.
Republican
Vs. Democrat, Male Vs. Female, War Vs. Peace, Light Vs. Dark, Good
Vs. Evil, Man Vs. Machine, Love Vs. Hate, Dog Vs. Cat, Sun Vs. Moon,
Brain Vs. Brawn, Oscar Vs. Grammy, Angel Vs. Demon, Laurel Vs. Hardy,
Beer Vs. Wine, TV Vs. Radio, Pitcher Vs. Batter, Paper Vs. Plastic,
Reality Vs. Fantasy, Yeshua Vs. Beelzebub, Conservative Vs. Liberal,
You Vs. Me, House Vs. Senate, Offense Vs. Defense, Kramer Vs. Kramer,
Spy Vs. Spy, Fischer Vs. Spassky, W.C. Fields Vs. Sobriety, Harold
Gimpy, Jr. Vs. Sheldon J. Pismire, Rock Vs. Paper Vs. Scissors, Islam
Vs. Everything, Singer Vs. Singer, Band Vs. Band....
THE BATTLE OF THE BANDS! (‘BOTB’)
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Shoop-Shooby
–
Shooby-duh-Dooby-Doop-Dooby-Dooby-Doo-Wah
–
Buh-Doo-Wah!
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Yes, it’s time once again for ‘Battle Of The Bands’ (‘BOTB’).
Welcome to my new home designed specifically for all future 'BOTB' blog bits.
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| EUGENE MARTONE VS. JACK BUTLER |
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Alright,
let’s get on it...
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On March 3, 1985, a new television series debuted. It was a private detective show like none before it and none that came after. 'MOONLIGHTING' introduced Bruce Willis to TV audiences as it followed the exploits and tracked the sexual tension of former 'Blue Moon Shampoo' model Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) and smart-assed, wisecracking Los Angeles private detective David Addison (Willis). The show was incredibly clever, creative, and innovative; it frequently mixed fantasy with realism, broke “the fourth wall”, and had the show's characters directly address the TV viewers. Car chases? Fuhgeddaboudit! Those were so 1970s! The pilot episode had the first ever elevator chase (filmed at the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown L.A.) and a later episode included a wheelchair chase in a hospital. This was definitely not your grandpa's detective show.
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Some of the episode titles in just the first two seasons alone hint at the the off-the-charts creativity of 'MOONLIGHTING': “Gunfight At The So-So Corral”; “Read The Mind – See The Movie”; “Brother, Can You Spare A Blonde?”; “The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice”; “Atlas Belched”; “Twas The Episode Before Christmas”; “Every Daughter's Father Is A Virgin”; “Sleep Talkin' Guy”.
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My
Ma got hooked on 'MOONLIGHTING' immediately and sometime during the
first season she urged me to watch an episode of it with her; she was
sure I'd like it even though I've never been much of a television
junkie..
On March 3, 1985, a new television series debuted. It was a private detective show like none before it and none that came after. 'MOONLIGHTING' introduced Bruce Willis to TV audiences as it followed the exploits and tracked the sexual tension of former 'Blue Moon Shampoo' model Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) and smart-assed, wisecracking Los Angeles private detective David Addison (Willis). The show was incredibly clever, creative, and innovative; it frequently mixed fantasy with realism, broke “the fourth wall”, and had the show's characters directly address the TV viewers. Car chases? Fuhgeddaboudit! Those were so 1970s! The pilot episode had the first ever elevator chase (filmed at the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown L.A.) and a later episode included a wheelchair chase in a hospital. This was definitely not your grandpa's detective show.
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Some of the episode titles in just the first two seasons alone hint at the the off-the-charts creativity of 'MOONLIGHTING': “Gunfight At The So-So Corral”; “Read The Mind – See The Movie”; “Brother, Can You Spare A Blonde?”; “The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice”; “Atlas Belched”; “Twas The Episode Before Christmas”; “Every Daughter's Father Is A Virgin”; “Sleep Talkin' Guy”.
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So, finally, one night I watched a one-hour episode with her. Me: “Eh. It was OK.” Ma convinced me to watch it again the next week. Me: “OK. Not bad. But I don't get your fascination with it.” I watched a third episode. Me: “We gotta wait a whole week before the next episode? Damn it!” Yeah, once I figured out the dynamic of Maddie and David's relationship and got into the groove of how they delivered their lines, all the banter and the recurring inside jokes, I was hooked like Richard Pryor on crack cocaine! I now consider 'MOONLIGHTING' to be my fourth favorite TV series of all time.
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The show's popularity began to wane as it ran over-budget and failed to complete filming on schedule, resulting in no new episodes when there should have been, and forcing the secondary characters to carry entire episodes from time to time. The really fatal flaw, however, was when the writers mangled the story and wrecked the sexual tension between Maddie and David. There were still some great episodes (and a “bad” 'MOONLIGHTING' episode is still better than the best episodes of most other TV shows), but the end was near.
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A lot of 'MOONLIGHTING' fans hated the final episode, but I think it was the perfect ending to the show. Sad as hell, but a perfect finale that included so many of the classic gags the show became famous for. In fact, I think it may have been the best final episode of ANY TV series ever!
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I was on vacation in Kentucky with my parents when that last episode aired on May 14, 1989. I remember watching it on a motel television set and my Ma weeping at the end. Only the official “Man Card” in my wallet prevented me from crying right alongside her. (The “Anselmo Case” - a long-running inside joke on the show – was never solved, we were informed at the very end. Ha!)
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Why have I told you all this, and what does it have to do with 'Battle Of The Bands'? The last few minutes of the last 'MOONLIGHTING' episode featured the Jazz standard 'WE'LL BE TOGETHER AGAIN', which only made those last few minutes seem even sadder because we 'Moonlighting' fans knew that... they wouldn't.
