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.

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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.

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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: The Addams Family (1964)

1) One of TV’s spookiest families was inspired by a series of New Yorker cartoons. What’s the last magazine you flipped through? Whatever was at my dentist’s. Crap signal for my iPhone.

2) The Addams’ butler, Lurch, was originally conceived as a mute. But then actor Ted Cassidy ad libbed the line, “You rang?” and Lurch had a voice, and a catchphrase. Can you think of another catchphrase connected to a TV character? Fonzie – “Hey”. Sheldon – “Bazinga”, JJ Walker – “Dynamite”. I could go on. But I HATE them all except for the Fonz. Great character on a great show. He graduated from my college the year before I got there. If you never saw his first movie after Happy Days do. It was called “Night Shift” with Micheal Keaton & Shelly Long.

3) Now here’s the most important question of the week: Do you prefer The Addams Family or The Munsters? Watched both as a kid and still like them. However, the Munsters were slapstick while Adams Family was cerebral. I hate slapstick (although I did like The Munsters). Jerry Lewis & Adam Sandler are my least favorite actors. Although Lewis’ serious film about being a Late Night type talk show host was excellent and so was he.

4) What’s the scariest movie you’ve ever seen? For its time, Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. My late Aunt Helen LOVED horror. She took me & I nearly – well you get the idea.

5) Thursday was Halloween. What goodies did you give the trick or treaters? Hershy bars and Reese’s Peanut Butter cups.

6) Are you attending/have you attended any Halloween parties this year? No.

7) Did you carve a jack o’lantern this year? No.

8) Do you eat candy corn all year around … only at Halloween … or never? Never. I don’t eat much candy. My wife craves sugar. She cannot understand that I don’t need a cone when we pass a dairy.

9) In 1964, when The Addams Family premiered, one of the most popular store-bought Halloween costumes was Bambi. It came with a plastic mask held on by a thin elastic band. Tell us about a memorable Halloween costume from your childhood. I never like them. I mean I musta at the time, but I don’t remember any. In 1999 I won the work contest. My son gave me a fantastic Klingon Mask. I still have it and won “Best costume” at a Star Trek convention type thing where they have recreated every thing from the original set. Sitting as a Klingon with Walter Koenig & Nichelle Nichols in NY. As you can see I added a lot over the years. I was asked to pose for pictures with people all weekend. Although the pic with Bill Shatner in Hartford was neat too. He wasn’t but the pic rocked.

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We are moved in about 90%. Enough to show the house of the my son & his family was great. They loved it. We had our first recording in the brand new “Jumping Walker Studio” from Bloomfield”. All four of us recorded for the first time and this will be our 2019 yearly pic on the “Wall of Shame”. We have 34 pictures from 52 years. Some were not taken because we didn’t record. Johnnie Walker lost them two years in a row. But having pics from age 15 to nearly 68 (I turn it tomorrow) is awesome, not as big as having all the recordings interview girlfriends in 1968 to the birth of my first child in 1974 through grandchild and now retirement. Knowing that I will live in this house for the rest of the journey is awesome. For the story if interested email me. I can’t tell you here.  Or call me. I’ll even give you my cell number if you ask. Back to the house: The sun risings over the mountain that we see there. The fall colors from being high up is breath taking. The house doesn’t resemble what the owners who lived here since building it in 1977. They updated everything constantly. The inspector said no one has better insulation in

We are pointing at the new Jouhnnie Walker sign. Looks great! Expensive? Nope. $20 at etsy.com.

their attic than we do. The windows can’t be five years old. Best I’ve seen. The washer is a top-of-the-line Maytag. The dryer rocks as well. The dishwasher practically clears your table. The radio studio is already my favorite of all time. I know. “I am not worthy”. But sometimes luck plays a major role in your life. I expect a long, healthy experience living with my best friend. Kathy and I hit a decade in 2020. I gave up those French twins, though. I miss them. I loved writing this blog as a jaded single guy. But after I met Kathy it felt wrong. So then you got the real me. I wish we all could meet for a drink or coffee. Oh, I couldn’t renew my drivers license. Turned out Rhode Island had some reason to block it. It cost $10 to find out the reason. It was a speeding ticket n- wait for it – from 1996! My son graduated from Bryant University and I drove him back and forth. This ticket an this house have a connection. Maybe someday I won’t be as cryptic. I’ll be back to this here space. 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: 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!

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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: 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: It’s Late (1959)

1) Ricky Nelson laments that he should have been home hours ago. When is the last time you stayed up later than you should have? What were you doing? These days I only stay up late when my meds get screwy. I can fall asleep at almost any time. My wife wakes me up in the WTIT studio way too many times. Speaking of the studio, for the first time in our 52 years that we gave the studio a permanet name, until now. It’s the Jumping Johnnie Walker Studio, named for my late friend wwho stuck with me when we kept changing friends and DJ staffers. But Johnnie stuck with me. I am so glad Bouncing Billy & I paid for his flight from Denver for our 50th. He passed 11 months later.

2) Compounding Ricky’s problem is that he’s nearly out of gas. How is your gas tank right now? When did you most recently fill ‘er up? I do so little driving other than errands. I put 30K on it (Chevy Malibu loaded – I love my car) but since I retired I do so little of it. It’s by design since I’m not able to get much range of motion that happened wshen I broke my neck in October 2016. Now the car – 2 1/2 years later – 37,500.

3) It gets worse! He can’t call home because he doesn’t have a dime for the pay phone. Have you recently been in a situation where you’ve been glad you had your cell phone handy? Besides everything else I need my MapQuest GPS on it.

4) The video for this song is from an episode of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Ozzie Nelson, Ricky’s father, was in charge of the show and made the rules. One was that no one was allowed to smoke on the set … except his wife, Harriet. Do you smoke? Have you ever lived with a smoker? I smoke from 13 till 21. I quit because I wanted to be a DJ and throat cancer would have killed that. I started agaiun in my 40s when I was in bars and people offered them. Next thing I know that I’m back to 2 packs a day. So from 1993 till 2004 I smoke again. My heart problems stopped me immediately quiting. I do vape pot. Legally, of course. I got my medical marijuana card last year so that I scale back the opiods.

5) Life magazine coined the phrase “teen idol” to describe Ricky’s popularity. According to Tiger Beat, today’s teen idols include Johnny Orlando and Ruby Jay. Johnny was born in 2003, Ruby in 2004. Sam admits that before today, she had no idea who these young people are. How about you? I don’t know them, but it doesn’t mean I don’t own there music. I routinely check charted tunes and add them if I like them. And watching TV I’ll hear a song I like, I Shazam them and add them as well.

6) While Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan have posthumously praised Ricky Nelson’s music, 1950s music critics dismissed him as a lightweight. What’s the last review you read? Was it written by a professional critic, or was it contributed by a consumer to a site like Amazon or Yelp? He was my first as far as buying music goes. I recently paid a dollar for “Rick is 21″…

7) At the height of his popularity, Ricky tried his hand at movies, appearing in the western Rio Bravo with John Wayne. He turned 18 during the filming, and Wayne celebrated by playfully throwing Ricky into a sack of horse manure. Do you think pranks and practical jokes are funny? Nope. That’s called being a bully.

8) In 1959, when this song was popular, the St. Lawrence Seaway was completed. It connects Canada to our Great Lakes. Without looking it up, can you name all 5 Great Lakes? This must be a midwest thang. No I cannot name any of them. I can’t name the fucking river that borders our backyard.

9) Random question – You drive past a local motel and see the car of a very married friend right there in the lot. Would you ask her about it? Nope. I just would blackmail her.

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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