“Dawn is Breaking Everywhere. Light a Candle, Curse the Glare”

Posted on May 29, 2024 by Double K

“Draw the curtains, I don’t care
‘Cause it’s alright” – The Grateful Dead

If you believe in the old adage that a man is the sum of his parts then Bill Walton needed every bit (and then some) of his 6 foot 11 inch frame to hold in the mighty sum he was made of for the 71 years he walked (occasionally hobbled) along on this spinning rock. I don’t know that there are enough adjectives or descriptions to describe the one-of-a-kind Walton, but by many accounts of people that knew or spent time around Bill, he was warm, witty, loving, intelligent, bizarre, insightful, thankful, purposeful, gracious, athletic, peculiar, radical, philosophical, curious, insert-your-own description.

Though Bill passed away after a battle with cancer this past Memorial Day weekend, there is a kind of poetical symmetry that he was taken from us in the year where his beloved “Conference of Champions” (the Pac 10/Pac 12) also met its’ untimely demise.

The UCLA basketball legend and NBA Hall of Famer kept a quote on his desk or in his office from his UCLA basketball coach, the late, great John Wooden that read: “To Bill Walton, it’s the things you learn after you know it all that count.” Such a true statement, and one I’m sure which helped spur Bill’s lifelong pursuit of whatever fancied his mind at any given time.

“I don’t sleep much. I’m on the go. My mind is racing. My wife says my mind is like the rolling dials on a slot machine. So, yeah, I think about everything.”

I’ve always thought to let a man speak for himself if he has something to say, and boy did Bill have things to say. For those that enjoyed the boyish enthusiasm, the comical comparisons, and sometimes just bizarre thoughts, comments, and actions then please enjoy the following quotes from Bill, because nothing explains Bill Walton any better than Bill Walton, himself:

“I was a skinny, scrawny guy. I stuttered horrendously, couldn’t speak at all. I was a very shy, reserved player and a very shy, reserved person. I found a safe place in life in basketball.”

“I grew up in a non-athletic family, where my parents were interested in music, in literature, in education and art.”

“Growing up, my parents were very, very strict. And then I went to UCLA with John Wooden, who was just off the charts.”

“I mean, I’m 6-foot-11, I’ve got red hair, freckles, I’m a goofy, nerdy-looking guy, I’ve got a speech impediment-I stutter and stammer all the time-and I’m a Deadhead.”

“Basketball is one of those rare opportunities where you can make a difference, not only for yourself, but for other people as well.”

“Never rank, rate, or compare coaches, children, concerts, or championships or congratulations. Just enjoy them all.”

“He (John Wooden) told us that he had made a mistake by leaving the word love out of the Pyramid of Success. And that love is the single most powerful and important word in our language and culture. And until we allow the power of love to supersede the love of power, none of us has any chance of success at all.”

Bill’s commentary on various NBA players:

“Bill Russell was my favorite player of all-time.”

“If Eric Piatkowski continues playing at this level, he’s going to replace Jerry West on the NBA logo.”

“John Stockton is one of the true marvels, not just of basketball, or in America, but in the history of Western Civilization!”

“Anytime you bring Michael Olowokandi on to your team, disaster is soon to follow.”

 “Greg Ostertag is one of the top centers on this planet!”

“When I think of Boris Diaw, I think of Beethoven in the age of the romantics.”

“Why is Scottie Pippen taking a charge? Taking a charge is for people with no game!”

“Doug Christie, what skill, what strength, what power, what quickness. The vision of Magic Johnson, the athleticism of Michael Jordan, the toughness of Larry Bird. Doug Christie has it all.”

“Steve Nash is the most un-athletic player in the league.”

“The only man who can stop Cliff Robinson is Cliff Robinson. The man is unstoppable even at 38.“

“Tracy McGrady is doing things we’ve never seen from anybody – from any planet!”

“If Anthony Johnson ever gets a jumper, who’s going to stop him?”

Bill on his multiple surgeries:

“I learned a long time ago that minor surgery is when they do operation on someone else, not you.”

“Health is the most critical thing in our life. With your health anything is possible. Without it, you can’t do anything.”

“I’ve had 36 orthopedic operations, have two fused ankles, my knees, hands and wrists don’t work, I now have a fused spine, other than that, everything is great.”

Various other Bill quotes:

“Mick Jagger is in better shape than far too many NBA players. It’s up in the air whether the same can be said of Keith Richards.”

“When you find yourself talking about less and less and forgetting the love that you bring, never forget there are things you can replace but others you can not.”

“When you intercept the ball with your stomach, that is great defense.”

“I couldn’t imagine not playing basketball. To me, basketball is what life is all about.”

“A lot of people understand what not saying anything means, so, in effect, not saying anything is really saying a lot.”

“If you’re living for today, if you’re only dreaming about yesterday, it doesn’t work. You got to know that tomorrow is going to be better. Then you’re on your way.”

“Oh well, a touch of grey, kinda suits you anyway. That was all I had to say, and it’s alright.”

It’s a long recognized fact that Bill Walton may have been The Grateful Dead’s biggest fan (quite literally as well standing at 6 feet 11 inches and having attended somewhere in the neighborhood of 800-1000 Grateful Dead concerts).

“The Grateful Dead, they’re my best friends. Their message of hope, peace, love, teamwork, creativity, imagination, celebration, the dance, the vision, the purpose, the passion all of the things I believe in makes me the luckiest Deadhead in the world.”

