June 10, 2016- Dancing

 

 

I’m embarrassed to be dancing around at concerts, maybe partly because mom used to tell people that when I was a little girl I used to dance around to the” I Dream of Jeannie” theme and that song from the Gypsy soundtrack- “You Gotta Have a Gimmick” sometimes. I was always so humiliated when she did that in the 70s- mid 80s.

   It’s just so hard for me let go of past moments like that. I did dance around a lot at the DD Foxwoods concert which I totally regret. Amy has asked me if I was feeling ashamed at the time or not until afterwards; a little during and much more later on.

   In 1979 or 1980, Cindy, Jessica and I were disco dancing in the basement at our house. Mike was mainly waving a flashlight around to make it seem like we were at a club. “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer was one of the songs that I remember from that day.

   We had been having a good time until Cindy fell and slightly injured her head when hitting it on an end table.

   Jim H asked me to dance at our 8^th grade “M*A*S*H” - themed dance but I turned him down and felt so ashamed because he had only done this as part of a dare. I saw 2 boys talking to him and laughing and pointing to me before he came over to me. They were laughing afterwards too.

   I’ve never really danced with a guy; doing so with my cousin Kevin at his wedding does not count. That was in 1988 at a country club in Saratoga Springs, NY.

   I can’t remember my 2 proms that well which is probably for the best. I’m wishing that I had never even gone to them. Friends of the family set me up with dates for both. “One More Night” by Phil Collins was the theme for junior year. 

   My date looked a little like the actor Jon Cryer. He only went because a classmate of his was there; he seemed to be talking to her more than me. They were seniors. I might’ve danced with him but only for like 30 seconds.

 My brother called him Duckie but not to his face. That was the name of Jon’s character in Pretty in Pink. I hadn’t even seen that movie until a year after that- I wasn’t really that into those teenie bopper films like my friend Cindy was. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was okay, I guess. 

   I had an even worse time at my senior prom and was so glad when that night was over.” Never Say Goodbye” was the theme. I never did care for that song because it brought back some bad memories.

   I’ve only seen Bon Jovi perform that once at a concert- Giants Stadium 2001. I’m pretty sure that I’m right about this. A friend of a friend did dance with my date but I don’t think that I did. I’d rather not remember.

 

I Dream of Jeannie-opening sequence

 

1983

 Jon Cryer-on right

 

 

 

 

Note- The Jeannie and Donna Summer photos are from the internet

 

Dreamtime

January 5, 2012- A Nightmare Vacation                                                                                             

 I was sitting on a lounge chair by a pool at a hotel. I looked over at the one next to me and saw John Taylor there. He was in the middle of talking about Donna Summer’s song “I Feel Love” with me. I had been in my living room watching TV just seconds before being teleported to this setting.

   I could hear “Escape- The Pina Colada Song” on the stereo system. I mentioned to John that this song was on one of my K-Tel compilation albums. It was nice but also odd that the two of us were having such a conversation in this environment. I discovered that we were in Panama City Beach, Florida.

   Only 15 minutes later, however, some strange and scary things began happening. I saw a man turn into a cartoon character, The Pink Panther. He was still drinking a beer afterwards. He must have also lost his human personality because he didn’t seem to be upset about this.

    A woman changed into The Creature from the Black Lagoon. She chased after a few people but then just sat down on a chair. A girl screamed out that her boyfriend Bob had transformed into a Smurf. I saw him hiding behind a potted plant.

    Everyone was very frightened that something horrible would eventually happen to them too. John was worried about Simon who was at the nearby beach. I went with him to see if Simon was alright.

   We saw that he had just turned into the early 20s version of himself both in appearance and personality. He wasn’t aware that he was married. He was checking out the 2 beautiful girls who were playing Frisbee.

   A man had transformed into a 6 foot Godzilla. He was chasing after people and breathing fire. People were freaking out and running. John tried getting Simon to come with him but he would not leave the beach.

   We ran back to the hotel. I saw a teenage girl in the lobby change into a 65 year old woman. She was crying. Her mother was trying to comfort her. I also noticed a few more Smurfs running around.

