless -- please enjoy the Michael Bolton/Diane Warren penned 'We're Not Making Love Anymore' at the link below/to follow:
WE MAY HOLD EACH OTHER TIGHT ... SAY THAT EVERYTHING'S ALL RIGHT:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqjlT1mVWC8
Sunday, January 13, 2019
30for30: Jukebox Memories #19
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
And just like that we're already at #19 in this countdown -- which is the perfect spot for a little Canadian pop rock courtesy of Glass Tiger ... and yes, that is a surprise appearance by Bryan Adams there toward the end. Besides -- I'm just happy to feature any song that has a horn section like this one. By the way -- if you take another look at the video at the link below and if you focus on the crowd scenes, you'll have a pretty good idea as to exactly how the girls looked at any pep rally we had during our high school years.
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #19:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx6_-urg5fo
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Saturday, January 12, 2019
30for30: Jukebox Memories #20
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
Warning -- the accompanying link for tonight's tune is to the original uncensored version of the video that apparently includes blackface. So, you know, don't click through if you don't want to see that. But do click through (or google a censored version), if you want to hear one of the great one-hit wonders of the 80's: Taco's synthesizer heavy pop version of Irving Berlin's 'Puttin' on the Ritz'. Note that the reference to one-hit wonders is US-biased, as Taco did have other success in Germany (even though he was an Indonesian born Dutchman).
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #20:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG3PnQ3tgzY
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
Friday, January 11, 2019
30for30: Jukebox Memories #21
This month ... it's all about the top 30 jukebox memories (see rules below) -- relevant because it was *our* class who got a jukebox installed in the cafeteria (along with Coke machines and one of those electronic message boards).
The countdown continues with a 1988 hit from none other than Leslie Wunderman -- or Les Lee as she was known on Long Island -- or Taylor Dayne as she was called when she went big back when we were in high school. I have a feeling quite a few songs of hers were on the jukebox -- but I'm choosing to feature 'I'll Always Love You' -- which shouldn't be confused with the non-contracted 'I *Will* Always Love You' that came along a few years after we graduated when Whitney redid Dolly's classic. Bottom line, as Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Dayne all know, you just can't beat a sax solo mid-song.
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Songs are as remembered from when they were being played loudly in the cafeteria, making us all raise our voices at mealtimes in order to hear each other. All memories are believed to be accurate and will be fact checked on the interwebs to make sure that featured songs were actually released prior to June of 1989 (but since these memories are thirty years old, there is not a guarantee of 100% accuracy.) Also note that an appearance on this list is not necessarily an endorsement of the song or the artist. And if anyone out there wants to make a mixtape that we can all make copies of at the reunion, now is the time to start working on that task.
JUKEBOX MEMORY TRACK #21:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bGdnMnq40s
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
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