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Frank Sinatra recorded the song in 1956 with backing by the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. It was one of the last songs I played for my Ma in her hospice room the day before she passed away. The song is on a CD she gave me for Christmas in 2003.
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'WE'LL
BE TOGETHER AGAIN' – FRANK SINATRA
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| GODZILLA VS. KING KONG |
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The version of the song used at the end of the final 'MOONLIGHTING' episode was recorded in 1961 by Ray Charles and Betty Carter. Here it is:
.The version of the song used at the end of the final 'MOONLIGHTING' episode was recorded in 1961 by Ray Charles and Betty Carter. Here it is:
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'WE'LL
BE TOGETHER AGAIN' –
RAY CHARLES & BETTY CARTER
RAY CHARLES & BETTY CARTER
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'MOONLIGHTING'
was the best of Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd – I loved them
together. It's like 'THE THIN MAN' series with Myrna Loy and William
Powell... two people with the right chemistry which made both of them
better together than either one was on their own. If you're
interested, below is the Charles/Carter version of 'WE'LL BE TOGETHER
AGAIN' as it was incorporated into the last 3 minutes of the last
'Moonlighting' episode:
'MOONLIGHTING'
– Season 5
Final Scene From Final Episode, 'LUNAR ECLIPSE'
Final Scene From Final Episode, 'LUNAR ECLIPSE'
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| RIDDLER VS. BATMAN |
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Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome EVERYONE to vote for their favorite of these songs in the comment section below. And feel free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other. (NOTE: Comment Moderation is activated. All submitted comments that do not transgress "Ye Olde Comment Policy" will be posted as soon as possible. Thanks for taking the time to comment.)
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After
voting here, I
suggest - actually I insist - you pop over to the blogs of the other
'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' participants to see which songs they have
chosen and vote there also.
(If their ‘BOTB’ blog bits aren’t posted yet, pour yourself two
shots of ‘Grand Marnier’ over ice – do it twice
– and then return to their blogs
to
Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome EVERYONE to vote for their favorite of these songs in the comment section below. And feel free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other. (NOTE: Comment Moderation is activated. All submitted comments that do not transgress "Ye Olde Comment Policy" will be posted as soon as possible. Thanks for taking the time to comment.)
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Voice Your Vote @ ‘FAR AWAY SERIES’ by clicking HERE.
Voice Your Vote @ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.
Voice Your Vote @ ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ by clicking HERE.
Voice Your Vote @ ‘DISCCONNECTED’ by clicking HERE.
Voice Your Vote @ 'A WRITER'S LIFE IN PROGRESS' by clicking HERE.
Voice Your Vote @ ‘CREATIVE OUTLET OF STRATPLAYER’ by clicking HERE.
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As
I've done in the past, I will continue to return to my 'BOTB' blog
bits on the 7th and 21st of each month to post my own votes and
announce the winners in the comment sections..
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
Strangely, this is a song that I'm not familiar with--I'm sure I've heard it, but it's never stuck with me apparently.
ReplyDeleteI've never been much of a Ray Charles fan, but he does this song well. This is probably one of the better Charles covers I've heard. Still he can't beat my man Frank. I'm a big Sinatra fan and he wins this contest for my taste.
Lee
Tossing It Out
BOIDMAN ~
DeleteFair enough.
Frankie Goes To... the lead.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Ray Charles is an old fave of mine, anything he sings I like. So Ray and Betty get my vote.
ReplyDeleteI think Willis has always been sexy, no matter what age. It's the quirky smile. Thanks for including that bit from Moonlighting.
D.G. ~
DeleteIt was my pleasure. (And I mean that literally, because I myself have watched it several times since posting it here.) And thanks for your continued support of 'BOTB'.
~ D-FensDogg
I'll vote for Frank's version!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'll count your vote.
Delete~ D-FensDogg
In an ongoing effort to align my musical tastes with yours, I vote for Charles. The version is slow an melancholy... baby. It suits the mood if the singer is LYING that they'll be together again 'cause they WON'T. Liar.
ReplyDeleteI am one of the few people who managed to live through the "Moonlighting" era and not watch ONE episode. I was like you, but without your ma's influence. I don't recall even hearing the song before. DOH!
Gotta make this short, they are kicking me outta this room!
6 ~
DeleteI think you would have enjoyed the show. It was very witty and smart in a hip, sassy, eye-winking way.
Incidentally, when selecting certain episode titles to include in this blog bit, I SPECIFICALLY chose 'Atlas Belched' as a nod to you, SixBro.
~ D-FensDogg
I FRIGGIN' LOVE THIS! because I called it ahead of time and I can already see that it's going to go EXACTLY like I knew it would.
ReplyDeleteFor me, this is the HARDEST 'BOTB' vote I've EVER had to cast. I knew this one was going be neck-and-neck and I wouldn't have even DREAMED of trying to predict the winner.
As I type these words, it's 2 votes for Frank and 2 votes for Ray. If there's ever been a 'BOTB' installment that deserved to end in a tie, I believe it's THIS one!
I have to go to bed real soon - been awake all night working my "graveyard" shi(f)t - but I'll get back to y'all when I can.
I LOVE my Brother SHEBOYGANBOY SIX'S opening sentence: "In an ongoing effort to align my musical tastes with yours, I vote for Charles."
Ha!-Ha! If you only knew! ...I still have NO IDEA who I'm going to vote for. In fact, I originally thought I'd make this the FIRST and ONLY time I voted a "Tie". But I was afraid that in doing that I would start an epidemic of 'BOTB' "Ties"... and I'm sure that's the LAST thing us BOTBers want to see.
There are certain elements about EACH version that I prefer over elements of the OTHER version, and trying to decide where most of the weight lies is a near impossibility for me.
So... I've decided that when it comes time to cast my vote, I am going to flip a coin (a VERY EXPENSIVE, VERY OLD Silver coin minted in the Old West during the Old West time period) two out of three times, and the winner of the coin toss will be the winner of my vote.
