And Your Cat Can Sing: Ground Control to Major Tom Cat

Here are a few picture books for people who like singing cats:

 Barrett, Ron. Cats Got Talent. New York : Simon & Schuster, 2014. Print.

 Donaldson, Julia, and Axel Scheffler. Tabby McTat, the Musical Cat. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2012. Print.

Jaunn, Adele. Caruso's Song to the Moon. South Melbourne, Vic: Lothian Books, 2004. Print.

Litwin, Eric, and James Dean. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. New York, NY: Harper, 2012. Print.

My cat is a pretty good singer. He got lost once, and the folks who found him named him Piper because of his musical abilities. His real name is Kitty.

Here's a short clip of Kitty singing David Bowie's Space Oddity with me. (If you don't see the video box below, click here or go to http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/watchandlisten/play/be8d7dfc1
to view.)


"Ground Control to Major Tom Cat."

ps. I highly recommend buying David Bowie's music at my friend Al's record store, Exile on Main Street in Branford, Connecticut. You can even shop online:exileonmain.com.

pps. Back in the 80's, Al was my boss at Cutler's Records in New Haven. The Cutlers were really nice. They had a cat named Sheba who lived in the store.

ppps. The song Space Oddity is covered by two of my favorite actors in two of my favorite movies. Adam Sandler covers the song in Mr. Deeds, and Kristin Wiig sings it in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. 

pppps. Whoa! Here's a coincidence that never occurred to me before typing the previous sentence . . . James Thurber's short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty takes place in New Milford, Connecticut, and some of the scenes of Mr. Deeds were filmed in New Milford, Connecticut! I'll have to ask my cousin Allen Covert if he ever noticed the connection. 

ppppps. The last time I saw Allen was Christmas Day in 2000, so he might not remember me. 

pppppps. Here is a video clip of Adam Sandler singing Space Oddity in Mr. Deeds, and here is a clip of Kristen Wiig singing along with the David Bowie recording.

Happy Birthday, George Thorogood!

Thorogood, George. Bad to the Bone. Hollywood, Calif: EMI Manhattan, 1982.

He sure does stutter a lot in that song! Here are some m-m-m-m-more great stuttering songs:

* Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes by David Bowie.

Bowie, David. Hunky Dory. New York, N.Y.: RCA, 1971.

* B-B-B-Benny and the Jets by Elton John.

John, Elton, and Bernie Taupin. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. NYC: Rocket, 1973.


*[B-B-B-Baby] You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet by Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

Bachman Turner Overdrive (Musical group). Not Fragile. [Chicago, Ill.]: Mercury, 1974.

* T-T-T-Time Machine by Cracker.

Cracker (Musical group). Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey. Santa Monica, CA: 429 Records, 2009.

*Lo-Lo-Lo-Lo-Lola by The Kinks.

Kinks (Musical group), and Ray Davies. One for the road. New York, N.Y.: Konk Records, 1999.

Who (Musical group). My Generation. London: IBC Studios, 1965

And talking about my generation . . .

Here's my karaoke version of the Cracker hit, I Hate My Generation:


And here's the real deal:


Now why would anyone want to die before getting old?

M is for Motown

Aronson, Virginia. The History of Motown. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2000.

It's fun to read about what rock stars were like back in their younger years. Stevie Wonder was a prankster and master mimic. Marvin Gaye was painfully shy, and Martha Reeves got her foot in the door by working as a secretary at the Motown office.

Shop Indie Bookstores
Troupe, Quincy, and Lisa Cohen. Little Stevie Wonder. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005.

ps. I named this blog after a Motown compilation album, 40 Forever.

pps. Here is my karaoke version of the Motown hit, Mustang Sally. If you dare to listen carefully, you can hear my dogs playing percussion in the background.

Sally Ride

Nichols, Catherine. Sally Ride. New York: Children's Press, 2005.

Connecticut Country

I don't know very much about country music, but every now and then I like to listen and sing along to Patsy Cline.

It's hot!

Here are some hot books:

Layton, Neal. Hot, Hot, Hot. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2004.