In 1987 I was going into my junior year of high school when The Grateful Dead released the song and video for “Touch of Grey,” which became the only Grateful Dead song I could name if I was ever prompted to name one of their songs. I never was put on the spot, probably because I didn’t grow up in the right time period and just didn’t have any friends in high school who were “Deadheads.” But I did (and still do) enjoy this particular song which came a little over a year after Bill Walton had won the 6th Man of the Year award in the NBA and had helped lead my favorite NBA team of all time, the 1985-86 Boston Celtics to a NBA championship. While on air many years later, commentator Dave Pasch speaking about Bill’s days as a Celtic reminded Bill “You did win Sixth Man of the Year,” to which Walton replied: “Which means I was Larry Bird’s valet. Which means my job was to tell Larry what time the game started.“

Danny Ainge, Bill Walton, and Larry Bird

Back to the song and video, which I also kind of enjoyed. It features the band as performing skeletons and almost immediately reminded me of an episode of my favorite short-lived TV sitcom from 1984-85 called “It’s Your Move” starring a 15 year old Jason Bateman (Matthew) and his neighbor and antagonist David Garrison (Norman) of “Married With Children” fame. The two-part episode was about a fictitious band created by Matthew named The Dregs of Humanity. The band is portrayed with skeletons hidden under clothing. Anyway, you can still watch the entire two-part show on Youtube should you be so inclined. But I digress.

The fact that drummer Mickey Hart happens to be wearing a Boston Celtics jacket in the video didn’t hurt my admiration, and it also coincided with Bill’s current landscape in 1987 which happened to be the final stop in his injury-plagued NBA journey when he officially retired in 1990.

“Music is critical in our lives and culture. It’s the inspiration that drives us. It’s also the window to our souls. It’s a reflection as to who we are, what we stand for, and where we’re going.” – Bill Walton

The window to our souls. A reflection of who we are, what we stand for, and where we’re going. Written by Robert Hunter and composed by Jerry Garcia, here is the video for “Touch of Grey”

We will get by. We will survive.

Rest easy, Big Red

sincerely,

the80’s

For an outstanding piece written by Bill’s colleague and friend at ESPN, “Jake” Bilas, here is the link to his wonderful tribute.

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“When There’s Nothing to Lose and There’s Nothing to Prove”

Posted on May 23, 2024 by Double K

“Well, I’m dancing with myself, ah, oh, oh-oh” – Billy Idol

Billy Idol is 68. There is nothing to prove anymore to anyone except maybe to himself. For his fans, he is past that unknowable, invisible, life mile-marker that we typically create within our minds in the later stages of our careers or lives. It’s a particularly notable thing bestowed upon our famous athletes, actors, musicians, etc. “They have nothing left to prove!” But in reality, are any of us really ever past the point of “nothing to prove,” because if we are then what’s the point? Isn’t it our humanly innate desires and ambitions that continue to drive us to try new things or take on new challenges with something to prove even if it’s just to use the tired and worn phrase of “been there, done that”?

Aren’t the best athletes, musicians, students, employees ones that still carry that proverbial chip on their shoulder? Those that still want to prove something. Why would I be still posting a bunch of words on this site? Why would older adults go back to school or people leave nice jobs to start a new business? Why would 68 year old rockers still kick out new music? What am I still trying to prove? What are you still trying to prove? Whatever your answer or motivation for doing so may be, just keep going.

My friend Chris and I attended Billy’s concert in Tulsa last week where the half-Irish grandfather blitzed through 14 songs in just under 90 minutes. Despite his age and a troublesome foot, Billy Idol was still Billy Idol – the fist pumps, the snarl, the leather, and the “f-you” punk attitude that has served him well taking him out of England and turning him into an American rock superstar over 40 years ago.

We sat on the fourth row. Yes, it was a premium price for a premium artist past his prime, but like Chris and I realized – we’re not paying 2024 ticket prices in hopes of seeing 1984 Billy Idol. We’re paying premium ticket prices in 2024 because we couldn’t afford them back in 1984 when we were young and broke. Now, it’s more as a way to thank he and Steve for their many years of service and their many years of outstanding music.

You have nothing left to prove, Billy, but I and your legions of fans sure don’t mind if you keep trying.

Billy
Longtime guitarist, the great Steve Stevens

If you believe the all-knowing, Wikipedia, the name “Billy Idol” was inspired by a schoolteacher’s description of him as “idle.” Maybe that describes his lack of willingness or care about his Chemistry class all those years ago, but it certainly does not describe his life as a performer, because Billy has been out to prove he is more “idol” than “idle” continuing to tour and continuing to put out solid music. Over the past 10 years, see: “Bitter Pill,” “Bitter Taste,” “Cage,” “Save Me Now,” and “Running From the Ghost,” for just a few of his better songs over that timespan.

In 2020 I posted a Billy Idol song during one of the worst times in our world history – the COVID pandemic, and I’ve always felt a little bad about that, because I somehow feel in my head I tainted Billy’s image a little. Of course if any rock star is tough enough to take it, it’s Billy, a man who has survived drug overdoses and motorcycle crashes. Now that we’re a few years removed from those horrible pandemic days, I’m circling back to Billy Idol because of my first time seeing him in concert.

“So let’s sink another drink
And it’ll give me time to think”

Today’s song has long been my favorite Billy Idol song, and music video of his for that matter. The song was originally written by Billy and his bandmate, bassist Tony James, for their group Gen X. It was released on their 1981 album “Kiss Me Deadly” to very little fanfare in the UK peaking at just #62. The inspiration for the song came along somewhere during a late 70’s Gen X tour where Billy and his mates were struck by the sight of the young crowd in a Tokyo discotheque dancing with their own reflections in mirrored walls rather than with one another. Idol added that “the song is really about people being in a disenfranchised world where they’re left bereft dancing with their own reflections.”