Now, SBB-6, how confident do you feel that you've "aligned" your "musical tastes" with mine in THIS particular blog bit? (I'd say the odds are about 50-50. Ha!)
I'll be back, y'all. Keep them divided votes a-comin'.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
I don't believe you. I believe YOU believe you will flip a coin, but I think that you have too much regard for the process of voting to go thru with it. It would make more sense to abstain than to throw away your vote to chance. It would devalue the winner, unless a runaway develops.
DeleteNo, I think you will ultimately close your eyes, put yourself back in that room with your Ma and Pa when the final Moonlighting played Ray Charles (and you had to whip out your Man-Card to quell the tears), and you'll vote for Ray.
Yeah, but what about hearing Sinatra's version with my Ma, in her hospice room, less than 24 hours before she passed away (and when my Pa broke in on the song from his Home in Heaven)? Don't you think THAT might actually trump the last episode of 'Moonlighting' in a Kentucky motel room?
Delete[SIX, be sure to read my reply to FAE toward the bottom of this thread.]
~ D-FensDogg
Am I blind? I cannot find a way to follow this blog. I am sure it's me....
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the spirit of my Italian mother told me I better vote for the Chairman of the Board if I know what's good for me...
So Frank it is!
Well, it's good to listen to your Ma. (Had I not listened to mine, I never would have seen a single episode of 'MOONLIGHTING'.) But hopefully your vote also reflects your honest preference and not just a fear your Mother's paddle, or umbrella, or wet noodle.
Delete~ D-FensDogg
Yes, I also really liked "Moonlighting" and for a while, watched it every week. It was a great mix of hip and goofy. I also 100% agree with your assessment of where the show and the writers went off the beam with it.
ReplyDeleteAnd, damn!!! -- How on Earth does anyone vote against either Ray or Frank??? I absolutely love the suave coolness of Frank's version, and Ray could sing the phone book and give it soul and class -- and to pair him with the legendary Betty Carter??? Simply incredible.
Both versions have wonderful arrangements that perfectly compliment the styles and vocals of the singers.
I could wholeheartedly vote for either version, and both deserve to win. The problem is that then the other one doesn't.
So when both are equally deserving, I have no other choice than to lean on the "the first to the tape wins" adage and vote for ol' Blue Eyes.
CHRIS ~
DeleteI must, however, say a word in defense of the 'MOONLIGHTING' writers...
They were kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place when Cybill Shepherd became pregnant in "real life". There were two options: 1) End the show, or 2) find some way to write her pregnancy into the ongoing storyline.
They made the right choice in going with what was behind Door #2, unfortunately though they didn't handle it very well and disappointed a lot of fans that way (including Cybill herself, I believe).
The way it finally played out in 'MOONLIGHTING' was that the baby was a result of Maddie's fling with David, but she had a miscarriage, and that's how they wrote the baby out of the story after Cybill delivered her baby in real life.
I will say though that in the episode where Maddie loses the baby (the first episode of the final season), I thought it was a fantastic show. Bruce Willis actually played the baby in her womb, and that sounds ridiculous (and in some ways it was, and also highly entertaining), but it was extremely creative and probably ranks as one of my Top Ten favorite 'Moonlighting' episodes. (There was a montage of 'the good things on Earth' shown while Louis Armstrong sang 'What A Wonderful World' and I think it was one of the most brilliant segments in television history.)
Thanks for your vote, Chris!
~ D-FensDogg
First, I want to say how much I loved ‘Moonlighting’. I’ve never been big on TV, and not even had commercial television in my home for most of my adult life, but this was one show I would change my plans for, so as not to miss an episode. David and Maddie, the perfect couple, who you really wanted to see ‘hook-up’, until they actually did. I guess you’re right, it was all about the sexual tension. At any rate, I might consider watching TV today, if they could come up with something even as remotely as good.
ReplyDeleteNow on to BOTB. Two great versions of the same song. I can see why you’re feeling the need to ‘toss a coin’. I really like the Nelson Riddle arrangement and back-up on Frank’s version, but I have to admit there is something about ‘ole blue eyes’ that seems a little off to me. There are a few notes where he almost seems off key or something. It kept distracting me from the melody.
Ray and Betty on the other hand are a perfect combination of blues and soul (or maybe those are really the same thing), but every note was right on, in more ways than one. I liked the interplay of the male and female voices, even if Betty really didn’t get much to say. Ray’s deep, rich, smooth vocals sold it for me.
No coin toss necessary. I’ll agree that Frank and especially Nelson did a fine job here, but Ray and Betty get my vote hands down.
I know the song is a melancholy song about lost love, or at least parted love, or something like that, but I like the idea that this is the last song you played for your Ma. You know I truly believe that you and she will be together again.
Two things I left out of my first comment.
ReplyDeleteFirst, great looking blog. You really are becoming 'The Leader of the Band' or should that be, 'The Leader of BOTB'. And that my friend,is as it should be. I particularly love, Love, LOVE that picture of the 'little cowpoke' down there in the sidebar.
Second, did you note that there were eight (8), count 'em EIGHT, participants this time around. I hope everyone stays with it. It certainly is becoming a party!
FAE ~
DeleteRegarding 'MOONLIGHTING' and the "sexual tension", see my reply to Chris above.
Your assessment of these two versions seems very close to my own. While I don't really find anything "off" about Sinatra's vocal (off-key notes), I must admit that my very favorite part of his version is the great Nelson Riddle arrangement and that smokey sax and trumpet sound throughout.
I also like the fact that the Ray Charles version is a duet with Betty Carter. It's a "Goodbye" song for a couple, and I like the idea of hearing both the male and the female in it.
Oh, I know without a shred of doubt that I will see my Ma alive again someday. There's zero question about that. I should point out though that 'WE'LL BE TOGETHER AGAIN' was not literally the very last song I played for my Ma.
