Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Rings (1971)

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

 

1) This song is about a young man who is happy to hear his phone ring. How about you? How do you feel when your phone rings? (Excited, annoyed, surprised, etc.) Depends on which phone. Hearing my cell ring annoys me because it's either spam or a friend who doesn't recall that you should text me on one line and call on the other. I prefer the landline for conversations because the call quality is so much better. When my landline rings, I have a more positive feeling because it's likely someone I want to talk to. 

 

2) He's got James Taylor on the stereo. Are you a James Taylor fan? Yes. I don't listen to him all the time, but when I'm in the mood he hits the spot.

 

3) He tells his girl he's been hanging with his buddies, Tony and Mario, but they're no substitute for her. What friend did you recently spend time with? What did you do? I spent Thursday afternoon touring a local architectural landmark with my friend Gregory.

 

4) Tony and Mario were real people. They ran a restaurant frequented by the songwriters. Did you dine out this past week? I got pizza to go on Wednesday and dined in on Thursday.

 

5) "Rings" is the only hit for the band Cymarron, who hailed from Memphis, a town known for classic southern comfort foods like biscuits and gravy, cornbread and mashed potatoes. What's on the menu at your home this weekend? I'd like to pick up some barbecue this weekend, if I get around to it.

 

6)  The boys in Cymarron took their name from their favorite TV show, the Western Cimarron Strip. What TV show are you currently enjoying? Maybe your fellow Sat9ers would like it, too. Modern Family. Yeah, I know it had its series finale 5 years ago, but I just recently discovered it. It's not only funny, it has diversity and heart. It's the family I wish I was part of.

 

 

 

7) In 1971, when this song was popular, the US Mint introduced the Eisenhower Silver Dollar. Is there any change in your wallet or pocket right now? Yes. About 45¢ in dimes and nickels only. (I put pennies in the piggy bank and quarters in the beer stein for laundry.)

 
8) Also in 1971, Mattel introduced Malibu Barbie, the doll with a tan. Have you ever used a tanning bed? Oh, golly, I did it back in the 90s. The man I was seeing back then confessed that he found tanlines sexy and so I resolved to get me some, even though I am excruciatingly pale and don't tan. So I bought several 20 minute sessions in one of those awful things, listening to tunes and trying unsuccessfully to relax. Ah, the things we do for love!

 

9) Random question – If we were to ask your friends, which of these qualities would they say they like best about you: your warmth, your sense of humor, or your intelligence? Probably my humor. 

 

 

 

It's not the same, but it's something

I spent the afternoon with Gregory. Like me, Gregory was one of the satellites who revolved around our friend John, who has been gone for 19 months now. As much as I miss John – and I do, every day – I think the loss is even greater for Gregory. Both gay men of color, coming up through corporate America in the 1980s, they had to navigate minefields I can't even imagine, and I'm glad they had each other. 

But because John was so charismatic, and also because, I suppose, I'm lazy, I lumped Gregory in with John. I assumed they were more alike than they are. In the year-and-a-half since we lost John, I've come to discover a man I've known more than 40 years. 

For example, Gregory is far more visually attuned than John was. Whereas John was all about the tunes, Gregory enjoys art and architecture. There are impressive examples of prairie style architecture in my neighborhood and a landmark home offers guided tours.* I asked Gregory if he wanted to see it and he was very enthusiastic. As we took the tour, he photographed a lot and asked many smart questions. (The man knows his doorways!) 

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash 

 

Afterward we went to a late lunch/early dinner at the bar in my neighborhood John loved. We compared notes about how our different neighborhoods are enduring the ICE occupation. We talked about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, et al. He filled me in on others in John's circle that I'd lost track of (Vanessa, at 70, is contemplating marriage for the first time to a man she met at a conference!). I told him about an incredibly trippy old movie I'd just seen – The Locket (1946) – that had a flashback within a flashback within a flashback. 

Something was missing, of course. John. But he's gone forever, and we're here and we have to go on. I like to think he'd be happy that Gregory and I still see one another.

*Free in exchange for a donation to the food pantry. What with the government shut down, the ICE raids and the suspension of SNAP benefits, the demand has suddenly increased. As we go into the holidays, I was happy to help my neighbors.