90's Fest

The 90s are when I became a big music fan. Actually, let's take a step back. I enjoyed listening to 80s music and probably watched more MTV than I was allowed during that decade. However, it was the 90s when I started going to concerts (not including Neil Diamond in the early 80s and Debbie Gibson in the late 80s). When I started buying cassettes (thanks BMG for the 10 tapes for a penny or dollar deal!). It was in college in the 90s when I discovered new bands and musicians from friends, people playing music in their residence halls rooms, and college radio. So I was excited when my Facebook feed showed me information about 90's Fest. Seemed perfect for me. And then I looked at the lineup.

90's Fest, scheduled in July in Sheffield (Go Wednesday! WAWAW!) is apparently the largest 90s music festival in the UK featuring over 100 artists. And based on the list of artists, not many had much of an impact in the United States. UB40 is the notable exception having several monster hits such as "Red Red Wine," "Here I Come (Come and Take Me)," and (I Can't Help) Falling In Love With You." UB40 may also be the only act at the festival with more than one American hit. I mean, look at the performers. How many can you name?

Let's go through some of the other artists. I'm a big fan of 2 Unlimited's Get Ready for This, which features lines "Get ready for this, Mind your own biz" and "Feelin' kind of better, Put on a sweater." 

I really need to use the phrase "mind your own biz" more. Anyway, I think that was their only big song in America.  Same goes with Vengaboys. Of course, we all know "We Like To Party! (The Vengabus)" from the Six Flags commercials.

I went to England in the summer of 2000 and wrote about the songs from my time there including by Five and Sonique. Love "It Feels So Good" by Sonique! Other than that, I have no idea who these people are. Is Darren Styles related to Harry Styles? I'm guessing Fergie isn't the Fergie from Black Eyed Peas. If it is, good on the festival for having one American from the 2000s at the event. I hope that Lange is a tribute band for the late Pittsburgh Penguins' announcer Mike Lange.

Charlie B might be related to Cardi B or Mel B. Actually, why are Mel B and the other Spice Girls not playing at this festival? That would be a huge headliner! In the meantime, it's nice to see that there is a group dedicated to steak sauce in A1. I also think the Tidyboys make the litter that I use for my cat!

Look, I understand that this is probably a 90s festival for UK and European artists, and Oasis, Radiohead, Spice Girls, and Blur are probably too big to attend. Still, how about Bush or Garbage? Why not The Verve, Jesus Jones, EMF, PJ Harvey, Dido, David Gray, Republica, Soul II Soul, Sneaker Pimps, and/or The Corrs? I'm missing dozens of others too.

That's it. I'm going to create my own UK 90s festival!

My Wimbledon Lie

Serena Williams, arguably the greatest female professional tennis player ever, retired at this year’s US Open. She had an incredible career with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any player in the Open Era. For years, I shared a story that I tried to see Serena and her sister Venus compete in a doubles match at Wimbledon in 2000. I recently found a journal I kept from my summer in England, and it turns out that this was a complete lie. Basically, I’ve been a lying liar for well over a decade. This is the journal entry:

Monday, July 3, 2000

I first tried writing this entry last night but was too tired to get very far. I spent this past weekend in London. I really enjoyed the tour J gave us of London. We went to Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and Tower Hill Friday night. I also liked seeing the Tate Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Madam Tussaud’s, and Madam Tussaud’s Rock Circus. (I got a picture with the Spice Girls.) The Tate Modern was not as enjoyable since it was way too crowded, and I got lost and passed the same exhibit several times.

While I enjoyed all of this, the highlight of the weekend was going to Wimbledon. Several months ago, when I first knew I would be coming to England, I tried to find the dates for Wimbledon. I realized that it was going to take place the same time I was in England, but I didn’t think I’d be able to go. I’ve played tennis since junior high and possibly longer before that. Although I never had a favorite tennis player, I enjoy watching the major events. I have always had a great deal of respect for professional tennis players because of how much time and energy they put into their games and their ability to seemingly hit the ball wherever they want and at what speed.

