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Thursday, May 15, 2014

Sitcom Unemployment Line

Welcome to another edition of "Tube Talk Thursday", and in this edition of the blog, I thought that we would take a look at the world of television sitcoms.

And, well, in today's blog entry, I'll be talking about several different sitcom characters all with a common theme.

You all know that I have a tendency to do these kinds of blog entries once in a while.  Talking about a bunch of different shows instead of just one.  The reason why I like doing these entries is because I have the opportunity to compare and/or contrast the way that characters from different sitcoms would handle the same situations.  Would they crash and burn, or would they press through the pain to strive towards better opportunities?

Well, in today's blog entry, we will be talking about a situation that many sitcom characters have had to face over the course of their whole lives.  And, sadly in the real world, so many people have experienced this situation first hand.  In fact, I know quite a few people who are dealing with this scenario currently, and I can't imagine it being very easy on them at all.

The situation is the loss of a job.

It's a sad fact of life these days, but job security isn't what it used to be.  Five decades ago, people would find a job and in all likelihood stay in the job until they turn 55, 65, 68, or whatever age retirement is.  These days, job security seems to be more unstable than ever before.  Unless you happen to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or run your own successful business, I can't say that anyone in the world can ever say that their job is 100% secure.  A slow year in sales could mean chain-wide layoffs.  Bad business decisions can destroy a company from the inside out.  And, accounting fraud can completely bankrupt and shut down a whole business.  Note:  See Enron Scandal of 2001 for more information.

Do I feel secure in my own job?  In some ways yes, in other ways no.  In fact, lately I've been asking myself some questions, and the main one that flies through my mind is "if I were to lose my job tomorrow, would I have a plan to start all over again"?

Well, to be honest, if you had asked me this question five years ago, I would have no plans made at all.  But if I were to lose my job tomorrow, I think that I would be okay.  If anything, it would give me even more motivation to pursue my dreams.  I could take some time off and write a lot (I could probably write a book in eight weeks if I used the eight hours a shift I normally work to do nothing but write), or I could also check into other job opportunities.  I've built up a lot of things that I can now add to my resume that weren't there a decade ago.  I think if it came down to it, I would be a little bit lost if my job was terminated, but I would find a way out of it.

And, that's what I want to talk about in today's blog.  I'll be talking about people (albeit fictional ones) who have lost their jobs on television sitcoms, and the steps they took to survive a devastating blow.  I don't exactly know how this would go when I began writing this.  I guess my hope was that people could look at these situations that sitcom characters have experienced and realize that in some cases, the loss of a job wasn't necessarily the end of the line.  And maybe this is still what I intended to do...I don't know.

Regardless, let's have a look at some of the people who lost their jobs on their shows, but somehow found a way to come out ahead.




HARRIETTE WINSLOW - Perfect Strangers/Family Matters

No, that wasn't a typo.  The character of Harriette Winslow (played by JoMarie Payton) actually originated on the Miller-Boyett television sitcom "Perfect Strangers", and for a couple of seasons, she worked as an elevator operator at the Chicago Chronicle newspaper offices.  She frequently interacted with Larry Appleton and Balki Bartokomous and her character proved to be quite popular on the show.  She was so popular that when Miller-Boyett was creating another sitcom in 1989, they decided to spin Harriette off of "Perfect Strangers" and made her one of the stars of "Family Matters", which focused on the life of Harriette, her husband Carl, and her three children. 

And, wouldn't you know it?  On the second episode of "Family Matters", Harriette went to her bosses at the Chronicle for a raise, where she was promptly shown the door.  She was fired from her job, and thus explained why she would not return to "Perfect Strangers" for the rest of that series' run.  Naturally, Harriette was devastated, and Carl tried his best to cheer Harriette up.  But the only way that Harriette could be cheered up was if she landed another job, and she did...as a security officer for the very building that she was fired from!  How's that for going full circle?

Of course, the possibilities of getting let go from one job only to get a better job in the same exact workplace is EXTREMELY RARE.  So, let's continue with this discussion by talking about a pair of characters who actually made magic happen by QUITTING their jobs.




JOEY GLADSTONE & JESSE KATSOPOLIS - Full House

Okay, so throughout the show's eight year run, admittedly Jesse and Joey have had more jobs than Barbie...or so it seemed.  We all know that Jesse's big dream was to become the next big rock star, and we all know that Joey wanted to become a stand-up genius.  And, well...neither dream worked out (though Jesse did have that #1 hit in Japan).

