Saturday Night Serenade–Class of 2020 Hall of Famers

The list is out for the 2020 inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the line-up of honorees is pretty eclectic.

• Depeche Mode
• The Doobie Brothers
• Whitney Houston
• Nine Inch Nails
• The Notorious B.I.G.
• T. Rex

I’m only pulling a few songs, but there could be so many more. First up is Depeche Mode, and it’s kind of a nod to Mr. R–he was a big fan of new wave, while back in the day, I was more about hair bands. But Personal Jesus has a cool bass line that just worms its way into your soul. Plus, I may or may not have seen an X-rated BDSM video of this song that’s hot AF. Dig around and you might find it. 😉

Whitney Houston was an undeniable talent. Her life was such a trainwreck, and her death, an utter tragedy, but I prefer to remember her like this. How Will I Know takes me back to my college days, and it’s a sweet memory.

I can’t believe T. Rex’s Get It On is from 1971! How can that be? I still hear it all the time on classic rock radio and it’s impossible not to sing along.

The 2020 induction ceremony will be in Cleveland on Saturday, May 2, and for the first time ever, it will be broadcast LIVE on HBO. I can’t wait!

That will be a Saturday to remember, for sure. But don’t wait for May. Make this a Saturday to remember. Spend time with the ones you love and be sure to give them a hug.

Happy Saturday night!

Saturday Night Serenade–Guilty Pleasure

I’ve confessed it before. My guilty pleasure is boy bands. It’s a sickness, I know.

But when I heard about King Calaway, a country boy band, I was IN. Six good-looking young men with the harmony of angels? Oh, hell, yeah!

This video has them performing a cover from one of my all-time favorite bands, The Eagles. It’s a set they did at the Grand Old Opry, and they’re joined by the legendary Ricky Skaggs.

I know what you’re thinking. You hate country music.

Doesn’t matter. If you’re ever in Nashville and you have the chance, you MUST go to the Opry, if only for the cultural experience. It’s amazing.

Tonght, I hope you enjoy this new take on Seven Bridges Road, and I hope you’re open to giving King Calaway a chance. It will be our little secret, lol.

Have a wonderful weekend, and be sure to hug those you love.

Happy Saturday night!

PS: It’s my birthday this week. My Love surprised me with tickets to Les Miserables down in Ft. Lauderdale. We have discovered that while he thought he was buying them through Ticketmaster, he inadvertently used a sketchy site instead. There is the better-than-even chance we’ll get down there only to discover that our tickets are bogus. Keep your fingers crossed. We’ll let you know…

Saturday Night Serenade–So I Got Sucked In…

Do you just hate infomercials on television? You know, over-enthusiastic carnival barkers trying to sell you Ginsu knives or a Sham-Wow?

One day last week as the national news ended, before I could change the channel I got sucked in to a 30-minute advertisement by Time-Life. And before you go getting all judgy…

Just imagine, The Best of Soft Rock, great classics from the 70s and 80s. They started rolling out The Doobie Brothers, Ambrosia, Christopher Cross, and Chicago. Suddenly, I couldn’t look away.

Mr. R walked in and asked what we were going to watch. “You’re looking at it,” I replied. “Shhhhh!”

We both sat mesmerized as we heard songs that brought back the simpler times of old. And we knew every word of every effing song. It was magical.

Obviously, we didn’t buy the collection. I mean, who buys CDs? Where do you even play them?

But the next time you have a spare half hour and you fine this little gem, don’t miss it.

For tonight’s serenade, I picked one of my all-time favorites by America, Sister Goldenhair. I love this song.

Hope you enjoy it and that you have a wonderful weekend. Be sure to hug those you love.

Happy Saturday night!

HOMELIFE UPDATE:
We made it through the inspection period, and we and the buyers are now locked in. Assuming the appraisal that was done yesterday is at least the price of the house, we will be closing on Sept. 6.

Beyond that, we still don’t know where we’re going. We had a HUGE garage sale today and got rid of tons of things that were stored in the garage, and we sold some of the furniture we won’t be taking with us.

We’ll continue to keep you posted about our new adventure. ❤

Saturday Night Serenade–Publix Music

Have you been to the supermarket lately? I hadn’t. I hate grocery shopping, and I don’t cook. I was smart enough to marry a man who is a culinary genius.