After Billy left the band and headed to the States for his solo career, he remixed it and re-released it later the same year and it became Billy’s first hit peaking at #27 on the U.S. dance charts. Still too low in my opinion, but the video for the song was in heavy rotation by the time it was released in 1983 shortly after the launch of a brand new television station called MTV. And why wouldn’t it be? The video was directed by British horror filmmaker Tobe Hopper and features Billy on top of a skyscraper fighting off dancing 80’s zombies. Yes, please!

His autobiography of the same name (which I haven’t read yet) was published in 2014. So, once again, a toast to you, Billy Idol, and to your legendary collaborator and lead guitarist, the Grammy award-winning Steve Stevens, and a toast to the long career you’ve built and may you continue to prove something to yourself and may you continue touring and opening up with your classic and my favorite, “Dancing With Myself…”

“Sweat, sweat, sweat, ow!”

sincerely,

the80’s

Added bonus: Here is the opening 3:46 of his concert in Tulsa at the Hardrock Casino and Hotel from my seat just four rows deep last week in case you haven’t seen or heard Billy in about 20, 30, 40 years…

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“I Remember Rich Girl in the Summer Like Yesterday”

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Double K

“Philly, forget me not, forget me not, forget me not” – Daryl Hall & John Oates

Today’s song choice seemed oh so phitting, because Philly I will not forget you no matter how much I’d like to.

More specifically, Philly airport, I will forget you not. I will not forget the three hour delay that began in Raleigh, North Carolina that led to me sprinting down two of your Philly terminals only to miss my 10:35 pm international connecting flight by just minutes. No Philly, I won’t forget losing my phone in the airport amidst the chaos, confusion, and my distractedness of nearly collapsing from a case of asthma induced physical exertion apparently referred to as “exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB)” (self-diagnosis). Sorry Philly, my lack of poor physical conditioning is not a direct reflection on you though in my current state of mental and physical exhaustion, yeah screw it, that’s your fault too.

“Oh and when the hands hit eleven
Pennsylvania came to life”

I won’t forget finding an officer who used his phone to call the airport Marriott at well past 11 (closer to midnight) to see if they had any availability. Thankfully the Marriott had a room, which I of course paid nearly $300 for a sleepless night of anxiety, frustration, and coughing (apparently EIB can linger for hours afterwards). There’s a bill to reimburse coming your way, American Airlines, and a reckoning for your delayed flight which resulted in one less less vacation day for me in Amsterdam. You owe me.

But Philly, I also won’t forget my biggest hero – Paula, supervisor of the American Airlines baggage claim office who personally tracked down my lost iPhone after five hours spent the next morning of “we can’t find it.” Thankfully I had my MacBook Air so I was able to show her that it was still in Terminal A with the help of the find my iPhone app. When she personally went to Terminal A and found it shortly after 1 pm, it had apparently not been placed in the “correct” lost and found lock box. “You got lucky,” she said. Yes I did. Lucky for connecting with you. Thank God for Philly Paula, my phucking hero. An A plus for you Paula. A big, fat F minus for you American Airlines for not one, but two different flight delays so far. We’ll see how it goes over the next several days. Maybe you can get your grade up to a D or maybe I’ll just never fly American Airlines again.

Nope, Philly, can’t, won’t forget you. Now, for the love of God, Philly – get me out of here.

“Philly, I would never change on ya
You ain’t always sunny, honey
But you love me back”

I’m staring out a Philly airport window as I write this, and yep you guessed it – cloudy and rainy. One thing I do actually love is Philly’s own Hall & Oates having seen them in concert in Tulsa in 2017. They actually released this pleasant single, performed with the band Train, in 2018.

It hit #12 on the AC charts. Here is Daryl Hall & John Oates alongside Train’s Patrick Monahan with a live version of “Philly, Forget Me Not”

Thanks for reading my rant, and may any of your upcoming air travels be much smoother.

sincerely,

the80s

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“After the Rain”

Posted on February 27, 2024 by Double K

“You’ll see the Son appear to light the way.” – Nelson

I’m a sucker for any father-son story. It can be real or made up. It might be your own personal story you’ve poured out on your blog about an absent father that you never really knew, or maybe it was a demanding father who settled for nothing short of perfection when all you needed to know was that he loved you and was proud of you. I love a good fictional story that might revolve around a strained relationship on a basketball court like Jake and Jesus Shuttlesworth or maybe it’s a complex story of a child raised by his uncle in a galaxy far, far away. Maybe it’s just a cartoon father and son lion story told over an Elton John soundtrack, or two brothers and a Presbyterian minister father silently fly-fishing in a Montana river. The various father-son plot lines are as old as time and I think it demonstrates the pull, the power of a story, and ultimately the uniqueness and complexity that surrounds every father-son relationship good or bad.

I took a slight liberty with the quoted lyrics at the top of the post since Nelsons’ lyrics actually read “sun,” not “son,” but it seemed more fitting to this post, because the greatest father-son story in history centers around a 33 year old Jewish son who was brutally abused and crucified on a wooden cross some 2000+ years ago, but still represents the most unique and only perfect father-son relationship ever. And yes, I did just hit you with two Jesuses in one post. You’re welcome.

