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While many people think of the first day of summer being around June 20th, I’m going with what the weather experts say.  The Meteorological season of summer begins on June 1^st and runs through August 31^st.  Then Fall happens from September 1^st through November 30^th and so on.  In other words, summer IS here!

Like tens of millions of people, thanks to the pandemic, I NEED this season more than ever.  Last year not only was my swim season at East End Pool called off but there were no movies to see since all cinemas were shut down. My summer was at a standstill. That bastard virus forced me to stay indoors and away from people for long stretches of time.  I was living a solitary and paranoid life like Charlton Heston in “The Omega Man.”

Add to that, all last summer the block I live on was torn up in a funky dusty mess thanks to a project that protects almost one hundred homes from basement flooding.  Four houses were torn down and a major dig happened with giant sewer drainage pipes installed, then covered over with a beautiful field of grass. That field is just waiting for neighborhood kids to come and start up games of Wiffle ball, running bases, batting practice and frisbee throws.   

The first special mark of every summer for me is June third.  As faithful blog readers know, that’s my favorite day in music.  “It was the third of June another sleepy dusty delta day” is how Bobbie Gentry’s southern gothic song “Ode to Billy Joe” opens.  We’ll never know why Billy Joe Mc Callister jumped off the Tallahatchie bridge; but that haunting song about indifference in a small town is a classic I never get tired of.

Let’s not forget that Neil Diamond’s song “Desiree” also refers to the third of June. Neil sings how he ‘became a man at the hands of a girl almost twice my age.’   That track was released in 1977, I was sixteen, and yeah, I remember thinking more about older women thanks to “Desiree.”

Next up we have the C.W. Mc Call truckers’ classic song “Convoy” which opens with, “Was the dark of the moon on the sixth of June in a Kenworth pullin’ logs, cab-over Pete with a reefer on and a Jimmy haulin’ hogs.”   Schlocky song which I’m not posting to spare you the grief, but still a fun date to mark.

June sixth also marks the birthday of the late great radio legend Larry Lujack.  My old boss and longtime friend would’ve been eighty-one years old this year.  I remember Larry telling me how ‘seventy’ was a tough age to say since it was three syllables.  Eighty-one would be the same way and while I miss Ole Uncle Lar very much, I’ve got plenty of good memories with him to think of.

East End Pool’s swim season is set to open on Saturday June 12th and I can’t wait to get back there.  The pandemic related protocols the Elmhurst Park District initially planned have been lifted!  It appears we’ll have a normal swim season and I look forward to spending time with my ‘summer family.’

I’m in the first week of teaching ESY (Extended School year) and the summer session ends on Friday June 25^th.  Thanks to carefully saving my earned days off I’m going to be taking half days for the last couple weeks of the summer session.  To say our students and staff are impatiently counting down to 6/25 would be a gross understatement.  As Clint Black sang, “For my day in the sun, I’ve been working til the sun don’t shine.”

My summer plans are simple. Get lots of time in at the pool and watch plenty of White Sox and Cubs baseball. I’ll keep a scorecard on televised games at least twice a week. Add to this, I have an AMC Theaters gift card that’s only been used once.   Finally, every summer when my break arrives, I often say I’m going to get in some serious writing and then never do.  This year could be different because I’ve outlined several post-pandemic short stories.  If I get them written they’ll be posted here in a special section.

I’ve got plenty of regular blogs pre-written. These ones aren’t time sensitive so every Tuesday you can count on a new post as I opine on music, movies and other things on my mind.   The bottom line is summer’s here so let’s all get as much out of these coming days as we can.

NEXT BLOG- “Call me crazy but…”

Warning: For those who are squeamish around bare feet, the following blog may be disturbing.  (Lord knows it was hard for me to write)

The warm weather is here and it’s time to re-visit my barefoot phobia.  Regular readers know about my issue with naked, exposed dogs. Facebook friends are hip to my foot aversion, often posting on my page pics of ugly feet or those novelty rubber shoes that masquerade as normal looking feet in sandals. They think it’s funny, I tolerate it but don’t need to see any more of the same.

Feet are the least attractive part of the human anatomy.  I don’t care how ‘cute’ or ‘well shaped’ or ‘meticulously pedicured’ someone’s lower extremities are, they’re still not good looking.  Now that the outside temperatures are going up, everyone is out and about in their flip flops and open toed sandals, dress shoes and all the other piggie exposing footwear. 

It’s this over-exposure to bare feet that drives me nuts.   Let me put it this way.  Think of a food you don’t like to eat.  Something that others do but it’s just not something you want to chew on. Now, picture having to eat this food many times a day.  You don’t like that food but you’re getting exposed to it every time you sit down to eat.  That’s the same as me seeing so many people constantly flashing their feet throughout the summer.