Anyway, let’s write about this past weekend. After unsuccessfully trying to get a ½ price ticket for a show, we each had different opinions about what to do. J got a ticket for The Graduate with Kathleen Turner. E and JK wanted to check out a museum. L and I decided to try our luck and see if we could get into Wimbledon. By the time we arrived at Wimbledon, there was an extremely long queue (line). We had nothing planned for the rest of the day, so we decided to stay. We queued at Wimbledon (I have a sticker that says this) for three hours before finally reaching the ticket office. The seats for Centre Court, Court 1, and Court 2 were already sold out, which we figured because Agassi, Venus Williams, and Tim Henman were playing, and it was after 5:00PM. General admission tickets were only 4 pounds ($6) after 5. Nevertheless, we were in and very excited. To quote L, “you couldn’t rip the plastered smiles off of our faces!”

We walked around for a few minutes trying to fully comprehend that we were really at Wimbledon. Then, we tried to find the best matches available on the other courts. Court 3 was definitely the best because after a Men’s singles match, Martina Hingis and Mary Pierce were playing doubles, followed by Martina Navratilova in a mixed doubles match.

This is the lie. I really thought we hoped to see the Williams sisters, but it was actually Hingis and Pierce. Both were amazing players but definitely not in the same category as Venus and Serena.

We made our way to Court 3 and watched two Swedes, Thomas Johansson and Magnus Gustafsson. It was a very even match. The problem was it was a very even match. It ended up going 5 sets. Because of that, the other matches were moved to other courts. At one point, we left to go see Hingis and Pierce on Court 6. It was packed. We could barely see the court and kept getting bumped. After we got a few pictures, we went back to see the Swedes. After Johansson emerged victorious, we started waiting for Navratilova. One problem: the crew started taking down the net. On the scoreboard, we saw the score of her match, and it said Centre Court. We decided that we had nothing to lose, so let’s try to sneak in.

I should mention again that we were smiling the entire time and every few minutes would remind ourselves that we were in fact at Wimbledon. Anyway, the Southwest entrance (or a different entrance, not exactly sure) of Centre Court was right behind Court 3. We walked right in. There were no problems and no one checking tickets. I learned later that this double match had been postponed by darkness the night before and had just resumed. We only missed a game or two and the score was 6-4, 7-6, 9-9. I should mention that it was Jan Siemerink and Miriam Oremans against Martina Navratilova and Mahesh Bhupathi.

Lie #2. I thought Martina played with Leander Paes. I really am a lying liar!

Did I already write that I was seeing Navratilova, one of if not the best women’s tennis players ever? Did I mention that I was at Centre Court Wimbledon? It was incredible! We were at the Mecca of tennis. The match itself was also great. This was Marina’s return to Wimbledon after retiring five years before. (Sean’s note: You can definitely see Serena returning to play mixed doubles in a few years, right?) The crowd (including us) was pulling for her. Between each point, we heard many people yell some variation of “C’mon Martina.” At one point, someone yelled “C’mon Martina’s partner!” Martina and Mahesh ended up losing a thrilling third set, 18-16.

Wimbledon was definitely the highlight of the weekend, and it may be the highlight of my summer. L and I had an incredible time, and the queue was definitely worth the wait. I can’t wait to see the pictures, and I am still on a high from being there. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be at Wimbledon, and I was there.

22 years later, I still haven’t been to a tennis grand slam. Or since I’m a lying liar, maybe I can claim that I’ve been to Paris, New York, and Melbourne for all of the Grand Slam events!

I'm thinking now that since Venus had a singles match that day, maybe Venus and Serena were on one of the side courts practicing, and we tried to see them. No matter what happened, I can no longer blame Thomas Johansson and Magnus Gustafsson for causing me to miss watching the Williams sisters play in person.

Old Spice?

When driving last week, the song "Dreams" by The Cranberries came on the radio. My 10 year old (The Moose) asked me to change the station because he hates when we listen to old songs. (The actual quote was "I hate when you listen to old songs.") A few months ago, I wrote that we started dancing to Just Dance songs on YouTube for exercise on cold and rainy days. I recently played "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, and The Moose again criticized it for being an old song. He then asked if the members of the Spice Girls are still alive. After I replied yes, he asked how old are they? In their 70s?