   I was feeling so upset that this program had turned into such a nightmare. The mean aliens must have hacked into it. I saw a big foot type monster coming towards us. John grabbed my hand- this sort of surprised me- and we escaped to an area near the restaurant.

   He was no longer holding my hand now. In fact, when I looked next to me, he wasn’t even there. I heard a faint voice saying “I am down here”.  I looked down and saw that John had become Papa Smurf.

   About 7 Smurfs came over to him. They were fully the cartoon characters by now. One of them asked Papa Smurf what they should do. He said “I don’t fucking know!” That sounded so wrong. But then approximately 12 seconds later, he told them that they should all run away from the humans and creatures.

   I watched them following him. I felt even more frightened and alone. The situation got worse when I suddenly felt a strong craving to eat lots of sweets. I went into the restaurant’s kitchen where a few other people were pigging out on all sorts of foods. I could not control myself either.

   I was so relieved that I wasn’t in this frightening storyline for much longer. Is it weird that I was thinking that I would have rather been turned into Smurfette and escaped with Papa John Smurf?

 

 

Note- Godzilla photo is from the internet

 

Favorite Disco songs

-Good Times- Chic

-Could it Be Magic- Donna Summer

-He’s The Greatest Dancer- Sister Sledge

-Upside Down- Diana Ross

-Rock the Boat – The Hues Corporation

-Ladies Night- Kool & the Gang

-Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now- McFadden and Whitehead

-Boogie, Oogie, Oogie- A Taste of Honey

-Jive Talkin’- The Bee Gees

-Don’t Leave Me This Way- Thelma Houston

-Ring My Bell- Anita Ward

-Fly Robin, Fly- Silver Convention

-More, More, More- Andrea True Connection

-Best of My Love- The Emotions

-Come to Me- France Joli

-Boogie Wonderland- Earth, Wind & Fire

-Shame- Evelyn “Champagne” King

-Take Your Time (Do It Right) - Pt. 1- S.O.S Band

-Stomp! - The Brothers Johnson

-And the Beat Goes On- The Whispers

-Rock with You- Michael Jackson

-I Will Survive- Gloria Gaynor

-Turn the Beat Around- Vicki Sue Robinson

-More Than a Woman- Tavares

Favourite Disco Songs Part 3

1. Stomp! - The Brothers Johnson
2 Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas
3. Best of My Love - Emotions
4. I Just Want to Be Your Everything - Andy Gibb
5. If I Can't Have You - Yvonne Elliman
6. Right Back Where We Started From - Maxine Nightingale
7. Boogie Nights - Heatwave
8. Shame - Evelyn Champagne King
9. I Want Your Love - Chic
10. I Feel Love - Donna Summer
11. We Are Family - Sister Sledge
12. Let's Groove - Earth, Wind and Fire
13. Tell Me Something Good - Rufus
14. Let It Whip - Dazz Band
15. Turn The Beat Around - Vicki Sue Robinson
16. Shake Your Groove Thing - Peaches & Herb
17. The Hustle - Van McCoy
18. How Deep Is Your Love - The Bee Gees
19. Love Hangover - Diana Ross
20. Take Your Time (Do It Right) - S.O.S. Band

Favourite Disco Songs

I was in the mood for disco music last night so I put the mix tape that I made into my walkman. I'm no longer ashamed to say that I like some of this type of music and don't care that alot of people think that disco sucks. It brings back good childhood memories like the time my brother, 2 friends and I were dancing to Donna Summer in my basement.

1. Good Times - Chic
2. Could It Be Magic - Donna Summer
3. He's The Greatest Dancer - Sister Sledge
4. Upside Down - Diana Ross
5. Rock the Boat - The Hues Corporation
6. Ladies Night - Kool & The Gang
7. Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now - McFadden & Whitehead
8. Boogie, Oogie, Oogie - A Taste of Honey
9. Jive Talkin' - The Bee Gees
10. Ring My Bell - Anita Ward
11. Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
12. Fly Robin, Fly - Silver Convention
13. More, More, More - Andrea True Connection
14. I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor

These are the main ones that come to mind. I'm sure that there are more that I like. Come To Me is on my Pure Disco CD. I like that too - didn't know it was considered disco. It was on a K-Tel album that I had - Wings of Sound.

