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: Come and Knock on Our Door (1976)

1) This week’s song was the theme to Three’s Company, a sitcom that ran for eight seasons. Were you a fan? It was something my first wife and I watched. I thought it was kinda stupid. How could sex not be part of the equation?

2) The Three’s Company theme was composed by Joe Raposo, who also wrote the theme to Sesame Street. Can you recall any of the lyrics to the Sesame Street song? Nope. My kids watched it in the mid to late 70s. But I did a great job with Burt & Ernie that my daughter loved it when I did the voices. She’s 45 now with two teenage daughter. They live almost four hours from us. We do host two parties for them. A Summer Barbecue (This year it was late June.) We do a Christmas party in early December.

3) The lyrics to this song invite you to “come and knock on our door.” What’s the last door you knocked on (or the most recent doorbell your rang)? The UPS man was here yesterday. What I hinted at last week I can inform you, my friends. We are getting a house to live in August or early September. It is SO similar to our Enfield home we loved in Enfield. We sold it to cut down on expenses. But we got an offer that we couldn’t refuse. The house has 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bath. I get my bigger studio back. Kathy gets her TV You Tube back. My studio is bigger than any previous studios now.

4) Three’s Company was about three roommates who live together platonically, sharing a two bedroom apartment. Tell us about a roommate who shared your living quarters. I choose Harvey Wallbanger. We found a two family and it was only $400 a month. I had 4 kids under 18 when we divorced. Over 50% went to my ex who married a rich guy who supports her totally. She used my child support to buy jewelry.

5) Each of the roommates has a profession: Jack is a cook, Chrissy is a secretary (aka administrative assistant) and Janet is a florist. When did you last buy flowers? My wife doesnt like flowers, so it has been a while. MaybeWhen I was about 6 I started picking dandelions &  I’d knock on our door. My mom would ask who was at the door. I said “Flower Man”. About a week before she passed I asked her if she remembered it. She laughed and said she did.

6) They often meet their neighbor, Larry, at a nearby bar called The Regal Beagle. What’s the name of the establishment where you most recently enjoyed an adult beverage? We have terrific restaurants nearby. My favorite is a deli called “Reins”. It rivals a New York Deli and has a sign that says “Way Off Broadway”. They have a liquor license so it was there or a Mexican restaurant that I like as well. One or the other, or at the best diner with full liquor, and I say that because they are next door to Reins. All three are busy places.

7) Their meddling landlord was Mr. Roper. He was cheap, nosy, and very talented at fixing things around the building. How much are you like Mr. Roper? Are you frugal? Nosy? A handy do-it-yourselfer? Zero. My dad said that he would teach me everything he knew about cars. I was thrilled, then he showed me where the key went and how to open the gas tank. He then he said “That’s it.” I questioned why he didn’t learn more. “It was boring” he explained.

8) Three’s Company was controversial again, more than 15 years after it ceased production. In March 2001, Nick at Nite re-edited an episode after a viewer called, alerting the network that a bit too much of John Ritter was visible in his blue boxer shorts. Have you ever called, emailed or written to, a TV station to complain?  No. Since I worked both in TV and radio it would have not worked well.

9) Random question — Is the screen on your cellphone cracked? No.

This episode of “Saturday 9” Is brought to you by “Cellphone Cracks & Hacks”. We will do this again. Same time. Same blog. Peace!

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: Secret Agent Man (1966)

1) This is the theme of a TV show that ran on CBS from 1964-1967. The series was produced, and originally aired, in England. The BBC has shared many shows with American audiences over the years. Can you name another? Dr. Who. I first watched the episodes bin the 80s. I loved the new episodes, but after David Tennant, I think it was less. Less what? What do I know?

2) The show is about John Drake, a special agent dedicated to exposing plots that threaten world peace. A quick check of Netflix and Goodreads reveals that spy stories are just as popular today. Is espionage a genre you enjoy? Do you read books, or watch shows and movies, about spies? I am a huge Bond fan. I am not sure, however about “Bond 25”. First it’s really 26. They don’t count “Never Say Never” which at this point is stupid. Yes it wasn’t from the “official studio” but it gave the owner of “Thunderball” a chance to finally make his version. The film stars Sean Connery in his final film as Bond. And the same group who own the “official” films now owns “Never Say Never Again”. But it’s the fact that a African American woman will play 007 by the end of 25. Maybe I’ll love it. I hated Daniel Craig’s blonde hair. I guess I’m a traditional guy on this matter. It’s not the African American part, that’s fine, but as a woman? Does not sound like Bond.

