When Radio & TV Didn't SUCK!

I've been waxing nostalgic (at least on You Tube) for some oldies but goodies. Lately, I will talk to some friends my age about some old school stuff from the 70's. I noticed people got a buzz from this sorta stuff. I generally talk to my Facebook friends about shows like Welcome Back, Kotter and growing up in the '70's. It's comfortable talking to people my age about this. It feels good talking to people within your age group. The one thing I noticed about people who are in their late '30's to early-mid '40's-- we appreciate what was on TV and Radio in the 1970's. See, before 1980 , there was a time when staying home and watching something on TV or listening to the radio (including AM) was the norm.

Back then, "top 40 radio" wasn't such a bad thing. Yeah, you had some of the disco crap, but there were other genres of music available at the time. Even some of the crap in the '70s and '80's was actually listenable. It's not like today when it's this empty pointless garbage that some people think it's cool to listen to. The Bee Gees, The Captain & Tenille, and The Carpenters can kick the asses of these singers and groups that sing the emo, rap, and pop junk out there! Before Katie Perry, there was Olivia Newton John! Before there was Justin Beiber, there was Andy Gibb! And back then, you had a variety of music on AM. You had the one hit wonders like Carl Douglas' "Kung Fu Fighting", and Andy Kim's "Rock Me Gently". There was also stuff for us kiddies such as the soundtrack from Grease and of course The Carpenters "Sing (Sing A Song)". Then you had the adult stuff like Paul Anka's "Havin' My Baby" and Barry White's "You're My First, My Last, My Everything". There was even stuff for Mom like Barry Manilow's "Copacabana" and the Eagles' "Take It To The Limit". Of course there were the songs that you thought was cool then your parents liked it and it wasn't cool anymore. So there were some drawbacks to AM, but it was all good!

TV was something back then too. I remember when cable was new and for the RICH back in the mid 70's. The "only" things on TV were the best things. There was a time when there were THREE networks if you believe that, people born AFTER 1980! There were no "reality" shows or shows like 24 or Lost where you have to watch every friggin episode of the friggin series (at least 5 or 6 seasons worth) just to know what the new episode was about. Then you wander after a watching a whole series of that paticular show "I just wasted seven years of my life to see THAT?" (this is why they make DVD's, folks!) Back then, you didn't have all that! You didn't need to be back on the same day at the same time next week to catch up on the show (not unless you wanna see The Fonz jump the shark-AAAAAYYY!) Also, TV got a little slutty in which the female star boinks anyone who walked in through the door. I remember when TV sex was ALL ABOUT THE IMAGINATION! You know Crissy Snow/Suzanne Summers "did it" on Three's Company, but all you see was her bouncing around braless in that little white negligee! You wish you was Jack Tripper "doing it" w/ Chrissy Snow. Hell you wish you were JOYCE DEWITT "doing it" w/ Chrissy Snow! Remember when the lesbian was the "tomboy" or the "smart, but ugly girl", like Janet from Three's Company? And don't get me started on Survivor, does anyone remember Battle Of The Network Stars? The thing was that Survivor is about a bunch of a-holes on some fudgin' island. You didn't care who won, that idiot will blow the million on coke or end up go to jail for tax evasion. On Battle Of The Network Stars, there was no "big money prizes" and the coke was free! All you seen was a bunch of actors and actresses in tank tops and short shorts, falling out of their clothes as they climb and run for their respected network. Adrienne Barbeau was not the greatest actress nor the greatest athlete but when her boobs tried to pop out of her tank top, she had all the respect in the world! Top that, Jeff Probst!

And that was the thing, there was no "status quo" in watching a certain show or listening to a certain song. You were cool because you were YOU! Yeah, there were shows like Star Trek in which you had to be a part of, but for an hour you were Spock, you were Joe Blow the other 23 hours of that day! AM radio was like a school for younger music listeners. You start out with your typical Wings song or an Elton John ballad, but then you graduate into a Patty Smith song or a Zeppelin song. Sometimes AM radio will sneak in the PSG's "Because The Night" or a Zep song. Late at night, they play some of the "harder" top forty stuff out there like Teddy Pendergrass/Al Green type of soul or some hard rockers from Deep Purple and early Aerosmith. TV was the same way, in which you see a hot chick like Farrah Fawcett and you graduate to dating a real girl who looks more like a hybrid of Kristie "Buddy" McNichol of Family and "Natalie" from The Facts Of Life. You didn't care if she was a "Buddy/Natalie" hybrid, you would still try to make love to her like Farrah. I know this very well, I had a Farrah Fawcett poster (y'know, the one when she's in that red swimsuit w/ the headlights on). Let's just say, I PRACTICED- but was only 11-12 at the time! Of course "Afternoon Delight" was playing when I "practiced"! RIP, Farrah!

That's the thing, growing up in the 70's and a little bit of the 80's, there was a sort of INNOCENCE. It was not as corny as the '50's but there was a sense of MORAL STRUCTURE when I grew up. The bad guys like the Malachi Brothers lost and the good guys like the Fonz won! Then Richie Cunningham would give a 2 minute dialogue that was boring but made sense why the Fonz won the Demolition Derby. The same thing when Vinnie Barbarino was the hero and Horschack was the moral supporter. There was a bond in those shows. There was a bond in Music too, we all cried when Terry Jacks sang about his "darlin' Michelle" and his "Pah-Pah" croaking in "Seasons In The Sun". We all sobbed when Henry Gross sang about his dog "Shannon". We ALL learned from this! Do you think the average kid today will learn anything from SpongeBob Squarepants or be moved to tears by a Lady Gaga song?

That's the thing, folks-- us "40 plus" people (or close to it), need to go to the younger generations and share what WE grew up on! If you have kids, sit down to the TV w/ your kids grab and watch something on DVD like Good Times or What's Happening? Teach them that everything is "Dy-No-Miite!" and bootlegging the Doobie Brothers is wrong! Speaking of the Doobies, listen to some Doobie Bros.; both the Tom Johnston and Michael McDonald eras. Hopefully, your kid won't be a drooling vegetable (however, it is ONLY ACCEPTABLE if you play some Floyd: I reccommend Wish You Were Here IT'S LIKE THE BEST FLOYD ALBUM EVER MADE!)

Well I hope this trip down Memory Lane reminds you on how good life was! Until then, if you feel like reminiscing, get out your bell bottoms out, shine up your AMC Gremlin, and get down wit yo' bad self!

My So-Called Handicapped Life

My good friend Annie on Facebook likes to share her experiences about her handicap. Annie had her leg amputated when she was young and she currently uses a prosthetic leg. Other than that, she gets around fine (thank you very much) . She is currently going though motions dealing with people who don't like being labeled "Handicapped". I kinda know where she's coming from. Actually, it scared me because it almost echoed my own life.

It all started when I was born. I was born blue and quickly placed in an incubator. I was born June 24th but according to my Mom, I "was supposed to be born on the 4th of July". At 17", 5lbs., and 8 oz. I have a feeling I was about a month to possibly 2 months premature. Then again it's hard to compare medical standards of 1967 to those of 2009. I might have been born with a stroke but nothing was really clear.

My developmental stages were more unique than anything. I might have learned to read before I can speak. My speaking and walking started late, but I can read newspapers by the age of two. I also had a thing when I was 4 in which where if told me a certain date in time, I can trace it to the day it fell on. For example, if someone asked me if what day January 13, 1947 fell on I would give the exact day. The funniest thing is , I cannot do it anymore but when I very young it was no problem. But that's when the weirdness just started. I never really spoke in complete sentences until I was 7 although I could read aloud perfectly. When I was 6, I read on a high school level. I also have a very vivid memory in which I can remember things when I was 1 1/2-2 years old (but no memories from the womb)This was the time I was more of a case study than anything. I also remember from the age to 3 up to 10 where I went through a battery of tests: WISC-R, DLM, the California tests, and the one where they glue wires on your head and hold it down with a spaghetti strainer (like Rick Moranis in "Ghostbusters"). I remember being asked questions when I was 6 with this damn thing on my head. What was the capital of Greece? Who wrote "Faust"? Who was the 13th President of the U.S.? I would answer (AT 6!) Athens, Gounod (who wrote the opera- Goethe wrote the original story), and Millard Fillmore (he was the first to have a bathtub in the White House).

Due to this "oddity" I was placed in Special Ed classes starting 1st grade. I also remembering going through PT/OT and Speech Therapy until I was in the 9th grade. In the 6th grade, I was finally labeled "Neurogically Impaired" but the "NI" diagnosis was never specified. Even my mother brushed everything off and said I had a "learning disability".

And yeah the neverending name calling began. Oh yeah. I was called a "Retard" , "Polio Victim" (b/c my feet goes "out" when I walk), and my least favorite "special".It was also weird b/c in some Special Ed. classes I was the "smart guy". In other classes w/ the "normal" people I was the outcast. I remember a time when I was in 5th grade , since I was different from the rest of the kids, some kid in class called me a "faggot". I went to my Mom and I asked her what a faggot was. I remember her reply: "I hope you don't grow up to be one". I felt puzzled and said "What?" She then said "little sticks, yeah little sticks". However she gave me permission that if the mean kids call me a "faggot," I should tell them to go fuck themselves. And I did! One kid called me a "faggot" and I told him to go fuck himself. There was a teacher there and he was on MY side! The kid who called me a "faggot" got suspended and I got off scot free! I then asked the teacher what is a faggot. He looked at me, winked, and said "Just don't grow up to be one, kid!" Grade school in the '70's-- you can't make this stuff up!

Then grade school turned into high school. The mean kids then became meaner kids. I mentioned in a few blogs that I changed high schools in the middle of the 11th grade. I attended my new high school that was dominated by Preps. Of course, there were the sarcastic questions and the "special" label hanging over my head like a black cloud. The funniest thing was by Grade 11, I was fully mainstreamed. I knew college was my only way out.

I remember asking my guidance counselor about college. She laughed in my face and said I should go to trade school. I started to get teed off. However, I took it out on my school work. Shortly after I graduated from H.S., I later learned that the guidance counselor got fired-- KARMA!

I took a couple of years off and went to college. I took yet another aptitude/psych exam and the powers that be decided that I had LD (Processing Disorder). I started out in Junior college in which I had an advisor who started a support group for students with LD. I thought it was a good idea in order to share stories and learn from our experiences. The "club" as the advisor called it was more of a joke if anything else. The other students in this "club" acted like they had mental problems rather than having a learning disability. I remember this other advisor (who was a grad student in Behavoral Psychology) talking down to us and made us sit in a circle in which we did dittos. We the students in the support group were in "regular" 100-200 level classes and we were in a workshop doing worksheets that were meant to be used on the 6th grade level. I remember the advisor asking me in slow voice "Do you know what a bank account is?" I took out my ATM card and asked, "does this answer your question?" I then walked out the group one day saying that this precious "club" was "Romper Room Bull****"! I then delved into my work and and finished J.C. (Junior College).

In the summer of 1991, between J.C. and my four-year, I was doing my thing in a 1979 Chevy Chevette driving on the L.I.E. (Long Island Expressway, for those keeping score).. I was listening to music when a cop pulled me over. The officer told me over and over that I was going 12 miles over the speed limit. He was basically looking for drunks. Firstly, how in the world can a 1979 Chevy Chevette with a 4 cylinder eggbeater can do a 67 in a 55? The one thing he was focused on was the way I spoke. He looked at me and asked me with a flashlight in my face, "do you always have a slurred speech"? I looked at him and dead in the eye I said, "Yeah". He still wasn't convinced-- so he made me take a breathylizer. When the B.A.C. came out 0.0, he threw out the mouthpiece sharply on the ground, and promptly apologized for pulling me over. Disappointed, he drove off looking for drunk people with slurred speech instead of sober people with slurred speech. Ironically when I'm drunk, my coordination improves and my slur goes away.

In the fall of that year (1991), I went to my four year college. I had a better advisor. She then asked me to look into this support group on campus. It was a better support group.It was a better school -- SUNY Stony Brook (known as "the Berkeley of the East") had (and from what I know still has) a very good support group for disabled students. I went in the first day and shared my story with the others. I later then became President of this group. I thrived in this school and some of the members of this group and I became close friends. Yeah, there were some militants who were big time about this. There were some Blind people who prefer to be visually impaired. There were some Deaf people who preferred to be called "hearing impaired ' and so forth. God forbid, if anyone made the mistake and call someone "handicapped"- OUT COME THE PICKET SIGNS!

Myself, it was hard for me-- I had no true idea what my disability is! Even though it was "LD" there was something a little more to it.I remember ppl. thinking I was dyslexic but I clearly wasn't. Really it was something else, but what was it really? Was it CP, LD, Asperger's, or Aphasia? I still had delayed and slurred speech. In addition, my coordination was still off. Yet I had no clue. In late 1992 and early '93, I've decided to go to the state agency (VESID) and see if I can recieve any benefits for Grad School.. If anything it was for sake for identity and closure. I went though another battery of tests, no spaghetti strainers this time. I had seen a Neurologist with a terrible accent, and a Neuropsychologist who was more interested about my "drinking habits". I then got the so-called results: I was told I "had" a disability but I was "CURED" of it! WHAT THE FRICK?!?

