Thursday, July 2, 2009

Get Down, Get FUNKY! -- A "Theme Thursday" Post

Today's "Theme Thursday" topic is "Funky."

Lotsa ways to go here. There's the musical meaning(s), there's the "blue funk" phrase that describes a certain kind of depressed feeling, there's "Do the Funky Chicken," there's a comic strip called "Funky Winkerbean"...!

As it happens, I've been kinda drugged up lately -- legally, due to a minor back injury -- so I'm gonna try to keep my contributions to a minimum of comments between a few YouTube clips.

Anyway, here's my take on the subject:

You know you're "old" when:

1. You can remember when "classic rock" and "oldies" had a different name: "Top 40."
2. You fall down, and more parts of your body ache than just the part(s) that hit the ground.
3. You can remember when Neil Diamond was considered a rock'n'roller.
4. You can remember when Sally Struthers was considered sexy.

[I should add something very recent: "You know you're 'old' when you react adversely to an eBay dealer's description of a 1977 magazine as an 'antique!' "]

5. And finally, you know you're "old" when you can remember the following song being on the Top 40, not once, nor twice, but three times!


Ahhh, yes, Grand Funk Railroad (also known as, simply, Grand Funk, for some reason which must have made sense to someone back then)! They got their name from the Grand Trunk Western Railroad. "Funk" was just a play on words. They weren't really a funk band.

This was the group that gave us the best-known version of "Some Kind of Wonderful." This was the group that gave us "We're an American Band," the first song I ever sang in front of an audience in my very first rock band. This was the group that gave us "Bad Time," a song I still can't hear almost thirty-five years later without thinking of a certain cashier I worked with at my first job. And this was the group that gave us "Foot Stompin' Music." 'Nuff said there, if you've ever heard it.

Then of course, there was a group called the James Gang, which included a kick-ass guitarist named Joe Walsh, who went on to a bright solo career and a stint with The Eagles. The James Gang did a little tune called "Funk #49."


And finally for today, I'm giving you a little ditty called "Funky Nassau" by a group called "The Beginning of the End."


And is it just me, or do you agree that the longer you listen to them repeating the words "funky Nassau," those words start sounding like... well... something else?

Thanks for your time.

27 comments:

  1. S.F. rest up and if you need anything, you know how to get hold of me. And I always liked Little Eva's rendition of "Locomotion", better....I'm just sayin'...

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  2. Yeah, her version's my favorite, although I like all three.

    I'll be visiting TT posts later today, as I have lots to do! Resting's not really on the agenda, I'm afraid.

    Damned rain!!! I love the rain, and even I've had about enough!

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  3. Sorry you are not feeling good.

    I didn't know that was the name of that Joe Welsh song, I always thought it was him going it alone, I don't know why.

    I have the last , the ending chapter of Ugly up.

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  4. Oh dear Foxy that last clip was woeful! Sadly, I identify with all those 'you know you're old whens' (God I even know all the words to Locomotion and I only remember the Kylie Minogue version!) Sorry about the back. I had some physio and massage on mine and it worked a treat after three sessions.

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  5. wow, you did a great job for an old kind of drugged up guy..... given the criteria, I'm most definitely old!

    hope you are able get some rest in there, rest will heal up an injury better than drugs (which of course will just mask the pain....)

    I forgot all about grand funk railroad! I have a vague recollection of going to one of their concerts way back when, but maybe not - I went to lots and lots of concerts in the 70s (and 80s) - they were cheap! but you are right, their music is far from the funk genre.

    look forward to coming back to listen to all the vids.... great line up!

    raining here too. so if misery loves company, weather wise you got plenty of friends. the flowers and veggies are loving it!! promises for clearing skis here, hope they make it to you!

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  6. I remember rollerskating to the Locomotion! I suppose rollerskates are considered antique now too.... Hadn't heard funky nassau - what a groovy tune!
    Hope you get out of your funk soon.

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  7. Oh I don't know about age...some things-like the Loco-Motion, are classic!!