To be fair to The Moose, both Dreams and Wannabe are about 25 years old. That is old to him. Plus, he really doesn't comprehend the age of songs or anything else. In his mind, the Spice Girls, Rolling Stones, and even Mozart could all be contemporaries. 

Still, I have failed as a parent in teaching The Moose and my other kids about music. I rarely play music in the house. I don't use Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Tidal, or any other streaming services. I never had an iPod, and I don't have any songs on my phone. This might be surprising, but I have never downloaded any music either. Sure, I bought tapes and CDs in the past, but I don't think I've bought a new CD since The Moose was born. So much of the music The Moose listens to is from the radio when he's in the car. Therefore, he knows your Dua Lipas and Harry Styleses (Stylesi?), but I don't think he's very familiar with Prince or Tom Petty or The Beatles or really anyone from before 2010. 

This is the part of the blog post where I ask for advice. How do I get The Moose and his brothers to appreciate and listen to more music other than what's currently playing on pop radio? 

Photo by Getty Images.

TMI Thursday: Fountain Day

Twenty years ago last month, the Spice Girls were proclaiming Girl Power (while also telling us what they want, what they really, really want) and Hanson's MMMBop was about to take over the country. Meanwhile, I graduated from college. I nearly missed this anniversary except for a former mentor/supervisor posting something on Facebook about Ithaca College's Senior Splash. Senior Splash sounds innocent enough, and it is. During Senior Week, seniors jump into the campus fountain. 20 years ago, Fountain Day, as it was known then, was a drunk fest.

Let me preface this post by writing that I used to work as a student affairs professional. As someone that worked with students, I applaud Ithaca College for continuing this tradition and making it much, much safer for students. As a student 20 years ago, Fountain Day was awesome!

On the final day of classes, seniors gathered at the Textor Ball on the middle of the campus. While I don't remember if students drank at Textor Ball (though I think we did), there was definitely pre-gaming that occurred. Then, we ran across the quad and jumped into the fountain. There was lots of splashing, and hugging, and celebrating. I kissed a girl, or she kissed me. At one point, someone's lit cigar went into the back of my hand. Instead of getting any type of first aid, I just dipped my hand into the cold, dirty water and kept it there. I had that mark on my hand for years.

I also remember getting out of the fountain and, soaking wet, going up to the college president's office with a few friends to try to convince him to jump into the fountain. Actually, I have no idea why we went there. Again, there was lots of drinking involved. Fortunately, he wasn't there.

After Fountain Day ended, I went back to my room, exhausted and nauseous. It may have been more that nausea. After about an hour, I cleaned myself up to go to a ceremony where I was getting inducted into the History Honors Society. My head was pounding during the reception, and then we had to repeat some type of pledge. Instead of short sentences or statements, the professor said something like, "I am honored to be part of a professional society where learning about history is important, and I promise to do my best, to do my duty, to help other people, and to obey the law of the pack with liberty and justice for all, and I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah." This was impossible even if everyone was completely sober.

That night, I went over to some friends' house for a party. Sort of. All of the seniors were wiped out from the day's festivities. I remember one sophomore was there and really wanted to go crazy while the rest of us just wanted to relax and possibly sleep.

Anyway, congrats to the 2017 Ithaca College students who graduated recently and enjoyed Senior Splash! And congrats to all of the 1997 IC graduates who graduated 20 years ago and (hopefully) didn't get injured during Fountain Day!

Please feel free to click here to see previous TMI Thursday posts.

Neil

Like Madonna, Cher and Bono, he needs only one name and they’re coming to America today. Actually, he is Neil Diamond and his North American tour is coming to the Verizon Center in DC on Tuesday, August 5. While I wrote about wanting to see the Spice Girls several months ago, I was half-joking. If someone offered me free tickets to the Spice Girls, of course I would go; however, I was not willing to pay actual money to see them. I would pay to see Neil Diamond.