After all the bullcrap and discrimination I faced, I'm cured? After being in Special Ed. AND special schools for all those years I'M FRIGGING CURED!?! I gave up the sacred "quest" for my "true" handicap and I began to do my thing. I graduated from Stony Brook and then later went to Grad School in which I also graduated. I still pay my student loans, but I DID IT!

Am I still pissed? I am little piturbed, but it's all in the past. I achieved some things that "professionals" thought I never could do. I am happy with what I have done. If it wasn't for my past, I wouldn't be in the field that I'm in (Human/Social Services).

Do I see myself as Handicapped? I think "handicapped" is a state of mind. I believe that a handicap is as trivial as a personality trait. I still slur my speech and stutter at times. I even still duck walk, but it's me and people like it. I like it. Do I think I have a disability? I believe I have a low level of Asperger's w/ a touch of CP. My "diagnosis" is based on my own personal research --I have a friggin Master's for Crissake! I decided that if there was anyone who would know best about me, it would be ME! Do I still want closure for all I've been through? I'd still want closure although I'm not really desperate about it as before. After all of this, I'm not resentful. If I have children, I definitely need to keep an eye on their development. Mistakes are meant to be made, and God knows I've learned from them! The good news, they weren't all my mistakes. In the end, I believe nobody really owes me --I owe MYSELF! That chip fell off my shoulder a long time ago.

...and we never complained!

On my Facebook page on the day after Halloween last year; I posted an old horror movie intro from a local TV Station. Back in my day, and pretty much most Americans born before 1980, we had very few choices-- but if we wanted something we had it. When I was a young lad growing up in Long Island, on Saturday evenings we had what was called "Chiller Theater" on WPIX Channel 11 (New York). Notice I didn't say "CW11" or "WB11", it was just "Channel 11" or "WPIX" (and yes, we used the letter "W" in its' call letters). "Chiller Theater" or as we used to call it "CHILLERRRR!!!!! Blb, blb, blb, blb...." had a fantastic Claymation intro of a six fingered hand emerging from a pool of blood before the movie itself actually began. They usually had the black and white classics like the Frankenstein movies with Boris Karloff. I was more into another TV Station that also showed some horror movies and that was WOR Channel 9's"Fright Night". "Fright Night" which had a smoking skull for its' intro, showed more independent movies like the original "The Crazies (1973)". and Italian horror movies such as "The Night Evelyn Came Out Of Her Grave (1970?)" and Hammer Horror flicks with Vincent Price and Peter Cushing. Here are some examples...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATUJG3DSziw (Chiller Theater);http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlOqrh8rHM8 (Fright Night); http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY5s1ve5AdM ("The Night Evelyn..." Trailer.)

When I posted the "Chiller" and "Fright Night" intros on Facebook on Halloween, I had big time positive feedback. I had a high school classmate remind me on how good we had it back in the day, even without today's "modern amenities". By "we", I mean the people that were born before 1980. Not knocking the later generations, BUT it knocks me dead when you post-1980 kids complain about that "there's nothing good on TV" and you're bummed that the director's cut of "Iron Man 4:Tony Stark Is Anemic And Needs More Iron!" is not out on Blu-Ray yet. When I was growing up we didn't have MySpace or Facebook. In fact, computers were those big bulky reel-to-reel devices with blinky lights that we seen on Star Trek or some low budget Sci-Fi movie. We didn't have cell phones, nor we had I-pods or MP4's. We had a transistor radio amongst ourselves and when it was time for dinner, our moms yelled out the window...and we never complained!

When I was in my pre-pubescent years growing up in Central Islip and later Lindenhurst, Long Island in the late 70's, it was all good! My mom and I had no cable until I was 15 and that was the case with most of us kids born between 1965-1972. Cable was considered a LUXURY when I was a kid! We were happy with our 6 VHF stations and we might have picked up a couple of UHF stations if our antennas work that day depending on the weather. But we ONLY had SIX channels to watch: Chs. 2,4,5,7,9,&11, and no VCR (another "luxury")...and we never complained!

And if we found nothing to watch on TV we did one of three things 1)Do our homework, 2)Do our chores, or 3)GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY! And if we dare say to our parents; "...but it's too cold outside!", our mothers would tell us to wear a sweater or hand us a pair of gloves and a scarf. And guess what? We went outside anyway ...and we never complained!

