Friday, February 01, 2008

Pleasures from the Past

Lately, I've been eating grapefruit for breakfast. When I was little, my dad would start our mornings off with a grapefruit. He would cut it in half, cut each little section, and sprinkle it with a little powdered sugar. I loved that. The other day, I was in the grocery store and they had a bag of Florida grapefruit on sale, and I bought it. I've been eating a grapefruit every morning, cutting it in half, cutting the sections, and sprinkling it with a little sugar (it's still a little too bitter for me without). Then I squeeze out all the juice and drink it up. It's been a nice way to start the morning.

The other day, I started seeing rumors flying that NKOTB, the original boy band, is getting back together. And I have to confess: my fifteen-year-old heart is all a-flutter. I've joined a couple of mailing lists to keep abreast of the situation, but you can bet if they go on tour again, I will have tickets and I may have to dig out my old Jonathan Knight t-shirts, which believe it or not, I have here in the house with me.

The other day to celebrate the news, I was thinking I must have an NKOTB CD in the house somewhere, and I discovered one in our CD book. It was "Hangin' Tough" and I figured, what the hell, I'll listen to it while I'm hot rodding around for work. What a gas! I was cruising down Route 3, singing along--I still know most of the words--and having a grand old time. Man, the 80's were the best.

To be honest, listening to it once was plenty. If I'd had "Step By Step", I might have listened a couple more times, but once was enough of "Hangin' Tough". Man I hope they get back together for a tour, that'd be really fun.

Ahh, the simple days.

19 pearl(s) of wisdom:

Seraphim9 said...

OH! NKOTB!!

OK, admittedly I wasn't the BIGGEST fan of them because I was a little older than the typical fan, but my little sister was a die-hard fan. I took her to two concerts during those days.

The first one, we made banners for a contest they local radio station in hopes for backstage passes. Sis reluctantly sacrificed her teen mag pictures so we could plaster the boys' faces all over the banner. It was a good one, I think I have pictures somewhere of it. Alas, we didn't win but it was fun.

Oh, and prior to that concert we had gotten there early. Everyone else was mobbing the backstage entrance in hopes of so Sis and I decided to go hang out at the front of the civic center. While we were standing there, there were three guys on mopeds riding around the pretty much still-empty parking lot and the perimeter road. One of them buzzed by us in the driveway that ran in front of the center and then turned and went up the aisle in front of us. They all had helmets on with dark visors so we didn't know them from Jack, but the guy who buzzed us had a long braided rat-tail hanging down the back. Yep...it was Jordan. Sis nearly fainted! LOL!

Oh, on a related note, in March of 1991 Sis and I were treated to a limo ride and concert in Panama City Beach that I had won in a radio contest. NKOTB little brother, Marky Mark, and his Funky Bunch. We got to meet them backstage. I touched Marky's butt. (Yeah, Tal, you knew it was coming!) It was an accident, I swear! I've got the picture to prove it! I've really got to scan that and post it. :-)

Hang tough, my friend!

Kate/Susan said...

Girl, I want to see that pic of you and Marky Mark ASAP! You lucky dog. hehehehe

We saw them in concert in 1991, and we were hanging around the backstage entrance and saw Jordan. It was pretty cool. We weren't allowed anywhere near him, but he smiled and waved.

What sucked was that we got "limited view" seats, so we could hardly see much of anything. This time, I'm going all the way, baby! :-)

Our other little NKOTB run in happened when Mike and I were living in Boston and it happened to him, not me. He was walking to work one day, and a woman came up to him and asked him if he needed some help. Well, he never turns down an offer for help because he figures you'll never know who he will meet. So they were talking and walking, and it turned out, the woman helping him was none other than Joey McIntyre's mom!

He's also gotten help from Bill Russell, the Boston Celtics basketball star, and Tracy Chapman the singer. Lucky dog. :-D

Backatcha.

Seraphim9 said...

Was the Tracy Chapman incident before or after the "driving lesson" on the golf cart? Would have been an interesting story to share with her as they walked along....."You know, my wife has a YouTube video posted of me driving a golf cart to your Fast Car song...."

I know what you mean about the "limited view" seats. Second NKOTB concert we went to with my mom, aunt, and cousin. NOSE BLEED seats! We had a pair of binoculars that we passed up and down the row. :-) Luckily, my friend Stacey was working as a floor guard and let me get close enough to the stage to get a few close-up pics for Sis and Cuz.