I get it that when at the beach or local swimming pool like everyone else, I’m going to be seen in my Reef flip flops showing my bare dogs.  That’s fine.  But that’s the only place I want show off mine or see someone else’s exposed heels, insteps and toes.  End of story. 

Now here’s a great example of the needless over-exposure of shoe and sock free feet.  Model Christie Brinkley and her two daughters Alexa and Sailor are featured in new ads for a blue jean company.  There are several photos of them wearing the jeans with their shoes on.  Then, we get this pic, all three women sporting the jeans and posing in bare feet.  Why?  It’s beyond contrived and silly.

One disturbing trend this year is the sale of false long toenails. Toenails! Not the long acrylic fingernails that women often wear. Why the hell would someone want to glue false nails on their toes to parade around in? Are they trying to emulate predatory birds that swoop down and catch prey with their talons?   I have no words for how gross that looks.  See for yourself in these pics. 

Two summers ago, Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” was released.  As much as I enjoyed that movie, the hippie women who followed Charles Manson were constantly shown in their dirty smelly bare feet.  What a turn-off that was.  Tarantino is a renowned foot fetish guy and those grotesque toe baring scenes were proof of that.

One ally I have in my foot phobia is WGN Morning News anchor Robin Baumgarten. Robin and I could have a ‘hate-off’ of bare feet and toes and it would probably come to a tie.  The Morning News crew often notes Ms. Baumgarten’s feet fears and they’ve played a parody song I put together with my pal Al Flash.  I took the old song “Barefootin” (gross, I know) and turned it into “Baumgarten” as we addressed her disgust with naked lower extremities.  So, enjoy the tune, welcome the warm weather and for God’s sake, cover your feet!  Oh, and Quentin Tarantino, get some professional help.

NEXT BLOG- Summer’s Comin.’

It was fifty years ago, Tuesday May 18^th 1971 when the Montreal Canadiens broke my heart.  Or maybe it was the Chicago Blackhawks who did the heart breaking since they were the team that lost to Montreal in game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals at the Chicago Stadium.  Just writing these words gives me shivers.

At the time, I was ten years old and a Hawks fan since I was five. I never missed watching a road game on TV and since their home games were not on local TV, listening to Lloyd Pettit on the radio was my way to follow the club. This team had stars like Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Dennis Hull, Jim Pappin, defensemen Pat Stapleton and Bill White plus ace goalie Tony Esposito. (My personal hero)

The Hawks clawed their way to the best of seven Stanley Cup Finals against the Canadian dynasty that already won more Stanley Cups than any other team. They had accomplished players like soon to retire Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard, Jacques Lemaire, Yvan Courneyer and tough to beat goalie Ken Dryden. Dryden at 6’4 with a large frame and cat like reflexes seemed to come out of nowhere to lead his team to a shot at yet another championship.

My dad and I went to game 1 of this series which was at the Stadium but we watched it on a big movie screen via closed circuit at the Ritz Theater in Berwyn. Landing tickets to see the Blackhawks in person during the regular season was tough and the play-offs were an impossible ticket.  The Hawks won 2 to 1 in a second sudden death overtime. How good was Canadian goalie Ken Dryden that game?   He stopped 56 out of 58 shots on goal!

The series progressed to a 3-3 tie in games and the Stanley Cup would be decided at the Stadium on May 18^th.  I was so sure the Blackhawks would win that I missed listening to the first part of the game to attend our elementary school’s annual ice cream social early that night.  By the time I got home, my Hawks were leading Montreal 2-0 in the second period.  This was a done deal.  Not so fast Mick.   

Fourteen minutes into the second period Montreal’s Jacques Lemaire took a shot from outside the Hawk’s blue line and Tony Esposito missed what appeared to be an easy save.  It was a freak goal.   Four minutes later Henri Richard tied the game.  

Then heartbreak hit. Two and a half minutes into the third period that rat bastard Henri Richard with the puck on his stick, out maneuvered defenseman Keith Magnuson, got one on one with Esposito and beat him for his second goal of the game.  Montreal 3 Blackhawks 2. 

I listened to the rest of that third period on my trusty transistor radio in the dark of my bedroom.  Every time the Hawks were in Montreal’s end of the rink, I thought for sure they’d tie the game and bring it to sudden death overtime.  It wasn’t to be and when the third period ended, I was in shock. 

My team, my Blackhawks lost 3-2.  It was over. No Blackhawk on that team would take a victory lap around stadium ice while hoisting the silver Stanley Cup trophy above their head.  There would be no drinking champagne from that chalice in the locker room.  All the spoils of victory went to the visiting Montreal Canadiens.  Ow!