Maria, Evie, Zoey & my son Ben in Greece.

3 ) The lyrics tell us Drake travels from the Riviera to Bombay. Where were you when you last spent the night away from home? Why were you there (vacation, business, international intrigue)? My wife and I spent Father’s Day in Boston at my son’s (and his family: Wife Maria, daughters Zoey & Evie) It turned out to be an incredible weekend.

4) The refrain states, “They’ve given you a number and taken away your name.” In today’s digital world, that could now be said of all of us. Are you good at remembering your computer passwords? The bank ones and important ones I do remember.

5) Patrick McGoohan, who played Agent Drake, went from being a good guy to appearing as a murderer on Columbo four times. Were you a fan of Columbo? No. I hated it. You know who did it in the beginning? Love Peter Fauk. Hate that show.

6) Born John Ramistella, this week’s featured artist, Johnny Rivers, grew up in Louisiana. He took “Rivers” as his stage name because he grew up along the Mighty Mississippi. If you were to change your last name based on the geography of the area where you grew up, how would you be known? Bud Boston might flow. I spent nearly 6 years living there. Four were college, the radio career got me back in the mid 90s.

7) In 1966, when this song was popular, Jacqueline Kennedy was the woman most Americans admired. What famous woman do you admire most? (She doesn’t have to be American.) Elizabeth Warren.

8) 1966 also found another Jacqueline was in the news. Jacqueline Susann’s first novel, Valley of the Dolls, was atop the best seller lists, even though it was savaged by the critics. What’s your guilty pleasure? What book, movie, TV show, or song do you enjoy, even though you know it has little artistic merit? “Love Yourself” by Justin Beiber. I hate him, but really like the song. It makes more sense, lyricaly speaking if you think “Fuck Yourself). That part is clever.

9) Random question: Imagine you’ve been stranded alone in the woods for 10 days. No companionship, no internet or phone or TV. You have been sleeping in the dirt, living on berries and river water. Your rescuers drive you to a hotel. Upon check-in, what’s the first thing you do? Sleep.

July 4th has come and gone. My best friend, Johnnie, died on the 4th last year. I am still feeling raw about it. I think I said that we did change our studio name from “Rocking Rockville” to “The Jumping Johnnie Walker Studio. The next studio will be called that as well. I think I’ve mentioned that last year my daughter’s family (Heather and her husband Alec with daughters Lindsay & Lauren who are teenagers) recorded a play. Well I wrote a short sequel. I think it’s pretty good comedy. I still love retirement. We will move closer to my friends and Kathy’s job. Hope you are great! Peace and love. We will do this again. Same time. Same 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: Baby Love (1964)

With my mom a few years ago.

1) When this song was popular, the Supremes were known for their elaborate hairstyles, make up and full-length gowns. When was the last time you got dressed up? I hate to be a “Debbie Downer”, but it was at my mom’s funeral two weeks ago. She was 94 and had been the Martiarch of our family since her mother died. Her siblings all died over twenty years ago, except for her “Irish Twin” sister Helen who died a few years ago.

2) “The girls,” as they were known to the engineers and executives at Motown Records, were Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson and Diana Ross. They began singing together when they were high school classmates. Are you still in touch with any friends from your high school days? For WTIT’s 50th Anniversary three of four of my group came. Two I am always in touch with, the other I see for sporadically. That’s strange since he was my bestie, but now we are so different.

3) Mary Wilson was born in Mississippi and her family moved a great deal before settling in Detroit, where she fatefully met Florence and Diana. Were you uprooted often when you were a child? Or did you spend your school years in the same neighborhood? My folks built our house when I was seven and I lived there until my ill-fated first marriage.

4) The Supremes began as a quartet called the Primettes. In addition to Mary, Flo and Diana, there was Betty McGlown. In 1960, Betty left the group to get married and was

Rock & my pub photo

replaced by Barbara Martin. In 1962, Barbara left the group to have a baby. They quit trying to replace the fourth voice, soldiered on as a trio, and made pop history. Have you ever found yourself in a position similar to Betty’s or Barbara’s, where you had to make a difficult decision and choose between your personal life and your career? One of my best friends agreed to try to get a job as a morning team. The one station that wanted us only wanted one. I took it since I was the DJ and my buddy had only been on WTIT. We would have been great. But I took the job. Fortunately he understood.

