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.

Saturday 9: Heart to Heart (1964)

From left: Bouncing Billy, Rock Rolling, me & Gregorius Greg. First time at the new place.

1) With whom did you most recently have a “heart-to-heart” talk? It must be my lady, Kathy. Marriage is like that. But I have had some pretty good “heart-to-hearts” with my son, Ben. Other than my kids, my dad was my confidant. I told Ben that I felt very lucky to be so close with my dad and when I lost him my first thought was how close that I am to Ben, my son James and my daughter Heather. I also have those crazy WTIT guys – Billy, Greg, Rock & Harvey. Billy and I were close growing up. He did the first ever WTIT recording with me. He was with us initially from 1967 to 1974. He disappeared for a decade and came to the first recording of what would be our new group with Johnnie (as always), Cos on his first tape and Bob & B.B. That was in 1985. Again Bill disappeared from my life. But in 2013 I sent him an email asking to have a drink. I asked him if he wanted to “join the band” again. His return made Johnnie’s death a lot easier to deal with. Though I never asked, he explained that once he became a cop that’s who he hung with because of the hours and such. He’s now been here longer than he was in the first place.

2) When this song was on the charts, audiences were tuning in to a TV show called Hart to Hart. Are you familiar with it?  I watched it a few times but thought it was too slick for my taste. Probably why the only actor who I did not like as James Bond was Roger Moore. I still loved James Bond, but Sean, Pierce, Timothy, George and Daniel were much better IMO. I still don’t like Bond as a blonde, but I’m gonna hate the woman who is taking his place. I love the idea of an African-American, but not with a woman.

3) In the music video, Kenny Loggins plays an illustrator. It’s said that the hardest thing to draw is a straight line, because all the joints in your hand have to work together in sync. Can you draw a straight line, without the aid of a ruler or a straight edge? I barely can sign my name. I draw a good Charlie Brown, but that’s it.

4) This video also prominently features teddy bears. A 2018 article in the NY Post estimates that 4 in 10 adults has a plush toy of his/her own. Are you one of the 40%? No, but my son Ben LOVED them. But not now, in his forties.

5) Kenny Loggins performed in a tribute to Aretha Franklin at Carnegie Hall. Do you have a favorite Aretha Franklin song? If you don’t say R-e-s-p-e-c-t, than you are missing something. Ears, perhaps. They are filming her life story with Jennifer Hudson as Aretha. Perfect choice.

6) Kenny co-wrote this song with Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers. You can also hear Michael on the background vocals. Do you have a favorite Doobie Brothers song? Yes. “China Grove”. I enjoyed both front men for the band.

7) The third cowriter is David Foster. 1982 was a big year for Foster, since Chicago had a big hit with another of his compositions, “Hard to Say I’m Sorry.” Do you have a favorite Chicago song? Yes. “If She Would Have Been Faithful”. I first heard it as I went through my first divorce. While my wife was faithful in a cheating sense, but when I needed her most she not only showed no support but threw her credit cards in my face when I started talk of (of all horrors) to live on a budget till I found a job. “I never want to live like that” and tossed them. I destroyed them. She married a rich insurance dude. Had she been “faithful” I could still be with her. *shudder* She’s the mother of my children. Even when you divorced, they are still there.

8) In 1982, when this song was popular, Tylenol capsules laced with cyanide killed 7 people in Chicago. In response, tamper-proof packaging was introduced. What’s the last thing you opened that required you break a seal? Medicine.

9) Random question – You’re having a party. Which guest annoys you most: the one who arrives 20 minutes early, or the one who shows up 20 minutes late? The early bird. You are usually getting everything perfect and boom the doorbell rings, early.

***********************************************************************

Kathy has two women that she virtually met through he YouTube show. They are here for two nights and the touring elsewhere, and next weekend come back for a night. It’s great to be all moved in. We have a housekeeper once a month to do the heavy lifting cleaning. She called out on Thursday. She did not know that we needed her badly. But her car broke down. Kathy cleaned. It should be interesting for sure. I would imagine that I’ll only deal with them at dinner. I’m working on Harvey coming up from Atlanta for a week. We finally have room. We became BFFs in 1992 during that first divorce. In fact my first move was to an apartment Harvey & I rented. We work so broke but had the time of our lives. (So broke that we once search out couch for money to buy a can of tuna – that broke!) But both of us did well with ladies and they’d cook for us. It was like college again. But better, since we were so much smarter. Harvey threw himself a 40th birthday party. Odd for him. Turned out that both his dad (drowning) in his thirties and his grandfather committed suicide in his thirties. John did not expect to hit 40. I think he’s 64 now. I hope all is well with you. We will return to the Tape Radio Blog. Same time. Same blog.

-30-