WTIT: The Blog

Welcome to Rock ‘n Roll Fridays on WTIT: The Blog. This meme appealed to us because of a twist in its concept. Each week DJ KathyA (its host) picks a rock band, artist or era. She digs up thirteen quotes from the song lyrics and asks her questions based on the quotes. It is similar to Janera Jepson’s Wednesday meme. Let’s do it. The meme questions are in bold.

Rock ‘n Roll Fridays: Tom Petty

1. AMERICAN GIRL: “Well, she was an American girl Raised on promises
She couldn’t help thinkin’ That there was a little more to life somewhere else”

I always said that when my kids were grown that I’d move to a warmer part of the country. I’ve thought that either San Diego or Atlanta would be just right. My youngest (Jules) turned 25 this year. My oldest (Heather) is 36. So why am I here? In 2004 I was offered what sounded like a dream job. I’ve been at my present position since that very day. Outside of doing my morning show in radio, it doesn’t get better than this. I keep Massachusetts safe from sobriety. “God’s work” is how I see it!

2. BREAKDOWN: “Honey, I get the feeling you won’t. There is no sense in pretending
Your eyes give you away, Something inside you is feeling like I do…”

That’s a fucking good one! There is a saying in sales. “Buyers are liars.” While it is not a universal truth, it can apply on a rather regular basis. Ultimately though, because of the brands of liquors that I sell exclusively, I win more often than not.

3. YOU DON’T KNOW HOW IT FEELS: “People come, people go, Some grow young, some grow cold. I woke up in between, A memory and a dream”

25th: Johnnie Walker, Rock Rolling, Bud Weiser, Captain Morgan & The Midnight Plowboy.

I believe in living in the now. However, I can relive almost any era of my past through WTIT Tape Radio. We started doing Tape Radio Shows when I was 15. We recorded girlfriends on prom night, we recorded throughout our college days. We did a show the night my daughter Heather was born in 1974. We’ve got the songs of the era, and complained about our wives, divorces, new wives and girlfriends. And our kids. And grandkids. On an August night in 2007 we recorded our 40th Anniversary Show. Two of the original five were there, Johnnie Walker and I. Rock Rolling celebrated his 20th with WTIT, Gregarious Greg a veteran of 33 years joined in and The Midnight Plowboy phoned in “live on tape”.

Kathy with woman’s best friends.

4. THE WAITING: “The waiting is the hardest part, Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart, The waiting is the hardest part”

Chapter Three. I felt that after my two divorces I’d have but one more serious partner. It took over a decade, but Kathy emailed me after 35 years of our first meeting. She has been with me since March and moved in six months ago. The wait was worth it.

5. STOP DRAGGIN MY HEART AROUND: “Baby you’ll come knocking on my front door
Same old line you used to use before. That’s the game, well… what am I supposed to do
I didn’t know what I was getting into”

My marriages come to mind.

6. REFUGEE: “Honey, it dont make no difference to me, Baby, everybodys had to fight to be free…”

Other than kid stuff, I’ve thrown three punches as an adult. Once defending my father-in-law, once defending my sister and once when another father pushed my son Ben. None were fights. I asked each one to back off. Two did not and hit the canvas. The third threw my son. He didn’t get a warning.

7. LAST DANCE WITH MARY JANE: “Last dance with Mary Jane, One more time to kill the pain, I feel summer creepin’ in, And I’m tired of this town again…”

“I am a child of the universe.” (John Lennon) I went to high school in the sixties. I started college in 1969. You do the math.

Kathy’s fave DJ in 1975.

8. INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN: “He met a girl out there with a tattoo too
The future was wide open. They moved into a place they both could afford
He found a night club he could work at the door”

Yes. Almost anything that I’ve tried. As both a radio and nightclub DJ, women offered me a lot of “spur of the moment” activities. True story though: While I met my lady at the club where I was a huge celebrity, we never so much as kissed. She was 18. I was 24. She thought I was too old.

9. HERE COMES MY GIRL: “Hey, here comes my girl, here comes my girl, Yeah, she looks so right, shes all I need tonight”

Smirnoff and a UConn Men’s Basketball “W” would work.

10. HARD ON ME: “Maybe if I tried, I could turn the other cheek, Maybe, but how big do I have to be? I need someone To put their arm around me Shelter me from all harm…”

I’ve got nothing. The people who have done horrendous things to me or my family were never forgiven. I don’t do forgiveness for major shit. The normal arguments are fine. I get over everyday hassles rather easily.

11. FREE FALLIN: “She’s a good girl, loves her mama, Loves Jesus and America too She’s a good girl, crazy ’bout Elvis, Loves horses and her boyfriend too…”

Besides my lady and family, since they are not “things” I’ll have to think. Rock, pop and R&B music speaks loudly to me. The Beatles shaped a generation and also revolutionized rock. There are DJs that I

Bud with his DJ fave Dick Robinson this summer.

aspired to be like. DJs like Dick Robinson, Dan Ingham, Long John Wade and Joey Reynolds were some of my heroes. I did a show following Joey Reynolds once and was invited to a party that night at his place, I worked for Paul McCartney once and John Lennon is my hero. And M*A*S*H and Alan Alda. I’m way over six. My bad.

12. EVEN THE LOSERS: “Baby, even the losers get lucky sometimes, Even the losers keep a little bit of pride. They get lucky sometimes”

Of course. But I got over it.

13. SHADOW OF A DOUBT: “With that little certain something, she’s a complex kid, And she’s always been so hard to get around. She always likes to leave me with a shadow of a doubt.”

I’ve been offered tips at jobs to rip off the employer or customers. I always laugh. I say, “Either you are a thief or you are not. I am not.” Besides, if you’re gonna rob, do something big. Something you do once and disappear. I’m still joking. As Tricky said best, “I am not a crook.” Although in my case, it is true. We will return with Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9.