I’m a dork. I know it. I’m not smart enough to be a geek. Just a dork! Over at RWA’s place, he entertained us with 25 of songs that mean something to him. He did it through a meme. And at my niece (Coffeycup) site, she talks about the arts and music all the time. It is a big part of her life. And at one time it was a big part of my life too. In high school during the late 50’s to early 60’s I lived for the radio. But aside from a few country songs, I have gotten away from the world of arts. Talk Radio is my forte, now.
But there are two songs that I love to hear anytime. Back in the early 50’s my sister bought a HiFi with her first paycheck. She bought us our first television with the next check. Three channels that stayed on till the 11:00 news went off the air. Rabbit ears, snow and fuss. And black-n-white!
But being a kid who loved his cowboy heroes (and their horses) and being at the church door every time it opened, the only place we had then of socializing with the kids our age, I would wonder about the cowboys on the cattle drives. They didn’t have a church to go to. If they died on the trail, or was shot down in a saloon, would they go to hell? Important concerns for a ten year old dork. Anyway, my sister brought some 33 1/3 albums home, and one of them was Vaughn Monroe. In that album I learned that the cowboys had their own way of worshiping. It was through music! To this day this is one of my favorite songs. It brings back memories of a different era and a fun childhood wearing gun belts and imaginary horses and fighting the Indians and bad guys and stuff. Since then, Johnny Cash has made the song famous, being heard on C&W stations all the time. But this was the first:
One of the old westerns stared Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson and John Wayne. Rio Bravo! Dean Martin is one of my favorite singers of yesterday. He made singing look so easy. He never seemed to strain for any note and was just damn cool. But of all the songs he sang on all the movies he was in, this song comes to mind every time I hear his name. Just this one. I still like to her him sing, but this is what comes to mind when I hear Dean Martin.
See! I told you I was a dork. I have a few more, like Cool Water, Rawhide, Flying to the Danger Zone from Top Gun. Now you know why I’m not invited to many parties.
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23 comments:
Hey, love those songs. I used to play cowboys and Indians when I was a kid, had a shiny six-shooter and a studded belt and holster. I like to be a cowboy or cowgirl, but mostly I liked to be an Indian!
We had a fireplace and at night we would would sit by the fire and sing cowboy songs.
We had a home projector, 8mm, and lots of cowboy movies--Gene Autry, ROy Rogers, Dale Evans etc.
The songs bring back old memories like mad.
Mary, I had several gun belts. Some were two gun belts, but most were one gun. We would take the knife to them to make them easier to draw or to be able to move to the other hip for a fast cross-draw. We also had our cowboy hats. I even had the pussy hat that Hopalong Cassady wore. We also knew the names of all the horses, too.
I actually had multiple gun belts too, and my brothers had even more--and of COURSE we had cowboy hats!!!!
I even have pictures of us all duded up somewhere.
We had cap guns.
Love those cap guns. Later bb guns.
We also shot with our fingers if we didn't have the guns. Bang, I got you, did not, did too, you're dead. Am not.
I got my first jackknife when I was ten and learned to whittle and got a buck knife when I was 11 and learned to skin an animal and tan a hide.
I did my hamster--after it died of other causes--and I still have it.
I'm a dork, too!
hey pallie, no one who loves our Dino oughta ever be considered a dork...none will ever achieve the coolness of our great man...but anyone who seeks to emulate the King of cool qualifies for dork status. Never was, never will be anyone as cool as the King of Cool. Oh, to return to the days when Dino walked the earth!
Oh man .. does that Vaughn Monroe song ever bring back memories. My grandparents had a record player/radio console, and they owned that record. A 78 rpm, I believe.
Of course we were all cowboys back in those days. I guess I'm a dork too.
Well I'm a dork and a fuddy-dudd. I don't like reality shows, and I love Matlock reruns, Simon and Simon, and Magnum PI. NLM thinks I need to broaden my frame of mind, but I like Talk Radio, too. Where are all the John Waynes, and the Ingrid Bergmans? They had class, a lost characteristic anymore. Good post!
I have always liked "Ghost Riders…" and it was neat to see Ricky Nelson in the Dean Martin track.
Great choices to share with us.
oh goddddd I guess this is proof that I'm a dork too. Dammit!!!! I thought I was hiding it well. hehehehe
yipee I ayeeee i amd a dork to then i guess i loved ths song, and yes being a tom boy when i was younger i loved cowboys and indian films. thanks dork
No need to consider yourself a dork. Dean Martin's the King of Cool after all. Whether it was croonin' a tune, crackin' a joke, actin' in some flick, flirtin' with the ladies, drinkin' some liquid freshment, lightin' a smoke, he did everything with such an effortless coolness. Dino was definitely at home in a western. He's so great in them. I love Rio Bravo. One of the best ever.
DMP and RS007, two serious DM aficionados, thanks for stopping by and the comments. I went by your places and found them interesting.
The rest of you, I didn’t realize there were so many “dorks” out there. I though it was just me. Like NLL said, there aren’t any classy stars out there anymore. It is a different world we live in, and in many ways that is sad. But long live the Cowboys, The Oaters, The shoot’um ups, the Westerns.
Dorks of the world Unite.
How about some new classy old-fashioned Westerns for all us old dorks?
Or a rerun revival festival?
hey pallie Coffeypot....thanks for droppin' by the Dinopad Dinoblog.....come by anytime...always too Dinohappy to meet 'nother lover of our great man.
But you're our lovable dork.
Thank you Miss G.Babe.
Ghost Riders in the Sky! Great song! And I love Cool Water also. I have vivid memories of watching Dean Martin with my mom as a kid. Rio Bravo is still on quite often. Good movie. They don't make them like that anymore.
Willi's mom had his old Fanner 50 pistol framed and gave it to him a few years ago. She tells stories about how he rode the arm of the couch and threw the pistols on the wood floor before he "died".
Great stuff, coffeypot. I think "Ghost Riders In the Sky" is a classic song.
oh coffeypot!
I cried listening to both of those. And to see Walter Brennan was the biggest treat.
I'm much to sentimental.
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