Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Things (1962)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Bobby Darin is sitting beside his window, looking out onto a crowded avenue. What's the view outside your nearest window? I'm in the bedroom, so the view is pretty dull: the roof of the building next door. The cats love it, because squirrels manage to leap from the tree onto that roof. I, on the other hand, prefer the living room, which gives me a view of the tree and a playground.

 

2) He likes to remember the romantic things he and his girl used to do, like walking in the park. When did you most recently go for a leisurely stroll? Did you have a destination in mind, or were you just enjoying the walk for its own sake? I like to walk but I have to have a destination in mind: the BIG grocery store on the other side of town instead of just picking something up at nearby Target, the farther-away UPS Store instead of the post office ...

3) He notes a couple holding hands. Are you comfortable displaying affection in public? It doesn't bother me.

 

4) When Bobby recorded this song, he was married to screen sweetheart Sandra Dee. Today she is best known as the inspiration for the song, "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee." Can you name another song from Grease? Well, oh, well, oh, well, oh, UH ...

 

5) Bobby loved gadgets. He was enthusiastic about his suitcase telephone, which was one of the first mobile phones. Are you an early adapter, or do you wait for new technology to be around awhile and not so new before you try it? I prefer to wait because I'm tech challenged. I've had this phone a year and I still can't figure out the notifications.

 

6) He was a chess fanatic and always kept a magnetic chess board in his briefcase, just in case he found someone who was willing to play him. Are you a good chess player? No. I've tried, and I suck. I'm not very strategic.

 

7) He very much wanted to play Tony in West Side Story, but he didn't the part because the producers didn't think he looked like a romantic leading man. What actor or actress makes your heart skip a beat? This is Josh Duhamel. He plays Danny on Las Vegas, a 20-year-old TV show I recently discovered. Danny does make my heart go thump-thump. I wonder why I didn't watch this show in real time.

 

8) In 1962, when this song was popular, Jack Nicklaus launched his successful golf career. Do you enjoy playing golf, or watching it on TV? No. I simply don't get golf.

9) Random question: Which would we find in your kitchen right now -- cookies or ice cream? Both. I have a sweet tooth.