Posts Tagged 1980s

Forgotten Favorites: Lou Reed’s Dirty Blvd.

Posted by admin in Music, streaming video on December 3, 2011

No matter how many Spotify/Pandora accounts, iPods, CDs, cassettes and vinyl albums I may have, there are always songs that enter my musical memory…only to be forgotten. Such was the fate of Lou Reed’s great late 1980s song, Dirty Blvd., until tonight when I was listening to my car satellite radio. Man, that is one good song. See for yourself.

Added bonus? I grew a mullet like Reed’s in the late 1980s, ask my friends from that era. I looked just as goofy as Reed.

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Media Memories: 1980 Braves & WTBS/Channel 17

Posted by admin in commerce, sports on November 20, 2009

A Slice From My Childhood

A Slice From My Childhood

So tonight I was at my mother’s house, looking for something that required me to dive into the folder of stuff my parents keep in a file for me (honor roll notices from grade school, summer reading program certificates from the 1970s…amazing stuff).

And then, in the file, I found a few of these. Tickets sent to me, due to my good grades (I’m fairly certain I was not a straight A student). As a kid, I did not appreciate the printed signature on the certificate (yep, that’s Ted Turner). The logo was WTBS on the eve of Turner Time (remember when TBS shows started at 5 minutes after the hour or half hour)–before the days of TBS Superstation.

Holding these tickets took me back to my childhood. Back in the days when the Braves were managed by Bobby Cox on his first round with the team (his second to last year as manager on this round)-but far from first place. It’s funny, as a kid I remembered them as always being a last place team, but as documented by Wikipedia, there were two teams (San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres) worse off than the Braves.

[Apologies for the fuzzy quality of the image, O'Shea mansion does not have a readily available scanner, so I shot this with my wife's Blackberry...]

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Good Lyrics Stick with Me

Posted by admin in Music on May 7, 2008

I still remember buying the vinyl release of The Rainmakers back in the mid-1980s.

So find find out they had a website gave me hope that the band was still together. Sadly they split up in the late 1990s, but they still maintain a website, which includes lyrics, videos and audio clips.

My favorite song of theirs is Let My People Go-Go, which features the following great lyrics:

Jesus went out for a walk with his mother
The scribes and the pharisees plotting hugger-mugger
They locked him up and they threw away the key
He said why’s everybody always picking on me?

I did not put you here to suffer
I did not put you here to whine
I put you here to love one another
And to get out and have a good time

Let my people go-go-go
Let my people go-go-go
Let my people go-go-go
Let my people go

Those lyrics take me back to a fun time earlier in my life.

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Scattered Thoughts

Posted by admin in Music on May 4, 2008

I once wrote a column called Stream of Babbling. Periodically I may try a new version of it. Like now.

My fiancée called me this afternoon after safely arriving on her California business trip. I’ve only been to California once in my life (got there thanks to her) and she called to tell me she wished I was there. I agreed–noted my regret that it just was not possible (she’s there, busy with work; I’m in Atlanta with family and work commitments) and as I made the list, she said: “No, I wish you were here because the rental car has satellite radio and I know you would just love that.”

I had to scream in mock jealousy for a moment, and then realized: “Wow, this woman knows me better than I know myself… “

Indiana Jones and Blood: Apparently the business of blood drives is getting to be good money or something. I normally donate to the Red Cross, but for the past year or so, certain medicines I’ve been on has prevented me from donating. Well my church had a blood drive today–and in an effort to recruit people, the blood drive folks (one of Red Cross’ competitors) had staff dressed up as Indiana Jones. This bewildered my son (and honestly myself) to no end. If I was wanting to donate blood and I had to be standing in line waiting to donate (which happens quite often when I donate at a drive), I know I would be saying: “How about getting those two out of the costumes and into the information gathering section–speed up this process?” Finally from a marketing standpoint–I’m left wondering a variation of what my son asked me: “Why is Indiana Jones working a blood drive?” Oh well. As long as people are helped, it’s a good thing.

This will keep me busy for awhile. I just discovered 1980s classic video playlists at VH1 Classic. In addition to the music videos, they have also archived MTV interviews with the 1980s artists. The Elvis Costello playlist alone is mouth watering. Everyday I Write the Book… nuts they don’t have The Only Flame in Town… but they do have Veronica…God, the poignancy on that last one and Costello’s anecdote at the end is bittersweet. On that note, I must go.

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