WTIT: The Blog

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

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

Saturday 9: Wouldn’t It Be Nice (1966)

It’s been a while since we’ve chatted. A lot has been going on. I told you folks all about the 50th Anniversary Show & Party of WTIT. What I didn’t tell you that about the story of  one of my friends that I flew in from out of town. About $500 out of pocket. His first night here my wife forgot we had company and fell asleep leaving our bedroom door open. His flight had brought him in around midnight. After some serious drinking, he went up to bed around 2:30 AM. Since that bedroom door was open, he went in, got in bed and hugged my wife and told her how glad he was that we got back together. She woke to what she thought was a bad dream. Besides the obvious, what he did was act as though we had just got back together. But, Kathy returned in February of 2016, more than a year and a half before he returned. Could anyone do anything creepier?

I knew it had happened, but I decided I’d wait until he left to discuss it. I knew he was drunk. What Kathy hadn’t told me was that when he got out of bed to pass out he said to her, “Keep leaving this door open. I like that.” She knew I wouldn’t wait to confront him and it was his first of 9 days with us. I wrote it up to how drunk he was and I didn’t know about the “leave the door open” comment, because Kathy wanted the week to be about the 50thg for me.

I decided to wait until I was less angry to call him. We’ve been friends for nearly 50 years and while this was not a deal breaker, I needed to have that discussion. I even talked with his ex-wife to see if she had insight. The man is not right. And there are 10 other odd stories about his visit I could tell you about. His day is like this: He awakes at 4AM and watches cable news. At 3PM he states it’s 5 o’clock somewhere and starts shot of Cuervo. By 6PM he passes out. At 8PM he wakes up and deals with dinner. He cracks the tequila again. He passes out at 11PM. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

So his ex-wife lets his daughter know what I dealt with. This 30 something writes me a two page email apologizing for him. ‘Geez” I thought. I wanted to know if his family knew how fucked up he was, but I did not mean to cause his daughter anguish. I wrote her back and said that I loved her dad, but was worried. But it was something I needed to deal with and she needn’t concern herself.

So last week I finally call him. He had been texting and asking me why I wasn’t returning calls. Then he started calling other WTIT DJs to see what was up. What I found out was he knew what was up. When I confronted him he stated firmly, “That did not happen, Bud. Period.” He was prepared. So, do I trust the drunk or my very sober who always said she liked him. My first and second wives did not like him at all. She had NO reason to make it up. She even held back stuff so the visit wouldn’t suck. I said this to him. “Sober wife or drunk friend? That’s a dome scratcher.” I just said, “I can’t talk to you anymore.” I hung up and have never heard from him since.

If it were not for him WTIT would have ended on our 15th Anniversary in 1982. He helped me recruit and navigate all the changes that followed. He would not have been here had I not paid for the flight. I didn’t get any thank you other than a verbal one when I dropped him off at the airport. I know I will probably never see him again because he lives 2,000 miles away and is broke. I even said at one point, “I know you were drunk and maybe you don’t remember” trying to give him an out. He repeated, “DID NOT HAPPEN, BUD.”

Enough. On the bright side, our house is under contract. Which means we sold it, but we haven’t gone through all the preliminaries, but short of a catastrophe, we’re out of here. Yes! We just started looking at rentals. Frankly, I’m sick of owning. I want to call a landlord if something goes wrong. But the problem it solves is me with stairs. My neurosurgeon saw me yesterday. He said, while you’ve improved – you can never do that job with liquor again. I already knew that, but it still was strange to hear.

Sorry to return and dump my shit on you. But we are friends, right? And because this isn’t Facebook or twitter, we have enough freedom to be real. That’s what I’m doing. Thanks for listening.

Saturday 9: Wouldn’t It Be Nice? (1966)

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

1) In the video for this song, the Beach Boys dive into the pool with all their clothes on. Have you ever ended up in the water while fully clothed? If yes, were you pushed? I don’t remember that happening. I could tell some stories about skinny dipping, but you didn’t ask about that.

2) In this song, Mike Love sings he wishes “every kiss could be never ending.” Where did you receive your first kiss? Was it wonderful, or awkward? I was 12. It was 8th grade and it was awkward on a scale of 10 out of 10. By 14, I was pretty good at it.

3) Brian Wilson was the creative force behind the Beach Boys. It’s possible that the group’s legendary and unique sound came from a incident of bad parenting. Brian’s father hit him so hard with a wooden plank that he is deaf in his right ear. Which of your senses is sharpest — sight, hearing, smell or taste? I guess hearing. I’ve never had a good sense of smell – which has served me well. So many times someone has said, “Can you smell that? It’s disgusting!” I’d reply I couldn’t smell it. They’d inevitably say, try harder. I’d say, “Why would I do that? It’s you that’s got to deal with it.” As far as vision, I need reading glasses. It happened almost to the day of my 40th birthday. Most folks say they were 40 when they started needing cheaters. I cannot believe that it was 25 years ago. How did I become 65? People think I’m goofing them when I tell my age. Flattering, yes. But realistic, nah. I am 65 and I need to own it.

4) Brian’s brother Dennis was the cutest member of the group, and also the only one who could surf. Have you been to the beach yet this summer? Nope. Kathy hates the beach and it’s never been important to me. I prefer pools. I hope our apartment has a pool!

5) Dennis was also the Beach Boys’ most colorful member. In 1968, he struck up an unfortunate and dangerous friendship with Charles Manson. Is there anyone in your life that you worry has bad taste in friends/lovers? Certainly not to that extent. My sister’s relationships with girlfriends and now her wife, have always been one sided. She waits on them hand & foot while being the breadwinner who makes serious money. She does not see this. Not a clue.

6) Lead singer Mike Love is the grumpiest Beach Boy. He refuses to perform if the concert promotional materials refer to the group or their songs as “oldies.” Does it bother you to hear the songs, TV shows and movies of your youth described as “classics” or “oldies?” No. I just mind if they call ME an oldie.

7) This song has appeared on soundtracks for movies as diverse as Shampoo (1975), The Big Chill (1983),  50 First Dates (2004) and It’s Complicated (2009). Do you own any movie soundtracks? Yes.

8) In 1966, the year this song was popular, the Miranda Warning became law. Without looking it up, can you recite any of the Miranda Warning? Yes, but NYPD Blue is one of my favorite all time dramas. I just bought the series for $105. I’m watch me a lot.

9) Random question: The local college is pleading for models of all ages and sizes to pose for the life drawing class. Would you help the kids by volunteering to pose in the nude? HA! HA!

Till next we meet. Same time. Same blog.