Roger O Green

Roberta Flack is 75

More than almost any other song, this reminds me of love lost, and it still has the capacity of making me quite sad.

I’m fairly sure Roberta Flack’s turning 75; while some sources have her listed as being born in 1939, her Facebook page and Wikipedia have her born in 1937. It’s likely it was my sister Leslie who turned me on to Roberta’s music. She owned the second album, Chapter Two, which she played rather constantly. I almost felt bad that Roberta achieved a modicum of commercial success; we thought Roberta was our little secret, known by the cognoscenti.

I had the pleasure of seeing her perform at First Night in Albany about a dozen years ago. She has been living in the Dakota building in NYC for a number of years, a neighbor of Yoko Ono.

Here’s a bunch of her songs that I like. Unfortunately, I didn’t always find them on YouTube or elsewhere, so you might only hear a snippet; it will be labeled as such:

11. Why Don’t You Move In With Me – my favorite part, the introductory piano, you don’t hear in this SNIPPET from the first song on the Blue Lights in the Basement album.

10. You’ve Got a Friend – featuring the great, lamented Donny Hathaway. Her first pop hit (#29 in 1971).

9. Compared to What – from the jazzy first album, First Take.

8. Killing Me Softly with His Song – hit single (#1 for 5 weeks in 1973).

7. Where Is the Love – another hit (#5 in 1972) with Donny Hathaway

6. Business Goes On As Usual – a great song from Chapter Two about war and money; a SNIPPET.

5. First Time Ever I Saw Your Face – though released on First Take back in 1969, popularized because of its inclusion in the movie Play Misty for Me. #1 for 6 weeks in 1972.

4. Go Up Moses – a great variation on the old spiritual Go Down Moses from her third album, Quiet Fire. A SNIPPET.

3. To Love Somebody – a soulful cover of the Bee Gees’ song, from Quiet Fire. A SNIPPET; a favorite song of my late friend Donna.

2. Reverend Lee – the word about this song from Chapter Two is venerous.

1. Gone Away – more than almost any other song, this reminds me of love lost, and it still has the capacity of making me quite sad.

Carole King is 70

Carole King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a composer of a slew of hit songs, many with her then-husband, Gerry Goffin. King, who inspired Neil Sedaka’s Oh, Carol, also put out an album, 1971’s Tapestry, that was in virtually every dorm room when I went to college. It held the “No.1 spot for 15 consecutive weeks, remained on the charts for nearly six years, sold 10 million copies in the United States, and 25 million worldwide. The album garnered four Grammy Awards including Album of the Year…”

Carole King made “three appearances as guest star on the TV series Gilmore Girls as Sophie, the owner of the Stars Hollow music store. King’s song ‘Where You Lead (I Will Follow)’ was also the theme song of the series, in a version sung with her daughter Louise” Goffin.

Thought I’d pick a dozen of her songs, my favorite interpretations thereof, with links to each.

12. Jazzman – Lisa Simpson with Bleeding Gums Murphy. Yes, it’s from the cartoon The Simpsons, early on.
11. Every Breath I Take – Gene Pitney. I think it was Fred Hembeck who turned me on to Pitney. Only got to #42 in 1961.
10. Chains – The Beatles. Covering a girl group called The Cookies, from their first album.
9. The Loco-motion – Little Eva. Goffin and King’s babysitter, who was, unfortunately, the inspiration for my LEAST favorite Goffin-King song, He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss). Loco-Motion would go US Top 3 twice more, by Grand Funk Railroad (1974, #1) and Kylie Minogue (1988, #3)
8. One Fine Day – The Chiffons. #5 in 1963.
7. I’m Into Something Good – Herman’s Hermits. If I believed in guilty pleasures, one would be Herman’s Hermits. I got their first greatest hits album when I failed to return the response card from the Capitol Record Club. And I’m glad I did. #13 in 1964.
6. Up On The Roof – The Drifters. Also covered by Laura Nyro (1970), James Taylor (1979, #28), and a number of others, but I love the 1962 model, which went to #5.
5. You’ve Got A Friend – James Taylor, a post-Goffin tune, with King on backing vocals and piano, went to #1 in 1971. Taylor and King have toured a great deal together in recent years.
4. Pleasant Valley Sunday – The Monkees. How could I not love this song? “Mr. Green, he’s so serene, he’s got a TV in every room.” #3 in 1967.
3. Don’t Bring Me Down – The Animals. Great raw sound one doesn’t associate with a King song. Got to #12 in 1965.
2. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman – Aretha Franklin. Hmm, this went only to #8 in 1967. It’s such an anthem, co-written by Jerry Wexler.
1. Will You Love Me Tomorrow – Carole King, with the Mitchell-Taylor Boy and Girl Chorus. This was a number #1 hit for the Shirelles in 1960, King’s first big hit as a songwriter, but I’ve always been partial to King’s version on Tapestry.

