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.
-30-
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 
love me my Klingon gloves. Other than those, they just have to keep me warm.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
chapters, it was brillant.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
1) Have you ever danced the polka? Every day. I get up in the morning and wake my wife and say, “Honey, It’s Polka Time!” We jump into our Polka outfits and dance to our favorite, “Beer Bottle Polka.” (I’m the one in the dress.) Then we flap our arms to fly away.
the 1930s to the 1970s. Before this week’s Saturday 9, had you ever heard of him? Of course. I’ve been alive long enough to wonder why anyone would watch the dude.
6) After The Donna Reed Show, Shelly went on to a recurring role on One Day at a Time and was twice nominated for an Emmy for her work on Coach. Her husband is Mike Farrell, who played BJ on M*A*S*H. Which of those four sitcoms would you enjoy binge watching? M*A*S*H. By a lot. I did not know about Mike and Shelly. Farrell always comes off as a great guy.