But in between the gigs and the concerts, Jesse and Joey had day jobs that they worked to help pay the bills (well, I'm assuming they paid Danny's bills, since you know they never left the house during the show's run).  And, in the show's second season, Jesse and Joey teamed up to work in the advertising business.  With Jesse's musical talents, and Joey's natural ability to impersonate several celebrities and cartoon characters, the two were very successful for two seasons.  Well, that is until a woman who wanted the duo to promote a new line of men's fragrances came into their lives and changed everything about their campaign.  Certainly everyone has been in this situation before, you know?  Having something completely set up one way only for someone higher up than you completely changing it to their liking.  Frustrating, but there's not very much that you can do about it...

...well, unless you walk off the job like Jesse and Joey did.  The minute that Jesse learned that he would be promoted as a sex object, he and Joey had enough.  But was that the end of their careers as they knew it?  Hardly.

Joey ended up hosting a children's show for a year, and Jesse eventually bought The Smash Club.  And both hosted a radio program entitled "Rush Hour Renegades" which was a hit...which was surprising, given that it seemed as though nothing ever went right on that show!  But still, it's nice to know that these two men always strived for what they wanted out of a career...well, most of the time, anyway.

Let's see.  Who else can I feature?




ROSEANNE CONNER - Roseanne

I know some people might not see Roseanne Conner as that good of a role model.  She's loud, she's abrasive, she's stubborn, and she is not above using sarcasm and bluntness to get her points across.  But even though she doesn't always show it (and even though some people in the fictional community of Lanford are probably scared to death of her), she does have an insanely good heart and truly does want the best for herself, her husband, and their three children (even though Becky and Darlene probably have caused her more reasons to drink than anything).  And part of that motivation for Roseanne to keep things together was not to reject any job that came her way.  Roseanne would try almost anything once.  Though some jobs she quit, other job opportunities came after she was laid off, or fired, or had her job taken away because the business closed.  Here's just a sampling of the jobs she worked.

- Factory worker at Wellman Plastics
- Fast food server at a chicken restaurant
- Waitress at a department store cafe
- Hair Sweeper at a Salon
- Co-Owner of the Lanford Lunch Box

Of course, there were some heartbreaking moments for Roseanne along the way.  Did you know that when she quit Wellman Plastics, several others followed her after she staged a walk-out due to her boss being an egotistical control freak?  And, Roseanne almost landed a great job at a factory but had it cruelly taken away after the manager of the factory found out that she was computer illiterate?  Imagine Roseanne's sadness when a party was thrown in her honour with everybody believing that she had the job.  You think that it would have been mortifying for Roseanne.  Well, in a way it was...but in a way, it wasn't...

...because all of those other women that walked off the job that day ended up getting brand new opportunities that made them healthier, happier, and much better prepared in a financial sense...all because Roseanne had the guts to stand up for herself.  They learned to do the same, and they ended up doing very well.  And, by the end of the series, Roseanne herself came to some conclusions herself...even if the ninth season was kind of weird.

Anyway, those are just three examples right there from sitcom land.  Do you have any more to add?

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Who Am I Wednesday #2

Well, here we are.  Another Wednesday, and another "WHO AM I WEDNESDAY" is on the docket, the day where you try to guess who I'm talking about based on a fictional diary entry, day planner page, or calendar page.

Hey...I am a master of pop culture.  I can find these things anywhere.  Or, at least make them up in the guise of them.  I make a much better actor when I imagine myself typing as them as opposed to standing on a stage pretending to BE them.

Now, because this topic is brand new, and didn't really get a whole lot of response, I'll explain it again.



It's a bit of a game, the "WHO AM I WEDNESDAY".  I'll pick a person, real or fictional, and I will write out a page from a journal or day planner, and your job is to pick out the clues from what is written on the page and guess who I'm describing.

Sounds simple right?

Again, there are no prizes available.  You forget that retail doesn't pay very much...ever.  This is strictly for fun.  And, honestly, I'm not sure if this will actually continue, so I'm just trying it out for a few weeks to gauge the response.  The other two new theme days are performing fantastic, so I'm still testing the waters.  Hope you don't mind!

Okay, so firstly, I will tell you the answer from last week's entry.  Remember the clues that were given...

- It took place on someone's sixteenth birthday.
- The person whose diary entry was posted talked about how her best friend forgot her birthday.
- It takes place in a city that has some sort of pyramid shaped office building.
- She talked about how her friend began neglecting her after she met her boyfriend in Spain during a foreign exchange program.
- Her nicknames for her best friend's family are Mr. T, Hairboy, and Squirt.
- She apparently once called her best friend a "geekburger".
- Her best friend has the name Donna Jo.