A few minutes after this loss, my shock turned to anger and I trashed my bedroom.  With tears streaming down my face, I jumped out of bed, turned on a light and tore the many Blackhawk newspaper photos off my walls. I flung Hawks trading cards all over the place, kicked over my desk chair and threw my little handheld radio against the wall as hard as I could.  Some plastic chipped off that radio but it was still working as Lloyd Pettit solemnly did the game summary. I was overwhelmed with grief.

This loss stayed with me like an unwanted houseguest that refuses to leave. My mom and I used to frequent a local restaurant where one of the waitresses had Blackhawk season tickets. I often talked hockey with her and the first time we ate there after game 7 she told us how hard the boys tried but just couldn’t pull out the win.  This was my first ever sports related heartbreak but it would not be the last. I once read how 1971 Canadian team member Yvan Courneyer talked about running into angry and dejected Hawks fans decades later.  He couldn’t believe these fans hadn’t gotten over that game 7 loss.  That’s easy for a guy on the winning team to say, harder for us fans to do.

The good news is years later the Chicago Blackhawks won Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015. While I was thrilled at these championships, it wasn’t until the 2015 four games to two victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning that I pretty much got over that loss to Montreal.  Why then?  Because it was the first Blackhawks Stanley Cup title clinched on home ice during my years as a fan.  That win happened at the United Center since the old Stadium was torn down in 1994 but I finally felt some vindication.

The bitterness and hurt over 1971 is gone, but a scar remained; faded as it might be.  Damn you Ken Dryden, Jacques Lemaire and Henri Richard and damn you, hockey gods for letting me go through such pain at a tender age.  I learned then that things don’t always go the way you want.  And it sometimes takes nearly forever to get over those losses.

NEXT BLOG- Dealing with the season of exposed feet.

Actor Ben Affleck was in the news twice last week.  First, Ben was seen hanging out with his former fiancée Jennifer Lopez, who recently split from former baseball star/fiancée Alex Rodriguez. 

However, this second Ben Affleck story is the juicier one.   A woman named Nivine Jay posted a video saying Affleck DM’d her on Instagram after she ‘unmatched’ him on the Raya dating app.  Raya is an exclusive platform where celebrities look to hook up with attractive non-celebrities. It’s Tinder for Tinseltown.

Then we learned “Friends” star Matthew Perry was spotted on Raya trolling for a date with a lovely young woman.  How young? Well, the woman was 20 and Perry is 51.  Hey ‘Chandler Bing’, could you BE any creepier?

You might wonder what movie and music stars need to use a spot like Raya to get a romance going.  Ask Sharon Stone, Channing Tatum, John Cusack, Teri Hatcher, Elijah Wood and Zach Braff.  All of these celebrities have reportedly looked for love on Raya.

 Famous people who have everything good going for them scouting an app for dates? Weird, I know.

Getting back to Ms. Nivine’s rejection of Ben Affleck; apparently, she didn’t believe the Ben Affleck on Raya was the REAL Ben trying to hook up with her so she rejected of ‘un-matched’ him.  Then Ben posted a direct message to Nivine Jay asking, “Why did you un-match me? It’s me!”  How sad for an Oscar winning A-lister to be whining and pining because some stranger rejected his interest in her.  What line do I often quote about ‘desperation’?  “It’s the world’s worst smelling cologne.“

Thanks to Raya, everyday people can meet up and even mate up with famous stars.  But to get into Raya, you need to be INVITED to the platform by a current member of the dating app.

I doubt I’ll ever make it on the Raya Celebrity Dating App.  BUT, if I did, here are just a few of the famous lasses I’d hope were also on the platform.  Women I’d make a play for in no particular order.

KATE WALSH- I remember 53 year old Kate from the Drew Carey show and the quirky “Bad Judge” TV series, but never watched her in her biggest role, playing Dr. Addison Montgomery in “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice”.  My interest in Ms. Walsh?  First, she’s tall, attractive, great eyes and smile. More important, anytime I’ve seen her doing a guest shot on a talk show or game show, she shows a confident and fun persona. This celebrity appears to ‘get it’ and doesn’t take herself too seriously.  Add to this, Kate Walsh is a lifestyle products mogul, selling perfumes, candles and other girly items under the cute moniker “Boyfriend.”  She’s only been married once but the rub on Kate Walsh is despite being born and raised in the USA, she now lives in Australia.  That’s quite a way to go for a date but hey, I’m not adverse to taking a long distance journey.

