WTIT: The Blog

Saturday 9: I Got You, Babe
(recommended by Thank You Great Spirit)

If you’re not familiar with today’s song, you can hear it here.

1) Popular music has produced almost countless groups, but not that many duos. Besides Sonny & Cher, can you name another? Yes.

2) Hearing this recording from his clock radio is how Bill Murray woke up every morning in Groundhog Day. What woke you up this morning? My neighbor’s wife. I had to remind her that I’m married now. She said, “That never stopped me!” After I stopped laughing, I asked her if she ever heard the term “sleaze bag”. She asked, “In what context?”

3) When she was growing up, Cher practiced her autograph for when she became a star. Is your signature legible? Or is it more of a scrawl? No and yes. With a LOT of effort I can print legibly. I cannot write in cursive so that you could actual read it. I don’t ever sign my name anyway. I have “people” for that. Stop laughing. Yea you breakfast breath.

4) In addition to show biz, Sonny & Cher had many careers: Sonny was a restauranteur and politician, Cher is an interior designer. Would you like to try your hand at any of those professions? Tempting, but no. My dad thinks he’s a billionaire (dementia) and offered to buy me a radio station. I mean a real one that you don’t have to be in our studio to hear. If only…

5) In 1965, when this song topped the charts, Sonny and Cher were as famous for their wardrobe as for their music. Sonny was fond of tall, heavy-heeled boots while Cher often paired granny dresses with bare feet. What’s on your feet right now? Skin. Thanks for the question, Rex Ryan.

6) By 1968, their career crashed. Cher’s early attempts as a movie actress failed, their records stopped selling and the IRS came after them for back taxes. Have you ever been audited? When I stop knocking on wood I’ll answer.

7) In 1971 they were on top again with their TV show. But their marriage was coming apart. Sonny said, “For the last 5 years I worried about our career, not about us.” Have you ever been guilty of putting career before relationship? When I should have I didn’t. Which is why I sell alcohol and why I don’t host American Idol.

8) By 1972 they were living separate lives — in the same house. For the sake of The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, they pretended to be happily married another year and a half. Tell us about a time when you pretended to be happy, but weren’t. I was going to answer in specifics, and then I realized  that anyone who has been in a relationship has done this.

9) While their separation and divorce were bitter, they resumed their friendship when Cher showed up at the opening of his restaurant in 1976. Have you ever made the first move in repairing a relationship? Yes. It was the wrong thing to do every time. My first relationship after my first marriage involved constantly breaking up and then getting back together. Most of it was that I had my kids and she said she wanted them. The realty was I thought at the time, was that SHE did not want kids. Her parents wanted her to have them. For context, she was 31 and I was 39. We spent a weekend with a couple that had a three year old. Cute kid. She almost ran away anytime the child was near her. As we drove out on Sunday morning she asked, “Don’t you see that I am great with kids?” I almost drove off the road. Flash forward, say about a decade. I ran into her with her mother. We drank and talked a bit. She never had those kids. Shocking.

I had a meeting in Boston yesterday. I was on vacation, but I attended because we finally were getting our work iPads. There was training for the program that will do our data entry for orders. My dad was just moved to a nursing home near my brother. My dad asked me as I entered, “Do you know what’s going on?” I responded, “In what context?” He asked why the stuff on his walls was just like the shit he had at his apartment. Since my brother wants him to think so that he’ll get better to avoid depression. My sister-in-law apparently moving in his stuff does not shout “I’ll be going home soon…” After we spoke all things baseball, he asked me if I knew how long he’d been in institutions and I answered in the affirmative. He yelled “Five years!!!! I got kidnapped 5 years ago!!” The truth was that he was operated on in last December 10th.

My kids are on a cruise celebrating my oldest child’s birthday. We were invited but did not go. It cost around 3K. For a Caribbean cruise in August? I could not afford it. I mean yes, I have the money. But three grand? Besides at the moment we’ve got a division in the family. If we went her mother and husband wouldn’t. So I let her know the day that we got the invite.  Aren’t families fun? We will do this again. Same time. Same blog.

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