Have you figured it out yet?  Well, here's one more hint.



Hmmm...the "Full House" theme.  Oh, yes.  That show takes place in San Francisco, doesn't it?  And aside from the Golden Gate Bridge, the only other outstanding landmarks are Coit Tower, Lombard Street (that zigzag street), and the Transamerica Pyramid - which our diary scribe accidentally called the Transsexual Pyramid!

Okay, so she may not be the brightest bulb in the camera.  Another clue.  But she did go on that trip to Spain with her friend named Donna Jo.  And, I suppose Donna Jo could be abbreviated to D.J. 



Wait a minute.  Wasn't there a character on Full House named D.J. Tanner?  Why, yes.  Candace Cameron Bure played her for eight years!  But, who was D.J.'s best friend?



Oh, yeah!  It was Kimberly Louise Gibbler.  Otherwise known as just Kimmy.  And, as it so happens, Kimmy Gibbler was the subject of the very first WHO AM I WEDNESDAY!  



Oh, yeah...the elaborately crafted story?  It all came from a season six episode of the "Full House" series.  It was called "Birthday Blues", and it was the episode in which D.J. actually forgot Kimmy's 16th birthday and made her a hash brown and potato cake.  And the date of the diary entry is the day after that episode originally aired.  Pretty crafty huh?  I certainly did a lot of research on that episode!

(Thank you "Full House Reviewed" for the recap.  And, actually, check out the site.  This guy reviews every single episode of the series with a whole lot of snark.  If you haven't checked it out, click HERE!)

All right.  Now for today's edition of WHO AM I WEDNESDAY!  And for this one, we once again feature a fictional character.  This time, we're going to take a look at their day planner.  Hopefully you can figure out who it is by the clues left behind.

So, tell me.  Who is it?

SUNDAY MAY 11

5:45 AM - Wake up to the sound of birds singing

6:00 AM - Lay out best green suit for Sunday Church Services.  I can't be late, no siree!

6:20 AM - Get dressed.

6:30 AM - Get the kids up by singing them their favorite hymn.

7:00 AM - Eat a scrumptio-diddly-dumptious breakfast.

7:15 AM - Make a note - Buy some more gluten-free, sugar-free cereal.  It makes Roddy jiggly-wiggly at the breakfast table.

8:00 AM - Sit down as a family and watch Hour of Power before church services.

8:45 AM - Leave for church; blow a kiss to my beloved Maudie up in the heavens.  I still miss her.

9:00 AM - Head inside church, making sure to get the pew that is front and center.

9:30 AM - 11:00 AM - Become enlightened by the words of the Bible.

11:01 AM - Ask Reverend about bake sale.

11:03 AM - Ask Reverend about how to handle next door neighbor.

11:05 AM - Ask Reverend and his wife to dinner for the eighty-sixth time, hoping that he will say yes this time.

11:06 AM - Head home; must think of another approach to get Reverend home for dinner.  What if I make him a nice peach cobbler.  Yummy yummy yum!

12:00 PM - Prepare a nice lunch of non-fat, gluten-free, dairy-free pasta for the boys.  As for me, I'll settle for a slice of white bread with a glass of water on the side for dippin'! 

12:30 PM - Go next door looking for the microwave, garage door opener, and TV tray that were borrowed.

12:35 PM - Try again next week to reclaim my belongings.

1:00 PM - Spend some time in the garden prunin' and weedin' the roses, tulips, and daff-a-dilly-dills.

3:00 PM - Head next door to remind neighbour that undergotchies are not an outdoor clothing item.

4:00 PM - Movie afternoon with the kiddily-diddlies.  I think the Ten Commandments is a fine choice.

7:00 PM - Dinner.

7:30 PM - Beddy-bye!

Okay, people.  Who is this person?

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

May 13, 1950

Well, as I alluded to in last week's Tuesday Timeline entry, I will be doing something special for every Tuesday in May.  This month, every Tuesday Timeline will feature a birthdate of someone who has made an impact in the world of pop culture.  As you know, last week, I did a blog entry on George Clooney, who turned 53 one week ago.

And, in celebration of these birthdates, I will be attempting to find one fact for every year that this person has been alive in relation to their careers, personal lives, trivia facts, and other miscellaneous bits and pieces.  Last week when I did George Clooney, I managed to find fifty-three different trivia facts about George Clooney.  If you thought that was tough, you haven't seen anything yet.  Today's birthday spotlight is much older...which means more facts than ever before.