JENNIFER GARNER- With Jennifer’s ex-husband Ben Affleck trolling Raya, why shouldn’t she do the same?  Besides starring on the TV series “Alias” and many films including the popular “13 Going on 30”, Ms. Garner, age 49, does TV pitch work for Neutrogena beauty products and Capital One Credit cards.  Add to this, she’s raising three kids co-parenting with Ben.  So, what’s MY selling point to Jennifer Garner? I’m the opposite of her ex-hubby. I’m not famous, not an alcoholic or a serial dater or a degenerate gambler.  Add to this, I’ve always fancied this hazel eyed beauty ever since she played that card tossing ‘Go fish’ scene with Leonardo DiCaprio in “Catch Me if You Can.” 

TERRI CLARK –This 52 year old Canadian born and bred country music star is one of my favorite singers in Nashville.  The twice divorced Terri has a great sense of humor, which you’ll find in songs like “Better Things to Do,” “Girls Lie Too” and the video for “You’re Easy on the Eyes.” Full disclosure: In my country radio days at US*99, I met and hung with Ms. Clark on a few occasions.  She wouldn’t remember me. I’m just another of the many radio goofs she’s met in her thirty-year music career.  However, anytime I was around Terri I’d mention how she was the best Canadian export since Molson Golden.  She always laughed at that line, so I have that going for me.

So it’s Kate, Jennifer and Terri, three potential options for me in the ‘Do you want to date a big star’ sweepstakes.  I doubt any of these women are on Raya and I’m not either.  But who knows what the future brings us?  Stay tuned.

P.S. Some of you may be thinking, “Hey Mick, what about Bill Gates’ soon to be ex-wife Melinda?  She’s going to be looking for a new man at some point. Well, something tells me Melinda’s future is going to be filled with loads of drama. I’ll take a cautious and polite pass.

NEXT BLOG:  The Canadiens broke my heart.

This Sunday is Mother’s Day and my nearest and dearest has been gone for almost twelve years.  Dorie Kahler was a wonderful mother and we were very close.  While I always miss my mom, I have a ridiculous amount of great memories of her or as I call them “Momeries” that keep me company. I think of them not just on Mother’s Day but throughout the year.  Here are just a few warm remembrances.

Mom interrupting Wiffle ball games friends and I had in our backyard for good reason.  She’d have us boys sample her latest makings of homemade jelly.  (Plum, Strawberry, Blackberry, you name it, she made it) A large plate would be passed around with the freshly made jelly smeared over hot buttered rolls.  She made plenty and we kept a downstairs pantry well stocked with those sweet eats. I don’t recall eating store bought jelly until I went away to college.

Dorie Kahler also canned peppers, relishes and incredible tomato sauces.  Cooking was mom’s passion and she was great at it. Anytime I went to a ‘bring a dish’ party, mom would whip up some tasty treat for me to take and her food contribution was always the one that party guests would be asking and even begging for the recipe.

In college I hosted Fourth of July parties in our backyard and mom made giant vats of chili that I didn’t think anyone would get that into.  Two years in a row the chili vats along with large side bowls of onions and cheese would be gobbled up til there was nothing left. We also drained a couple kegs of beer.  One of those bashes had mom coming home late from work at Good Samaritan Hospital to find a guest throwing up on our front porch.  I was sent to clean up that mess.

Dorie Kahler was a dedicated Little League baseball and hockey mom decades before those terms became part of our everyday vernacular.  From age 8 to 18 I could count on one hand the number of my games she missed and still have a finger or two left.  

Mine was one of the ‘Cool Moms.’  The parent who took a Chevy Caprice full of neighborhood kids to Honey Hill or Phil’s beach at Bangs Lake in Wauconda, Cub games at Wrigley Field, the batting cages in Maywood and movies at Yorktown Cinemas.  She loved seeing me and my pals having fun at all these places and was always ready for the next adventure. 

In high school, my parents let me host closely monitored beer drinking poker games and a really big yearbook holiday party just before Christmas of senior year.  These days such gatherings would get adults in big trouble but it was a different time and nobody ever got hurt.  Although there WAS the Easter Eve when some unknown poker playing guest stole our holiday ham from the kitchen fridge.  Mom and dad laughed it off the next morning and we celebrated that Easter at Stein’s Deli in Lyons.      

Dorie Kahler was into politics both national and local. In 1973 she ran for Elmhurst City Council and trounced her incumbent opponent by a huge margin.  She was a conscious voice for those with little power or influence but four years of those uphill battles was enough for her.  She turned down the chance to do another term but helped get other good people elected as aldermen.

It wasn’t all fun and games with my mother.  There was her dedicated love and concern for others in bad situations.  When my sister Marianne’s first husband Gary was stricken with terminal brain cancer, mom took weeks off from work to stay with Marianne and her ill mate in Sycamore to support them through such an awful time.

