Talking with Ms. TVD last night, I was reminded that my dad once toured with the Ringling Brothers Circus -- not as a performer but as someone hired to film the goings-on from the performances to the backstage stuff. She was kinda surprised to hear that and I guess I hadn't thought about it in quite a while. But often when I was a kid, the rough, uncut footage would come out and dad would narrate through the soundless portions. I had seen the footage pretty darn often and became pretty disinterested when he'd roll through the nostalgia AGAIN after setting up the projector and the slide screen for the umpteenth time.So, it was in June 1980 when my folks thought they'd throw me a surprise birthday party. Of course I didn't know that at the time and I'm sure I jumped at the offer to again hit the Two Guys for a record (that Pretenders LP up there...) and other stops along the way to keep me out of the house while the invited classmates and friends came over. Standard stuff - I'm out on a mini-shopping birthday spree, distracted and return to the house and everyone whoops and hollers. Pretty surprising and a rather cool memory until my dad thought the timing would be juuust right to break out the circus footage AGAIN. Kinda mortified in a 13-year old way.
Twenty-seven years on from that, I reconnected with a friend who was actually at that surprise birthday party and, as we were reminiscing about this and that, the party came up and he's all about "the awesomely cool circus footage" he recalls from that day. And now--who knew?--I'm all about it too.
Pretenders - Kid (Mp3)
Pretenders - Mystery Achievement (Mp3)
Pretenders - Precious (Mp3)
Pretenders - Stop Your Sobbing (Mp3)
Pretenders - The Wait (Mp3)
3 comments:
Two Guys, haha, that is funny, I've never heard of too many people who remember those record stores....
Did you buy your record player at CRAZY EDDIE's?
Great Blog!
-Michael
WHAT? Was I at that party? Another story that I know nothing about? Sure, sure, I get to hear the kid getting run over on Essex Road a gadzillion times, but Herman in the circus, never!?!? Keeping family secrets is one thing, but I was practically family! First, I find I was not invited to a birthday party (surprise for me too, 37 years later) and then this revelation. And oh, don't think I've gotten over the Jeff Buckley revelation. TVD, you got some explaining to do.
Spike - he wasn't IN the circus...he just filmed it! The film is in NJ...and as for the party, well...*I* didn't plan it, but Todd was there....
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