Saturday 9

On and On (1977)
Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it here.

1) This song describes the plight of "poor ol' Jimmy," who caught his girlfriend kissing someone else. Have you ever spied on a romantic partner? Yes. I remember it vividly. I wasted my 20s on a guy who was so completely not worth it, but it wasn't his all fault because he gave me soooo many signs. We worked together at a big company, and I noticed a new coworker's name cropping up in conversation a lot. Like when we were buying grocery shopping, "the new girl likes strawberry ice cream," etc. He said he had to work late one evening, and I didn't believe him, so I hid behind a pillar in the parking garage and watched the front entrance. Sure enough, he left with her. I could tell she was smitten by the way she was hanging on his every word as they walked and talked. Actually, they didn't sleep together that day, as he just made up an excuse to stay late so he could walk to the train station with her. He beat me home by just a few minutes. It's funny, but I felt sorry for both her and myself. Her, because while he might cheat one me, I knew he was never going to dump me for her and she was doomed to disappointment. Me, because I was in this relationship where I felt I couldn't be happy but I couldn't leave. I finally did -- about 3 years later. (Gee! This was a happy answer, huh?)
 
2) In this song, Stephen Bishop sings that he "smiles when he feels like dying." When did you recently put on a happy face, even though you really weren't all that happy? Every day at work so far this year. The coworker I sit with day in/day out is so consumed with her own family issues, and she's constantly on the phone with her family issues, and it weighs on me. But I do my best to stay perky! I channel my inner Dick Van Dyke, 40 hours/week.

 


3) Stephen Bishop always wanted to be a musician, and as a child he began playing the clarinet. Did you take lessons -- dance, art, music -- as a child? If yes, did you take them because you enjoyed them, or because your parents made you take them? I took ballet because my older sister wanted to take it and my dad wouldn't drive to two lessons on Saturday mornings. I had no talent for ballet and wanted to take guitar so badly!

4) When he was 12, inspired by The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, he switched to the guitar and began writing songs. Tell us about someone or something that influenced your career path. When I was a secretary (back in those days, we were still called "secretaries"), I worked for an officious, rather silly man. One of the company's few women VPs had the office next to his, and she took a liking to me. "Doesn't it bother you that you're smarter than your boss?" she'd ask me. She gave me pep talks all the time, and when the opportunity arose to take the test to become a copywriter, she literally placed it in my hands (and in the hands of her own secretary). Her name was Celeste. I am eternally grateful to her. She really paid it forward.
 
5) Stephen Bishop attended Will C. Crawford High School in San Diego. This school requires students complete 20 hours of community service every year. Tell us about an organization, cause or campaign you volunteered for, either as a student or an adult.  

Oh, I'm always doing little things, but frankly not enough. Last summer I worked the library book sale, and I'll do that again. I regularly drop canned goods off at the local pantry. But nothing has captured my interest and heart and time in a big way since John Kerry's 2004 Presidential campaign. I dedicated myself and my finances to that. I think you know how it turned out, and it broke my heart 10 ways to Sunday.

6) In 1977, when this song was popular, Seattle Slew won racing's Triple Crown. Sam's mother has always been afraid of horses. Is there an animal you're uncomfortable with? I'm afraid of squirrels. When I was a little girl, I fed a squirrel every morning through the mail slot in our front door. My dad discouraged me by telling me about a little boy ("just your age") who was bit by a squirrel. The squirrel clamped his jaws so tight onto the kid that even after the police shot him, the squirrel didn't let go. None of this was true, of course. But it terrified me and stayed with me.
 
7) Also in 1977, moviegoers waited in line for hours to see Star Wars. What's the longest line you waited in recently? The post office at Christmastime.

8) The mini-series Roots first aired in 1977. Today Americans are spending more time and money than ever to research ancestry. How far back can you trace your family tree? I know of four of my great grandparents -- both my grandfathers' parents. On my dad's side, they were in Berne (Germany). On my mom's side, they were already here in Chicagoland.

9) Random question: It's often said that nobody's perfect. How about you? What quality keeps you from being perfect? I am lazy.