In fact the first concert I ever attended was Neil Diamond at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh. It was probably 1981 or 1982, and I went with my parents and younger brother, who managed to sleep for nearly the entire show (I think he was only 3 or 4). If I remember correctly, he woke up to hear exactly one song, America, which was the show’s final song and featured a fluorescent American flag hanging above the stage.

Back to 2008, tickets for Neil’s DC show go on sale to the general public on Monday, April 28. But I am not the general public! Tickets go on sale for me (and everyone else with an American Express card) this Monday, April 21, at 10:00 AM Eastern time. According to the hated Ticketmaster website, tickets are $55-$120. As I mentioned in the Spice Girls post linked above, I’m sure that Ticketmaster charges will be another $25. While I really don’t want to pay that much for tickets, the cheapest seats for Neil Diamond are going to be almost $40 less than Spice Girls tickets. Neil has more hits and a much longer career than the Spice Girls can ever dream of having. Well, maybe not Posh Spice because she has David Beckham money. Regardless, in twenty years, do you think there will be a movie featuring a Spice Girls cover group like there was for Neil Diamond in the underrated Saving Silverman?

So the question now is if I got a Neil Diamond ticket, would anyone go with me?

Traveler IQ Challenge and Referrals

Over the weekend, I mentioned my addiction to the Traveler IQ Challenge. The same site also has about a dozen other quizzes including the USA Challenge and UNESCO sites. I earned a score of 113,735 (Level 8; traveler IQ of 126) on the USA Challenge and 587,525 (Level 10; traveler IQ of 102) with UNESCO sites. In full disclosure, I failed miserably in my first attempt at the UNESCO quiz as Henderson Island, UK is not even near Europe.

I haven’t done this in a while, but here are real searches (usually from Google) that real people used to find and visit this place.

Do the Spice Girls mention the Packers in a song?
Unless David Beckham joined the Packers, I’m going to guess no.

Did Debbie Gibson go to Ithaca College?
I wish.

"What is wrong with Katie Holmes"
Tom Cruise is too easy of an answer, right?

What's going on with Joe Hardy from 84 Lumber
Last I heard, the 84-year-old Hardy (he may be 85 at this point) divorced his third wife, 23-year-old Kristin Georgi, after only four months of marriage. I really thought they would make it.

Why do people hat Hillary
You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Clinton wear a hat. Maybe a lot of people dislike Clinton because of the vast right-wing haberdasher conspiracy against her.

Why are people so hard on Clinton
This seems like an inappropriate question.

Jaguars Mating
I think this aired on Animal Planet after Puppy Bowl IV.

"looks heavier" Tom Brady
So that’s why the Patriots lost the Super Bowl!

Finally, how exactly did Sean’s Ramblings end up on a Star Trek message board debate about Hillary Clinton?

Spice Girls Tickets

I am a Spice Girls fan. Feel free to mock and ridicule me. When the Spice Girls debuted in the United States in early 1997, they were unlike anything else on the music scene. Here were five attractive women, each with a memorable nickname, singing about girl power while dressed somewhat scantily. “Wannabe” was and still is an extremely catchy song, even though to this day, I have no idea what a “zigazig ha” means. Plus, all guys have to love the line, “If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends.” Sounds good to me. A friend of mine even bought me the Spice Girls tape as a gift (it was 1997 and I still didn’t have a CD player; I’m always a bit behind on technology). Despite the fact that some of the Spice Girls really don’t sing very well, they managed to have hit after hit anyway.

As you probably know at this point, the Spice Girls have reunited. There was great celebration throughout the land, specifically in the UK as they are performing 17 shows in December and January in London’s O2 Arena. I recently learned that the Spice Girls are coming to the Verizon Center in DC on February 21, 2008. If tickets were reasonable, I figured that it might be fun to attend. Of course, finding someone to go with me would be a challenge. Unfortunately, this is all a moo point. (“It's like a cow's opinion. It just doesn't matter.”)