But I’m also going to hit you with some Oklahoma Sooners basketball. When Tommy Tubbs, son of the late, great Coach Billy Tubbs, called me the week before last and invited me to represent my dad and my family at a special weekend of events honoring his dad at the University of Oklahoma, I couldn’t have accepted any quicker. I was honored to stand in for my dad who passed away in August of 2021 (approximately nine months after Coach Tubbs) for such a special occasion as this. Old players, coaches, and supporters of the University of Oklahoma during Coach Tubbs tenure from 1980-1994 returned as well to show their love and appreciation for Coach Tubbs and the Tubbs family.

I wrote many of my thoughts and feelings and stories back in November of 2020 shortly after Coach Tubbs passed away. His son Tommy spent two seasons playing for his dad at OU including my dad’s first season as an assistant coach in 1984-85. It was a year that OU made the elite eight and was one shot short of advancing to the Final Four losing to Memphis State in Dallas that year. My dad went on to spend six dominant seasons as an assistant coach at OU for Coach Tubbs including the magical run to the national championship game in 1988. During those six years, I was a teenager and I was in awe of it all. And mostly because it was as close as I was ever going to get to hanging around a rock n’ roll band and production. Instead of David, Eddie, Alex, and Michael, I had Wayman, Boo, Choo, T-Mac, DJ, Dave, Stacey, Mookie, Amazing Grace, Harvey, and Skeeter. Longtime legendary writer Barry Trammel posted a recent article about those days and is worth a few minutes of your time if you want to understand what OU basketball was like particularly in the mid to late 80’s and early 90’s.

Fast forward to 2024 and it’s been just over three years since Coach Tubbs’ passing, and the University was preparing to honor Coach Tubbs and the Tubbs family for their time in Norman and ultimately as the winningest coach in Oklahoma Sooner basketball history. Commemorative posters were made, “Billyball” t-shirts were sold, special Converse shoes were custom made and given to the family, and a Tubbs banner was unfurled and now hangs forever in the southeast corner of the Lloyd Noble Center.

The Tubbs banner now hangs in the Lloyd Noble Center
Coach Tubbs at his introductory press conference in 1980
Coach Tubbs’ wife, Pat in the center with son Tommy (left in red sweater), Tommy’s wife Ann (black jacket and jeans), and daughter Taylor (right in white top and black pants)

It was a wonderful event that allowed me to bask in and walk alongside my dad’s spirit for a few hours reminiscing about all the times he had walked these same halls and onto this very court at the Lloyd Noble Center. I got “all the feels,” my eyes welled with tears on more than one occasion that weekend, and I got to do it all alongside another man missing and thinking and honoring his dad. Grab a Kleenex, and check out this special video that was made and aired on the jumbotron at halftime of the basketball game. A love letter. A love letter about fathers and sons…

“Whoa, after the rain washes away the tears and all the pain
Only after the rain can you live again”

By all accounts the band Nelson, which consisted of blonde-headed twin brothers Gunnar and Matthew Nelson had a good relationship with a supportive famous father, but they didn’t fall into money upon Ricky’s passing when he suddenly perished in a plane crash on New Year’s eve, 1985.

According to Matthew, when their dad died, he was $4 million in debt from years of a dysfunctional marriage, over-spending, and a costly divorce. The brothers were just 18 at the time and spent many of their younger years paying that debt back. I found this quote from an article just within the past few years: “I found out about the accident (plane crash) on the radio,” says Matthew, as his brother sits beside him noticeably tearing up. This interview would have been some 35 years or more since the plane crash and Gunnar is “noticeably tearing up” according to the interviewer. Fathers and sons still feeling the emotions of it all. That, along with the fact that they both found out through the media, made the brothers bitter towards the media going forward.

“Don’t be afraid to lose what was never meant to be.”

Unfortunately Ricky wasn’t around to see his sons storm the rock world in 1990 with a double platinum (how fitting) album and a #1 single “(Can’t Live Without) Your Love and Affection.” The Nelsons are the only family to have number one hits in three successive generations beginning with grandparents, Ozzie and Harriet (“And Then Some” in 1935). Ricky Nelson had his first #1 hit in 1958 with the single “Poor Little Fool.” He married the boys’ mother, actress Kristin Nelson (sister of actor Mark Harmon), in 1963, but by the brothers own account, was not a supportive mother discouraging their musical ambitions.

Today’s video actually begins with a stereotypical poor father-son relationship as was commonly portrayed in the 80’s and early 90’s, but with the magical help of a Native American spiritual guide and also the brothers Nelson, our teenage protagonist is encouraged and resolved once he awakens from his dream… or was it a dream? Released in 1990 (but feeling very much like an 80’s song), and peaking at #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, it is a good reminder and my personal favorite Nelson song – “After the Rain.”

Thanks for reading, and remember that brighter days are ahead.

sincerely,

the80s

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“I’m Not Cryin’ Cause I Feel So Sorry For You”

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Double K

“I’m cryin’ for me.” – Toby Keith

“The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.” – King Solomon; Ecclesiastes 1:18

“From loss comes sorrow. From sorrow comes words, and here they come” – me

I have had the privilege of calling three women “mom” at one point or another throughout my life. A biological mom, obviously, who is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s and of whom I’ve written about numerous times before on this site. The other two “moms” each left their earthly bodies recently within 18 days of each other. One, whom I have called my “second mom” since I became best friends with her middle son, Barry, back in 1984 in Norman, Oklahoma, and the other I’ve had pleasure of being my mother-in-law since marrying one of her daughters in 1999. 