But, hey.  I love a challenge.

But first things first, we have to talk about the historical events of May 13 that changed our world...or at the very least, the world of pop culture.  And, for those of you who are lucky enough to see it, I've been using a lot of a specific font lately.  I wonder if that might have any significance to any future changes?

(For those of you who can't see it, the font is Kabel.  I tried to add it into the blog itself as a choice, but they want me to pay for installation...which is just crazy talk!  So, I'll have to find a different, more generic font, for the main body text.  The Kabel font will be used as emphasis, and will more than likely show up as a bolded version of the font I eventually use.  But here I am babbling about fonts when I should be talking about May 13 throughout history.  I'll be quiet now.)

1515 - Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon are married at Greenwich

1846 - The United States declares war on Mexico, leading to the Mexican-American War commencing

1861 - The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by Australian John Tebbutt

1880 - Thomas Edison performs the first test of his electric railway in Menlo Park, New Jersey

1912 - The Royal Flying Corps is established in the United Kingdom (later to be renamed the Royal Air Force

1914 - American boxer Joe Louis (d. 1981) is born in Lafayette, Alabama

1922 - Actress Beatrice Arthur (d. 2009) is born in New York, New York

1939 - Bloomfield, Connecticut becomes the first American city to host a commercial FM radio station (WDRC-FM)

1940 - Winston Churchill makes his famous "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" speech to the House of Commons as Germany begins its conquest of France

1941 - Singer Ritchie Valens (d. 1959) is born in Pacoima, California

1954 - The Broadway musical "The Pajama Game" hosts its first performance

1961 - Actor/singer Gary Cooper dies of cancer six days after his 60th birthday

1972 - Actor Dan Blocker dies of a pulmonary embolism at 43, shortly after filming the thirteenth season finale of "Bonanza"

1989 - Large groups of students occupy Tiananmen Square, beginning a hunger strike

1994 - Johnny Carson makes his final television appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman

1995 - Alison Hargreaves becomes the first woman to climb Mt. Everest without the assistance of oxygen or shirpas

2000 - A fireworks factory explodes in The Netherlands, killing 22, wounding 950, and causing 450 million Euros in damage in the city of Enschede

2013 - American psychologist Dr. Joyce Brothers dies at the age of 85

I'd also like to take the time to wish the following celebrities a very happy birthday; Dominic Cossa, Harvey Keitel, Sam Anderson, Zoe Wanamaker, Bobby Valentine, Rosie Boycott, Mary Walsh, Steve Blackwood, Ravi Shankar, Dennis Rodman, Sean McDonough, Stephen Colbert, Tom Verica, Darius Rucker, PMD, Brian Geraghty, Neil Hopkins, Samantha Morton, Mickey Madden, Natalie Cassidy, Lena Dunham, Hunter Parrish, and Debby Ryan.



And, today's date - also a celebrity birthday - is May 13, 1950!

Oh, dear.  Looks like I'll be spending some time trying to find sixty-four different pieces of trivia about a songwriting legend.  And, when I say legend, I mean it.  He was barely in his teens when he began to wow the world with his incredible vocal talents, and at 64 years young, he shows no sign of slowing down.



Today's blog will heavily feature the song stylings of Stevie Wonder.  And in celebration of sixty-four years of Stevie, here are sixty-four pieces of trivia.  Hope you have some time to spare!

1 - Stevie Wonder's name at birth was Stevland Hardaway Judkins.  Try saying that three times fast!

2 - Stevie was born six weeks premature to Calvin Judkins and Lula Mae Hardaway in Saginaw, Michigan.

3 - Stevie's premature birth prevented his eyes from fully developing, resulting in permanent blindness.

4 - Stevie's last name was officially changed to "Morris" following his mother's decision to leave his father when Stevie was four.

5 - By the time Stevie was ten years old, he had already learned how to play the harmonica, piano, drums, and bass.

6 - Stevie is the third of six children.

7 - He earned his first recording contract with Motown's Tamla label.  At the time he signed the contract, he was just ELEVEN years old.

8 - It was producer Clarence Paul that was responsible for Stevie's stage name.  Because he was not yet a teenager when he was signed to Tamla, he was given the stage name of Little Stevie Wonder.



9 - Stevie Wonder's first album was 1962's "The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie".  The first of many, might I add.