5) Thinking of babies and “baby love,” is anyone in your life expecting a baby in 2018? My nephew Tug is expecting his first, the third grandchild of my brother’s.

6) With twelve #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, The Supremes remain America’s most commercially successfully recording group, and this song (along with “Stop! In the Name of Love”) is one of the most popular karaoke songs. If we handed you the mic this morning and absolutely insisted you perform, what song would you choose (any song, any genre)? “Bad Leroy Brown” is a song in my range. I am not enamored by the song but I can sing it.

7) Original group member Florence Ballard left the group in 1967. She died of cardiac arrest in 1976 at the age of 32. Since February is National Heart Month, it seems appropriate to ask: Is anyone in your life battling heart disease? I have had heart disease since 2004.

8) Florence Ballard’s brother, Hank, wrote Chubby Checker’s famous dance song, “The Twist.” When did you last dance? Other than at home with my lady, I don’t recall. Probably at a wedding.

9) Random question: Close your eyes and visualize the most beautiful place you’ve ever been. Now describe it to us. It was St. Martin. The two cultures, the beautiful beaches and the people were all spectacular. They say it won’t ever recover from being wiped out be a hurricane.
Have a terrific weekend. Join us again. Same time. Same blog. Hopefully funnier.

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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: I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm

1) Bette Midler sings about the storm that’s raging outside. How’s the weather where you are today? It’s fucking 6 out there today. I am not leaving the house without portable heaters everywhere. And no, I don’t if the make battery operated heating units either. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it, but occasionally my wife has me on her YouTube program for comic relief. This is the first video that I did for her by myself. Other than she filmed it, help write it and produced and directed it. It’s here.

2) She mentions her gloves. Tell us about your favorite pair of gloves or mittens. I love me my Klingon gloves. Other than those, they just have to keep me warm.

3) Does your home have a fireplace to keep you warm? No. The house we sold had a great one. It’s one of the few things that we miss. But I don’t miss paying for heat.

4) Bette’s father, Fred, supported his family as a house painter. Have you ever held a job that kept you outdoors a great deal of the time? Only in college. I worked for Park & Rec after my freshman & sophomore years. In my junior year I got my first radio job and left the Park Dept. without notice. They were cool about it…

5) Her mother, Ruth, was a talented seamstress. How about you? Can you sew on a button? Raise a hem? Darn a hole? Right. I’ll get some of my people on that.

6) 2017 was a big year for Bette. At the age of 72, she opened on Broadway in the revival of Hello, Dolly! and won a Tony. As we kick off 2018, what would you like to accomplish this year? There is that book I need to finish. And then there’s this guitar Kathy bought me that I’ve yet to tune…

7) Bette and her husband Martin have been married for nearly 34 years. Their

Not us.

wedding was officiated by an Elvis impersonator. Are you looking forward to any weddings in 2018? None that I’m aware of. My nephew got married in NYC a few months back with the reception at a beautiful restaurant at Central Park. Our wedding was officiated by a witch. True was that.

8) Bette and Martin are very proud of their daughter, Sophie, now 30, who graduated from Yale in 2008. Do you expect to attend any graduation ceremonies in 2018? Nope. Those days are done. My oldest granddaughter (Lauren, 15) is in her freshman year in high school. Ask me in 3 years…

9) Random question: Yesterday, who did you spend the most time with? The only person I was with yesterday was me lady, me wife.
I hope you survived amateur night. I switched Sunday Stealing back to its old look. Let me know which you like better. We will return. Same time. Same blog.

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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: Sign Of The Times. Harry Styles (2017)

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

1) In this song, Harry sings, “We don’t talk enough, we should open up before it’s all too much.” When you have something serious on your mind, who do you share it with? As with most things in life, it depends on who I have the problem with. Before he passed, my dad was the one that I would tell relationship problems or work stuff or friends shit. Now it’s my sister or my wife and usually the latter. Kathy is a great listener and fairly objective if it’s not our own problem. But we still see a marriage councilor, which is down to once a month. This dude helped save our marriage. Now he’s seeing Kathy also privately from issues from her upbringing. She doesn’t trust easily so the job he did with us allows her to be comfortable confiding in him.