My parents divorced in 1986 and strange as it seems, they became closer with each other after the split.  This was most evident when my father Ken Kahler had his own life ending battle with cancer in 1993.  He stayed with us as our living room (complete with hospital bed and oxygen tank) became a peaceful hospice.  Mom was with dad to the very end, cooking what he could eat, reading Bible verses and doing anything to make his last weeks and days as comfortable as possible. 

Dad’s death early on a Sunday morning in August broke our hearts.  We all knew his passing was inevitable but mom was devastated.  She took comfort in knowing someday in years to come she’d be reunited with dad and reminded us of the same.

I hate to end this blog on such a sad note so I’ll share one more momory.  One summer when I was around ten our family went to a drive-in movie in Addison.  Mom volunteered to get us popcorn and soft drinks. She came back with all that and a large picnic cooler.  How’d that happen? While at the snack stand, Dorie Kahler took part in a contest where you had to roll a frozen hunk of ice up and down your arms and legs and the first person to melt it all the way down would win the cooler.  That was my mom; game for anything and bringing a smile to all who knew her.

Happy Mother’s Day to all!

NEXT BLOG- So who wants to date a celebrity?

Last week a songwriter’s death may have slipped the attention of music fans.  I’m talking about Jim Steinman who died suddenly at age 73.   Right now, you’re probably saying, “Who was Jim Steinman?”

As a writer of lyrics and music, Steinman penned two hits for Bonnie Tyler, “Holding Out for a Hero” and the iconic “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”  This in addition to Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” Air Supply’s “Making Love out of Nothing at All” and Meatloaf’s “I’ll Do Anything for Love, but I Won’t Do That.”

But before those compositions, Jim Steinman wrote all the songs for Meatloaf’s landmark album “Bat Out of Hell.”  Tracks from that record included “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” the operatic “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” and other great songs that made both sides of the disc fun to listen to.

“Bat out of Hell” came out in late 1977. At that time my stereo’s turntable spun albums by The Who, Elton John, Queen, Eagles and Bob Seger. Meatloaf’s songs were also played loudly and often in my bedroom.

This record had a bold orchestral sound to it.  It was very theatrical, as was 270 pound Meatloaf performing concerts in black slacks and a ruffled tuxedo shirt all breathy and sweaty.  Lots was made of Meatloaf’s heavyset body and long hair but his vocals were equally noteworthy.

 Still, when you take away Meatloaf’s vocals and visuals, there were Steinman’s melodies and lyrics that resonated with me as a sixteen-year-old. I was full of piss and vinegar and of course teen lust.  At that time, I’m not sure any other set of songs were as much in my wheelhouse as what “Bat Out of Hell” brought me.

You had the drama of “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” with the whole idea of ‘going all the way’ that lit fires of passion and wanting. Lyrics like “Well I can remember every little thing as if it happened only yesterday, parking by the lake and there was not another car in sight, and I never had a girl looking any better than you did, and all the kids at school, they were wishing they were me that night.”   How can you listen to that and not think about the night you had that much wanted “hot date”?

There was the angst and frustration of “All Revved Up and No Place to Go.”   “I was nothing but a lonely boy looking for something new, and you were nothing but a lonely girl, but you were something, something like a dream come true.”  And then to go on to the chorus of this guy and girl with “Every Saturday night, I felt the fever grow, do you know what it’s like, all revved up and no place to go.”

Finally, there was my favorite track, “You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth starting with the boy-girl recitation asking “Would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?” This followed by the sung lines, “It was a hot summer night and the beach was burning, there was fog crawling over the sand, when I listen to your heart, I hear the whole world turning, I see the shooting stars falling through your trembling hands.”  I didn’t have a beach to take girls to but I sure wished one was nearby.    

Then top this off with the killer line “You were licking your lips and your lipstick shining, I was dying just to ask for a taste, we were lying together in a silver lining by the light of the moon, you know there’s another moment to waste.”  Been there, done that. Whew!

Just re-writing these Jim Steinman lines brings me back to cranking those songs every Friday and Saturday night before going out to high school parties to guzzle cans of Old Style & Olympia beer, all charged up and hoping to chat up a girl or two.  After that, who knows what might happen?

Full disclosure- Me and most of my high school buddies were a bit slow to get out of the gate with the opposite sex; like Bob Seger so aptly sang we were ‘Working on mysteries without any clues.’  Eventually, all of us did find our footing with girls and thankfully I had Jim Steinman’s songs there to let me know I wasn’t alone in my wanting. There was someone who knew how I felt, there was hope and yes, maybe even a slight glimpse of paradise by the dashboard light…

NEXT BLOG- Some fun memories of my mom.