Yes, I will definitely have to post the Marky Mark pic. Poor Tal, he has to hear the story over and over. Every time I see Mark in a movie or something I'm always, "I touched his butt!" or Donnie.."I touched his brother's butt!" LOL.

Mike W said...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9jf-GVIxy9c

Seriously?

Wow! Your dork-meter just jumped 100 points! I bet you followed that up with Vanilla Ice.

:)

Word to your mother.

Kate/Susan said...

Mike, dude, you sent me a video without my fave New Kid. This is a real slap in the face! :-(

*hugs*

And uh, yeah, I might have had a Vanilla Ice tape.

Kate/Susan said...

But I should say, my parents were not on either the Marky Mark or the Vanilla Ice train. I was banned from listening to either album outside of the confines of my room.

Unknown said...

Were CDs even invented with NKOTB were popular? I guess so. I have XM radio and there's an 80s channel...it's one of my presets - the other day they played "Hangin' Tough" and I was jammin! :)

Talmadge said...

Melissa: Yes, there were compact discs in 1988-89, when NKOTB first got on the map. However, I doubt as many CDs of the group sold; back then, most of their fan base were buying cassettes.

--Talmadge "Got his first CD player in 1986" Gleck

Talmadge said...

As for New Kids, any opinions expressed would certainly be what you'd expect from a 43-year-old MALE who was already pushing his mid 20s when the group had their first hit (which, incidentally, was "Please Don't Go Girl", and it peaked at #10 in the Summer of 1988).

I had to play a couple of their songs in 1989 while working for an "adult contemporary" station. I found NKOTB as the latest step in the evolution of bubblegum ... The Osmonds of their day. As a fan of vintage soul, however, I found their version of "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)" to be answered in the affirmative. Imploded was more like it.

In any case, New Kids was among the first cruel reminders that pop music had long since passed me by.

As for Seraphim's Great Grope, she knows where that picture is. Once she produces it, I'll scan that puppy .... just you wait .....

Seraphim9 said...

All righty.....you asked for it, you got it. Check out the latest blog post! :-)

Kate/Susan said...

I think the Hangin' Tough CD came to me somehow long after the posters came down and the T-shirts got packed away... I know I definitely had tapes and not CD's when I was totally hot on them.

Cindy said...

I just read about this in People Magazine. Oh lordy.

I watched Jordan Knight on the Surreal Life on VH1. He was a bit of a prissy boy. He was my favorite of course. I never got to go to a NKOTB concert because they always sold out, and my mom wouldn't let me wait in line forever at the Hecht's! Hecht's had Ticketmasters in them.

Also, I did go to a Marky Mark concert. My mom came with us - ugh- but it was still fun. One of my friends couldn't go because her dad said that the peopel who liked Marky Mark - he didn't want his daughter hanging out with them.

Lauren said...

I wasn't into NKOTB quite as much as my peers, but Jonathan was definitelyl my favorite, too! I still have a pillowcase with his face on it somewhere.

Hey, Seraph, cool picture! I have a picture of my mom and Marky Mark! I have to scan that one in. (Long story short, my high school won a radio contest, and my mom was president of the PTA! There's more fun details, but I'll save them for whenever I bother to scan in the photo.)

Kate/Susan said...

Lauren:

I totally had a Jonathan pillowcase too! hehehehe That is so hilarious...

and all these Marky Mark people. Unreal!!! hehehe

This is wild.

New Kids: bringing my peeps together.

Cindy said...

I won't talk about the lifesize poster i had of Luke Perry on my bedroom door.

Nope. I won't talk about it.

Seraphim9 said...

'Twas Rick Springfield for me! Am I showing my age? LOL!

Long before MTV came to the town I lived in, my best friend and I would sleepover on Friday nights and watch "Night Tracks" on TBS.

Bless my poor parents, as when a Rick Springfield video came on they got awakened by the squeals of teenage girls!

bolivar said...

I guess I have got to put a post in about my experience with a NKOTB-related incident that certain people will not let me live down, 19 years after said incident. I'll put it in sometime this week...

Talmadge said...

[stifles a howl of laughter]

nettiemac said...

Oh my -- Seraphim just brought up some wonderful memories of Rick Springfield and of "Night Tracks" on TBS. Our cable system was way behind, and we didn't get actual MTV until Fall 1984.

But, oh, Night Tracks, how I loved thee.