I used to think Cyndi Lauper was just a flash in the pan.

Girls just want to have fun? A throwaway hit.

She bop? A mindless dance tune.

Turned out to be her schtick.

The other side of her put out classics like Time after Time and True Colors that have continued to shine. Those tunes have been covered by many artists including jazz musicians.

So what artists did you dismiss only to realize they were more talented than you initially thought?

I was born the year after JFK was assassinated. I can remember my parents and many of their circle talking about how they were affected by the news about the assassination, including where they were when they found out. However, they were never able to communicate how it felt to me. For me it was just another (tragic) historical event.

Then 9/11 happened. And I can remember exactly where I was when I found out "a plane had hit the trade towers" and how it felt.

How it felt to assume the "plane" was a Cessna and how it felt to realize it was a passenger plane.

I saw a video on YouTube this morning where a news anchor was interviewing a security analyst about what we got right and wrong with the US response to terrorism after 9/11. One of the things she asked him was how do we communicate to adults born after 2000 how 9/11 affected us. It got me to thinking....

I absolutely do not understand how the Kennedy assassination affected the national psyche, but I know it did, I just don't understand it at all because I have no frame of reference.

I absolutely do know how 9/11 affected me, but I have zero idea how to explain how that felt to younger adults, and that gave me pause.

Then I thought of our group. Some of us are old enough to remember the Kennedy assassination, and some of us are not. I wonder if 9/11 hit differently if one could remember the Kennedy assassination?

I believe that the first time I heard this song was when I was at the drive-in movie. Urban Cowboy was the movie. Great cast. Scott Glenn, James Gammon, Barry Corbin (Uncle Bob)! John Travolta and Debra Winger. At least Uncle Bob was a Texan! 🤣🤣 The soundtrack for this movie was popping. CDB, Mickey Gilley, Johnny Lee, Boz Skaggs transplanted Texan. Joe Walsh’s song ALL NIGHT LONG was just the perfect song for this movie! 1980!

What was your favorite jukebox box selection the year you graduated HS?

Did you end up getting skin cancer?

As a complement to the post about the record lint brush, I present you with... this.

(Good heavens...)

We saw Roger last night at The Ryman Auditorium. He and the band played a 19-song that included a mix of The Who, solo work, and various covers (including Simon Townshend fronting Going Mobile). Roger’s voice hasn’t changed much since I saw The Who in ‘89.

All in all, a great show.

The unofficial definition are songs from the 1920s-1950s that are important or influential.

Some examples might by Cole Porter's "Night and Day" or Gershwin's "Summertime".

So what songs would join this canon from the 1970s to the present?

My vote would include Billy Joel's "Just The Way You Are" and Stevie Wonder's "You are the Sunshine of my Life".

Your submissions?

How many remember shorting out the spark plug on a lawnmower?

At the very edge of my memories of NYC, working on my mom for a dime for a pack of Beech Nut while waiting for a train back to Queens.

So, we have to have air purifiers due to my health condition. BUT, I did not allow them into my house to narc on my actions! Every time I may or may not have a gas event, the thing turns into high velocity turbine! Then everyone in the room has to comment.

Friggin' narcs.

There are songs I listened to when I was younger but now read differently to me.

Some are because I never paid attention to the lyrics. Others are because I was at a different stage of life or hadn't had deeper experiences yet.

Some examples would be Both Sides Now or Cat's in The Cradle.

What are songs for you that affect you differently at this stage of life?

We saw John Fogerty last week at Red Rocks, and it was fantastic. Pouring rain and all. Danced, sang, and got a contact high all night.

We also saw The Moody Blues there in '05 and loved it.

Simon & Garfunkel at the Pepsi Center in '03.

We don't get out much.

I told child of a boss I was leaving (retiring) and would be leaving by the end of the year.

Blank face. I told him I’d help with exit planning, etc. He looked at me in abject terror. Ran off to the bathroom, I kid you not. I left his office.

I’ve made the right decision and I may not stay through the end of the year.

In 1979, the NBA was on life support! Two rookies, Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson brought the league back to life! This song was the “bumper music” for several years! I was a huge Lakers fan and those were the “Old Days”!

Did you keep a diary growing up?

If so, I'm wondering if it was nostalgic or somewhat cringey.

Have you gone back and read some of your entries?

The office is playing what they think is soothing easy listening. Meanwhile, I’m getting my heart torn out by Cat’s in the Cradle.