Pondering everyday life, usually with a twist, but mostly happy stuff. ALWAYS delivered with a smile. And some of it may actually be true...you decide. Peace.
We recently ran a poll (click here if you haven't taken it yet) asking If you could go back in time, which of these would you choose?
Dick Clark’s American Bandstand: Meet all the different guests from Lesley Gore to Paul Anka, the Monkees to The Byrds and be a featured dancer.
Drive your Woody (or other hot rod) to the beach for surfing and partying’ with the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Frankie & Annette and all the rest.
Visit Motown and Chess records in their respective heydays with the likes of Smokey Robinson, The Supremes, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley etc.
Hang out in Memphis/Nashville with the stars of Sun Records and the Grand Old Opry, Johnny Cash, Elvis, Roy Orbison and others.
And here’s what three members of the Groovy Reflection team had to say:
Gerry: Swayed by the thought of ponying on television I’d have to go with American Bandstand though I think Hullabaloo might suit my personal style just a wee bit more. Do I get to wear go-go boots? Sure hope so if Nancy Sinatra is a guest on the show; yeah, I can show how those boots are going to walk all over you! And since the show had moved to sunny California in 1964 I wouldn’t have to worry about those white boots getting dirty in the winter slush.
And when The Monkees come on the show, I’ll be shaking a tambourine too! And of course I’d only want to dance to a song if I felt that it had a good beat. After all, It’s My Party!
Paul: Make mine a one way ticket please!
I would love to have a chance to drive some of the classic hot rods of song: a Fuel Injected Stingray, a Little GTO, maybe a Chevy 409, or the classic 427 Cobra or that Little Deuce Coupe!
I’d drive them to the beach and see if the surf’s up! I have always loved the water and have never seen the big waves they have on the west coast. The closest I ever got was the beach/surfin’ movies in the 60’s. Would love to try surfing with Fabian, Frankie and Tab Hunter, heck, I’d even let Gidget teach me! And speaking of Gidget, what about all those beautiful ladies dancing on the beach? Annette, Shelly Fabares, Barabara Eden, Deborah Walley and even Nancy Sinatra!
These were the people and music I grew up with. So hand me down my baggys, let me slip into my huarache sandals and then light the torches, fire up those guitars and we’ll party all night! This beach bum’s never coming back!
Joe: While all four choices are fascinating, I would HAVE to hang out in Memphis/Nashville with the stars of Sun Records and the Grand Old Opry.... Johnny Cash, Elvis, Roy Orbison and others. Visiting Sun Records where Carl Perkins joined Johnny, Elvis & Roy as "The Million Dollar Quartet" would make my life almost complete.
The fellas who inspired The Beatles....where would we be now without Sam Phillips and Sun Records? And remember, Buddy Holly popped into Nashville before he made it big.....they actually turned down "That'll Be The Day". If I ran into Buddy.....oh boy!
Stay tuned for part 2! While you’re waiting, visit our website or join the parties on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ and of course, the poll.
The best pictures I’ve ever seen transmitted over the airwaves didn’t come from a big screen HD TV. They didn’t come from a state-of-the-art home computer either, nor from the smartest of smart phones. The best pictures I’ve ever seen came from a six transistor radio!
As a kid I was an avid baseball fan and watched every game that was broadcast on TV, however many games weren’t shown. When they played on the weekday afternoons it meant listening on the pocket transistor with an earpiece. Wearing a sweater was useful for helping hide the telltale cord from the prying eyes of teachers!
The picture? It was the best; the announcers knew how to paint, right down to the finest detail: When the pitchers “brought the heat”, the “high hard one”, or the classic “frozen rope”. Sometimes they even threw “smoke”! Any little leaguer worth his salt could see it just as clear as day.
When the slugger went up to bat you were there with them when they “crushed” the ball. You could see yourself jogging around the bases in his place with a proud as a peacock strut in your step.
It wasn’t just baseball games that I saw; that transistor let me see some of the greatest rock ‘n rollers ever: Elvis in all his pelvis gyrating glory, rocking around the clock with Bill Haley, and Chuck Berry doing his duck walk. Sometimes the pictures weren’t so pretty. I remember crying when I saw what we lost the day the music died.
My transistor went to bed with me. Sorry Mom. I lied all those times I said I turned it off. How could I? Man, then I’d miss seeing the smooth and sultry Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and the moves of the Four Tops. I’ll never forget the night Nancy Sinatra and her boots walked through my dreams; how could a picture ever be better than that!
I saw the Beach Boys in all their baggy wearing glory catch the last wave. I stood on that shore and watched as the British invaded with the Beatles, the Stones and Herman’s Hermits. All of them gave private concerts that could never compete with anything they did on television. I viewed Bob Lind chase that elusive butterfly with his nets of wonder, something never seen on the big screen!
I was in the capsule the day Navy Commander Alan Shepard Jr. rocketed into space. I crawled deeper under the covers for protection when the Russians pointed their missiles at us from Cuba. I saw a man’s dream from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and it was one of the spectacular pictures I’ve ever seen.
It’s certainly laughable in the face of the advanced technology of today but my little six transistor brought me the world in a way that the children of today will ever know. The imagination paints the greatest picture of all and I for one will never forget all the magical things that I watched on my radio!
Growing up, I had a sister three years older and a brother 4 years older. They introduced me to Rock ‘n Roll at a young age. As I got a little older I appreciated the roots of Rock ‘n Roll and when they started watching Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, it stood to reason that I did too.
Dick Clark showed me the faces behind the music I had been listening to. People like Paul Anka, Bill Haley, Ritchie Valens, and Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon. I saw Chuck Berry “Duckwalk” and Chubby Checker crush out cigarettes with his feet and towel his backside with a towel; at least that’s the way grown-ups described the Twist!
Then I discovered girls and Dick Clark had that covered as well. All those girls doing the latest dances on his show: The Twist, The Pony, The Mashed Potato, The Hand Jive, and my favorite, The Stroll. I remember hurrying home after school to watch the afternoon edition of American Bandstand! Rock ‘n roll singers, pretty girls all dressed up and showing me all the latest dances; it was great! How I imagined it was me showing off my moves with the girls.
Okay, I didn’t have any moves, but thanks to Dick Clark, I could learn some.
Then of course there was “Rate a Record”. How frustrated I’d get when the kids didn’t rate a record as high as I did, I mean after all, “It had a good beat and was easy to dance too”; couldn’t they see that?
Perhaps the biggest thing Dick Clark did was bring Rock 'n Roll music into our living rooms and helped make it respectable to many of the critics. And for that I thank him. Well, that and the pretty dancing girls!