My second mom had beaten down cancer numerous times through the years much like her beloved OU Sooners football and basketball teams of the 70’s and 80’s did to their opponents. She passed at the age of 81, but Cindy Blanton was a fierce competitor, a lifelong Sooner, an educator, a coach, and of course a devoted mother and grandmother. She readily accepted me into the family in 1984 and soon thereafter I began referring to myself as her “#1 son.” I felt like those times when she was at odds with one or multiple sons allowed me to remind her that that was why I was the #1 son. She drove Barry and I to ball practices and games. She allowed me to stay over and stay up late watching all kinds of ridiculous movies back in high school. Years later when I was out of college and broke, she allowed me to stay at her house for months for free until I could afford to move out. We spent many an evening routinely watching a lot of football and basketball on tv. 

My wife and I were fortunate enough to spend a few weekends and some time with her this past year catching up and reliving memories and stories. I will miss my second mom and her stories and tales of her family and friends, but I will keep her memory alive through my daily “Connections” game which she is responsible for my addiction to, and I’ll think about her every time I see a beautiful American Goldfinch fluttering around in my backyard (her favorite).  

I will always remember my mother-in-law, Doris Rycroft, as a kind and caring soul. A fancy dresser with an unmistakable drawl I never tired of every time she saw me and said “Hi Kyle,” but it sounded more like “Ha Cal.” She was in her early 60’s when I met her and I marveled at her perception, her insight, and her knowledge. She was an author, a friend, a prayer warrior, a mother, and a beautiful soul before passing at the age of 90. She had struggled her final few years particularly since the passing of her beloved husband and my father-in-law, Haskell, in 2020, but it makes me smile to think she has now rejoined his side in a place she so confidently knew she was headed to. One day I’ll see her again and I’ll be expecting that sweet smile and that familiar drawl when she welcomes me and says “Ha Cal.” 

And so it happens that this Saturday, February 10th is the day that both memorial services will be held at 10am and 2pm in Moore and just a few miles south in Norman, respectively. It will be a hard day, but a day to enjoy family and friends and to serve the memories of our loved ones well. How selfishly fortunate I am to have had each of them in my life.

But still… 

I’m going to miss those smiles
I’m going to miss you my moms

Ironically, funeral arrangements are also being made and projected to happen in mid-February for one of Oklahoma’s great country artists, Toby Keith, who passed away at the age of 62 after a battle with stomach cancer. 

I love this particular Keith song from 2009 which peaked at #6 on the Hot Country singles. It was written as a tribute to his friend, another Oklahoma legend – former OU Sooner basketball All American and jazz musician, Tulsa’s Wayman Tisdale. But the lyrics to this song are very apropos to any situation where you’ve lost a loved family member or friend. Owner of 42 top 10 hits and 32 #1 hits, give Toby a few minutes and listen to “Cryin’ For Me (Wayman’s Song),” and reflect (perhaps even a red solo cup toast may be appropriate) upon those loved ones you’ve lost whether they be moms, dads, brothers, sisters, or close friends.

R.I.P. moms and R.I.P. Toby. Thanks for reading.

sincerely,

the80’s

My mom and dad (a former OU Sooners basketball coach) many years ago with OU fan Toby Keith and his wife of 40 years, Tricia.

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“There Comes a Time”

Posted on February 1, 2024 by Double K

“When we heed a certain call.” – USA For Africa

I heeded my call to watch “The Greatest Night in Pop” this week newly released on Netflix, because of course I would, and plus I was fascinated. Fascinated by the original footage. Fascinated by the logistics (pre-cell phone after all). Fascinated by the old soundbites from the artists, and the new interviews with Lionel, Huey, Cyndi, Bruce, and Kenny (Loggins). I would have loved more of this particularly if they could have lined up some of the others with memories from that night like Steve Perry, Billy Joel, Hall & Oates, and/or even Willie Nelson or Paul Simon to add their perspectives. 

I was an 8th grader on the verge of 14 years of age when the song and video were released in March of 1985. I didn’t know anything about famine in Africa. I barely knew where Africa was on my world globe that spun in circles and sat neatly on the corner of my desk in my bedroom in Norman, Oklahoma. All I knew of world starvation I had learned from the numerous Sally Struthers commercials that would come on my little television late at night interrupting whatever show I was intently tuned into for the next several minutes. If I recall though, 17 cents a month would feed 1,000 children for 2 years*

(* numbers were not verified and may not be 100% accurate)

Of course a few months earlier in December of 1984, a group of famous musicians from across the pond had formed Band-Aid and released “Do They Know Its Christmas (Feed the World)?,” which in turn inspired Harry Belafonte to want to do the same in America with the best the U.S. had to offer in talent. He reached out to Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson to write a song, which got the ball rolling on what was to become USA For Africa.  

In the documentary, you get to see Paul Simon digging on John Denver, and Waylon Jennings walking out (yes, Waylon was there). There was an impromptu autograph session, and there was Al Jarreau (and his bottles of wine) starting a serenade of Harry Belafonte with Harry’s signature song “Day-O.” You get to see poor Bob Dylan looking totally lost and out of place until Stevie Wonder hilariously comes to his rescue, and we also get to see Quincy Jones scolding Lionel Richie and Stevie like school kids for not focusing. There is all of the anxiety and pressures that go along with the solo performances (Huey Lewis admits his nerves) and all confined to one space and one very specific timeframe.  Why wasn’t Prince there (they saved a line for him) and what about Madonna? All good questions. All answered in this 96 minute documentary that features some very tender moments as well including at the end of the all-night session when they focus on Diana Ross who was the last artist to leave the studio, and then another nostalgic moment when Lionel reminisces about “his house.” 