Anyway, one day this week, I ended up at Publix, where shopping is a pleasure. And you know what? It was, kind of. Because they play some kick-ass music. Seriously, when did they ditch the elevator Muzak?

I had not heard Missionary Man in years. So there I was in the dog food aisle, dancing and singing along with Annie. In case you’re wondering, they followed up with Def Leppard. At freaking Publix. We went in for ice and bread, and rolled out with a cartful of stuff. I guess somebody did their market research.

There’s no real deep meaning this week, other than that I had forgotten how awesome this song is. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Have a wonderful weekend and be sure to hug those you love.

Happy Saturday night!

Household Update:
It appears we have the house sold. It’s now too late for anyone to back out, so barring some breakdown in funding, we should be ready to close by the first weekend in September. Which means we have to get packed up and ready to go.

Where are we going? We still don’t know.

Stay tuned–we’ll keep you with us for the adventure…

Saturday Night Serenade–A Song and a Movie

To say Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen is a great song is to be simply redundant. Taken as a whole, their body of work is sublime, with stand-out nuggets like Fat-Bottomed Girls, Under Pressure, and cult-classic Bohemian Rhapsody.

But I really like this one. I can’t get it out of my head. It’s currently featured in several television commercials. And with the success and acclaim of the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, all these songs are getting new life. Take that, Millennials, who believe if something didn’t happen in their lifetime, it didn’t happen at all.

As promised, though, this week’s serenade comes with a movie recommendation. While there are countless versions of Don’t Stop Me Now, this is one of my favorites. It comes from a fantastic little horror-comedy from 2004 called Shaun of the Dead. It’s a smart, funny, and yes, okay, gory at times, take on Dawn of the Dead. Just the title cracks me up.

The story follows hapless Shaun and his slacker-pothead wingman Ed (played the the hilarious Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) into what appears to be the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. Only we’re not using the zed-word.

Complicating matters is the fact that Shaun’s girlfriend Liz has just broken up with him, and he’s perpetually at odds with his stepfather (the brilliant, if low-key in this role, Bill Nighy).

Once he realizes that the end of the world is here (and it takes him an hysterical amount of time to figure it out–watch him pop out to the shop for a Diet Coke), Shaun cooks up a scheme to save Liz from the undead, and thus win her back. Of course, nothing is ever that easy.

At one point, Shaun’s intrepid band of survivors finds itself holed up in his favorite pub. The fight scene set to this Queen classic is a marvel of choreography and comedic editing.

I’ve checked–you can stream Shaun of the Dead for about $4 from nearly any streaming service. So what are you doing tonight? Saturday Night Live is in reruns until Fall.

By the way, happy Memorial Day! I hope you enjoy your long weekend. Be sure to hug those you love and tell them that you love them.

If you’re remembering someone who paid the ultimate price in service to their country, please accept my deep respect and gratitude. Freedom isn’t free. It never was.

Happy Saturday night!

Saturday Night Serenade–Royalty

Did you catch the 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on HBO last weekend? I look forward to the show every year. The performers always bring their A-game, and this year was no exception.

This year’s inductees included Radiohead, Roxy Music, Janet Jackson, Def Leppard, The Cure, and The Zombies. While Radiohead and Janet Jackson opted not to perform, the others were outstanding.

The show opened with an electrifying four-song set by the incomparable Stevie Nicks, the first woman to be inducted into the Hall of Fame twice–previously for her work with Fleetwood Mac and now for her solo career. She performed Leather and Lace with Don Henley, but I loved Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around with Harry Styles pinch-hitting for the late great Tom Petty.

But I can’t leave you without a song by the evening’s final recipients, because, well, Def Leppard.

I hope you’re having a wonderful almost-summer weekend. Hug those you love and tell them how much they mean to you.

Happy Saturday night!

Saturday Night Serenade–Tell Me About It, Stud!

I’m finding it hard to believe that the movie Grease came out FORTY YEARS AGO today.  How is that even possible?

I was in junior high (remember when that was a thing?) and I went to see the movie with my cousin, who was a year older than I.  Before that, my understanding of  movie musicals was based on my parents’ collection of LPs (remember when that was a thing?)–South Pacific, The Sound of Music, The King and I.

All of those are great shows, but I was blown away by the idea that an entire musical could be based on rock and roll.  And I loved it.  I marched right out and spent my allowance on the album, and to this day, I can sing every song by heart.

Now, there’s Rock of Ages, based on 80s music (and simply rocks) and American Idiot, a punk opera from Green Day’s album of the same name (which is outstanding), among others.

