I have taken a couple months off from blogs. Shame on me. I’ve just been so insanely busy traveling and going to workshops, etc., I couldn’t find the time to get it all done. And I sincerely apologize to anyone who keeps up with me and the reading/writing opportunities I report about through the blogs. I’m trying to do a thorough job of catching up this month so I can move forward better this fall.
I had a really unique opportunity back in June. If you know me very well, you know I am an avid fan of both the book and the film The Outsiders (book by S.E. Hinton). Actually, I was here at The Orchard Keeper when I found out that C. Thomas Howell was going to be in Marion, VA, just an hour or so up the road from Bristol, on June 27, to promote a new foundation he has started to “support teachers and inspire students by providing free copies” of the book, the Stay Gold Foundation. My friend Kandy and I got the Ultimate VIP Package and I even got Russ to dig around downstairs in the den to look for my copy of the book that I read when I was in eighth grade – Mrs. Susan Whittaker taught us the book – my favorite teacher, my favorite book. The book honestly changed my life. S.E. Hinton was just a teenager when she wrote it and that really inspired me. If she could write a book as a teenager, then I could, too. (And I did – several of them – they just didn’t get published, lol!) But the story inspired me, too. There are always going to be two sides against each other, but if people just stop fighting, they’ll see there are commonalities. The problem is, it typically takes some sort of tragedy to get people to stop fighting long enough to even contemplate that there might be another side, that we’re all people. And even then, the consideration is usually fleeting, and it’s back to hating as usual. C. Thomas Howell was really down to earth, genuinely nice, asked us questions – I told him all about Mrs. Whittaker and how influential she had been in my life, even after eighth grade when we read The Outsiders. He was impressed that I still had the copy I read in eighth grade. I told him my husband found it on my bookshelves downstairs with my children’s lit and YA books, that I was sure it would be upstairs with The Grapes of Wrath and The Great Gatsby, my other favorites from school, and just as I was telling him I used to be a librarian, he was asking if I was a librarian. Some habits are hard to break! (For the record, now that it’s signed by him, I’m keeping it upstairs for easy access!) He’s touring all over to promote the Foundation with all proceeds going to the Foundation. They provide books to schools that can’t afford copies, penitentiaries, etc. Check out his website for future dates. Even if you don’t see him in person, you can purchase merchandise – I love the Stay Gold notebooks. I might even get a t-shirt before the upcoming 80s Cruise. If he’s coming somewhere near you, though, it’s worth going just to hear him talk abut filming the movie. (My favorite question was about whether or not the cast members still keep in touch. His answer made me laugh, but I also wasn’t surprised. “Everyone but Lord Cruise.”)
I saw a few concerts this summer, too. The first one was Counting Crows with my friends Jenni and Drew at the Hardrock Casino in Bristol on June 13. Initially, we thought they were an opening band. Imagine our confusion and embarrassment when they belted out “Mr. Jones” as the third song! They still sound great. They have a really laid-back stage presence, which goes along with most of the music from that era, I suppose. I loved hearing “Cold December,” as that was always one of my favorites by them. The whole show was great, though.
My favorite concert of the summer, though, hands-down, was the one I’ve waited a lifetime to see. My friend Dee and I caught Cyndi Lauper in Cincinnati on June 29. The only thing that could have made the show better would have been having a voice! I had laryngitis from sinus/allergy crud that has been hanging around since the beginning of June and lingers still, even after three rounds of antibiotics and three rounds of steroids. I lost my voice before the show started, so I couldn’t sing along, cheer, or scream, as are my habits during any concert. But she was so magical! The show started off with a blast of confetti – tiny little scraps of confetti that didn’t just stick to us in the ultra-high humidity of the evening (90-degree+ temps), but they melted into our skin. Confetti Chrissie didn’t care, though. I was loving it! She performed all of the hits, plus a few extras I didn’t know. She told amazing stories throughout. Her voice may not hit all the notes she used to hit, but she’s still an amazing performer, and so passionate about people, still advocating for women’s voices to be heard, and for diversity and tolerance. She has long held my respect for all those reasons, as well as her musical accomplishments. Finally seeing her perform live was a dream come true!
The third concert was on August 6, back at the Hardrock Casino in Bristol. Kandy and I went to see David Lee Roth. I had heard a lot of people say beforehand that it would be a waste because his voice is gone. I wouldn’t say his voice is gone. The man is in his 70s – can he hit the notes he did in the 80s? No. Can he jump in the air and do splits? No. Is he still entertaining people? Yes. His vocals could be better, but I’ve heard far worse. He does have a four-man quartet backing him up. That helps, I’m sure. But he’s every bit the entertainer and showman that I imagined he would be. Still unruly, raucous, and irreverent. Some things never change, right? But in the end, I’m glad we went. I was really surprised that he only did Van Halen songs. I thought for certain he’d do some of his solo hits, but it was Van Halen all the way. He’s proficient at twirling microphone stands, too – and plugging a product endorsement if he happens to drop one in mid-twirl (“That mic drop was brought to you courtesy of Budweiser!”) He’s still Diamond Dave and he’s having fun. Although the best part of the show for me was the couple in the last row of the center section on the floor wearing long-hair 80s wigs who video’d each other and ran up to the front for one song, headbanging and jumping up and down at the stage like teenagers. In my opinion, those two really made the show what it was!
I don’t have any other concerts lined up until November and December. That’s a dry spell for me. But it was a great summer.
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