She was a huge Frank Sinatra fan, and I played the entire album 'Songs For Swingin' Lovers' for her. This song is track #11 of 15, so she heard 4 more songs after this one. However... something really odd happened while 'We'll Be Together Again' was playing. It had never happened before and it has never happened since. She said to me, "What was THAT?!" and I answered, "I don't know".
All these years I've wondered about that - what caused it. It was like a sudden, loud, glitch in the sound, right about in the middle of the song - as if there was something wrong with the compact disc, as if it freaked out for a couple of seconds. But there ISN'T anything wrong with it; I've played it many times since then, on the very same player, and it has NEVER once happened again.
After all these years, just a couple days ago it finally dawned on me what it was. After my Pa passed away 9 years earlier, my Ma often used to ask me, "What do you suppose Chuckie is doing right now?"
Well, think about this... the song was 'We'll Be Together Again'. My Ma passed away less than 24 hours later (and she saw an image of a man dressed all in white about an hour before she heard this Sinatra song, but we were standing right next to her and saw no man-in-white in her hospice room).
Robin recently posted a blog bit about how our loved ones on "the other side" can sometimes manipulate electrical currents on "this side". I was already well aware of and convinced of that concept.
Well, I now believe that my Pa manipulated the electrical current in my CD player right in the middle of 'We'll Be Together Again' as a way of letting us know that he was ...there ...and about to meet my Ma on "the other side".
God, it felt good to finally realize what that was all about and to write it here!
* * * * * * * *
Thanks, FAE, for the nice compliment about my new blog. And also for noticing the "little cowpoke". I had a different photo there initially but changed it later because I saw a potential "theme".
The "theme"? Well, if you look at the picture I took at Senator Joe McCarthy's gravesite, you'll see my "adult" cowboy hat hanging on a vase next to his tombstone. (Yeah, I'm "subliminal" like that.)
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
I was still in bed and read your reply to my comment on the phone. I had to come and open up the computer right away and ‘say something’.
DeleteYou don’t have to tell me about electrical devices being manipulated from ‘the other side’. Your buddy still pops into my computer every so often, just to let me know he’s still looking things over.
This story about your Ma warmed my heart and jogged my memory of my sitting with my father as he lay dying. If you remember I told you that at 90 years old he decided to die. There was a DNR order on him and as his lungs started filling up with fluid. All the Drs. would do is make him comfortable while we waited for the inevitable. At this time Daddy was legally blind and could only see out of the peripherals. If he was looking straight ahead, as he only could while lying in that hospital bed, he saw only darkness. He would talk to me and group around to hold my hand. At one point he asked me who that was standing at the end of his bed – there was nobody there. I told him I didn’t know and asked him if it was Mama. He said I think so and he also though his parents and maybe his sisters and their husbands (Daddy had outlived just about everybody in his immediate family, except for me). I have no doubt that it was they who came to help him make the transition. He died only a few hours later – quite peacefully.
Hearing your story about your Ma was so similar, I have no doubt that it was your Pa who she saw. I actually believe the glitch in the electronics was for you and not your Ma. After all she saw him and would soon be with him again.
This type of thing makes me feel good and sad at the same time. I often wonder who will come for me.
I’m really glad that this made you feel good to fully come to this realization. It is of course something that your always knew, but sometimes it’s the thinking about it and saying (or writing) it out loud that makes that realization final and complete.
I want you to know that I’m going to publish this at your blog, because I think that is where you would want to have this discussion recorded, but it’s not normally in my personality to display such personal things in such a public place.
I did see the second picture with your hat and the wooden rosary, and wondered if you were going for a theme.
Nitro, I was surprised... and PLEASED that you placed this comment HERE, in the wide open.
DeleteI was recently in contact with Marty's parents, and it boggles my mind that they have not been contacted by him. But then again, I think they HAVE been, but they lack the faith to recognize it.
I'm surprised that he still messes with your computer. Surely he KNOWS that I KNOW he's still "hovering" around. I mean, it's not like I need ANY convincing of that.
I totally believe you regarding your Pa and the Group Meeting. Although, I must say that I am not inclined to think that the person my Ma saw was my Pa. Unless he deliberately disguised his appearance, she would have recognized him. Instead, she described the man as a "painter". Most painters wear white coveralls and white hats. To me, that means "angel". She was seeing an "angel" who was overseeing her passing.
But I do agree that the "glitch" in 'WE'LL BE TOGETHER AGAIN' was for me and not really for my Ma. I KNEW at the time it happened that it was something Supernatural, but I was never quite sure what it "meant".
My Ma passed away in 2005, and all these years I have NEVER mentioned that event to ANYONE! She and I were alone in the room when it happened, and here, in THIS comment section is the FIRST time I have ever revealed it. (I never even mentioned it to my Brother and Sister.)
The reason I kept it a secret is because I felt that someday the meaning of it would be revealed to me. I thought maybe it was going to happen again, later, when I needed some Heavenly confirmation about something. That's the idea I have been entertaining all these years.
But after I wrote this blog bit, I was reminded of Robin's recent blog bit about electrical manipulation from the "Beyond", and that's when I suddenly put two-and-two together and realized that the meaning of the song and the timing of the glitch was all a sign that my Pa was aware of what was about to happen, and that he was going to be there to greet her... indeed... they were going to be "TOGETHER AGAIN".
Thanks for the fabulous comment.
What a way to debut a new blog, eh?
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
POSTSCRIPT: The wooden Rosary was a gift to me from a friend. But since I'm not Catholic, and Joe McCarthy was, I left it for him.