If you like documentaries and you like 80’s pop music and everything that goes along with those two things, then check your ego at the door and give a watch to “The Greatest Night in Pop.”

“We’re all a part of God’s great big family
And the truth, you know, love is all we need.”

If you’d like a refresher on the song and video, then here you go. It topped music charts throughout the world and became the fastest-selling U.S. pop single in history. Written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson (where were you Stevie???), “We Are the World” won four Grammy Awards, one AMA and received a Quadruple Platinum certification becoming the first single to be certified multi-platinum.

If you bought the single back in 1985 or anytime since then or donated money to the organization, then thank you for trying to be part of a solution to ending hunger in Africa, which has apparently eclipsed $100MM in donations since 1985.

And as always, thanks for reading.

sincerely,

the80’s

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“If You Were a Bluebird”

Posted on January 7, 2024 by Double K

“You’d be a sad one.” – Joe Ely

Shortly after arriving at a local lake walking trail near my home early on the 35 degree morning of January 1st, a flash of blue crossed my path at about eye level and caused me to stop. The flash slowed to a still as it landed gracefully upon a fence wire about 10 yards in front of me. It was an Eastern Bluebird. It looked at me, and I at him, in an inquisitive stare-down. The beautiful Eastern Bluebird officially became my first bird sighting in 2024.

PHOTOGRAPH BY STEVEBYLAND, DREAMSTIME.COM

The bluebird is thought to be a symbol of joy and hope while others presume that good news will be arriving soon. And still, there are others who think that bluebirds represent a connection between the living and those who have passed away. Some Native American tribes also associate bluebirds with prosperity and even fertility. I like all of the symbolism and feelings that are associated with the bluebird, and I can easily see how these comforting thoughts are completely applicable to a pretty bird who possesses a pretty song. 

And speaking of song (segue alert), there have been numerous ones referencing the bluebird through the years. For many of us, one only need to start singing “Mister Bluebirds on my shoulder…” and wait til another finishes with “It’s the truth. It’s actual. Everything is satisfactual.” Those lyrics of course are from the Academy Award-winning song “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” as sung by James Baskett from the 1946 Disney film “Song of the South.” Or how about “Somewhere over the rainbow… bluebirds fly.” Those with even the faintest knowledge of “The Wizard of Oz” will know that one.  

There are numerous songs featuring the bluebird – “Bluebird” by Buffalo Springfield, “Bluebird” by ELO, “Bluebirds Over The Mountain” by The Beach Boys, and even “Bluebird Wine” by Rodney Crowell (covered later by Emmylou Harris) just to name a few. But, if you’re like most of the Bluebird song experts (should a group actually exist somewhere), you probably think of the two most popular titled Bluebird songs – the early 1970’s “Bluebird” love song written by Paul and Linda McCartney performed by Wings from their “Band on the Run” album, and the more recent 2019 #1 country hit “Bluebird” by Miranda Lambert from her album “Wildcard.”

“If you were a bluebird, you’d be crying
You’d be flying home”

This “bluebird” song was originally released in 1977 by someone I was not very familiar with – Joe Ely and his band called The Flatlanders. I chose the song, one because I really like it, and secondly because it probably gets overlooked in the very specific genre of bluebird music should you ever choose to traverse into that rabbit-hole, of which I obviously have. (And forewarning, I have a birdwatching Spotify playlist that I will gladly share or discuss with you ad nauseam should you ever be in need of such a specific genre of music!)

At first listen, today’s song “If You Were a Bluebird” is one of many traditional sad country tales of broken beautifulness, but I find that the final few lyrics in this song are those dreaming of a better tomorrow and a more hopeful future. And isn’t that what the bluebird is supposed to represent? 

I think so.  

“If I was a highway, I’d be stretching
I’d be fetching you home”

This tv appearance is from sometime in the early 90’s, but reunites the Lubbock, Texas trio known as The Flatlanders – Joe Ely (vocals, guitar, black vest), Jimmy Dale Gilmore (vocals, guitar, black long sleeve), and Butch Hancock (vocals, harmonica, black suit jacket) singing “If You Were a Bluebird”…

If Emmylou Harris is more your speed, she does a wonderful rendition of the same song from her 1989 album appropriately titled “Bluebird.” 

And if you just need more inspirational bluebird in your life, here is Miranda Lambert’s video for “Bluebird.” As a sidenote, one of Lambert’s personal favorites is Emmylou Harris. Emmylou has a song from 1978 titled “Easy From Now On” which provided the inspiration for Miranda’s tattoo (you can see in the video), and the line from “Bluebird” where she sings “I’ve got a wildcard up my sleeve.” Just another example of one of many things you can learn from a journey into that bluebird internet rabbit hole. 

May your 2024 be full of hope, prosperity and possibilities, and may someone fetch you home if you need it. And of course, may bluebirds cross your path from time to time and remind you of good times spent with loved ones who have passed, or maybe just inspire you to dream of a better tomorrow. 

sincerely,

the 80’s

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“My God, I Thought You Were Someone to Rely On”

Posted on December 16, 2023 by Double K

“Me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on” – George Michael / Wham!

I will not apologize for the following post despite your eyerolls and the potential disdain you might personally harbor for this song! I will snowball fight you and your soul of ice to the death in defense of this holiday classic! If you participate in “Whamageddon” this time of year, let me tempt you to opt out early (and yes if you’re unfamiliar, “Whamageddon” is a real thing dating back 18 years).  “It’s just a funny little thing that a couple of idiots from Denmark did to entertain themselves during Christmas,” one of the founders, Thomas Mertz, told The New York Times.