10 - Stevie Wonder's first number one hit was a single called "Fingertips", which topped the charts on August 10, 1963...



11 - ...and this single made Stevie Wonder the youngest person ever to have a Billboard Hot 100 single, at just thirteen years old!

12 - The song also simultaneously topped the R&B charts - the first time in music history that this ever happened.

13 - When Stevie was a teenager, he tried his hand at acting, starring in "Muscle Beach Party" and "Bikini Beach".

14 - Did you know that in addition to singing, he also composed his songs for other artists?  He helped compose this 1968 single by "Smokey Robinson & The Miracles"...



15 - ...and this 1970 single by The Spinners.



16 - Stevie Wonder played the harmonica in Elton John's 1983 single "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues.

17 - He also lent his harmonica stylings to Chaka Khan's "I Feel For You" in 1984.

18 - And, while we're at it, let's add this 1999 single by Sting to the list of singles in which Stevie played his harmonica!



19 - Throughout his whole career, Stevie Wonder managed to have ten singles go to the #1 position.  The first was "Fingertips", the last was his collaboration on the 1986 single "That's What Friends Are For" with Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, and Elton John.

20 - Stevie Wonder's first number one hit was in 1963.  His second was nine years later in 1972 with the single "Superstition".

21 - Stevie Wonder has released twenty-three studio albums total, his most recent being 2005's "A Time To Love".

22 - Performed at the funerals of Michael Jackson, Etta James, and Whitney Houston.

23 - He is estimated to have sold over 100 million records since he began recording music over fifty years ago.

24 - He has won a total of twenty-two Grammy Awards throughout his entire lifetime so far.

25 - In 1996, he also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.



26 - His song "Isn't She Lovely" was inspired by his daughter, Aisha Morris, who occasionally sings with her father on concert tours.

27 - Stevie's youngest son, Mandla shares the same birthday with his father - fifty-five years apart!

28 - Stevie Wonder won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for his song, "I Just Called To Say I Love You" from "The Woman in Red".

29 - During his acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, Wonder dedicated the award to Nelson Mandela, who was still in prison at the time.  After that, Stevie Wonder's music was banned from South Africa.

30 - He became the second recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Pop Music on February 23, 2009.

31 - He sang at the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

32 - In August 1973, Stevie Wonder was involved in a car accident in North Carolina which put him in a coma and caused him to lose his sense of smell and taste.  He made a mostly full recovery though (he still has no sense of smell).

33 - Stevie Wonder's height is listed as exactly six feet tall.

34 - Stevie was married twice.  His first marriage to Syreeta Wright ended after two years.  His second marriage to Kai Millard has also ended, with Millard filing for divorce just a few years after their 2001 wedding.

35 - His ex-wife Syreeta passed away in 2004 following a battle with breast cancer.

36 - Was the youngest ever recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors Award, being just 49 when he was presented the award on December 5, 1999.



37 - Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.



38 - In 1968, he recorded an album of instrumental jazz singles.  The album was entitled EIVETS REDNOW...Stevie Wonder spelled backwards.

39 - He was voted the 15th Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artist of all-time by Rolling Stone.

40 - Stevie once remarked that he would have liked to have run for mayor of Detroit.  But obviously, that did not happen.  Would have been kind of cool though.

41 - Was a collaborator on the 1985 charity single "We Are The World".



42 - He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 7050 Hollywood Boulevard.



43 - His 1977 single "Sir Duke" was dedicated to his lifelong hero, Duke Ellington.

44 - His thoughts on drinking and driving?  He was quoted as saying "Before I ride with somebody who's been drinking, I'll drive myself."

45 - Named a United Nations Messenger of Peace in December 2009.

46 - His thoughts on Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law?  "Unless the Stand Your Ground law is abolished in Florida, I will never perform there again."



47 - His last solo #1 single was 1985's "Part-Time Lover".  I can't believe it's been almost thirty years!



48 - Appeared on an episode of Sesame Street in 1973 performing "The Sesame Street Song"!

49 - Did you know that Marvin Gaye played the drums on Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips" single?

50 - Stevie Wonder once performed alongside Jimi Hendrix during downtime at the BBC.

51 - Stevie Wonder was the very first person to own the E-mu Emulator.

52 - 1968 was an extremely busy year for Stevie.  Not only did he graduate from the Michigan School for the Blind, but he released FOUR albums that year!

53 - In 1980, Stevie Wonder launched a campaign to make Martin Luther King's birthday a national holiday.

54 - Although Stevie Wonder had several #1 singles by the time "I Just Called To Say I Love You" was released, that single became Stevie's first single to hit #1 in the UK!

55 - Received the NAACP Hall of Fame Award in 2008.

56 - Was one of the last guests to appear on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show".

57 - Appeared on Saturday Night Live in 1983.

58 - Appeared as a special guest on "The Cosby Show" in 1986.

59 - He is born under the sign of "Taurus".

60 - Is always seen wearing a pair of sunglasses.



61 - Scored a #1 hit with Paul McCartney in 1982 with a song all about racial harmony.

62 - The Red Hot Chili Peppers scored a hit in 1989 by covering one of Stevie Wonder's songs, "Higher Ground".

63 - The single "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" was the very first single that Stevie produced all by himself.  It was also the first single to feature his female backup singers.



64 - His single "You Haven't Done Nothin'" was a political statement song, aimed squarely at Richard Nixon!  Listen to the lyrics.  Clearly there's a lot of anger there!

And, that was a lot more challenging than I thought it would be!  I'll have to try and find a younger subject next week!

At any rate, happy 64th, Stevie!  I hope you have a great day!  And to end this really long Tuesday Timeline off...I'll post my all-time favourite Stevie Wonder song.  Enjoy!




Monday, May 12, 2014

Motivation Monday - Parents!

All right, so this edition of the blog is going to be on the short side, but trust me.  I think that you're going to love it. 

Now, as you know from last week, I've implemented some new theme days for the blog's upcoming three year anniversary, and I'm so happy to see that all of you are liking the changes so far.  I'll tell you guys, in my past life experiences, I've not really been all that receptive to changes, but seeing how positive these ones seem to be, I'm thinking that I could summon up the courage to try a whole bunch of new things. 

Well, we'll see anyway.



For now, I just want to go ahead with this week's edition of "MOTIVATION MONDAY".  As you know, I've designated Mondays to be the date in which we will showcase the newest episode of the chat show that I am a part of.  It's a little venture that I like to call "MOTIVE4CHANGE"!

Now, if you tuned into the show last week (and if you missed that episode, you can click HERE to watch previous shows that we taped), you'll know that the Motive4Change name is a bit of a change in itself.  Before, the show was called "MOTIVE2CHANGE", but since we added a fourth person to our team, we figured that "MOTIVE4CHANGE" made a much better name.  It certainly makes a lot more sense, given that there are four of us! 

Yes, myself and my three friends, JOSHUA, CARINE, and JONATHON (of which I am easily considered to be the old guy of the group) have been doing an Internet show for the past month and a half, and can you believe that we're on episode number six already?

As it so happened, the original airdate of the sixth episode of our series aired yesterday, which coincidentally happened to be Mother's Day.  So, naturally, when we were plotting ideas for future shows, we wanted to have a related topic for that week.

So, I now present to you, episode #6 of "
MOTIVE4CHANGE"...

Episode #6 - PARENTAL INFLUENCES (5/11/2014)



I hope you liked the little bloopers that we tacked on at the beginning and end of the video.  You just never know exactly what we're going to say!

And, of course, I mean everything that I say in the episode.  I do appreciate everything that my parents have done for me, even though I have a difficult time showing it on occasion.  I certainly do wish my parents had taught me how to be more assertive towards others.  And, I guess I can say that I am happy that I grew up in a family in which cuss words weren't as taboo as other places because in a way it helped me be more accepting towards others.  Though, I still admit that I very rarely cuss as a result of it because in a way, I'm still trying to rebel against them even though I'll be turning 33 later this week. 

Of course, since we only had a limited amount of time to speak about our families in the broadcast, there are a few additional things that I want to add.



In regards to my own parents, I want to make this clear right here and right now...even though they don't use the Internet and probably couldn't find this blog anyway.  These are some final thoughts to them from me.

First, I am not a 20 Questions game.  I do appreciate that you are inquisitive people, and I think that I inherited that trait from both of you.  But when you go rapid fire on me and ask me twelve questions in twelve seconds...it is AGGRAVATING!  I don't mind you asking me questions, and in most cases, I'd love to give you an answer...but just don't ask me so fast!

Secondly, I readily admit that I am the youngest in the family.  But I also want to remind you both that I am nearly 33.  Not 3.  I am capable of making my own decisions and my own thoughts, and while I will appreciate your feedback on some things, I am at the age where I need to make my own choices and I need to make my own mistakes.  Just trust me enough to know that I can handle most anything that comes my way.  That's all I ask.

