It has been a fun month, one where I have worked out with fit mums at the local gym at 9 AM, taken my kids to the local pool club during the day, and qualmlessly imbibed whenever the mood struck. Yet there hadn't been a big moment to mark the extended time with the boys. That is, until last night.
I was taking the kids home from the pool club so I could grill for another family that was coming over (I have been getting plenty of mid-week grilling in, which has been fun). As they do every time they're in the car with me, my boys request SiriusXM channel stations. My 8 y/o has somehow decided he likes Channel 14 - The Blend. This station is AWFUL. It plays Sheeran, Beiber, Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, One Direction and the like, interspersed with 80's pop hits from Madonna, Whitney Houston and Stevie Winwood (his bad hits). I want to tell my son I love him less when he requests the station, but I reluctantly don't. And now he's gotten the 6 y/o into the station as well, who generally likes anything the older one likes. So I get songs like the one below crammed into my ear hole often. Nobody puts TR in the corner.
I occasionally indulge my boys' requests, but I often tell them we won't play it b/c Dad doesn't like it. The compromise we tend to land on (mostly b/c of my wife) is Channel 18 - "Limited Edition", which you all know as the current home of Yacht Rock. I originally found the yacht rock movement amusing, but a tiny bit silly. But I have come around on it b/c the music is just so damn pleasant. It's easy breezy - you can play it loud or soft, and you can sing along to parts of many of the tunes. It evokes vague memories of my childhood, such as remembering listening to Christopher Cross' "Ride Like The Wind" in the back seat of my parents' cigarette smoke-filled Thunderbird. I did not realize until recently the song had a cameo from Michael McDonald. Of course it did.
(Random segue here: the ads for Yacht Rock that play on other stations are tre-fucking-mendous. The two I've heard are: "Music as soft and lustrous as Michael McDonald's beard" and "Music from back in the day when the only log-ins you needed was Kenny." Well done, sirs.)
But back to last night. After leaving the pool club, I again got a Blend request, but told them we would leave the car tuned to Yacht Rock. And as the car started, Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" came on. My kids immediately loved it. They asked me to turn it up and said it sounded like a Hawaiian song. I began cranking it with the windows down in my Volkswagen CC. The drive to our house is about 2 minutes, so I began meandering around my neighborhood at 6:15 PM with two happy boys in the back who were loving Lionel, jumbo jumbo, fiesta forever, the funky brass accompaniment, and the fact that we were gonna have a party all night long. Or at least until the song ended and we pulled our car back in the driveway. But it was a splendid 3:47 stretch amid a picture-perfect late summer afternoon - three dudes basking in the awesomeness of Lionel at the peak of his pop powers. And if you choose to play the video below, think of listening to it with the mindset of a young kid who's never heard it before. It's hard to dislike.
I'm sure I'll forget this happiness tonight at the ball game, as my kids enter into sugar-induced meltdowns, which hopefully won't result in one kid crying, another kid peeing all over his underwear, and a dad losing his iPhone. Actually, maybe I won't. Thanks, Lionel.
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49 comments:
Nice post TR and welcome back [shortly] to the workforce. My wife was tired of me being unemployed after about 4 days - I think she thought I was going to re-enact the "Mr. Mom" montage all day, every day; I fell woefully short.
Lionel can sing a freaking song. Almost every weekend in our household involves "Easy" and or "Say You, Say Me" playing while I cook breakfast (and if there's time, I throw in the non-Lionel classic "Moving Like Bernie", but that's beside the point).
As a kid that has never heard it or today as a middle-aged schmuck, I dig this song. I vividly remember when this video and album were hot. The break dancing bits were top notch, especially as a wannabe popper and moonwalker.
Lots of similarities with your kids and my 2 oldest - 7 & 5. The Blend is what he always tells me to put it on and if there's a good tune on that requires taking the long way to the driveway, that is what is done. Good stuff.
I am an unabashed Lionel super fan.
Those are cool moments when you and your progeny are simpatico in recognizing the greatness of an artist like Lionel.
My boys always want to listen to the pop station. I'll let it ride until something really horrible comes on, then I'll change it. It's usually Drake when that happens. I can tolerate plenty of bad music as long as it's not 'rootsy'.
Like Lionel Richie
Your whole style is bitchy.
KRS-ONE
Sail On is my favorite Lionel/Commodores tune. It has a little bite but it's still really smooth. Like Clarence.
I suppose the fact that I had a Yacht Rock band play my second wedding is a giveaway that I'm a sucker for the music. But seriously, for the 1000th time, if you haven't watched all the episodes of the show, you're pretty stupid.
Wow:
https://youtu.be/zg-ivWxy5KE
Sail On, afros and rhinestones and Gold Lamé
just capped off another fine tourist day with a victory lap around wrigley field. they ain't lying when they say that place is cozy. what a cool intermingling of ballpark and neighborhood. now i'm going to drink solo at revolution brewing while my family naps.
That's a solid Commodores song. I like Lady (You Bring Me Up). And it didn't involve Lionel, but Night Shift should be mandatory on your individual Sexy Time playlists.
Currently have Lionel (courtesy of Greg) and the Commodores (courtesy of Marls I think) on vinyl, and they get tons of run
as does Christopher Cross' self-titled debut album, which has both "Sailing" AND "Ride Like The Wind"
Currently at the car wash, watching one of the workers try to get the keys he locked in it out of the vehicle.
I love watching car wash and parking lot guys break into cars. They're pros. Saw a car wash attendant get into an F type convertible in 45 seconds. He might've bent the top but who would notice?