Here in the context of the ‘enlightened’ 21st century, I don’t want to delve into the socio-political issues of whether a Good Girl should have to change to keep her Bad Boy boyfriend.  Or vice-versa.  Because that’s crap.

What I know is that Grease is a fun, nostalgic trip to the 50s full of songs that are just enjoyable, both to listen to and sing along with.  A couple of years ago, Fox aired a live production of the show.  At the end of this article, I’ve posted Greased Lightning from that performance.  Just because I can, LOL.  (By the way, NBC is planning a live production of Hair in 2019.  Just saying…)

If you’re curious, here’s a Time article that talks about where the stars of Grease are today.

I hope you’re having a wonderful summer weekend.  Be sure to hug those you love.

Happy Saturday night!

 

Saturday Night Serenade–Walk of Life

May 5, 2018
It’s such a busy day today!

It’s Cinco de Mayo.  Just like everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s day, don’t you just have to have a margarita (or three) on May 5th?

Only this year, you have to choose between a margarita and a mint julep, because it’s Derby Day.  It’s the 144th Run for the Roses at the Kentucky Derby.

I must confess a little fondness for the races.  Mr. R and I have been to Gulfstream Park a couple of times, and it’s lots of fun.  I have a scientific method for picking winners–I pick the names that jump out at me.  It’s 2:26pm as I’m writing this, and I’m all in with #10, My Boy Jack.  He’s currently 18:1, but I don’t pay attention to odds.  I’m the proud mom of a 7-year-old German shepherd named…Jack.  It’s kismet.

But tonight, I will be curled up on the couch with popcorn and a glass of wine to watch the 2018 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on HBO.  This year’s honorees are Bon Jovi, The Cars, Dire Straits, The Moody Blues, Nina Simone and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.  I can’t wait to see the show, and I’m bringing a little preview for tonight’s serenade.  Dire Straights has a lot of cool songs, but I’m choosing Walk of Life.

Here’s wishing you felicitaciones, may your horse come in first, and I hope they play your favorite song.  Be sure to hug those you love.

Happy Saturday night!

Saturday Night Serenade–Happy Easter!

It’s the end of March, the weather is getting warmer, the days are getting longer.  And it’s finally Spring.  Hopefully, it feels that way where you are.

Happy Easter!  It’s a time of renewal and rebirth, a time for peace.  For this week’s serenade, I have a couple of classics from Cat Stevens, or, if you prefer, Yusuf Islam as he’s now known.  I imagine his new name stirs up some feelings for some people.  Who am I to judge?  I call myself Pandora Spocks, for corn’s sake.  😉

What I know is that Morning Has Broken is a sweet reminder of mercies that are new every morning.  And for that, I’m grateful.

And as long as we’re talking Cat Stevens, I couldn’t resist this performance of Peace Train from the 2014 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.  I saw the whole show, and this was the surprise highlight.

This Easter, suppose we embraced peace.  Wouldn’t that be amazing?

I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your family, no matter what holiday you celebrate.  Be sure to hug the ones you love.

Happy Saturday night!

Saturday Night Serenade–When All Hell Broke Loose

It’s been a week, hasn’t it?  Just last week I was giddy, happy about our anniversary.

My friend Danielle has had a rough couple of months.  Realizing it was a huge mistake, she called off her wedding.  Then last Friday, she lost her job.  So she headed off for the weekend to blow off a little steam.  In Las Vegas.

When I woke up Monday morning to the news about the mass shooting, I went crazy trying to get in touch with her.  She’d marked herself ‘safe’ on Facebook, and eventually, I heard from her.  She was in a different part of the Strip, and was completely safe.

Then came news about Tom Petty.  He was dead.  Then he wasn’t dead.  Then he was dead again.  For Pete’s sake, can we please get these things right?

I’ve never been a huge fan, but he’s one of those artists you come to realize has been the soundtrack for a lot of your life.  This song, American Girl, seems to encapsulate a lot of what we’ve had to wrap our heads around this week.  This version is from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and it’s stellar.

Any good news?  Danielle returned home safely.  She’s not married to a guy she doesn’t love.  Oh, and she starts a great new job on Monday.

I’m hoping tonight finds you and your loved ones safe and sound.  Hug’em tight, because you just never know.  If you’re on the Gulf Coast, please take care.

Happy Saturday night!