And, finally...and most importantly...thanks for being my parents.  I love you both!

Sunday, May 11, 2014

The Mamas & The Papas



The first thing that I would like to do is wish all mothers, grandmothers, stepmothers, mothers-in-law, acting mothers, foster mothers, and guardians a very happy Mother's Day!  And, in celebration of the day, this whole blog is going pink! 

(I'll be turning the blog "blue" for Father's Day when it comes around too.)

Anyway, I have a Sunday Jukebox entry to type out today, and can I just say that it took me a really, really long time to come up with a suitable song discussion for today.

You see, knowing that today is Mother's Day, I really wanted to find a topic that had to do with mothers, but I also had to try and find a song that was also a #1 hit.  And, that complicated my search to the point where I was coming up empty on finding the perfect song.

Almost every single song this week was recorded by either a male, or an artist without children.  And, those artists who were mothers were singers who I have already put in the artist spotlight this year. 

In short, I was really struggling to try and find the perfect song.

So, what did I do?  I improvised.  Since I couldn't find a song about mothers, or a song recorded by a mother...why not do a song which had the word "Mother" in its title, or have the word "mother" (or a variation of the word) in the band or artist name.  Surely there has to be ONE #1 hit that charted the week of May 11 throughout history.

Sure enough...there was one!  And it topped the charts exactly 48 years ago this week.



ARTIST: The Mamas & the Papas
SONG:  Monday, Monday
ALBUM:  If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears
DATE RELEASED:  March 1966
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #1 for 3 weeks

Yeah, I know I'm technically cheating here.  The song is recorded by the Mamas & the Papas, and it's a song about Monday.  But under the circumstances, it was the best that I could do.

Listen, to show you how sorry I am for not being able to keep up with the Mother's Day theme, why don't I try to make it up to you by doing a blog entry on the band, this song (which was their one and only hit on the Billboard Charts), and the aftermath of the band - which can only be described as 'stranger than fiction' no matter whether you firmly believe it or not.





So, let's begin by talking about the four members of the band who made up the Mamas & the Papas, shall we?  The group was founded by two former members of "The New Journeymen", husband and wife duo John and Michelle Phillips along with The Mugwumps band member Denny Doherty in 1965.  The three played together before recruiting the fourth and final piece of the band in Cass Elliot, who also played with Doherty in The Mugwumps.  At first, John Phillips was a little bit hesitant to let Cass join the group as he felt that her physical appearance (she was quite heavy-set compared to Michelle), and her low vocal register would be more harmful than good.  Even though Cass was eventually accepted into the band, it took quite some time for John to warm up to her. 

But one thing that Cass did have influence on was the band's name.  And, in this archived transcript from Denny Doherty's personal website, he talks about how the band ended up getting their iconic name.

"We're all just lying around vegging out watching TV and discussing names for the group. The New Journeymen was not a handle that was going to hang on this outfit. John was pushing for The Magic Cyrcle. Eech, but none of us could come up with anything better, then we switch the channel and, hey, it's the Hells Angels on the Carson show... And the first thing we hear is: "Now hold on there, Hoss. Some people call our women cheap, but we just call them our Mamas." Cass jumped up: "Yeah! I want to be a Mama." And Michelle is going: "We're the Mamas! We're the Mamas!" OK. I look at John. He's looking at me going: "The Papas?" Problem solved. A toast! To The Mamas and the Papas. Well, after many, many toasts, Cass and John are passed out."

I'd consider that to be quite an interesting story, wouldn't you? 

Now that we know who the members of the band are, let's talk about "Monday. Monday".

Now, I'll be really honest with you.  I find many of the songs by "The Mamas & the Papas" to be wonderfully written songs and I can see why so many people liked them.  But I definitely wouldn't recommend that these songs be played during happy occasions.  To me, their songs seemed to be overly saturated with melancholy.  And, yeah, "Monday, Monday" is no exception in this case.  The song's lyrics are so anti-Monday that you'd have sworn that Garfield had written it!  But in all actuality, the song isn't really about Monday.  Well, not exactly anyway.  It's about the ending of a relationship.  And, judging by the lyrics, it appears as though the end came on a Monday, as the singer kept singing about how on Monday morning he couldn't see that by the evening, their romantic partner took off to parts unknown.

As I said, quite the melancholic song.





The song itself was penned by John Phillips, who boasted that he had written the song in just twenty minutes.  The song is also one that boasts a false ending - you know, one of those songs that seemingly fades into oblivion, only to have a second surprise verse pop up at the true ending. 