I went to the Ticketmaster website yesterday and found that two tickets in Section 418, Row J are $92.50 each. Ticketmaster also charges a “convenience charge” of $17.45 per ticket and an order processing charge of $4.90. Fortunately, there is no charge if the tickets are sent through Standard Mail. What a bargain! How nice of Ticketmaster to cover the 41 cents to mail the tickets. Anyway, the total charge for two tickets (and not even good tickets) = $224.80!! I think I was willing to spend $25 per ticket. That is just about the cost of the Ticketmaster fees alone. Are there really people out there willing to spend that much to see the Spice Girls? Maybe I'll try to catch them when they reunite again in another ten years.

Why I Would Make a Poor Celebrity (or Secret Service Agent)

Well, there are thousands of reasons for both of these, so let’s make this reason number 172. One of the apparent requirements of being a celebrity is that you need to wear sunglasses in public places. The picture of Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and Victoria Beckham hidden by her child at David Beckham’s final Real Madrid match is an example of this. Sunglasses, often coupled with wearing a hat, helps disguise celebrities in public from the commoners. If you look closely at the picture, you will notice that no one else is wearing sunglasses, so it can't be too sunny.

On to the premise of this post. I cannot be a celebrity because I don’t wear sunglasses. I have had several pairs of sunglasses over the years and have managed to either lose or break all of them. Based on this track record, I have not had a pair of sunglasses in probably six years. Therefore, I have a bit of a dilemma. If I buy a cheap pair of sunglasses, I won’t really care about them and will probably lose of bend them. Conversely, why would I buy an expensive pair of sunglasses if I’ve been fine the last six years without them?

That's about it. I don't have anything else to write about this subject. In full disclosure, I just saw the Tom and Katie picture and thought they looked silly and robot-like with the sunglasses. Plus, this was another opportunity to write about a Spice Girl!

(The picture is courtesy of Deadspin).

Spice Girls Reunion

Welcome to a special mid-day post! I am writing live from home today as our entire air conditioning and heating unit is being replaced. The final bill is not going to be pretty. Anyway, I have no idea how I missed this, but a Spice Girls reunion is apparently in the works. Mel C (Sporty Spice) appeared to be the lone holdout, but she seems to have changed her mind. I am actually excited about this. The world with the Spice Girls and “Girl Power” is a better place! There is also a rumor that there will be an extended Spice Girls gig in Las Vegas.

To celebrate this occasion, you can take this quiz to determine which Spice Girl you are. Apparently, I am Emma (Baby Spice):

You must be the kind of person that loves hugs and cuddles! Also you’re a peaceloving person. Whenever there’s a fight, you’re there to stop it. You love being around people and hanging out with your friends. You’re very loyal, dedicated and a fan of cute pink ‘n’ fluffy things ;-)

While I am loyal and dedicated and enjoy being around my friends, "pink 'n' fluffy things isn't really me.

Guilty Pleasures

I heard the new Hilary Duff song, “With Love,” a few times over the weekend, and I hate to admit this, but I really like it. Therefore, I started to think about other things I like but probably should not admit such as:

• Neil Diamond – I’m not sure if he even belongs on the list of guilty pleasures since Neil Diamond is just cool (see “Sweet Caroline,” “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” and “America”). Plus Neil Diamond was my first ever concert.
• Eddie Money – “Take Me Home Tonight” is simply an awesome song. Plus, he was great guest star in a Drew Carey episode.
• Spice Girls – I even like the current commercial where a woman is running while her husband drives next to her with “Wannabe” blaring from the car (I’ll Tell You Want I Want, What I Really, Really Want).
• Late 80s/90s Pop/Techno/Dance Songs – I’m not really sure what counts in this category but songs like “Barbie Girl” by Aqua, “Strike It Up” by Black Box, “Rhythm is a Dancer” by Snap and probably a few dozen others.
• Almost every reality show on VH1. I have never watched Survivor or the Amazing Race and I rarely see Idol; however, I end up seeing most episodes of I Love New York, Hogan Knows Best, Surreal Life, Flavor of Love and Celebrity Fit Club.

Feel free to mock me or (even better) share your own guilty pleasures.