Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love to answer the questions, however, and here is today's questions!
Saturday 9: Cadillac Ranch (1981)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) In this song, Bruce Springsteen sings about taking his father and his aunt to see The Cadillac Ranch. Have you recently taken a road trip? If yes, where did you go?
It has been ages since I've been any where. My last real road trip was to Prince Edward Island, a 17 hour drive. Well worth the time and trip.
2) The Cadillac Ranch is real. It's an outdoor art installation in Amarillo, TX. Tell us about a statue, mural, or other piece of outdoor art in your community.
We have a cool dinosaur and my actual hometown has a doughboy WW1 memorial.. but I did live in Salt Lake so I will use this one.
When millions of locusts/hoppers invaded the Salt Lake valley and began eating all the crops so all the people prayed and fasted for heavenly mercy. Sure enough the prayers were answered and millions of seagulls from the California coast flew in to eat every sinble bug and save the crops. Now, at Ensign Peak there is a memorial to the gulls, which still live in Utah. They are now actually the state birds.
3) Not only is Bruce singing about a real place, he mentions three real people. The first is "James Dean in his Mercury 49." That refers to the 1949 Mercury driven by James Dean in his first starring role, Rebel Without a Cause. Though he remains a legendary star, Dean made only three movies before his death at age 24. Have you seen any of his films?
Yes, I've seen all of Dean's films.
4) The second is "Junior Johnson runnin' through the woods of Caroline." Junior Johnson was a folk hero, famous as a NASCAR driver and notorious for running moonshine through North Carolina. He was the inspiration for "Midnite Moon," an animated old Ford in the 2017 Disney movie Cars 3. What Disney movie did you enjoy when you were growing up?
I suppose Peter Pan was pretty good. Cinderella was nice.
5) The third man Bruce sings about is "Burt Reynolds and his black Trans Am." This is a reference to Burt's biggest hit, 1977's Smokey and the Bandit. Burt also had success as a restaurateur. He co-owned Burt and Jack's, a popular steakhouse at Port Everglades, right on the water. Tell us about a restaurant that offered both good food and a memorable view.
Rat's Restaurant in Hammonton NJ:
Or Rooftop at Exchange Place in Jersey City:
6) For decades, Cadillac was the gold standard of luxury. For example, an eatery referred to as "the Cadillac of restaurants" would be best or most prestigious. Think about your neighborhood. Tell us about a restaurant, hotel or business that is "the Cadillac" of your community.
I live in a small seaside town so not much. We do have a new kosher restaurant that seems very nice. I don't think it's open yet though. Looks very lovely so far. Here are some photos of it.
7) Since he's been singing about America and cars for decades, it should come as no surprise that Bruce Springsteen has a collection of classic American cars. For the cover of his autobiography he chose a photo of himself leaning on his favorite, a 1960 Corvette convertible. Think about your favorite photo of yourself. What are you doing? This is a fun photo taken at a BlueClaws baseball game. I had made a nice comment to the mascot and he rushed over to propose to me. What fun.
8) In 1981, when Bruce released this recording, Dolly Parton had a hit with "9 to 5." What's your favorite Dolly Parton song?
It is a song called Hard Candy Christmas. My life was pretty darn hard for a long while so this isn't about Christmas, it's about toughing out the hard times of life. The term hard candy Christmas refers to times when poverty stricken families could barely even afford a few pieces of hard candy for their kids.
9) