"Friends, either you're closing your eyes to a situation you do now wish to acknowledge, or you are not aware of the caliber of disaster indicated...."
These are the opening lines to the song "Ya Got Trouble" from Meredith Wilson's musical "The Music Man".
....and the caliber of disaster that was described? A pool table.
It was also one of the songs featured on last Saturday's Lawrence Welk episode with Jack Imel and the gang performing it....in fact, the Music Makers sang that same song several times before and after.
Don't get me wrong, it's an excellent, charming and wonderful tune but that being said....it's also kinda dated, even for 1974.
Seriously, has anyone now or then has ever heard the jokes from Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, let alone who Captain Billy was?
Perhaps some of the cultural references from "Ya Got Trouble" can be updated to be more relevant....by early to mid 1970s standards that is.
For example....pool table is still relevant, but I would also consider pinball machine.
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang? How about either National Lampoon or Mad magazine....
Are certain words creeping into his conversation?
Instead of words like "Swell"......consider "Dy-no-mite!"
also "So's Your Old Man!" would be replaced by "Jive Turkey!"
Does he rebuckle his knickerbockers below the knee?
Those kids today with their Glam Rock, Pet Rocks, Sea Monkeys and Lava Lamps don't care about knickerbockers....but they do wear those platform shoes to go with their bell bottom pants!
Add such changes in there, you'll get a Music Man production courtesy of Soul Train.
Speaking of "Soul Train," I just found out (courtesy of Alice Cooper's web site) that Elton John appeared on that show on this day in 1975. He sang "Philadelphia Freedom" and "Bennie and the Jets."
ReplyDeleteI wonder, did I actually SEE that episode, since I did occasionally watch "Soul Train" back then?