WTIT: The Blog

Thanks to Gal for authoring this meme. Click on the Sat-9 title of song on the next line below to play.

Saturday 9: Chuck E.’s in Love (1979)

Unfamiliar with this week’s song? Hear it here.

One of the first pics taken in what was our brand new WTIT Studio 33 1/3.

1) In this song, Chuck E.’s friends look for him at the pool hall and the drugstore. If we want to find you on a Saturday afternoon, where should we look? I’m usually sitting in the WTIT Tape Radio Studio editing or adding something. Unless my neighbor’s wife is alone for the weekend. Then all bets are off.

2) The lyrics tell us his friends know something up with Chuck E because he’s even combed his hair. So here’s a question about your hair: do you usually use a blow dryer or let it air dry? I always let it air dry. This became a sticking point on Harvey Wallbanger’s trip to CT. He could not comprehend why I do not use a hair dryer. He thought I shoulda called and told him. Now how the fuck was I supposed to remember he uses a hair driver? I did buy one in case he comes up from Atlanta again.

3) In this song, Ricki Lee sings that she spotted Chuck E. at the Pantages, a grand old Los Angeles theater. Nearly 100 years old, the Pantages was originally a movie palace and was renovated in the 1980s for concerts and theatrical productions. Tell us about a cool landmark in your town. This is tough. I actually am in a suburb of two cities from two different states. First, Connecticut. That’s where my town is. But as many people travel north to Springfield Massachusetts as drive to Hartford Connecticut. Sorta like twin cities of different mothers. Hartford has The Bushnell. It is a classic the tier theater with those seats that jut out on the second level, gold trim everywhere and the like. I saw my first rock show there. It was Chubby Checker and I was 13 or 14. I’ve seen Nutcracker performances there as well as opera (as a kid…You couldn’t pay me to go now) and I saw my first Loggins & Messina concert there.

My daughter-in-law’s mom started saving for the wedding the week Maria was born. What a party! Here we are in the limo. Lynn is to my right (God did I ever weight that much?) and my dad was to her right.

4) “Chuck E.” is a real person. Chuck E. Weiss is a blues musician and DJ who hung around with Ricki Lee and her boyfriend … until he fell in love. Have you ever had a friendship fall by the wayside when one of you entered a romantic relationship? Yes. I had this great friend Lynn. We had dated briefly and decided friends were a better route for us to travel. During the period of my second divorce for about six years when we weren’t in a relationship we’d be each other’s “and 1”. She went to my son Ben’s wedding with me. The last time was when I asked if she’d like to attend my son James’ going-to-San Diego-party, I invited her because she and my family knew each other so well. When I walked her to my care she hammered me for not spending enough time with her. “Jesus-fucking-Christ” I said. This was only about my kids and I. While I tried to make efforts to reconcile over the years, she never got over it, or apparently me.

5) Rickie Lee was once married to a French musician named Pascal Nabet-Meyer. Say something to us in French. La meilleure chose à propos de la France est que les jumeaux français . Le auraient posé pour la Statue de la Liberté . Je veux dire , malgré le fait qu’ils ne sont pas nés à 1991. Ils font le meilleur 73 ! Vous avez entendu parler d’un “68” , vous me faites et je vous dois une . A 73 est que nous recevons tous et nous nous devons de toute façon .

6) When her popularity was at its height, Rickie Lee appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone twice. Who have you seen on a recent magazine cover? John Lennon. It was a special issue involving what would have been his 75th birthday. I read a lot of Rolling Stone. They send me so many articles for free that I just love reading it.

7) Rolling Stone called Rickie Lee “the duchess of cool.” Who is the coolest person you know? This is like picking your favorite kid. I could make a case three of my kids, my ex-wife and my previous ex before her (They are both cool but totally not alike) also the guys who record WTIT with me.

8) 1979 was a good year for Rickie Lee, what with her big hit record and the Rolling Stone covers. But it was a terrible year for The Who, because eleven of their fans died during an Ohio concert. What’s your favorite Who song? “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. I believe they wrote it about John Lennon. It came out after his first studio album post Beatles. Lennon in a song called “God” rejected all his work with his fans. I believed it pissed The Who off.

9) Rickie Lee moved to New Orleans, a city she fell in love with after a visit. Have you ever gone to a vacation spot and wished you could just stay there forever? Yes. St Martin.

My (ex)wife and I got together to work on our divorce together. She wound up decorating my house for Christmas. We always laugh a lot when we are together. But “The Thrill is Gone.” It’s weird to feel the total lack of chemistry. After watching the state’s videos on how to do divorce without lawyers, I think we have a handle on it. I’m looking forward to the holidays. I suspect surprises will be in order. Join us again. Same time. Same blog.