Happy birthday, Carole!

The No Grapefruit Diet?

I did have my nutritional needs to be met, and I switched to grapefruit juice exclusively. And when the boycott was over, I found OJ less exciting, less tangy than grapefruit.

One of my favorite things to eat is grapefruit. I prefer pink to white, but either is fine. I love to drink grapefruit juice as well.

When I was a child, there were these cans of DelMonte blended juices, which were just OK. But it wasn’t until I was in college, and got to consume fresh or frozen juice and fresh fruit that I really became a convert. And, in large part, I have Anita Bryant to thank.

Anita Bryant was a former Miss Oklahoma who became a singer with middling success. “In 1969 she became a spokeswoman for the Florida Citrus Commission, and nationally televised commercials featured her singing ‘Come to the Florida Sunshine Tree’ and stating the commercials’ tagline: ‘Breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine.’

“In 1977, Bryant’s campaign led to a repeal of the anti-discrimination ordinance [in Dade County (Miami), Florida]… However, the success of Bryant’s campaign galvanized her opponents and the gay community retaliated against her by organizing a boycott of orange juice.” I joined in the boycott until she was dropped by Florida Citrus Commission “in 1979 because of the controversy and the negative publicity generated by her political campaigns and the resulting boycott of Florida orange juice,” which was, as I recall, fairly successful.

Meanwhile, I did have my nutritional needs to be met, and I switched to grapefruit juice exclusively. And when the boycott was over, I found OJ less exciting, less tangy than grapefruit. Moreover, the flavor of orange juice too long in the refrigerator used to turn yucky, a problem I almost never experienced with grapefruit juice.

Every year, we order from my in-laws a case of citrus as a fundraiser. It can be all oranges, all grapefruit, or a mixed box. We were about to put in the order when my wife asked whether I should be eating grapefruit because it mixes badly with statins, which I started taking to keep my cholesterol level down. I said, “What?”

As it turns out: “When grapefruit juice is consumed at or around the time you take your statin, the components in grapefruit prevent these enzyme systems from breaking down the drug, causing the drug to accumulate in high amounts in the body. This can be very dangerous and can cause a variety of health problems, such as liver damage or a rare condition called rhabdomyolysis (severe muscle and kidney damage).”

So it’ll be grapefruit in the morning, statin at night, and never the twain shall meet.

D is for Dominion

I’m a “replenish” kind of guy.

When I was growing up, Canada was referred to as a dominion. It achieved that status, rather than as a colony, per the British North America Act of 1867: “Whereas the Provinces of Canada [i.e., Ontario and Quebec], Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick have expressed their Desire to be federally united into One Dominion under the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with a Constitution similar in Principle to that of the United Kingdom …shall form and be One Dominion under the Name of Canada; and on and after that Day those Three Provinces shall form and be One Dominion under that Name accordingly…

Title to the Northwest Territories was transferred by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1868, and the Province of Manitoba was the first created out of it, and the first province created by Ottawa instead of London, in 1870.” Other provinces joined after that point, all without need of the permission of the crown.

Apparently, dominion status ended in 1982 “when the British and Canadian parliaments passed parallel acts – the Canada Act, 1982 ([UK] 1982, c.11) in London, and the Constitution Act 1982 in Ottawa. Thereafter, the United Kingdom was formally absolved of any remaining responsibility for, or jurisdiction over, Canada; and Canada became responsible for her own destiny. In a formal ceremony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the Queen signed both acts into law on April 17, 1982.”

But in that period between 1867 and 1982, Canada declared war on its own, in 1939. And subsequent to 1982, “the federal government continues to produce publications and educational materials that specify the currency of these official titles.” So I’m still not 100% clear I understand all of this correctly. (The picture, BTW, is from a 1945 Dominion of Canada $50 Eighth Victory Loan War Bond.)

The other reference to dominion I grew up with came from Genesis 1:28 of the Bible: “And God blessed [ Adam and Eve ] and God said unto them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (KJV) Some folks seem to focus on the “subdue” part, and find that using up our natural resources is OK, that God has given permission. Others tend to focus on “replenish the earth” and believe that having dominion over the earth means to be a good steward of the earth. When the United Kingdom had dominion over Canada, it meant that it had a responsibility to care for it, not to merely exploit its resources. I’m a “replenish” kind of guy.