I remember well previous posts on your late, lamented last blog about the Moonlighting experience. And while I didn't watch it regularly (though I enjoyed it when I did, if understandably missed the in-jokes), I knew that it would jump the shark if they ever became intimate. Funny how, in comic books the mark of the modern lazy writer is to eliminate the "too hard to write" romantic relationships, (Spidey and Mary Jane, Supes and Lois Lane), in TV and film the lazy writer puts them IN the sack. Anyway, I'm just tap dancing while I listen to the two songs, and I can see why you haven't flipped the coin. Frank's voice may be the smoothest, but the orchestration on Ray's tips the scale back. In the end though, if a choice I must make, the female vocal in the middle of Ray's seemed a bit out of place, so I'll call that a tip towards the Chairman of the Board.
ReplyDeleteBROTHER MARTIN ~
DeleteThat's funny! Because I don't even remember having written anything about 'MOONLIGHTING' on my old 'Stuffs' blog. I'll take your word for it though. (I definitely remember writing a very long blog bit about 'Frasier', but I don't recall one about 'Moonlighting'.)
Thanks for your vote, my friend!
~ D-FensDogg
No, on FFFF, not Stuffs.
DeleteReally?!
DeleteDamn... I remember THAT even LESS.
I better start taking some supplement to improve my memory, because apparently the Tequila isn't working anymore. (I think I'll switch to either Whiskey or... or... Hmmm... I've forgotten what the OTHER supplement for memory improvement is.)
~ D-FensDogg
http://xtremelyun-pcandunrepentant.blogspot.com/2013/05/one-for-flippin-squirrel-or-better-many.html
DeleteBROTHER MARTIN ~
DeleteI thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!
That was perfect, Perfect, PERFECT!
If you're following the turn this Comment Section has taken regarding my Ma and this song - 'WE'LL BE TOGETHER AGAIN' - and you read what I wrote in THAT very blog bit you recalled from a year ago May, you (or anyone else) will see what that was all about.
Back then it was still a secret I wasn't willing to spill the beans about, but here, today, I have finally let it... all hang out.
Man, CW, thanks for that! Because, seriously, I didn't (and wasn't going to) remember that. But your timing, good sir, is...
....im-friggin'-peccable!
~ D-FensDogg (grateful like a dude!)
No prob. I long ago learned the best memory is googling blog title + key word.
DeleteHOWDY, Y'ALL. AND THANKS FOR BEING HERE WITH SO MANY WONDERFUL COMMENTS, MY BROTHERS AN' SISTAHS!
ReplyDeleteRight now I have to get ready for work again - that "graveyard shi(f)t" calls my name again from an empty tomb. But when time permits (it may be a couple o' days away) I will return here and briefly reply to each of you individually, as I always do. I'm really digging the voting and the analysis of the songs.
TWO QUICK IMPO'TANT THINGS I MUST ADDRESS RIGHT NOW THOUGH:
1: FAE, you said there are EIGHT (Count 'em: 8) participants this time? No, I did not realize that. I saw that MIKE SPAIN participated again, but I haven't had a chance to get over to his "Battle" and vote yet... but I will. I asked him last time to leave me a comment if he intended to participate again in the future, and if so I would add a permanent link to his blog, along with all the others. But he never got back to me about it, so naturally I assumed he was a "One And Done". Now, as soon as I can (like tomorrow) I WILL add a permanent link to his blog at THIS blog o' mine. But it's not my fault that he got left out. He never informed me of his intention to "do it again".
WHO ELSE AM I MISSING, FAE? I see that Donna Hole posted a 'BOTB' later (after I'd gone to bed), and I will make it over there tomorrow morning after work. But that only makes a total of SEVEN (Count 'em: 7). So WHO ELSE AM I UNAWARE OF? There must be some brand new, first-timer that I don't know about, eh?
2: DOCTOR DISCDUDE asked how one can sign up to FOLLOW THIS BLOG. Well, it seems Blogspot.com has changed their little 'FOLLOW-A-BLOG' GADGET since I created my first two blogs in 2008. Now the 'FOLLOW' GADGET is linked into their "GOOGLE+' system (which I dislike) and the older 'FOLLOW' GADGET no longer exists.
Well, I refuse to be railroaded into adding a Gadget that I dislike on my new blog. HOWEVER, there is another pretty simple way to 'FOLLOW' this blog for anyone who wants to...
All you have to do is COPY THE URL OF THIS BLOG'S HOME PAGE -
http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/
- then go to your DASHBOARD, and under the label "READING LIST" you will see an "ADD" button. Click the "ADD" button and you'll get a Pop-Up that says "Add From URL" followed by a blank window space. PASTE the URL into that Space, then click the Orange button that says "FOLLOW" and - Voila! - you'll be 'FOLLOWING' this blog from your Dashboard from then on.
OK, that's it for now... I hear my name being called from the "graveyard", but I'll finish making my 'BOTB' rounds tomorrow. ...And to all "a good night".
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
STMcC
ReplyDeleteIt's a good thing you are now 'the sexiest man on the planet' because, methinks you forgot to count yourself.
1. You
2. Me
3. Arlee
4. Larry
5. Robin
6. Donna
7. Chris
8. Mike
I know you're missing Mike was not your fault. After he commented at my blog I checked his out and apparently from what he says there he intends to participate on a regular basis, but he never left a comment to that effect at my space either.
Now the really sad part, which would be me giving you computer advice. Unless blogger has changed something as recently as say the last month (when I started my other blog) under the gadgets when you get to the end there is a little space somewhere that says 'more gadgets'. (It took me approximately three times through to find it). If you click on it and scan through those you will find the 'old time' widget for followers to click on.
Now, this maybe 'not so dumb after all blonde' has got to get to bed. All this trying to make up for lost time on the computer has completely worn me out.
DOH!
DeleteUHP! I'M AN IDIOT (X 2)!
Yeah, I did fuhget to count myself in with the 'BOTBers'. It's a good thing I'm so damned sexy or I would never be able to make it in "this world".
And how did I miss that link to "More Gadgets"? I found it off to the side, not at the bottom where I would have expected to find something like that.
Yeah, you're not such a "dumb blonde" after all.
(Color me... surpri-- er... "blonde".)
I have now added that new old 'Followers' gadget, and I have also added a link to Mike Spain's blog... even though I don't particularly like Spaniards.
[;-)}
Thanks for the assist, FAE.
~ D-FensDogg
Oh dear. This is a tough one. I have listened to them both and liked them both. Knowing that the Sinatra version was the last song you played for your ma had me crying. And then I was flooded with Moonlighting nostalgia during the Ray/Betty version. And that might or might not have led to more tears.
ReplyDeleteI am sorely tempted to flip a coin.
But it doesn't seem right that your vote and my vote are tallied by a coin toss. So, I am voting for Ray and Betty by a hair. I don't know if my David and Maddie angst swayed this vote or not (probably, yes) because I really feel in their version that they won't actually see each other again. And it makes me sad.
And thank you thank you thank you FAE. I can't follow any more blogs by copy/pasting the URL. I have hit my limit. I also cannot delete any blogs who don't have the GFC widget because my settings tool constantly gives me the message to come back later. When is later exactly? I have been doing this dance for months and later feels very much like Never.
GIRL WONDER ~
DeleteThanks for your vote. (And thanks for loving David & Maddie, too.)
Please read my first reply to FAE (above) because it will interest you... and because I mentioned one of your recent blog bits about Supernatural electrical disruption.
Incidentally, I have the next response to the NUMEROLOGY analysis written. (It was written the night before last.) I have to proofread and reconfigure it before I can send it. That won't take long. I might even get it sent tonight, but more likely tomorrow because... I gotta go to bed real soon now, and I usually wake up with just enough time to shower (and sometimes dress) before I leave for work.
~ D-FensDogg
I read your reply to FAE and I think you were on the verge of this "discovery" when I wrote that blog bit because you obscurely referenced what happened in your ma's room. I guess it took writing this post to bring it from the back burner to the forefront. And maybe I needed to write that post before you could post THIS battle so that it would all come together for you. Yeah, I don't believe in coincidence.
DeleteI wrote a comment on Donna's BOTB bit that I think you might find interesting. The song is Personal Jesus and I just finished the Beautiful Outlaw book. I really wanted to savor it instead of tearing through it at a galloping pace. Anyway, I feel like Emily Bronte ("I have dreamt in my life dreams that have gone through me like wine through water and altered the colour of my mind.") Sub in books for dreams and there it is. The colour of my mind, or maybe my heart - or both, have been altered and the world doesn't look the same any longer. And that is a good thing!
I look forward to your numerology response.
Lastly, you give a whole new meaning to "keep your pants on."
Ha!
DeleteROBIN, I'm so pleased that you loved 'BEAUTIFUL OUTLAW' - that you took my suggestion and didn't feel let down by doing so.
Yeah, I just read your excellent comment at Donna's 'BOTB' blog bit, and I seconded what both you and FAE had to say. I also recommended 'BEAUTIFUL OUTLAW' to Donna as well.
Yeah, I'm not big on coincidences either. (Have you read the F-FFF blog bit that BROTHER MARTIN left the URL for?)
I kind of flip-flopped (did "The Romney") several times when thinking about which song I wanted to use as the debut post here on my new 'Battle Of The Bands' blog, and finally decided on THIS one because it has such strong personal meaning for me.
I think I was probably Divinely inspired (or at least "Momly" inspired) to go with this one, because it's interesting how everything regarding this event was finally made clear for me.
Remember now that "The Glitch" took place back in 2005 and I've always remained mum about it until just now. The fact that I was finally able to open up about it is proof that to my mind the TRUE meaning of the thing has finally been understood by me, and so I don't need to keep it under wraps any longer.
Yeah, I think it took a few different things happening in a short period of time for me to finally piece it all together so that I felt confident and peaceful in the knowledge of its authentic interpretation.
[Mo' big things be goin' on in my mind lately too. I have also come to some OTHER Spiritual understanding as well, and that will be revealed in my very last blog bit at 'Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends'.]
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
I was hooked like Richard Pryor on crack cocaine!
ReplyDeleteSo you burnt your house down and ran through the street bathed in flames after each episode?
Prepare for two of the most useless votes ever. So, like many of the others, we both had trouble deciding which we liked better. Neither of us could really pick one over the other. Both versions have their draws, and it's so damn close, we ultimately ended up voting one for each. Who voted for whom? Well, we can't tell you. Because we liked them both.
So one for Frankie, and one for Ray. And ultimately nothing that will help decide this contest.
~6B
>>... So you burnt your house down and ran through the street bathed in flames after each episode?
DeleteNo, not after EVERY episode. Only after the LAST episode. (I mean, it's not like Dick Pryor did that EVERY night either, ya know?)
Yeah, regarding the votes... thanks for nuttin', youz guyz!
Well, at least your votes did confirm what I suspected: that this is one of the toughest 'BOTB' installments ever BOTBed.
I'm STILL not really sure who I am voting for. (It might be this 1884 Silver Dollar's decision to make.)
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Howdy, ~ D-FensDogg! AKA Mr. Stephen T! I definitely choose RAY CHARLES. I do love Frank, too, but not his rendition of this song. (And as you probably remember from my memoir, Ray Charles and I have a "connection" similar to you and your Ma with Frank!) ...AND, I too, LOVED Moonlighting! I couldn't get enough of Bruce Willis! Talk about a guy bursting onto the scene with smoldering sex appeal, Whew!! I'm getting a bit perspirin' just thinking about him! And yes, he and Sybil had amazing chemistry. And yes, I think whoever decided on "the way" they would finally "get together" totally ruined it! Thanks so much for reminding me to stop by and leave a comment! AND, this also reminded me of something I need to include in my sequel ~~ Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteBECKY-O! ~
DeleteThanks for coming by and voting.