Last weekend on my Facebook page I quoted an opening line to an old song.  It’s something I sometimes do when a tune is whirling around my coconut.  This time I posted the line “Well she’s all you’d ever want, she’s the kind I’d like to flaunt and take to dinner.” It’s the opening lyric to the Tom Jones oldie “She’s a Lady.”  Seemed innocent enough and some Facebook pals chimed in on how they like that song and Tom Jones.

However, one person replied to my post by saying, “One of the most sexist songs in history.”  Then this Facebook friend quoted the line ‘Well she’s never in the way, always something nice to say, she’s a lady.’ 

One slight phrase pulled from a song that’s fifty years old and it’s labeled ‘One of the most sexist songs in history.’  (Sigh) While I’m fine with people (myself included) being more ‘woke’ to sensitive issues and situations, this particular ‘sexist’ accusation is broke.  

One thing to note, Tom Jones did not write ‘She’s a Lady’ (it was penned by Paul Anka) but Tom did make it a hit, his highest charted single.

So, let’s check out the rest of the lyrics of “She’s a lady.”

Lines like, ‘She’s got style, she’s got grace, she’s a winner.’  I see nothing wrong here.  And to finish the ‘never in the way’ line, Jones sings “I can leave her on her own knowing she’s O.K. alone and there’s no messing.”  Hmm, sounds to me like this lady is independent, self-assured and totally together.  Nothing sexist there.

Then we move on to the words, “She never asks for very much and I don’t refuse her, always treat her with respect, I never would abuse her, what she’s got is hard to find and I don’t want to lose her, helped me build a mountain from a little pile of clay.”  Yeah, real sexism here, right?  Those lyrics pay tribute to someone who the singer treasures, honors and owes much of his success to.   (Another sigh)

Let’s go further in the song.  “But she knows what I’m about, she can take what I dish out and that’s not easy, but she knows me through and through and she knows just what to do and how to please me.”  Here we have lines with the singer admitting he can be difficult but she can take it “and that’s not easy.’ This lady has relationship skills and strength.  Again, I’m having trouble finding the sexism in words that pay homage to how special this woman is.

So, it is with good humor and a whimsical shake of my head, I reject that “She’s a Lady” is a sexist slur of a song.  Folks, we all need to think things through and take caution in what we label as bad or cancelled or banished as poison. Almost any set of lines can be cherry picked to meet an agenda. Nothing is going to be perfect and just because part of a song or a joke or anything else doesn’t precisely fit into today’s standards and expectations doesn’t mean it’s a total disgrace. So let’s try not to paint everything with such a broad brush.

With all this said, it is not lost on me that Tom Jones, (now 80 years old) has been one of the most prolific womanizers in music history.  The singer was married to his childhood sweetheart Linda for 59 years before she succumbed to a final battle of lung cancer in 2016.  For whatever reasons, Linda Jones tolerated her husband’s mega-infidelity and he loved her for that and more.  Tom’s wife’s death left him devastated and you would think he’s carrying some load of guilt for all his past indiscretions. 

Full disclosure- back in the summer of 1998 I saw Tom Jones in concert at Chicago’s Vic Theater. The guy was incredible, belting out two sets of rock and R&B with his band; he practically blew the roof off the joint. If given the chance to see him again, I would.

So now we separate the blatantly unfaithful singer Tom Jones from a fun tune released in 1971 that is NOT the most sexist song in the world.  And we leave it at that.  Again, my only request is that anyone who wants to express agenda-based ideas to a song, movie, joke or written piece, stay away from cherry picking & nit-picking and relax a little.  As the Eagles once sang, “Take it easy, don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.”  (I threw in that line because I know the person who posted Jones’ song was sexist HATES the Eagles.  LOL)

Next blog– Remembering songwriter Jim Steinman.

The other day I was in a store and over the P.A. I heard the old Moody Blues song “Tuesday Afternoon” being played.  Right away it brought back a great memory that made me smile broadly.  Some songs do that you know.

It was the summer of 1988 and The Moody Blues were playing a concert at Poplar Creek Music Theater and  while working at classic rock station 105.9 FM WCKG I was asked to host some listeners in one of the luxury boxes in the pavilion of the concert venue.  I jumped at the chance because not only were these great seats but the fridge in the luxury box was stocked with beer and snacks, plus we had a food and drink tab we could run up as we entertained our six listeners. 

As was custom, I was also given a ticket for a friend or a date and the first person I thought to take was a buddy from my days working for the Elmhurst Park District.  He was a hard-working blue collar family man named Bernie.  Bernie, eight years my senior, was my crew leader during my first summer working for the EPD and we became good friends since.  I even vacationed with him, his wife Jan and their two young sons Chris and Alex one summer as we camped in the Rocky Mountains.

