Saturday, July 23, 2016

Surf City

Saturday 9: Surf City (1963)


1) When the song was written, "Surf City" was a fictitious town. Tell us a song that is set in a real place. How about my favorite city, which was immortalized not once but twice by Frank Sinatra? In The Joker's Wild he sang that Chicago was "a toddlin' town." Then in Robin and the Seven Hoods, he declared it "his kind of town." Here's the clip from the latter. I love his voice, and his ridiculous green jacket. (Oh, hell, I just love Frank.)


 
2) In the song, Jan and Dean sing about riding around in a 1934 station wagon, which means the car was 29 years old when the song was recorded. How old is your vehicle? No car


3) Are you good on a surf board? Never tried. Yet I know for sure I would suck.

4) When you spend time out in the sun, are you careful about applying sunscreen?  Not as careful as I should be.

5) Dean's original partner was Arnie Ginsburg. When Dean was drafted into the Army, Arnie didn't feel like waiting so he abandoned show business and went back to college. Today he holds several patents. What is something you wish someone would invent? I live on the top floor, and our building laundry room is on the first floor. I wish there a way I could tell whether machines are available before I tromp all the way down there, laden with dirty clothes and detergent and dryer sheets.

6) Jan was a perpetual student who juggled college with recording. He not only graduated from UCLA, he completed two years of medical school at the UC Irvine School of Medicine. Have you ever considered going back to school? Sure. I daydream about a lot of things. But I doubt I'll do it ... at least not while I'm still working full time. I can see myself going back after I retire.

7) In 1966, Jan was sidelined by a serious car accident. During the years that he was unable to perform, partner Dean became a graphic artist. He designed logos and album covers for Steve Martin, Diana Ross and others. Do you feel you respond most to words, pictures, or music? Words, then music.

 
8) In 1978, CBS made a TV movie about Jan and Dean. If they approached you about a made-for-TV movie of your life, who would you like to play you? Carrie Fisher. We have similar sensibilities and are the same vintage.

9) Random question:  Growing up, how did you learn about the birds and the bees? (From books/the web, from parents, from your friends...) Officially, from my mother. But I got more useful information -- and a lot of useless misinformation -- from my friends.


 

10 comments:

  1. If they can make a refrigerator that talks to your phone so you know what you need to buy, surely they can come up with a way to let you know the washers are empty, done, etc.

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  2. I wish that Carrie Fisher would do more films.
    You did the right thing unfriending that guy. I have someone, who married into the family, who always has to comment on my posts in a 'diarrhea of the keyboard' way mentioning stuff that the average person doesn't care about or should not need to know. I'm guessing that we both know how your now unfriend probably thinks, what he carries with him, how he votes. Sometimes, it is best to just move on...

    I can't believe that Google Ads stalked you and posted that ad when you came to my site. bleccchhh..

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  3. The laundry thing HAS BEEN INVENTED! My son was able to do that at his dorm. It also texted him when a load finished. Now that he's in the real world, it back to quarters and running up and downstairs though. ;-)

    Carrie Fisher is such a great choice!

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  4. It seems like a lot of us picked Frank, I picked New York, New York.

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  5. I picked "New York,New York" also, but I was thinking of Liza Minnelli.

    A buddy system might be the only way to insure that you get washers, if the machines are so old they can't be "talked to". What a pain it must be to have that happen.

    I stayed out of facebook with my own name and use it seldom. It still seems like a monster to me. That was a bad, bad experience and too bad you can't make the guy feel some mental pain over it.

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  6. That is true about the useless misinformation.

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  7. Maybe what you really need is a little bigger apartment with your own washer and dryer.

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  8. I was going to tell you that the laundry thing exists but I see Cat beat me to it.

    I need to re-read (or even listen) to Carrie Fisher again. She's a great choice.

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  9. I can't imagine life without a car! I posted late, but cannot find where to link up. Can you help?

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