The Wrigley neighborhood is indeed awesome. My first trip there was when the Cubs were on the road. Technically speaking they were on the road...they were playing the White Sox in Comiskey and my cousin and I headed there after watching the game at Comiskey. A pretty great day. Had drink at the bar attached to Wrigley and many more in bars around the neighborhood. Still doesn't compare to the vibe when the home team is in town.
Had the chance to hit a Cubs-Cards game. Few years later. Eagerly anticipating my return trip.
My guy was a D III'r at best. The bonus was they also left my back window down several inches. I got a free wash out of it though so I've got that goin for me. I look forward to returning.
Been to one Wrigley game. The day after I met my wife. She lived near there.
I was with Mr. Broka at Wrigley about seven years ago for a matinee. Wives were expecting us back right after. It was one of those 2:30 NL games. We drank for over an hour at one of the giant bars nearby after the game and got away with it. Wrigley is a real gem.
lovely moment with the kids TR.
i've been having some lovely moments with my younger son ian today. we've been practicing for OBFT and -- unfortunately--ian is cut from the same cloth as me. i've been drinking since one and ian and i have been crushing all comers at cornhole since four, and this is our third day with insufferably long streaks. my other son alex is a wonderful good-natured guy who will play a game or two with my brother and all the cousins and then resume skimboarding with his friends, but ian wants to beat everyone over and over and he's become very skilled. we didn't lose today, and yesterday when my brother and one of my cousins (thirty years old) beat us marc said it was like winning the british open. ian is the youngest of the bunch and plays hard and angry, and if you don't watch him, he's liable to cheat. i try to tell him it's all about having fun, but the apple doesn't fall far from the tree . . .
somewhere, a tall troublemaker with good hair that soon won't be so good and a short sarcastic kid are going about their lives, unaware that their destinies will soon be entwined with an italian/hungarian kid who's wicked smart but more than a little insane.
the short sarcastic kid will have great hair for some time to come
Cruz is physically incapable of saying the word "Trump."
heart emoji for your post today TR
Paul Pogba! Adding him and Zlatan is huge to quite huge for the Red Devils.
if man u got pogba, that gets a poop emoji from me.
i just ate venison tartar with egg yolk and charred green onions at the hipsterish joint in chicago. it was outrageous,
and sounds like things continue to go swimmingly in cleveland. we should all note with happiness the fact that a trump loss in november means a cruz nomination in 2020. we're fucked.
Borat is at the RNC?
I have never been prouder of Cruz than I am now. It's a brilliant move if he's playing the long game. The Trump group's reliance on the whole "Cruz didn't honor his pledge" nonsense is farcical.
that's like saying, 'i've never been hornier watching gay dwarf porn than i am now'. but i take your point. and it's all farcical, all of it.
Recent events show that these election thingies are not always predictable. And four years is a long time for Cruz to shoot himself in the foot. See Christie, Chris. I expect Maury Povich to win the GOP nomination in 2020 if Trump loses.
I'm gonna need to hit Rob up for his Chicago recommendations when I head back there. Always good to increase your knowledge base for top notch cities.
i think the republican party might lose this election in a landslide, leave westeros for a while, and then return with dragons.
Valyrean is Ivanka's mother tongue.
I think I need one of these t-shirts:
http://freshbrewedtees.com/collections/frontpage/products/jr-smith-for-president-shirt
Manafort once worked for Sterling Cooper right?
getting home at around midnight tonight. have a 6:40 am work flight to los angeles tomorrow morning. that's suboptimal.
Sipping a Lagunitas at the bar at Music Hall of Wiliamsburg, awaiting Broken Social Scene. If I was any hipper right now, I'd explode.
Sad that Rob couldn't send the lady squirrels home on their own. Hopefully it's a worthwhile effort for airline miles.
Possible Spoiler alert for GAme of Thrones. Just got through the Hodor episode of season 6. The ending was up there with "Kate we have to go back" in terms of satisfying tv plot twists.
I'm just tuning into the R's convention for the first time this week
And I'm all about respecting people's right to have their own POV
But, WTF is this clown show?
The theme is clearly, "Make America Hate Again"
Cannot believe this is a real convention for a real US Presidential candidate
My "Never Trump" lawn sign arrived today. I'm with ya, Shlara.
Maybe we'll get a GOT-style ending to the evening and Ivanka will kill her father and assume the role of R nominee while the balloons are dropping
Trump's speechwriter's take on Hillary's record as SoS would be compelling but for Trump and the pile of cotton candy on his head.
Rather enjoyed this:
http://mashable.com/2016/07/22/jon-stewart-comeback-colbert/#Gy7wGzyIxOqh
With is beard, he looks like he aged more than Obama in the last 7 years.
rob - did you consider heading straight to l.a. from chicago?
i did, danimal, but we'd already made the chicago reservations when i realized i needed to be in l.a., so it was unwieldy. it was an early morning today. caffeine is a good thing.
Since you're in LA during a summer weekend, you need to go catch some Drew League games, Rob. Then hit Bludso's BBQ.
i'm technically in long beach
after six hours of best of three play, ian and i won the first annual sea isle city cornhole championship, against a couple of randoms . . . the the thirty something son and friend of a second husband of my cousin's grandmother . . . they were both fratty and skilled and didn't know how to deal with the very focused 11 year old throwing holes, definitely one of the greatest father/son moments for me, a crowd of cheering cousins (occasionally even rooting for me and ian) and ian didn't crack a smile until we clinched the tourney (he's also very excited about the five dollars a head pot).
my brother just called to find out who won and i got to tell him the greatest sports line ever: we beat the team that beat you!
You're not far, Rob. Make the trip. Also, I've got a buddy named Erasmo who lives in Long Beach who can show you around but you shouldn't meet him if you need to work the next day.
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