Back in the summer of 1994, I was dating this nice girl who lived over in Kentucky. I don’t even remember which part of Kentucky as we didn’t date all that long.
She was a Country & Western music fan which was OK with me until this song came out.
“Thinkin’ Problem” was recorded by David Ball and this woman I was seeing went nuts over it. She would play it over and over again when I was visiting and would play it in the car too. When she couldn’t hear Ball sing it, she would sing it herself—all off key, of course.
I hate to say it, but it’s one of the reasons I broke up with her. She and “Thinkin’ Problem” were just too much.
I started thinking of that song the other day and wondered if it and David Ball was still around. The video at the top of this post confirms it as Ball singing the song was shot in Nashville last year.
Now that I know “Thinkin’ Problem” is still around, I need to find out what happened to my old girlfriend.
Meg lives in my apartment building here in Covington, Kentucky and she’s a nice, older lady who is always friendly to me and I’m always friendly right back. Sometimes I think—actually I kind of know—she would like more from me, but thankfully I don’t see her all that often.
That changed for about 20 minutes a month ago.
To read my latest column in CityBeat, “The Pop In,” click here.
This is kind of interesting and a good a way as any to wrap up the blogging week.
On their new album, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard have recorded “Missing Ol’ Johnny Cash.” No, it’s not good enough to be a single (hell, they probably don’t make “singles” anymore but I’ll call it that anyway), but, again, I found it interesting.
By the way, I’ve met Merle Haggard. I’ve ever met Willie Nelson or Johnny Cash, but I have seen them perform.
Maybe you don’t find that interesting, but you all have a good weekend just the same.
My friend Benj Clarke has been living in California for more than a few years now. We both worked at CityBeat and, of course, once a CityBeater, always a CityBeater. We’ve stayed in touch.
Benj revisits his hometown now and then. I wrote about this once in CityBeat in September of 2009.
Benj has been a part of Larisa Stow & Shaki Tribe for a number of years now. They have an interesting new video out and, as you know, it’s always my nature to share. Here ya go.
There’s a pretty good violin story behind that violin Bethany Grace Folsom is playing. Benj shared it with me and there goes my good nature again. I’m sharing his words with you.
Our violinist, Bethany Grace Folsom, heard us at a concert in Encinitas a couple of years ago. She loved the band and decided right then and there—and announced to us!—that she was joining our band.
There’s an interesting story about the violin she’s playing in the “Amma” video song. The violin belongs to me. It was played by my mother’s father Virgil Dunn from Greenup KY, who passed long before I was born.
It sat in the closet of my dad’s study all the years I was growing up. On a trip home to Cincinnati from California a few years ago, my mom gave me the violin. I took it to a violin shop in L.A. and they told me this actually is a really good violin, a Wurlitzer (Cincinnati, Ohio!) from the early 1900’s, probably made by a German instrument maker and sent to the states for retail sale.
It was worth between $3000-5000, but would need about $600 in repairs, and they wanted a 40% consignment fee to sell it. I found the fee and the repair bills both too high so I quickly ditched that plan. The fact that it was part of my family heritage also tugged at my heart even though I knew I’d never have time or interest to learn to play the violin.
After Bethany joined the band, I showed her the instrument. She took it to her violin shop where it was repaired and she just loved the way it played and sounded!
I’m disinclined to sell the violin now. I love the idea that my granddaddy, whom I never met, gets to be in the band—in spirit—with his violin.
I love music stories like this. Now, you see why I had to share it.
I’m glad I have a lot of electrical outlets in my apartment here in Covington, Kentucky as it seems like so much of what I own these days needs to be plugged in and recharged.
My son recently gave me an iPhone. It’s an old one that he doesn’t need anymore. Now I don’t use it as my phone as I like the one I have. I think—no, actually I know—why I like it. I like it because it’s simple. My thoughts are the more crap you have on a phone, the more that can go wrong with it.
OK, in any case, getting back to the iPhone, I use it to take photos on occasion as the phone I actually like doesn’t even have a camera on it. Because I use the iPhone to take pictures, I have to recharge it sometimes. And, of course, I have to recharge the phone I actually use and like.
I also have to recharge what I smoke now. I still say smoke, but it’s actually “vape.” E-cigarettes have to be recharged and I do this every day, usually around two in the afternoon. Oh yes, I’m very much a creature of habit—even when it comes to plugging stuff in.