What's a woolly mammoth to do when caught in a heat wave? Start a new fashion trend, of course!

Hesse, Karen, and Jon J. Muth. Come On, Rain. New York: Scholastic Press, 1999.

Sometimes a little rain is all it takes to break the heat.

Spinelli, Eileen, and Betsy Lewin. Heat Wave. Orlando, Fla: Harcourt, 2007.

This book nails the feeling of summer in the city when the fire escape is the coolest room in the apartment . . .

Perry, Elizabeth, and Linda Bronson. Think Cool Thoughts. New York: Clarion Books, 2005.

. . . and the rooftop is the coolest place to hang out at night.

And speaking of heat, check out my karaoke version of Peggy Lee's hit song, Fever:

Rainy Days and Mondays

Pinkwater, Daniel Manus, and Jill Pinkwater. Rainy Morning. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1998.

"Hanging around, nothing to do but frown . . ."

or maybe sing a sad song into my laptop computer:

My Generation

My last blog post was about stuttering songs, and I left out one of the best rock anthems of all time:

Who (Musical group). My Generation. London: IBC Studios, 1965

And talking about my generation . . .

Here's my karaoke version of the Cracker hit, I Hate My Generation:


And here's the real deal:


Now why would anyone want to die before getting old?

Stuttering songs

* Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes by David Bowie.

Bowie, David. Hunky Dory. New York, N.Y.: RCA, 1971.

* B-B-B-Benny and the Jets by Elton John.

John, Elton, and Bernie Taupin. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. NYC: Rocket, 1973.
* B-B-B-B-B-B-Bad to the Bone by George Thorogood & The Destroyers.

Thorogood, George. Bad to the Bone. Hollywood, Calif: EMI Manhattan, 1982.

*[B-B-B-Baby] You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet by Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

Bachman Turner Overdrive (Musical group). Not Fragile. [Chicago, Ill.]: Mercury, 1974.

* T-T-T-Time Machine by Cracker.

Cracker (Musical group). Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey. Santa Monica, CA: 429 Records, 2009.

*Lo-Lo-Lo-Lo-Lola by The Kinks.

Kinks (Musical group), and Ray Davies. One for the road. New York, N.Y.: Konk Records, 1999.

More city stories

Here are a few more great books about life in the Big City:

Christmas in New York by Chuck Fischer

Fischer, Chuck. Christmas in New York: A Pop-Up Book. New York: Bulfinch Press, 2005.

City Chicken by Arthur Dorros and Henry Cole

Dorros, Arthur, and Henry Cole. City Chicken. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Blume, Judy, and Roy Doty. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. New York: Dutton, 1972.

Chicken and Cat by Sara Varon

Varon, Sara. Chicken and Cat. New York: Scholastic Press, 2006.

Abuela by Arthur Dorros and Elisa Kleven

Dorros, Arthur, Elisa Kleven, and Sandra Marulanda Dorros. Abuela. New York: Puffin Unicorn, 1997.

And speaking of big cities . . .

Bemelmans, Ludwig. Madeline. New York: Viking Press, 1967.

Free Man in Paris is one of my favorite Joni Mitchell songs. Check out this video:

Joni's got Jaco Pastorius*, Pat Metheny, and Lyle Mays up there with her. Talk about an all-star band!

Mitchell, Joni. Shadows and Light. Los Angeles, Calif: Asylum, 2003.

Here's the original, studio version from Court and Spark:

Mitchell, Joni. Court and Spark. [Los Angeles, Calif.]: Asylum, 1980.

*Did you know that Jaco Pastorius was from Broward County? Next time you're in Florida, be sure to visit Jaco Pastorius Memorial Park in Oakland Park.

In these shoes???

Since I'm on a Bette Midler kick . . .

Midler, B. (2001). "In these shoes". New York, NY: Warner Bros. Records.

I wish this song were available on karaoke. It's so easy to sing, and I even made up a dance routine to go with it. I love the line: "In these shoes? What is this--the Peace Corps?" A girl after my own heart. Princesses of the world, unite!