Bernie was a longtime fan of progressive rock groups like Pink Floyd, King Crimson and Emerson Lake and Palmer but the Moody Blues were tops on his list.  He was thrilled at the prospect of this Monday night outing to see his favorite act and a fantastic time was had at an expertly performed concert.  We’d seen several other live shows together including The Who, Doobie Brothers and Men at Work but this concert was a biggie for my friend.

A few songs into their set, the Moody Blues started playing, (you guessed it) “Tuesday Afternoon” and Bernie really got caught up in the moment.  The whole crowd stood cheering, going nuts and my buddy turned to me with tears rolling down his cheeks.   Bernie put his arm around my shoulder and told me how much that song and this concert meant to him.   Outside of the time his mother was stricken with a heart attack, I’d never seen him so overcome with emotion. I too enjoyed the Moody Blues show but seeing my friend become so moved, THAT made the night for me!

Thanks to all my years in radio, I got plenty of friends and dates to join me at other shows and they too got off on such cool events.  I liked these outings a lot but seeing others get so taken up in what was going on was the real juice for me.  I often felt like Willy Wonka (the Gene Wilder version) when he opened his factory to guests so they could take in all of his candy wonders.  Me showing others the wonder of a live concert or other special happening was a total blast. What fun that was!

I’ll get around to writing about other special concert times with my friends, but that night with The Moody Blues deserved a first mention.   Bernie passed away a few years ago and while that’s a sad and serious drag, I’m sure glad we could share such a memorable night at Poplar Creek.  “If you’ll just come with me you’ll see the beauty of Tuesday afternoon.”

My time off from blogging takes a one week break.

Of all the Spring Breaks I’ve had as a teacher THIS one was the most looked forward to. I made the most of my time off which included the following:

Home Repairs– While I handle most basic maintenance jobs in my home, when it comes to real ‘fix-up jobs’, it’s best to turn to the experts. I follow Andy Griffith’s pleas to Aunt Bee when her old freezer went on the blink; “Call the man! Aunt Bee, just call the man!”

I had a plumber come out to clear the drain pipes in my kitchen.  Several decades of gunk and mess were excised.  What a relief! Then I hired a tree trimming service to prune my silver maple tree. That shade bearing behemoth had not been properly shaped in several years and it looks much better now. Finally, I tried lining up a carpenter to re-build my front stairs but the guy who was recommended to me had too much of a workload to take my business.  So, I’m looking for other help on that job.  I also did some major toss-outs of unused junk.  My home possessions are really becoming streamlined and it feels great to do that.

MOVIES- Despite being vaccinated for the COVID virus, I still don’t feel safe going to movie theatres so I caught up on some films via HBO, Netflix and Amazon Prime.

“Tina”– HBO brings us a detailed documentary on the legendary Tina Turner.  While you think you know her story from the biopic “What’s Love Got to Do with It”, there is much more to know in details.  “Tina” was as good as last year’s HBO doc on the Bee Gees.

“One Night in Miami”– On the same night when Cassius Clay (soon to be re-named Muhammad Ali) won the heavyweight title over Sonny Liston, he had a post-fight hang-out with NFL star Jim Brown, singer Sam Cooke & Malcom X.  It’s a fictional account of what COULD have been talked about.  The actors playing Clay (Eli Goree) and Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) are especially good in this one.

“Sound of Metal”- A punk rock drummer and recovering drug addict suffers sudden hearing loss and gets help from a special program for the deaf.  Oscar nominations are in for lead actor Riz Ahmed and supporting actor Paul Raci.  It’s a visual and auditory trip.  By the way, if someone ever makes a movie about protesting former NFL QB Colin Kaepernick, Riz Ahmed is dead ringer for Kaepernick and could play the lead.

“Promising Young Woman”- Another Oscar nominated film (for Actress Carey Mulligan along with Best Picture and Director). The trailer for this one makes you think it’s a trashy ‘woman gets revenge on men who take advantage of her when drunk’ story.  “PYW” goes WAY beyond that.  I really enjoyed the ride in this mind-bending film, which is an amalgam of “Fatal Attraction”, “Heathers” and “The Usual Suspects.”  In fact I liked it so much, I watched this film twice!

BOOK CLUB– While off, I read a whole 400 page book cover to cover. “Rock Me on the Water,” written by Ronald Brownstein does a remarkable job covering the cultural aspects and ramifications of movies, music, television and politics in the pivotal year of 1974 in Los Angeles.  One line from the start of the book notes how at that time in L.A. ‘you could throw a rock and easily hit a genius’ on the brink of a social or cultural breakthrough.