    I hope you get better soon :)
    xoxo

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  8. Well, the video is certainly, er, low impact, but I dig "Funky Nassau" and yes I agree with you!

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  9. S.F.-oh what a flood we just had on Main St.!!!( goes back to building ark....)

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  10. Great videos, truly hit the theme. I knew someone would post them, and it was on the second TT post I read!

    And yeah, it does begin to sound like something else. Heh!

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  11. was waiting on the GFR...enjoyed all the vids though. hope your back gets to feeling better. being drugged up and hurt...not much fun!

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  12. subtorp is so right, several people in late to work because of this funky rain.

    As always, a great deal of fun info Happy TT and soon 4th of July

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  13. @Dreamhaven, I got some video of the "flood". It's always the same place; right in front of Udderly D. One car stalled out and is sitting there, still. The Police finally showed up( not much they could do, wot? )and promptly left!

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  14. Who's Sally Struthers? lol, and was her surname purposely joined "strut" and "hers" together? :p

    Funky songs! :p

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  15. Uh, a 1977 magazine is an antique? Hmmm... I wonder what I can get for some of my Keyboard magazines?

    I didn't know that Grand Funk RR did "The Loco-Motion"; all I remember from them is "I'm getting closer to my hooooooome" repeated endlessly. Yes, I do remember the Little Eva version, and I like it best of all. And did you that it was a Carole King - Gerry Goffin tune?

    I well remember "Funk #49", but "Funky Nassau" didn't do a whole lot for me; living in a Summer resort and one of the East Coast's major yachting centers, we get to hear a lot of really bad faux Caribbean bands, and this sounded like just one more of those.

    Take care of that back, dude! I know all about the parts breaking down with age.

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  16. I feel old! I remember the Locomotion so well :)
    Sorry to hear about your bad back. You've obviously enroled in my bad back club. We have a motto that goes like this... if you need a little help, don't call me....
    'Loved your post,' she said by way of trying to get back in his good books.

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  17. What about Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music"? I can't get that tune out of my head since I first read the theme..lol

    Hope you feel better soon!

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  18. Okay, I can tell this is going to be a rough trip through Theme Thursday's posts. Right off, you had me dancing around, trying not to unplug my headset.

    Get well. Soon.

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  19. Well I got Little Eva and Grand Funk but who's the third rendition?

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  20. reyjr: Sally Struthers played "Gloria" on a TV show called "All in the Family," and in the early 1970s, she was pretty hot!

    Roy: Yup, I knew it was a Goffin/King tune. Carole King and Gerry Goffin wrote the song for Little Eva because she was their babysitter!

    Valerie: "If you need a little help, don't call me..." Love it!

    VE: The third time the song hit the Top 40 was Kylie Minooigue's version, in 1988 or 1989.

    Everybody else: Thanks for your wishes concerning my back. I need to pass out for a bit. When I awaken, I'll finally start visiting everybody else's blogs!

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  21. Love the Locamotion...enjoy your drugs while you can!

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  22. Haven't heard Grand funk's Loco-motion in quite some time.... Did you know that it's the producer/artisté Todd Rundgren singing? Nice.

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  23. Ha! I'm not old!

    ;)

    Sorry to hear about your back...

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  24. J. A.: I knew Todd had produced some of their later efforts, but he sang that song? Really? Cool!

    Megan: Back's making me uncomfortable. I have to go back to bed after only getting through 25 or so TT posts.

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  25. That was a bunch of funky here!

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  26. well thanks SF for making me feel SO OLD

    couldn't have identified Sally Struthers, but Gloria - yes!

    hope your back is recovering and not wrecking your weekend

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  27. Hey, everybody, just to let y'all know that my back is much better after having seen an ER doctor last Tuesday. Lots of strong medication. Not sure how I made it through Theme Thursday and what little else I had to do between Tuesday and today, but I did.

    I posted another entry on Friday, and I'm not sure when the next Foxtale will see the light of day.

    Thanks for all the good wishes.

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