And when we DID go outside, it was for a least an hour and a half on a school day! And when it was summer time, we didn't go home until it got dark, and that was at 9PM in some cases! And this was when I was 9 to 10! And if had nothing to do, we found something to do. If there were no balls, bats, hoops or any sports equipment around we invented stuff. I remember playing "Star Trek" when I was a kid. Basically, we acted out the roles of a certain episode of the ORIGINAL Star Trek (Notice I didn't throw out initials out like TOS, TNG, and DS9- because THERE WAS ONLY ONE STAR TREK!). In some cases, we made our own episodes, however, we had to kill off some characters because there wasn't enough people to go around. Now if we had some newbies or bratty little brothers or sisters they would automatically be redshirts. I, being the "different kid", started out as the lowly redshirt (and got "killed" right away), but when the kids realized that I have an IQ over 100, I became Mr.Spock! So we did improvisation before we knew what improvisation was! We were pretty much forced outside to perform in an ensemble group with no audience and no pay...and we never complained!

And if we God forbid, ever DID complain, our parents went into THEIR stories of growing up in the Fifties and compared their shortcomings to our shortcomings. And they started off with "When I was YOUR age..." then they went into "...And you don't know how lucky YOU are..." and the concluded with "...and I never complained!" Take my mother for instance, she went to A CATHOLIC BOARDING SCHOOL when she was a kid, plus she grew up in the 50's into the early 60's. She told me about her listening to the radio all the time because TV WAS CONSIDERED A LUXURY ITEM when she was a child! But in the scant times my mother reflects on her childhood, she seemed like she had a good time at some points...and she never complained!



All this talk about reminiscing on "how good I had it" reminds me of Bill Cosby's routine about his "thankful" father during his "Bill Cosby: Himself" movie from the Early 80's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt33zqib2qk. Even though I don't have kids, I feel like I'm becoming a parent when I see or hear a 20something complain about the new Harry Potter movie coming out in two parts and the price on the new Windows Phone 7. I am proud to say that our generation (those who are born between 1965 to 1980), are the DIY generation. We did it ourselves, and we are still doing things ourselves. Therefore, WE HAVE NO TIME TO COMPLAIN! And I'm sure there are some of you out there who are born past 1980 who got their act together and are doing the DIY thing, especially those who have kids. I'm not trying to sound like an old man, but for crying out loud, everything changed really quick even though it had been a course of 30 years. And here I am on a PC as I charge my cell phone talking about the days back when there we no PC's and cellphones. Cable is now a necessity since we can't get TV reception without it! The days of "luxury" flew out the window. Yet if there was a virus that effected all the PC's, MP3 players, and cell phones-- we know what to do like using a payphone or dialing in a radio station or putting in a CD in our stereos. No E-Mails? Hell, I can go to a post office and buy some stamps and mail my Mom a letter! So to the younger generations out there who complain about nothing on TV or texting to someone standing 5 feet away, because you have nothing better to do (like ohmygod! talking to the person standing 5 feet away from you), GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND DO SOMETHING! Go outside. Play "Star Trek" (even "Voyager"!). In other words, QUIT YOUR BITCHING! Please do so or we'll get our parents after you and lecture you on why they were not allowed to listen to Elvis and/or The Beatles! THANK YOU!

When Country was "Country"!

Now before anybody gets started, I'm from Long Island. In fact, I was born in Brooklyn and was raised there before going to Long Island at age 7. I'm 44 now and I've been living here in North Carolina for about eight years. Now why is it, this Yankee, a "Lawn Guylander", is defending country music? It's not about the "country" aspect, but the American aspect of the music. And the country music I'm defending is not the so-called "new" country but the "old school" country. Back when cowboys rode horses and not Ford F-150's, back when a "badonkadonk" was just a "big 'ol butt", Country Music was Country Music and it was all about THE COUNTRY! In the 70's and before, country music had charm, you can even say it was "cute" (but not in a gay sort of way). And believe it or not, my Southern friends, Country Music made it up North a long time ago.

Back then, we called Country Music "cookout music" or "barbecue music". When urban flight took place in the Northern cities like NYC, Boston, and Chicago; not city dwellers moved in into what they call "the country" which was really the suburban towns and regions that outlined the cities. When I was a child, Long Island and Upstate NY was considered "the country"- pretty much anywhere that has a tree! When some of the city dwellers moved into homes in "the country", they had cookouts or barbecues in their newly built French Colonials and played Johnny Cash or George Jones on their record players as they test out their new Hibachis as their brothers, sisters, and all of their kids came along and enjoyed a day out in the yard. Hence "barbecue music".

