They Used to Call Me the Streak
Well, not really. That was my brother who was always revealing his buck-naked self to all of my friends as a little boy.
But, calling our incoming Rotary 7770 District Governor nominee Lou Mello “The Illustrious Potentate” on my blog yesterday brought back a memory for me that was reinforced by regular reader Tom Smith’s rampant postings of Ray Stevens songs on Facebook.
Growing up, I wasn’t allowed to listen to secular music. This standard did not apply to my father, who blasted country honky-tonk with reckless abandon in his various company vehicles. The cringing memories of that music is the main reason I can’t listen to country music much to this day.
The boogie-woogie-free zone was problematic for my mother to enforce when we went to visit family. When one of my cousins discovered KISS, my deprived brother and I would walk around in shell-shocked wonder at the beats and the screeching and the posters my cousin had in his room. We’d always return home wanting to “Shout It Out Loud” and other hideous things.
My poor mother spent weeks trying to return us to her staid, straight-and-narrow children again after each visit to those relatives.
Because I found the noise of KISS deafening and the costumes unattractive, I decided to succumb to another deplorable sin.
My cousin Ann had the record “The Streak,” and I played it on her Donny and Marie Osmond record player enough times in succession to memorize every nuance of it. I thought a song about people running around naked in public was far more incendiary than a song called “Love Gun.” (Yes, people, I was THAT naive.)
So, in honor of Mr. Lou Mello’s District Governor Nominee status for Rotary District 7770 and the memories that conjured for me, please enjoy Mr. Ray Stevens’ cheesy video for “The Streak.”
Darn, and I was hoping for pictures. But not of your brother….
And come to think of it, doesn’t our beneficent dictator Lou look a bit like Ray Stevens? Makes you wonder.
I never thought about it, but he kind of does, doesn’t he?
I suppose if my mother wants to post a bunch of naked childhood photos of me online, she can. (See below.)
Oh My Goodness, I had not seen or heard this song for many, many years. I am stunned with all the various thoughts running through my feeble mind. Am I the Streaker? Am I the Yahoo reporter, the wacky sports guy, the weirdo gas guy?
So, I was able to jog Queen Andra’s childhood memories and the result of that was a naked guy running through town….mmmmm?! I do believe there are some serious Freudian issues here for the Queen of Fun to resolve.
In this case, we need Dr. Carnell’s soothing reassurances that all will be OK and we can get those naked guy visions out of our heads.
I am pleased to announce that the lovely Miss Andra has given me a theme for the District Governor year….Yeah, I Did.
The correlation was calling you Illustrious Potentate from the Stevens song “Shriners Convention” and Tom’s posting the video to “The Streak” on Facebook on the same day. The latter is funnier than the former, and it meant more to me as a child.
I hadn’t heard or thought of that song in many years. Steven’s songs were always such silly fun.
Some of them were better than others, but this one has always been my favorite. The video is so cheesy.
Now, wait a minute. Before I am painted as a such a staid mother, I seem to remember going down Third Loop Road on the way to school with the tires on my car bee-bopping to the songs of the Pointer Sisters and others. I grew up on Rock and Roll and enjoyed a wide variety of the popular singers in the 60′s – through today. I just did not like hard metal rock and what it stood for and I still don’t.
I’ve heard you were quite the Streaker back in the 70′s, too.
Hmmmmmmmmm…..
Oops! For a moment there I thought you were referring to moi and I was trying to call up the past. But you are right – Andra was quite the streaker in her toddler days. I have had to chase her all over the front yard in her birthday suit if she got half an opportunity to wear it. It’s a good thing we lived waaayyy out in the country.
Mom, you were the perfect mother. Please forgive me for implying anything otherwise.
Yes, we listened to lots of pop when I was a teenager, but nothing when I was in elementary school. I guess all that was the way I rebelled in junior high. That and going to movies behind your back was the extent of the bad I did then. So, you must’ve done a pretty good job.
That was a funny video. I hadn’t seen that before. I do remember the song though in high school. I still remember one of my classmates that indeed followed through on that song. Can’t believe someone is crazy enough to do that!
Ew. Me, either. The worst some of my classmates ever did was mooning.
Lol, sorry, all I can do is laugh at the comments today! Wish I had something wittier to say.
Thanks too for mentioning me by name in your blog. I feel somehow initiated and/or confirmed into your circle of friends!
I’m glad you approve of being mentioned by full name, Tom.
Hope you’re having a good weekend.