Concerts

I never was really that into going to concerts until 2000 when I saw Bon Jovi for the first time. I did go to a few in 1991, or was it 1992? My brother wanted to see Styx and didn't drive so he offered to buy me a ticket if I took him. I wasn't that into them but I did like some of their songs. Major disppointment to us both that they did not do Mr. Roboto. No Tommy Shaw either. This was at the then Garden State Arts Center. We saw John Denver there a couple of months later and Rod Stewart at the then Brendan Byrne Arena shortly after that. I saw the Oak Ridge Boys at Great Adventure a year later.

I enjoyed that Bon Jovi show in Philly so much that I just had to see them again. My boyfriend took me and we joked about Bad Medicine alot. He tried getting tickets for the Meadowlands but they were sold out. We saw them in Camden about 8 months later. I don't think that he was too pleased when I told him that I got tickets to see them at Giants Stadium for later that week. It was a last minute thing. Part of the reason I did this is because I was mad at myself for not using the binoculars at the Camden show. We got there late and missed a little of the opening act, Sugar Ray. I loved the fireworks at the end. This show was taped for a VH1 special that we watched.

I went with this same boyfriend to see The Monkees at a small club in Delaware and Brian Wilson at the PNC Center. He also got us tickets to see Duran Duran at the latter venue in the summer of 2000. I refer to it as the Simon and Nick show because it wasn't the 5 original members. Embarrased to say that I really wished that John were with them then.

I went to see Mellencamp in 2002. My brother was supposed to go with me but he was in the hospital. My mom came with me so the ticket wouldn't go to waste. She knew nothing about his music but said that she enjoyed the show. My brother did get to see him 3 years later at the same venue - PNC Center. We went to the Hall and Oates concert there a couple of months later. I went to 2 shows there that summer also but I never told him about them- Donna Summer and Duran Duran. Maybe I should've, but I just wanted to go on my own for a change.

We did go to the Def Leppard concert that fall at the Continental Airlines Arena. It was a very rainy day and the weatherguy Bill Evans said don't drive anywhere unless you absolutely have to. He'd probably think we were nuts for doing this. It was really scary. My driving anxiety gets worse when there's bad weather. Bryan Adams also performed at that event.

My brother went with me to see Bon Jovi at the new Prudential Center in Newark in the fall of 2007. Daughtry was the opening act. That was the seventh time that I saw Bon Jovi. My brother thinks that I've seen them 4 times. I was afraid that he'd tease me and say that I'm obsessed with them. He already does this enough. I went on my own to MSG in 2005 and Giants Stadium in 2006. I wish that I could afford to see them at the new Giants Stadium this spring but I'm saving for something else.

I have been to 7 Duran Duran concerts as well, although part of me says 6 because it doesn't officially count the one without John Taylor. That is so mean. I was so excited when I first saw him at the MSG concert almost 5 years ago. Should I be ashamed to admit that? I just had to see them again when they were at PNC a few months later. I went to one of their Broadway shows in 2007 only it turned out to be at Roseland because of the strike. I went to both of the Central Park shows in the spring of 2008 and a week before my birthday in December that same year saw them at the Wellmont Theater.

I'm usually in the nosebleed sections at these events or close to that but for the last three DD shows I was pretty close. It almost felt surreal being there. It was general admission which is why I was able to be in that spot. I wish that I could have gotten that close to Bon Jovi. I do have this crazy afterlife fantasy that your spirit gets to go to any concert or other event in whatever time period you want. I hope that this is true. God is probably laughing at me.

I definitely will be posting more about my Bon Jovi and Duran Duran concert experiences in the future. I've gone on enough about this subject for one day, plus I have some laundry to do now-real exciting.

Ooops- how could I forget about Genesis and Phil Collins? I'm sure that there are some people who would like to forget that they even exist. I had been into Genesis since 1986 and was so glad when I got to see them in 2007 at Giants Stadium with my brother. He went with me to the Phil Collins MSG show too- I think that was 2004.