Country music radio stations popped up North during the urban sprawl of the 60's & 70's. When I was a kid "Hee Haw" ,was a very popular show especially with adults. I dunno if it was Roy Clark and Buck Owens "pickin' an' a grinnin'" or the half naked "Hee Haw Honeys" jiggling around in those tiny plaid shirts (strategically tied at the right place) and pre-Daisy Duke cutoffs. Then again, I had a strange fascination with LuLu Roman when I was a kid. But then again I know now that it was my love for large women and I think LuLu started the whole BBW craze, so I thank you LuLu! But back to the music, there was an innocence and even a purity to Country Music, just like rock in its' infancy and rap/hip-hop when it first came out. Then something happened, Country gone COMMERCIAL and got cheesy in the 80's!

Country Music faded away and pretty much became a cliche. Country became cheesy in the 80's due to the "been there, done that" technique the songs took on. Y'know what I'm talking about; the classic joke-- Q:"What do you get when you play country music backwards?" A:"Your wife, your house, your pickup truck and your dog!" Everything started to sound the same. Then the worst happened. Now I know some people will kill me for this, but when Garth Brooks started to make records, that's when the cowpies hit the fan! Brooks mixed the 80's standard Country cheese (a la Kenny Rogers and Glen Campbell) and mixed it with some classic rock. But instead of stripping it down back to the bare bones like Lyle Lovett and Dwight Yoakum tried to do, Garth Vader made Country Music extra cheesy!!! Then you had the other ilk; namely Billy Ray Cyrus. Then came Toby "We'll put a boot to their ass, it's the American way!"-YAWN! Keith, Kenny "I wear a hat because I'm bald" Chesney along with Brooks and Dunn (or is it Big n' Rich or the countrified versions of Hall & Oates?). Now before some of y'all get your Daisy Dukes in a bunch, some of the country stuff today is mostly Country Music doing an impersonation of Hair Metal and Gangsta Rap- actually some call it "Gangsta Country" and that scares me and other music purists!

Let me conclude with this little story. When I was 8, my mother and I had a neighbor from North Carolina who lived above our apartment. We heard Charley Pride and Tom T. Hall wafting down from the upstairs apartment and into our ears. My neighbor had a daughter who was a few years older than me, and we played together with the other neighborhood kids. That summer (1975), my mother and I had the opportunity to go along with our neighbors on a trip to Goldsboro, North Carolina, and stopping to Washington DC along the way. Other than getting a nasty stomach virus right before the trip (I threw up in three states!), I was raring to go. Although the main thing I remembered when was in DC was downing Pepto Bismol in a hotel room after I ate a McDonalds (good news was I held the Big Mac down), my biggest memory was in Goldsboro where we stayed with my neighbors' family. I met up with some new friends that summer and I remember the tobacco farm we stayed at in which was about as American as America can get. I remember the kids in NC calling me a Yankee, but there were still very friendly despite the lack of red in my neck. I remember walking down the country road a mile down in 90 degree heat to the "general store" just to get a Coke (in a glass bottle for a freakin' QUARTER!) and walking back to the farm and not getting overwhelmed by the distance and the heat. The oldest one in our group of four or five was 10 and NOTHING HAPPENED! It stood out as one of the best times in my childhood. It was like The Waltons, and I was John Boy for that brief moment- we were both aspiring writers soaking up what God gave us in this countrified setting. I also remember being given some HUGE tobacco leaves from the farm- which made a great "Show & Tell" when I went back to school in Long Island a month later. Unfortunately, the leaves dried up and flakes were falling on the floor of Mr. Caruso's class, but even that time was fun- a 3rd grader sharing his tobacco with the class (and I think a few teachers were trying to buy the dried tobacco from me ). 8 years old, and I was already into "Big Tobacco"!

But it's moments like those that made country music, maybe any kind of music should be about that innocence.I guess nowadays music cannot capture those fun times like barbecues and trips out to the "real" country. Maybe that's why I'm into the old school when it comes to everything in life. "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" will never represent my past nor my present. Maybe it's the Americana that sticks with the old school Country Music. Then again, we should not pursue "The American Dream", but the American existence!