Finally, there was time for intermittent naps, some TV channel surfing and catching up with some friends on the phone.  I also worked on a load of half written blogs. Once they’re edited, I’ll get back to weekly postings. No hurry on that task.  

So, it was a good Spring Break but it’s great to be back online with my students.  Oh, and yes, ALL of us are counting down to less than three months before our summer vacation!

One of the stories in pop culture right now is the airing of the New York Times documentary “Framing Britney Spears.”  I have not yet seen this film but apparently Justin Timberlake has caught serious grief as they show his handling of his break-up with Britney some twenty plus years ago.

Timberlake felt such heat that he’s now offered a public apology not just for the way he mistreated Britney Spears but also to singer Janet Jackson after the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” stunt pulled during the 2004 Super Bowl Halftime show.  At the time Janet was the recipient of more scorn than Justin, despite it being he who pulled at her top and exposed the infamous bare nipple.

Here’s part of Justin Timberlake’s public mea culpa.

“I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism,” he wrote on Instagram. “I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.”

He went on to say more but the bottom line is all these years later, the former N’Sync star owned up to his poor behavior and actions. 

There’s plenty of apologies to be found in social media among celebrities, politicians and other folks in the public eye.  Most ‘I’m sorrys’ happen within a day after the sin is committed.  Now we’ve got retroactive situations like Timberlake’s that are being talked about. 

Another name to take criticism recently is David Letterman. Dave’s being slammed for a 2013 interview done with Lindsay Lohan as he pressed her about substance abuse issues.  Letterman made Lohan feel uncomfortable as he kept asking about her stints in rehab.  This interview happened eight years ago but now people are coming out and dissecting this tense show segment which at the time was not a buzzed about story.

PERMANENT RECORDS– Remember in grade school when we were told that everything we did would end up on our “permanent record”?  Thanks to video recordings and the 24 hour a day grapevine called social media, past incidents can come back to haunt anyone at any time.

 The “Me Too” movement certainly got many men to re-examine their past actions with women, some of which required retroactive apologies.  Three years ago, I carefully looked at my past. I was and still am confident that I committed no ‘Me Too’ sins.  As women who’ve known me personally and professionally would attest, I’ve been an alright guy.

HOWEVER, THERE IS ONE MISTREATMENT THAT I NEED TO OWN UP TO.  It was in the romance department when I was a senior in high school. The girl was Patty, a year older than me, very cute & sweet and we worked together at White Castle.  We spent the summer of ’78 being flirty with each other and kept in touch through mailed letters when she went away to college late that summer. 

That fall, Patty came home from school a couple of times for the weekend and we went out.  However, my side of letter writing back to her slowed up so she sent me a ‘What’s going on here?’ note.  I was cold and uncaring in my response to her and this boy-girl thing quickly died.  I knew Patty was way into me, more than I was into her, and I was a jerk.  Plain and simple. I’ve always been sorry for that.

 A couple of co-workers who stayed in touch with Patty chided me for leading her on.  They were right.  I last saw Patty in the Spring of ’79 when she stopped by the Castle to visit friends still working there.  She was polite in saying hi to me and I returned that with a sheepish greeting before slinking off to hide in the restroom until she left.

A few days after this meeting, I missed out on dating a girl at my high school who I really, really liked. She knew I wanted to ask her out and was receptive to that. But I waited too long to make my play and another guy moved in and shut me out.  I was disappointed and hurt. I then realized how Patty felt.  Too late Mick, you deserve what you get, paybacks are hell.

Fast forward nine years.  I was producing morning radio at WCKG FM and one of Chicago’s many P.R. reps brought in an on-air guest.  I knew this rep casually and while she and I talked and shared about our backgrounds I learned we both knew Patty from White Castle.  This P.R. rep was pals with Patty in high school and still stayed in touch with her!

I mentioned I wasn’t nice to her longtime friend and felt bad for my actions.  Then this exchange happened.

Me– “So how’s Patty doing these days?”

P.R. Rep– “She’s happily married and has a little boy.”

Me- ”That’s great to hear. (laughing) Apparently she got over me!”

P.R. Rep– “Maybe. Patty named her son ‘Mickey.’

Whoa!  O.K. then.

I have no idea where Patty is today. There’s no need to search her out.  Still, if I ever saw her again, I would state my most sincere apology.  

And if it’s any consolation to her, when it comes to relationships with women, I’ve had more misses than hits.  Sometimes I wonder if I’m still paying penance for being a careless clod to a nice young lady all those years ago.

Permanent record folks.  Always keep that in mind and act accordingly.

Readers, I’ve got about 20 blogs written that aren’t time sensitive, but I’m going to take some time off from editing and posting them.  There’s other writing I want to focus on.   See you on down the line.