But despite its solemn tone, and despite the tricky ending of the song, it was enough to stay on top of the charts for three weeks in May 1966 - the band's only single to top the Billboard charts.  Though, the band was hardly considered to be a one-hit-wonder.  During the time that they performed as a band, they recorded five studio albums, released seventeen singles, and of those seventeen, a half dozen charted within the Top 10.  And, for their performance of "Monday, Monday", the group was awarded a Grammy Award in 1967 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.  I'd say that wasn't bad, given that the band only stayed together for three years before the group split up in 1968, following Cass Elliot's desire to embark on a solo career.  Though the band did reunite briefly in 1971, by the time 1972 had arrived, all four members had decided to go their separate ways.

So, what became of The Mamas & The Papas?





Well, let's begin with the only surviving member of the group, Michelle Phillips, who turns 70 years old this June 4.  Michelle did attempt to get a solo career going with her 1977 album "Victim of Romance", but she soon found herself embarking on a totally different path...

...acting.



Did you know that Michelle Phillips was once a cast member on the long running dramatic series "Knots Landing"?  She joined the cast of the show in 1987 as the role of Paige Matheson's mother, Anne as a recurring character.  She became a regular two years later, and stayed with the show until its May 1993 series finale.  She also worked on several films during that period as well. 



And her musical talent seems to have carried on, as her daughter is Chynna Phillips, one-third of the successful all-girl group "Wilson Phillips", which Phillips formed with Brian Wilson's daughters Carnie and Wendy.



Michelle and John Phillips stayed together until 1970, when their divorce was made final.  It was also right around this time that John battled a serious addiction to heroin.  Throughout most of the 1970s, while he was experiencing some minor success writing songs for other artists, his drug addiction lead to him getting arrested and convicted of conspiring to distribute alcohol in 1980.  He served a month in jail during 1981 during which time he tried to resurrect the Mamas and the Papas by performing with Denny Doherty, and his two oldest children, Jeffrey and Mackenzie (Phillips would father five children overall which included Chynna, Tamerlane, and Bijou). 

John Phillips died in March 2001, and after his death came the allegations that John had an incestuous relationship with his troubled daughter, Mackenzie.  Whether or not the allegations are true, however, are between John and Mackenzie themselves...and only one side is able to talk.



Denny Doherty, as I mentioned before, tried to reboot the Mamas and the Papas with John Phillips, but he ended up leaving the group once more to be replaced by Scott "San Francisco" McKenzie.  Denny also had troubles with alcohol abuse after the original Mamas and the Papas split up, but found his way to total sobriety and stayed that way for years until his death from kidney failure in January 2007. 



But prior to his death, he had an interesting credit to his resume.  He hosted the Canadian children's television show "Theodore Tugboat" from 1993 until 2001!  I totally didn't realize that, and I do remember seeing an episode of that show here and there!  The things you learn on this blog, huh?



As for Mama Cass Elliot...well, her life has been filled with a couple of urban legends - emphasis on the word legends - and I shall let you know what they are.

Contrary to popular belief, Mama Cass was not let go from the band because she hit her head on a copper pipe which miraculously caused her voice register to rise three octaves (where the heck did they come up with THAT one).  In truth, Mama Cass had been considering a solo career for a while, and in 1968, she made her dream come true with another song about a dream of sorts.



(Though another rumour states that John Phillips had her axed from the group because of her size.  I can't confirm, nor deny this, so let's just this an allegation, rather than an assertion.)

In 1968, Cass was scheduled to perform a three-week gig at Las Vegas' Caesars Palace, but unfortunately, Cass suffered a series of health issues following a crash diet, which saw Cass lose 100 pounds in six months.  She was suffering from a fever and her vocal cords were hemorrhaging, and people urged her to cancel the show, but Cass refused, saying that the show had to go on.  Unfortunately, the show was a disaster, and the rumours spread that Cass had a drug problem.  However, she tried performing in Las Vegas again four years later, and that time, the crowd loved her.

Sadly, Mama Cass' career was cut short as she passed away in July 1974 at just 32.  And, contrary to popular belief, she did not die because she choked on a ham sandwich.  While there may have been some uneaten food in the hotel room where her body was found, there was no food in her windpipe upon closer examination during the autopsy.  In fact, the cause of death was a heart attack, likely brought on by the crash dieting that Cass had done over the last five years of her life.

So, there you have it.  The story of "The Mamas & The Papas"...a band whose history might very well have been as melancholic as some of their songs.