2) As a kid, Harry wanted to be a lawyer because he can see “both sides.” Are you good at seeing both sides of an argument? Yes. In fact you might remember the story of the breakup I had with my high school girlfriend Sally. I hitchhiked from Boston to Burlington VT to spend the weekend with her. After a 5 hour ride I get to her place and she states the “Let’s talk” routine. In a nutshell she told me that “God” didn’t want us together. Now I’m an athiest that still calls himself agnostic. I was then at 17 as well. I asked her how she knew this. It was a long and complicated story that as you can well believe, it made ZERO sense. She had asked not that long before if I’d raqise our kids Christen. I stated that my dad was an atheist and I was raised Catholic and it all worked out. “But you aren’t Catholic anymore!”, she exclaimed. “‘Cause I got smart,” I replied. This did not help my case, my argument or the relationship.

Studio 33 1/3 in 2016. Billy, me & Rock with Greg in the rear…

3) He can’t decide which is favorite color — orange or blue. Help Harry out: which of those colors do you prefer? As a kid I always said “blue” was my favorite color. At present it is “hunter green”. The WTIT Studio is hunter green and I love it. My previous studios were either paneled (1967-1973) or painted a neutral color (1974-2012). But the studio in my house happened to be hunter green. My wife said, “No worries – I’ll repaint it”. The killer is now I love hunter green. Today I signed the lease on our new apartment. After the signing and paying I asked, “Any problems if I paint my radio studio hunter green?” He smiled and said, “I’ve got to (by state of CT law) repaint after you move out, so nope. Go for it.” So that studio will resemble this one by a lot. But it’s not our “Windsor Studio” that I had previously implied. We pulled out of that one for lack of space. This one is two bedrooms as well, but the laundry (washer-dryer) are in our kitchen! It’s one level and in a two family home. We are on the first floor. Our rent will be $549 less than our mortgage and heat is included. So we will save much $$$ and stretch our retirement money further. The apartment is in Rockville, CT. So it will be known as our “Rocking Rockville Studio…”!

4) Harry says he prefers older women, but would never go out with someone older than his mother. Do you think age disparity matters in romance? It can. In the 90s I was selling ads for a Hartford radio station. One account insisted that I DJ his bar on Friday nights. Now since it was a comedy club, I basically warmed the crowd up for the jokers and after the show I played dance music. As a club DJ you are always hit on by women. Now at this point in my life not only was I single, but I welcomed the shot of meeting women as a DJ again. (My last go round was in the 70s.) I had this woman come in the DJ booth on new Years Eve. Everyone had dates (naturally) and the woman stopped in to request a song. I started kissing her. After 10 minutes she said she should get back to her date. I agreed so IF she gave me her number. She was 21. I had recently turned 40. On our first date she stated, “I know that you are older than I. But I need to know how much older.” I asked “Why?” She explained that her dad was 39 and if I was his age, she’d see it as a problem. So I asked his age, she explained, “39”. I’m thinking, “Holy shit!” but I say, “He’s nowhere near my age,” I stated to her delight. We dated some six months. So yes, age is relative…

5) He admits to a big crush on Adele, who is six years older than he is. Who are you crushing on right now? (It doesn’t have to be a celebrity.) Just my lady, my wife Kathy.

6) It makes Harry’s skin crawl when he sees people use their teeth to open bottles. What creeps you out? 21 year-old women who give a shit if you’re their dad’s age.

7) When he’s on the road, his go-to food is tacos. Do you like Mexican food? Some. I hate refried beans. I love tacos, fajitas and a lot of their food. But NO FUCKING BEANS!

8) Harry has never smoked. Have you ever been a smoker? If you quit, how did you successfully kick the habit? I started smoking at 12. I quit as a junior in college at around 22. After my first divorce oin 1991 I started the bar scene where everyone smoked. It did not take long until I was doing 2 packs a day again. I developed heart decease in 2004. I quit for good then.

9) Random Question: As she pulls out of her parking space, an elderly woman in an old car scrapes an expensive car. Then she drives away. You witness the whole thing. Do you make a note of her license plate and leave it for the owner of the expensive car? Or do you just mind your own business? My own business would be to report her. So uncool, so yes, I’d take action.