I posted this video and song back in 2016 shortly before George Michael passed away on Christmas day of the same year. He was only 53. The popularity of this song has endured and even grown in the digital age with its’ hundreds, thousands, (millions?) of covers, and I have listened to my fair share of them. There’s a Trap Remix, a folk style version, an instrumental, and obviously many pop versions. The pop queens in particular especially like it – Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Arianna Grande, Meghan Trainor, Carly Rae Jepson…oh, and Ashley Tisdale anyone? So I think it’s fitting to bring this song up again given that George was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame a little over a month ago.  

Before we get to the song, rewind to just a few nights ago as I was scrolling through Christmas movies on our various streaming platforms… Netflix, Apple, Max, and finally Prime when I came across a 2019 film appropriately titled “Last Christmas.” While it probably didn’t win any Oscars (I only say probably, because who knows with those wonky Oscar voters), my wife and I were pleasantly surprised with it, and will happily endorse it despite its’ flaws. First of all, a George Michael soundtrack (not just “Last Christmas”) accompanies this movie. Secondly, you get some pretty likable leads in Emilia Clarke (“Game of Thrones”) and Henry Golding (“Crazy Rich Asians”). You get a dash of a funny Emma Thompson (who also co-wrote the story with her husband, Greg Wise). And of course, you get some heartfelt moments and a twist that made this a very worthy addition to our annual fest of holiday movie-watching at our household. 

The trailer is below, but honestly it will just spoil most of the movie for you. If you’re like my wife and I and enjoy watching all sorts of Christmas movies this time of year, just do yourself a favor and skip the trailer, suspend the believability (which you should be doing this time of year anyway), and you’ll be more apt to enjoy this George Michael soundtrack movie for what it is – a cheeky bit of heartfelt fun.    

“Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye”

And finally, you didn’t think I was going to end this post without the song did you? I told you, I will always take any liberty I can to promote “Last Christmas.” If it’s been a year (it doesn’t surprise me) or longer since you’ve seen this 80’s masterpiece of music videology then I encourage you to waste, I mean enrich your Christmas 2023 life for the next four minutes and 38 seconds.

The video was filmed over five days in Switzerland in the winter of 1984 in and around a house with no heat. It was model Kathy Hill who recalled how cold the house was and she was the one that got to wear the bright colors and stand out as the villainous ice queen who broke George’s heart a year ealier. She was interviewed several years ago about her memories from the filming including the scene where she and George play about in the snow. She said: “We had to walk up a hill about five times. George slipped down every time. Once he ended up sitting on me, laughing – and that’s the bit they used. It was completely ­natural. We were just laughing our heads off. He couldn’t stand up. It’s my favourite scene.”

When former Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley was asked about the song itself recently, he recounted that “The first time I ever heard it, it was absolutely knockout,” he says. “It sounded for all the world like a Christmas classic,” and added “It’s Christmas distilled if you ask me. It’s the essence of Christmas.”

Please enjoy “the essence of Christmas” with the original “Last Christmas”…

Video commentary: Are we expected to believe that Kathy preferred Andrew to George and his soulful voice and perfectly coiffed blond hair? Did you do something George and refuse to take responsibility? Why do they all have to climb over a fence coming and going like a bunch of school kids trespassing to get to their house? Where’s the driveway or path to the front door? Was this just a poorly designed secluded cabin? And did she possibly re-gift the brooch that George gave her to her new beau, Andrew, who is shown wearing it in the present day? What an ice queen! The video also features Wham’s backup singer duo – Helen “Pepsi” DeMacque and Shirlie Holliman who later formed their own group appropriately called Pepsi and Shirlie. 

A very happy Christmas to all my friends!

sincerely,

the80’s

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“If It’s a Car You Lack”

Posted on November 23, 2023 by Double K

“I’d surely buy you a Cadillac” – Andrew Gold

The young man standing directly in front of me seemed to appear magically out of thin air. No, not Andrew Gold, but a brown-haired, glasses-wearing twenty-something in khakis and a dress shirt. I hadn’t noticed this ninja-in-training who had been lurking in the corner to my left as I had entered the nursing home where my mom lives. He obviously had been biding his time waiting for the right unsuspecting target to walk through the door. Instinctually, I had ventured to the right towards the sign-in log and had noticed it was a mandatory mask-wearing day. So, as I was putting on my mask and turning to go see my mom, he was just there blocking my path, looking directly into my startled eyes.

“We’re asking everyone what they’re thankful for,” he said holding his clipboard and pen at the ready. “Do you have anything you’re thankful for that we can add to our survey?”

My initial thought was “Yeah, I’m thankful you weren’t a hired hitman here to take me out.”

Truth be told though, I thought “Dude, I’m in a nursing home where no one wants to be probably including you, and most of these residents are sadly living out the final days of their lives. Thankful? Hardly.”

It was a narrow-minded, selfish thought, I’ll admit, but a very real thought that visits my mind every time I step foot inside the same facility that held the sad final few months of my dad’s life in the summer of 2021. But instead of relaying any of this to him, which undoubtedly would have created an awkward moment for us, I forced a smile and simply answered with the always popular cliché “family.” A cliche, but a true statement as well, and also one that seemed to satisfy the young man as he noted my response on his clipboard and went back to his camouflaged blind in the corner. I soldiered on into the dining area to meet mom for a Thanksgiving luncheon sitting at a table with her amongst a full house of visitors and residents already putting dents into their pre-Thanksgiving turkey dinners.