>>... Whew!! I'm getting a bit perspirin' just thinking about him!
Ha!-Ha!
Actually, I don't recall the "Ray Charles Connection". I just now flipped through my copy of your book to see if I had highlighted it, but apparently not. Do you know what page it's on, or what chapter it's in?
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
The chapter is "My Sister, My Mother, My Friend" and begins on page 175, I think. (That's cool that you highlighted parts of it. Send me an e-mail sometime and tell me more about it. I'm curious to know!)
DeleteBECKY-O! ~
DeleteAlright, I went back and reread that chapter. Thanks for jogging my memory. Once I started it, I remembered it from before. (By the way, I found that I HAD highlighted "Glenn Miller" on page 176, but not Ray Charles on the preceding page. I'm definitely more of a Miller man than a Ray fan.)
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
I knew you'd remember it! :)
DeleteAnd I also love Glenn Miller, but I can't even think about choosing between the two of them....Way too different! I think I mentioned Miller twice in my memoir? Did you highlight both?! You're awesome, mannnn! :)
Yeah, I probably highlighted them both. I'm usually pretty consistent (and consistently awesome).
Delete~ D-FensDogg
Amen, brother! I agree with both those statements! :)
DeleteWhat a wonderful walk down memory lane that was Steve. I remember watching Moon Lighting. Gads, do you realize Bruce Willis really hasn't change all that much in all these years. A little more maturity to his looks, buffer, bald; but still the same look. James Garner is that way for me too.
ReplyDeleteHmm, now I want to go watch the entire last episode again. I know I watched it, but was it really only 25 years ago? Seems so much longer.
Hmm, it smells like rain outside, I think I'll go check it out.
Later dude.
DONNA ~
DeleteTwenty-five years ago? That last 'MOONLIGHTING' episode seems more like ten years ago to me.
Hey, thanks for your comment, however... sorry to have to point this out, but... I believe you forgot something... something kind of important, something kind of crucial to the whole 'Battle Of The Bands' concept.
Uhm... like... who you voting for? You can't vote for Bruce Willis nor James Garner, I'm afraid, because this was between Frank and Ray.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Ok, trying this reply again. Blogger does not work well with my tablet. I vote for Frank this time.
DeleteThanks, DONNA!
DeleteA vote for Frank is a vote for...
....Frank.
~ D-FensDogg
First off, I love that you played that song for your mother. It's a beautiful song, and I'm sure it made for a beautiful moment for the two of you. Very poignant and meaningful. (sniff) You must have been a very good son.
ReplyDeleteNow, on "Moonlighting." My hubby and I enjoyed that show, too, and I agree that it was a big mistake when the writers had them "do the deed" and ended the innuendos and sexual tension that made the show crackle. (so to speak)
As for the voting? Tough choice. Any chance I can give each version half a vote? No, huh? Okay, then, I'll go with Sinatra, but I could just as easily gone the other way. (No, I didn't toss a coin.)
SUSAN ~
ReplyDeleteYes, I was a damned good son. In fact, no mother could even imagine having a better son than I was... if I do objectively say so myself.
Ever since I posted this blog bit, pretty much all I've done is watch old 'MOONLIGHTING' episodes that I have on DVDs. The show is probably even BETTER than I remembered it. (I'm stunned to find how many really, Really, REALLY good episodes there were in that final season... when all of us devoted 'Moonlighting' fans at that time felt the show had kind of lost "it".)
Thanks for your vote.
What you wrote...
further confirms my belief that this is amongst the toughest 'BOTB' contests ever conceived.
I STILL haven't decided who I'm voting for, but tomorrow I (or my 1884 Silver Dollar) MUST make that decision.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
What about Al? Al Bondigas? Surely that meatball watched the show, right?
ReplyDeleteWe'll really be in the soup if he doesn't vote.
SHEBOYGANBROTHER SIXGUN ~
DeleteHa! You made me laugh.
I called El Meatballo and told him what you wrote. He says he will get his vote in before I post mine tonight and close this installment of 'BOTB'.
I gotta tell ya, he's not really a Sinatra fan, so, yeah, I think there's a good chance he will be supporting your side in this Musical Argument.
But at the same time, Sinatra's version of this song is definitely a good one so... who knows, maybe Al Bondigas will surprise us with his vote this time.
We'll see.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
SBB-6 ~
DeleteADDENDUM:
I recall you saying that you never saw 'MOONLIGHTING', but I think you would have liked it.
If you go to the blog bit whose URL Brother Martin dug up for me (see below), you'll find that back then I included a 10-minute YouTube clip of 'Moonlighting' found at YouTube.
It's the last 10 minutes of the show's life (the last 3 of those 10 minutes I posted in THIS blog bit, because it includes this song we're all evaluating).
But if you watch that 10 minute clip (with the 7 minutes that preceded the playing of this song) you will get a good idea of some of the types of jokes they used - breaking the fourth wall by referring to the audience, and mixing nonsense with real life - and I think that little clip really does display "The Moonlighting Way" very well.
You'll find it here:
http://xtremelyun-pcandunrepentant.blogspot.com/2013/05/one-for-flippin-squirrel-or-better-many.html
The one full episode that you really SHOULD see (if you only see one) is 'Atomic Shakespeare' - the episode when they "Moonlightingized" the play 'The Taming Of The Shrew'. I would say it's probably the best episode ever, or at least amongst the top three without a doubt.
Unfortunately there's a lot of inside jokes that you wouldn't get because they were not just spoofing Shakespeare's play, but spoofing 'Moonlighting' at the same tme. There were references to things that any longtime 'Moonlighting' fan would "get", but would go unnoticed by first-timers. Even so though, I think you'd really dig that episode, even as an outsider.
Let me know if you ever see it. (I'd guess the full episode is probably available at YouTube.)
