Raised on Country Sunshine: Family Tradition

Family tradition includes colorful drinks

Kind of winging it on this theme, these are songs I remember from my childhood, especially when we had Coal Miner's Daughter playing on a loop off HBO: 

Hank Williams Jr., Family Tradition

Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys

Tanya Tucker, Delta Dawn

Alabama, Mountain Music

Johnny Paycheck, Take This Job and Shove It

Randy Travis, Forever and Ever Amen

Loretta Lynn, Coal Miner's Daughter

Kenny Rogers, Coward of the County

Buck Owens, Act Naturally

Dolly Parton, Here You Come Again 

Typing Out Loud: Hi, Steve

From a 4th of July post where we celebrated the idea of American Superman punching Hitler. 

I just found out my high school crush died unexpectedly over the summer. 

Steve was, by definition, a nerd. Smart, brilliant, really - I believe he would have been our class salutatorian if not for the fact that we had a three-way tie for valedictorian and thus no salutatorian was awarded. Played Dungeons and Dragons and the sax. Was into superheroes and had the deepest chocolate brown eyes with feathery lashes. Wicked, dry sense of humor. Rich, baritone voice that would startle and thrill me when he would come up behind with a mock-sultry "hello, Melissa," to which I would lightly reply, "hi, Steve."

I was not alone in my adoration, as several girls in my friend group were besotted. I asked him to prom my junior year, emboldened by the fact that I heard he had no date and there was a dress I really wanted. Timing was not on my side, as he had asked Kate that morning, a senior in the band who also had no date. He apologized, wishing the timing had worked out. Embarrassed, I did not ask again, and he didn't either. 

No matter, I didn't stand a chance: he stayed closeted until he came out publicly on Facebook the eve of his 50th birthday. Those in my graduating class showed their support. 

He struggled in adulthood, caring for his elderly parents, which led to money problems, mental health struggles, and homelessness. It seemed like he got it together in recent years and had a loyal group of family and friends in his life until the end. 

The family plans to quietly host a service and inter him next to his parents back in our hometown at a later time. 

And 40 years later? The feelings I had for him were unrequited and had long ago mellowed to nostalgia for who we were, but I hope he felt it somehow and that it gave him the feeling of being special. However superficial my juvenile feelings were, they were genuine at the time, and I hope that positivity made its way into his world and gave him... something. 

I hope his soul is at peace. 

That's It, Just One Line: If 6 was 9

 "Cause I got my own world to live through and uh, and I ain't going to copy you."

LHOTR 2.0: Making a Build into a Home

Now that construction is underway and we can imagine it, time to start picking some things out. 

Blue chip is the siding, the copper is the roof, and the gray block is the deck. 

We chose a door... 

...and kitchen light fixtures! I got this for my birthday! 

Will joined us at Menard's to pick out kitchen cabinets and countertops. His verdict? He wanted it to feel warm. 

I think that all works together! 

We have a roof! 

Trying to pull all of it together. I'm thinking of getting a big presentation board with pins and arrows and things. 

The Fifth Beatle: Stu Sutcliffe

I'm giving love to the most tragic Beatle for my birthday. 

Who's the coolest Beatle? The one we never met. 

Beatle ghost.

Had Stuart Sutcliffe lived and stayed with the band, he would have been the oldest (beating Ringo out by a couple of weeks) and the only Scotsman. Arguably, the hottest as well.

But it was never really meant to be, as Stu was a visual artist at heart and went along with the others to Germany for the chance to escape Liverpool for a while, check out German art schools, and fall in love. 

Why wasn't this a Beatles album cover?!

Stu met John at the Liverpool College of Art, where they were both students; Stu helped John improve his portfolio and prepare for exams while doing work-study as a custodian. They soon became roommates. While hanging out at Mona Best's Casbah Club, he informed the band he had sold one of his works, Summer Painting, a big deal for a student at the time. John and Paul encouraged him to use the money to purchase a bass guitar and join the group in early 1960. 

Germany, in the clubs

Stu's time in the group was brief, but notable. His moment for their set during the Hamburg years was Elvis' Love Me Tender, and with the release of Anthology 1 in 1995, he is credited as a recording artist on songs Hallelujah I Love Her So, Cayenne, and You'll Be Mine. His most lasting contribution was renaming the Quarrymen: in homage to Buddy Holly and the Crickets, the band became The Silver Beetles, and finally The Beatles.  He quit in July 1961 after the band was deported, opting to stay in Germany with his fiancée, Astrid. 

Self-Portrait, 1959

His career as an artist spans the years 1957 to 1962. Labeled a "Beatnik Horror" in a Sunday newspaper article for The People, he studied at LCoA and earned a post-graduate scholarship to study at the Hamburg College of Art under Eduardo Paolozzi; he was considered an abstract expressionist. Some of his works include Hamburg, Hamburg No. 2, Self-Portrait, The Crucifixion, and Summer Painting. 

Stu died of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 21 in 1962.

The Beatles included him on the cover of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band 

as member #35

LHOTR 2.0: I Get Knocked Down but I Get Up Again

We went up on August 2 to see the house before it was bulldozed. 

Time to let it and the novelty chain pull go.

Salvaging what we could. 

Dave the Builder helped by rescuing the windows to see if he could reuse them. 

That didn't take long.

Wow, it's gone.

We can rebuild the Little House on the River! 

Don't stop, keep it movin'; put your drinks up - we've got a floor! 

This already has me feeling so much better about everything. Within the framing, you can see where the big picture window will be, the center swing double doors, and the window over the kitchen sink. 

Now it's time to shop for the roof, deck, and siding. 

Lipstick on the Mic: Cindy and Kate, B-52s

Kate and Cindy around 2010

The B-52's classic lineup is Fred, Kate, Cindy, Keith, and Ricky, RIP. When it comes to the vocals, Fred is the comic relief, while Kate is the heart, and Cindy is the soul. 

Formed in 1976 while drinking Flaming Volcanoes at a house party, the band drew inspiration from 50s and 60s dance, party, and surf music; their look came straight from camp culture. 

I discovered the band in the early 80s, when they made a cameo appearance as the party band in a couple of episodes of the soap opera The Guiding Light, and because my cooler-than-cool cousin Denise had Whammy! in her cassette deck when she dropped us, her younger cousins, off at the pool. Of course, they were among the first artists featured on MTV, with videos for "Songs for a Future Generation" and "Legal Tender." 

Cosmic Thing broke them from the indie college party circuit to being, well, everywhere. Love Shack is a party standard played at any GenX event. 

Kate became the duet queen of alt-rock in the '80s and '90s, pairing up with Iggy Pop for the song Candy and four songs with REM, including the hit Shiny Happy People. 

Cindy semi-retired to have babies at this time. 

She came back for their late '90s pop culture surge: soundtrack for The Flintstones movie, tributes to Debbie Harry, an anniversary greatest hits release, and a parody turn with the song Glove Slap on The Simpsons. The final party continues with a long goodbye, light touring with Devo - including here in Grand Rapids next week - and a residency in Las Vegas.

B-52 essentials: 52 Girls, Dance this Mess Around, Rock Lobster, Planet Claire, Give Me Back My Man, Strobe Light, Quiche Lorraine, Queen of Las Vegas, Legal Tender, Song for a Future Generation, Love Shack, Good Stuff, Hot Pants, Debbie.