This will probably sound a little strange, but whenever I think I need to plug something in, I think of that old Country Music song, “Rub It In” by Billy Crash Craddock. Instead of singing “Rub it in, rub it in,” I sing to myself (sometimes out loud), “Plug it in, “plug it in.”
Remember that old song? Here you go.
Oh yes. Not only I’m I a creature of habit, I’m also easily amused.
Well, golly. Nick Fradiani is our new “American Idol.” A year from now, will we even remember his name?
Why do so many “American Idol” winners remain losers? That’s kind of a mean question isn’t it? I really don’t mean it to be as I’m not a mean person, but at least it’s an honest question.
Let me back off a little bit as I’m probably not the one who should be asking the question. I make no effort at all to keep up on current music or what is played on the radio or any of that. Having said this, I went online and did a Google search of all the “American Idol” winners.
I’m thinking only three of them have had any kind of long term success—Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
I watched season 9 of “American Idol” back in 2010. I kind of got interested in it. I’m not sure why—please just consider it a bad year for me.
The winner in 2010 was Lee Dewyze and he’s a pretty good singer. Have we heard from him since? No. Dewyze has not released an original album since he won. He has gone nowhere.
It has been announced that next season will be the last for “American Idol” and it’s probably beyond time for that to happen.
I’m not sure if Maurice Mattei was born and raised here in the Greater Cincinnati area or not, but this is where he lives now, so I’m considering him a local artist. Local artist need to be supported. I’ve said this here and other places more than a few times.
Maurice is truly an artist. He’s an illustrator, a photographer and singer & songwriter and musician—among other things. Here’sa link to his website.
He also makes very interesting videos and this is his latest—“I Found a Fallen Angel.” Enjoy.
On May 1st, 1954, Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. He was republican, so I doubted if my parents voted for him.
On that day, “Dial M for Murder” was a popular movie. So was “The High and the Mighty.” That move starred John Wayne
May 1st, 1954, was the 80th running of the Kentucky Derby.
If I can get this image positioned well enough, here’s the Peanuts cartoon that ran on May 1st, 1954.
OK, the image for that cartoon is a little small, but that’s the best I can do.
Actor Tom Tyler died on May 1st, 1954. I don’t know who Tom Tyler is.
The #1 song in the country on May 1st, 1954 was “Wanted” by Perry Como. The song doesn’t do that much for me.
On May 1st, 1954, there were a lot of tornadoes in Oklahoma. On that day, I wasn’t in Oklahoma but in Madison, Indiana being born along with my twin brother.
You know—really—that’s what this post is all about today. You’ve probably guessed that already. You probably also have guessed that’s why we’re a little late posting today. Sorry.
In 1986, I was a married man with two small kids and living in Colerain Township. Yes. It seems like a lifetime ago.
In grade school, my daughter took ballet lessons and with those lessons came a ballet recital. Of course I wanted to see my daughter dance but those other kids? Not so much. As you know, you can’t always get what you want, so my wife and I and young son sat through those other performances with fake smiles on our faces. Well, at least mine was.
My daughter did her ballet dance just fine. At some point—maybe around the middle of the show—the ballet teacher did a solo performance of her own. A Country band—but not all that Country—named Restless Heart had a big record out called “I’ll Still Be Loving You.” That record was put through the school’s sound system somehow and the ballet teacher danced to it.
I considered the song too slick and didn’t care all that much for it, but watching that teacher dance to the song made me think of it in an entirely different way. She turned it into something truly beautiful—a Country ballet of sorts. I wish I could remember that teacher’s name but I simply can’t.
In my travels on YouTube recently, I came across “I’ll Still Be Loving You” on a show called “Larry’s Country Diner.” There were the guys from Restless Heart. They’re a little older now but still singing that slick song very well. I wanted to put it up here, but Larry is holding fast to his copyright rules. You all know how Larries can be. Here’s the original recording.
At some point, go to YouTube and watch them perform the song live. Watching them sing it again brought back memories of my daughter in ballet class and her teacher. If I said it didn’t make me tear up a little, I’d be lying.
Another guy, on Sunday,jumped the White House fence and was immediately arrested. Why do people constantly do this? Don’t they know what’s going to happen? Apparently not.
Also apparent is that these idiots aren’t listening to enough Cole Porter. “Don’t Fence Me In:” Those were Porter’s words to live by.
OK. I don’t really know that. I do know I can play that song on my mandolin and that Dick Cavett and ABBA know it too.
Here’s proof.
I’ll be back on Thursday. I’ll try to write something better but, as you know, there are no promises here.
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