Later as I reflected on the interaction I thought that maybe this young man’s presence and his specific question were an intentional and purposeful plan set in place by the nursing home to help shift the focus for most people entering that day. If so, kudos to the nursing home for at least attempting to shift the narrative in many minds on the day before Thanksgiving in a facility no one wants to be in. And maybe that is what was needed.

When it comes to the chaos, the uncertainty, the times of hopelessness and confusion in our lives, there can be periods and stretches of unthankfulness. Sure we inherently know and many of us are taught that we should be thankful for friends and employment and health and our family, but if we’re being honest there are many times we are not thankful for some or parts of those complicated pieces of our lives. Difficult family relationships, hurtful friendships, and economic hardships are all ships of unthankfulness we don’t particularly want to sail on, but end up on anyway at times, because, well, life.

So if you’re having trouble finding the big items to be thankful for in your life this weekend, maybe just focus on (or stumble upon or into) the unintentional small things that you might not even notice consciously until later that can cause the momentary shifts, the temporary distractions, the change in narrative that you may need at any given moment. Those times where an exciting football game bonds you with others, or when you’ve completed that impossible 5000-piece puzzle, or maybe you just won the longest game of Catan in Catan history. Maybe it’s something as simple as when a gravel road turns into pavement or you spot a Northern Flicker in your tree for the first time, or you complete a long overdue post for your blog. And yes, maybe it’s those times when you’re feeling low and a twenty-something stranger appears out of nowhere and asks you a simple question.

What are you thankful for?

And when we both get older
With walking canes and hair of gray
Have no fear, even though it’s hard to hear
I will stand real close and say

I’d never seen a video for this song until today nor did I realize it was a song actually released in 1978 by a man named Andrew Gold. Gold was part of the soft pop movement of the ’70s, and best I can tell, carved out a nice career in the music industry before succumbing to heart failure in 2011 at the age of 59. He collaborated with the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Art Garfunkel, and Eric Carmen, to name just a few, and left us with a few solo hits, including “Lonely Boy” (1977), “Never Let Her Slip Away” (1978), and of course, this one that hit #25 on the U.S. Top 100 in 1978. It also received a resurgence in the ’80s with the hit sitcom “The Golden Girls.”

A big thank you to all of you reading this blog and of course my friends, and yes a thank you to my family. And a thank you to Andrew for writing this little ditty that took him “about an hour to write.” It may have been written in 1978, but its’ popularity surely peaked every Saturday night from 1985 to 1992 when “The Golden Girls” sitcom played on NBC and a remake of the song by Cynthia Fee was used in the opening credits. I find it fitting that his last name is Gold, and a fitting song for this weekend, here is Andrew Gold’s “Thank You For Being a Friend”…

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

sincerely,

the80’s

The Golden Girls (L-R) Rue McClanahan (1934-2010), Bea Arthur (1922-2009), Betty White (1922-2021), and Estelle Getty (1923-2008).
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“She Dashed by Me in Painted on Jeans”

Posted on October 28, 2023 by Double K

“And all heads turned cause she was the dream.” – Billy Ocean

Every now and then, a “deal” comes along where you say to yourself “Self, I’d pay (x) amount to go see (fill in the blank), because how many more chances will I have?” and that’s exactly how last Friday night at the Skyline Event Center in Tulsa came about. In February, for $45 each, I bought two tickets for my wife and I on the fifth row to see one Mr. Leslie Sebastian Charles, stage name Billy Ocean. The original performance date was for April, but he had to postpone that show and rescheduled for this past Friday.

At 73 years old, Billy Ocean seems to be well above average in physical condition and still has a nice sound and tone to his voice. He graciously interacted with the crowd and all of the ridiculous “let me get a selfie with Billy” amateur photographers in attendance. I was starting to get a little annoyed with all of the people walking up to the stage and attempting to get selfies with Billy, but he graciously played along with that genuine smile on his face all night long as he peppered the audience with all of his big hits and a total of 14 songs over 90+ minutes.

Seemingly so smooth and so cool, Billy had already established himself as a singer and performer with a few minor hits in his native England prior to 1984 dating back to his first hit, a #2 hit in 1976 called “Love Really Hurts Without You.” Like many growing up in the 80’s, my first exposure to Billy was “Caribbean Queen,” a quintessential up-tempo 80’s hit that I absolutely loved and still do to this day. Billy was already a music industry veteran in 1984 at the age of 34 years when he hit it big in the U.S. with today’s featured video and song.

“I was in search of a good time
Just running my game
Love was the furthest
Furthest from my mind.”

Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Billy moved to England when he was 10 and in 2020 was made a member of the MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for his contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organizations, and public service outside the civil service. The MBE was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V.

He has seven top 10 singles in the U.S. which includes three #1 hits with today’s video being his first and arguably his biggest. A number one hit in August of 1984 that won Billy a Grammy, it was the song that really broke open Billy’s career, and is personally one of my favorite songs from the decade of the 80’s. Here is the video for the once-titled “European Queen,” changed to “Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)”…

Here is some present-day Billy for those of you interested in how he and his voice have aged. This is my video shot at the Skyline Event Center at the Osage Casino in Tulsa. Still so cool and so smooth, this is one of my favorite 80’s ballads, another number one hit for Billy which came about in July of 1986 – “There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)”… and btw, that’s Billy’s daughter on the far left of the backup singers…

Thanks for checking in and thanks for reading, and keep on going Billy!

sincerely,

the80’s

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