ABC Wednesday – Round 10

Things people should know before spending time with me

I think it’s true in all non-verbal communication that sometimes intent gets lost.

Sunday Stealing for October 30, 2011

1. One of my favorite TV shows recently changed the actors who played two characters. Have you ever been bothered by a TV show or movie series changing actors who play a character you love?

Actually, I did, but I got over it quickly. I was watching a soap opera called Another World back in the 1990s. The character Paulina was played by some waif of a woman named Cali Timmins, but then she was replaced by the far more zaftig Judi Evans. it was a shock, but Evans ended up defining the role.

2. A coworker recently shared a link to a blog listing the “five things you should know before dating a journalist.” As a journalist, I can honestly say the writer was spot-on. What are some things people should know before spending time with you?

I’m basically shy when I’m in new situations; I don’t like to talk just to talk when I haven’t anything to say; and if I’m bored, I don’t fake interest very well – best not to bring up the books/movies Twilight.

3. What is something you often do without realizing that you’re doing it?

Hum.

4. Who has the capacity to make you angrier than anyone else in your life, and what in particular does he or she do to make you so angry?

Certain relatives push your buttons more because they know you well. I have particular instances in mind, but I shall pass on that.

5. If a fairy waved a magic wand and gave you the house of your dreams, where would it be and what features would it have?

It’d be close to where I am now, maybe on a side street with less traffic. It’d have a movie viewing room, with comfy seats and real popcorn.

6. What’s a belief that you hold with which many people disagree?

That Nancy Grace should be banned from TV forever.

7. I used to talk in my sleep. In fact, I could carry on a conversation with someone when I was fully asleep, and my mom used this fact when I was a teenager to find out if I did anything wrong and was hiding it from my parents. If you were talking in your sleep tonight, what do you think you would say?

I probably do too, and they are either extensions of dreams or awake conversations.

8. Movie theaters started selling advance tickets for midnight showings months ago. Have you ever attended a midnight premiere showing of a movie?

I’ve been to premieres, and I’ve been to midnight movies, but no.

9. Tigers, lions, and bears were let loose in Zanesville, Ohio, by their owner before he committed suicide, leading to a hunt in which 49 of the animals, including 18 endangered Bengal tigers, were killed. How would you react if you saw “Caution exotic animals. Stay in your vehicle” being displayed on a road sign?

Probably wouldn’t believe it and would end up being mauled to death..

10. If a company opened a theme park aimed at adults, what would you name one of the rides?

Wonderarama. Loved that show.

11. Imagine you just moved onto Sesame Street. Which puppet would you want as your new roommate?

Kermit. We have the green thing going.

12. Have you ever had a weird crush on a famous person that didn’t make sense to you?

Yes. I’ve been fascinated by how certain people I think are attractive but sort of leave me cold (Jennifer Aniston comes to mind), yet other people who I think may be way less than perfect looking are quite fascinating.

13. If you get ten minutes to interview any celebrity of your choice, who would you like it to be?

Paul McCartney, hands down.

14. You’ve just won the complete DVD collection of all the movies starring one actor or actress. Which actor/actress would you pick?

Meryl Streep.

15. Actor George Clooney recently told People Magazine that he doesn’t use Twitter “because I will drink in the evening and I don’t want anything that I could possibly write at midnight to actually end my career.” What is something you’ve said through social media and then regretted it?

Very little if anything. Except that, and I think it’s true in all non-verbal communication, sometimes intent gets lost. But that’s happened in e-mail, especially when it was newer. Irony and sarcasm I tend to avoid in social media because it’s too easy to misconstrue.

16. VH1 has re-introduced its hit show “Pop-Up Video,” which gives behind-the-scenes facts for popular music videos. What musician would you be most interested in learning behind-the-scenes facts about?

Bruce Cockburn.

17. If you stumbled across someone’s personal written journal that was accidentally left in a public place, would you read any of the content?

Not after I had identified the owner. Might read enough to try to figure out whose it was if it weren’t labeled.

18. What is the title of a self-help book that you’d never want to see on a store bookshelf?

How Tea Partiers Can Be More Assertive.

19. Which Halloween costume do you think will be overdone this [past] year?

I would have guessed Gaga.

20. Should a marriage license have a renewal date or expiration date, like a driver’s license?

It’s a terrible idea. Functionally, they already do anyway.