Saturday 9: Last Train to Clarksville

Hey everyone, sorry to have been missing in action but it's a busy time of year and there's been some other stuff going on. I promise I will catch up soon! In the meantime, take a trip down memory lane on the Last Train to Clarksville!

Saturday 9: Last Train to Clarksville (1966)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 

1) When did you most recently take a train?  It wasn't exactly a train to anywhere, but we did take a short ride to a pumpkin patch on a vintage steam engine train in October. It was a fun day with our daughter's family.

2) The lyrics promise "coffee-flavored kisses and a bit of conversation." Have you more recently had coffee, a kiss, or a chat?  It would have to be the kiss. Yesterday was our wedding anniversary. 39 years!

3) The record opens with a guitar riff inspired by The Beatles' "Day Tripper." Can you play guitar?  No. I love music but there isn't a drop of musical talent in me.

4) The lead vocals are performed by Micky Dolenz. He is the only surviving member of the Monkees. Without looking it up, can you name his bandmates?  Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork, and of course Davey Jones.

5) The Monkees starred in an award-winning sitcom for two seasons. In Season 2, Micky surprised fans by appearing with a curly perm. Do you curl, straighten or color your hair?  My hair is naturally curly so other than to try and tame the curl into doing what I want it to do, I've never had to "curl" it. I colored it for years, but my hair grows pretty fast and once my natural color became gray, I was having to color every 2 weeks to cover it. The closing of EVERYTHING for Covid was the perfect excuse to let the color grow out and go with the gray. I do, however, straighten my hair every day. This is the most recent photo I have of my hair.

6) Micky also did a stint at WCBS radio in New York. He spun the oldies every morning and helped his listeners get ready for work. Do you turn on the radio or TV when you first wake up?  I don't turn either on on work days until I'm in the car and on my way. Then I listen to the local oldies station (it's still depressing that the music of MY youth is now oldies).

7) Micky's daughter, Ami, followed her father into show business, appearing in several movies and a recurring role in General Hospital. If you followed your father into his profession, what would you have done for a living?   Something with wildlife. Dad was a deputy with the PA Game Commission and the assistant manager of one of their pheasant farms before leaving that to manage a private wildlife preserve. I actually did want to go to school for something in that field, but Dad found a reason to veto every school I applied to that offered the required courses.

8) In 1966, when this song topped the charts, miniskirts took the fashion world by storm. What have you recently added to your wardrobe?  A new pair of sneakers.

9) Random question -- You order chicken noodle soup and a packet of saltines arrives with the bowl. Do you: 1) break the crackers into pieces and stir them into your soup or 2) squeeze them in your hand and sprinkle the crumbles into your soup or 3) leave them untouched?  I'm a 1 and a 2. It depends on my mood, I guess.

Thanks, as always, to Sam for the music and questions!

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