Bridal shower, 2004.

ps. Doesn't Bette look pretty in this album cover pic? What a slammin' outfit!

Midler, B. (2000). Bette. Burbank, CA: Warner Bros.

pps. Check out the Divine Miss M's website: bettemidler.com. It's very pink.

I love The Kinks

Kinks (Musical group), & Davies, R. (1980). One for the road. New York, N.Y.: Arista.

I love, love, love The Kinks. Here's my version of Lola:



Here's the real deal:



Isn't that a cool guitar? One time my Grandma Swensen tried to give hers to a guy I was casually dating. He thanked her, but wisely suggested that she keep it in the family.

When I was in high school I went to a Kinks concert at the Hartford Civic Center. It was an okay show, but not great. They played too many songs from the Come Dancing album instead of the classics.



Here's an excellent interview with Kinks front man, Ray Davies: csmonitor.com.

The Roses

Midler, B., & Rothchild, P. A. (1986). The rose The original soundtrack recording. [S.l.]: Atlantic.

I'm kind of on a Bette Midler kick:

I always get a little teary eyed when I hear that song. It makes me think of my two favorite roses: my aunt Rosie and my great grandmother Rose Siciliano. Great Grandma lived to the ripe old age of 101. Aunt Rosie was not as fortunate. She was killed by a stoned teenage driver only three months after our cousin Joe was murdered in the World Trade Center.

Aunt Rosie, Me, Mom (2000).

New Year's Eve at the Hickman residence

Our apologies to The Coasters:



Disclaimers:

Excuse #1: I have a colossal ear infection and, at the moment, I can only hear out of my right ear.

Excuse #2: I can't laugh and sing at the same time.

Excuse #3: This is our first run-through of the song.

Excuse #4: It's New Year's!!!!!

Have a happy and healthy new year!

Love,
The Hickmen

ps. Here's the real deal:



ps. You can buy the original recording here.

Merry Christmas!

Patti Smith and Christina Aguilera

I adore Patti Smith. Her writing is amazing and I love her gritty, rock and roll voice. I read in Spin Magazine that she is a Christina Aguilera fan, and I think that's kind of cool.

And speaking of Patti Smith . . .

Here's my rendition of Because the Night by Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen.



I know it's kind of lame to spend time crooning into my laptop, but the opportunity to sing with a live band seldom arises anymore now that I'm a librarian.

Jazz in the library, circa 1999

The Shermanettes only sing a capella.

Shermanettes Summer, 2008

Shermanettes Halloween, 2007

BTW, I made sure that the artists receive royalties from Singsnap.com.


Also, you can buy Patti Smith's music here and Christina Aguilera's music here. Check out the official Patti Smith website: pattismith.net. She's an Obama fan, too. Man, that woman has impeccable taste.

No static at all . . .

One of the first PG rated movies I was ever allowed to watch was FM. I don't remember much about the plot, except that Linda Ronstadt and Waddy Wachtel end up saving the day with a live concert.



Linda Ronstadt was really, really cool back then and I wanted to grow up to be just like her.



And, pitiful as it may be, I'm still trying.

Nothing Compares 2 U

Even though I don't agree with her politics, I think Sinéad O'Connor is an incredible singer and songwriter. I get goose bumps whenever I listen her 1990 album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. Her biggest hit, Nothing Compares 2 U, was written by Prince and originally recorded by The Family.

ps. Due to unpopular demand, I deleted my lame attempt at singing Nothing Compares 2 U. The Star Spangled Banner is a walk in the park compared to that song.

Girl drummers

The Carpenters were one of the few New Haven bands to ever make it big.

I have always admired how Karen Carpenter could drum and sing at the same time. In spite of taking lessons at a ridiculously young age, (see below) I just don't have the coordination. If I concentrate REALLY hard, I can almost play the cowbell.

me, circa 1968

And speaking of girl drummers . . .


Check out the new Parson Red Heads album, Owl and Timber. (My brother produced it!) I think it's their trippiest album yet. Lots of soothing Grateful Dead-like harmonies.