~ D-FensDogg
Moonlighting was my favorite TV shows from the 80s. In fact, we own it on DVD. Why can't writers write like that today? Comedy today is embarrassingly stupid stuff. *sigh* Nuff said about that. I'm suppose to help figure out which artists is the winner here, right? I guess I have to go with ole Blue Eyes. I'm a sucker for the nostalgic sound of old singers and Frank Sinatra definitely falls into that category. It's nice to meet you on the BOTB. Maybe, one day I'll join in on the fun. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHowdy, CATHY! ~
DeleteHey, it's GRRREAT to see a new face here. Welcome!
Yeah, 'Moonlighting' was so cleverly written, so witty, and the characters had fantastic chemistry.
For the last week I've been watching old 'Moonlighting' episodes on my DVDs, and what strikes me now, all these years later, that even if one were to disregard the main characters' chemistry, and all the clever bantering and wordplay, the puns in the dialogue, one would find that the stories themselves were really good. I mean, the stories could stand alone. There were tons of great plot twists and surprises. As television mystery stories go, these were some of the best. They'd sucker me in to the point where I thought I knew where the story was going and then suddenly - BAM! - everything changes, and the story does a 180.
I was watching one last night that cracked me up. Maddie and David are arguing about a case while driving in the car (nuttin' new in THAT) and then Maddie says, "I have just one question..." and then Maddie and David say simultaneously, "WHO'S THE CLIENT?!"
Another running joke, because they so often wound up trying to solve a mystery when no one has actually hired them to do so.
Anywayz... thanks so much for your vote!
And I'm sure I speak for ALL THE BOTBers when I say: Yes, by all means, please do join us in the 'BOTB' fun. We'd LOVE to add a new participant - "the more the merrier" (to coin a phrase).
The next 'BOTB installment takes place on August 15th. And if you intend to join in and post your own 'BOTB' installment (do it, Do It, DO IT!), please be sure to let me know ASAP so I can add a link to your blog so you will get more "traffic". And I'll let the other participants know they should add a link to you as well.
Nice to see you here, and please do come back now, yuh hear?
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Al Bondigas here. You were right about this being a coin flipper. I never got the Frank Sinatra thing; I always considered him a minor league emperor showing off his birthday suit, if you know what I mean. However, that orchestra really made the song great and the connection with this version to you and mom made it very difficult, but, I go with Ray Chaz because of the aaccompaniment. That's it. That's my rulin.
ReplyDeleteAL BONDIGAS (You Meatball!) ~
DeleteThanks so much for getting your rulin' in on time (this time). I'm sure Sheboyganboy Six 'preciates it too.
For me, this has truly been the most difficult 'Battle Of The Bands' installment ever (and I can't imagine any one being tougher in the future). There are things I really like about BOTH versions (and that's not even counting the "supernatural" connection I have to the Sinatra version).
I have finally made up my mind who I am voting for - and that's sans a coin toss.
However, I will wait until about 7:45 tonight before posting my vote and closing down this 'BOTB' installment, just in case an eleventh hour vote comes in.
Yak Later...
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
STMcC’s Vote On ‘BOTB - 2014, August 1
ReplyDelete- Frank Sinatra Vs. Ray Charles’ And The Final Tally:
My thanks as always to ALL Y'ALL who voted.
This was probably my all-time favorite 'Battle Of The Bands' installment due to the greatness of both recordings, the closeness of the race, and my own very personal connection to this particular song.
Truthfully, at the beginning (and long after the beginning) I was planning to flip an 1884 Silver Dollar minted in Carson City, Nevada, that I happen to own, in order to determine my own vote. That's how tough, how close this one was for me.
In the end though (as Sheboyganboy Six predicted) I managed to make a decision without the 1884 Silver Dollar's say.
I genuinely think BOTH versions are damned excellent. The arrangement (thank you, Mr. Nelson Riddle the great!) with those horns in the Frank Sinatra version really dig deep. And, although I'm not normally big on Ol' Blue Eyes (with the exception of a few songs that I really do dig big time) I genuinely like his vocals on 'We'll Be Together Again'. In my op, this was Frankie at his best (except for when he appeared as a singing sword in 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit', which was outrageously epic!)
Musically speaking, the Ray Charles and Betty Carter version doesn't have a lot going for it - except for some tickling of the ivories, which I like a lot. But the vocal performances are stellar, and the tone of those vocals strike me as sadder, slightly more melancholy, as if the singer(s) really doesn't believe what he/she is saying - which makes it sadder still.
I also like the fact that, being a "breakup song", the Charles/Carter version included both male and female voices in it.
When push came to shove and slap came to biff, I finally had to admit to myself that, to my ears, the Ray Charles / Betty Carter recording of this song had the very slightest of a slight edge over the Ol' Blue Eyes / Chairman of the Board version. So, I made up my mind, finally, in the eleventh hour, to vote for Brown Eyed Soul over Blue Eyed Class.
But... just to see if I had made the correct decision after the fact, I decided to flip my 1884 Carson City, Nevada-minted Silver Dollar anyway. I was thinkin': “I gots to know!”
Well, guess what! Had I left it up to the Silver Dollar, Ray and Betty were STILL going to get my vote.
However, Meatball's late vote and my own, weren't enough to win this contest for Ray and Betty. Here's the final tally:
Frank Sinatra = 9 Votes
Ray Charles = 8 Votes
I've had 'BOTB' contests that were closer (i.e., there have been a couple of ties), but this one was as close as I figured it would be, as several voters also expressed the difficulty they had in attempting to decide which way to roll with it.
Again, I thank Y'ALL for participating by “voicing yer vote” here at my blog, and I sincerely hope to see each an' ever' one o' yaz back here again for the next 'Battle Of The Bands' on August 15th. I've already decided what it's going to be, and again, I “got a goot one”!
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'