We did Trekonderoga 3. It was my third, Kathy’s second. James Cawley, an Elvis impersonator by trade, started one of the longest running Star Trek fan films called “Star Trek: New Voyages”. What he did was reconstruct the original sets of the 1960’s show down to the wall hangings. The shows are available to watch on YouTube. They were all filmed in Ticonderoga, New York. The first year I went alone and had a mind blowing experience. Last year I returned and brought Kathy. I decided that at some point I’d do the costume thing. It was my second year in the getup. I have a fantastic Klingon head piece you might have seen before, I’ve never had the full thing before last year. Costumes were tough. Either I got the cheap one for $40 on Amazon or I could spend hundreds. I started reading reviews of the cheap one. They all complained that the head piece sucked. That, I figured, didn’t matter because I didn’t need one. So I ordered it. The head wear did suck moose and also the belt did. It was just a costume piece with a picture of a belt. The uniform was bland. But I looked at it and saw possibilities. I found a company that sold the belt buckle made from the same mold as the show for just $15. I also bought a Klingon medal for the same price. After the event I bought real boots, pants and more metals to really jazz it up. Last year Kathy went as a redshirt. This year she covered her uniform with…wait for it…tribbles! I loved getting stopped and being asked to take my picture with whoever. I met a few other Klingons, but I was the best. What Kathy did with my make was unbelievable. If you’d like to watch the video of it all, click here. I’m in it! So if want to see me walk & talk – watch it! Otherwise, I will see you next week! Same time. Same blog.

How about this shot? Yes that’s really Nichele Nichols (Uhura) & Walter Koenig (Chekov) along with Carl Sheldon as Scotty with me in my Klingon full uniform!

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: Sgt. Pepper (1967)

1) The Beatles recorded this after they had taken a three-month hiatus from working together as a band. Do you find you’re sharp after taking time off? Or does it take you a while to get back into the swing of things in your day-to-day life? It takes me a while to get into the “swing of things” as you can see from this lame fucking response. Although since I have not worked a day since breaking my neck, I may not be the right person to ask.

2) During those three months off, John Lennon made a movie called How I Won the War. What’s the last movie you watched? Did you view it at a theater, on TV, or from a device like a computer or tablet? “Rouge One” is now on Netflix and that’s when we saw it. Not terrific, but compared to those awful computer generated first chapters, it was brillant.

3) Paul McCartney and George Harrison both used their time off to make new and different music. Paul composed instrumentals for a movie soundtrack while George studied sitar with Ravi Shankar. Ringo Starr spent those three months with his wife and their two little boys. If you had three months to spend doing anything you wanted, and money was no object, would you try something new (like Paul and George) or just kick back and relax (like Ringo)? I’m 65. There’s nothing better than relaxing. I cannot wait to close on the sale of our house and settle into our apartment. From a 4 bedroom 3 bath home to a two bedroom apartment. But this will make my money last longer when I officially retire.

4) Paul recalls what fun it was to dress up in Edwardian-era costumes for the album cover. When did you last attend a costume party? What did you wear? I’m a Klingon.

5) Paul says he came up with the name “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” when Beatle friend Mal Evans told him about this great San Francisco band, Big Brother and the Holding Company. Paul hadn’t heard their music yet, but he loved the sound of their six-word band name. Soon everyone would hear of Big Brother. Do you know who Big Brother’s famous lead singer was? Janis. The Queen of Rock.

6) Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band appeared on the Billboard charts for 175 weeks. Is this album in your collection? I have the American vinyl. I have the English vinal. I have the 2009 remastered edition. This was the best album of all time.

7) The Beatles are among the top-selling artists of all time in Zimbabwe and Ethiopia. Would you like to visit Africa? I watch a ton of nature films of the big cats of Africa. That said, I don’t think I’d love to contend with the heat or the insects.

8) 50 years ago, when Sgt. Pepper was first released, the average price for gas was 33¢/gallon. When did you last fill up your gas tank? Do you remember how much it cost? $2.32.

9) Random question: Are most of your married friends happily married? It’s split. Johnnie and Captain are single, the rest of us are happily married. Happy as far as I know.
I have never felt more shame as an American as I did this week when our president went all in for racism. What a horrible man. He needs to resign. I am part out The Resistance.
On that note, enjoy your weekend. We record for the last time in this house and Studio 33 1/3. We have verbally agreed to an apartment and unless something falls through, the next studio will be known as The Windsor Studio. Peace & love.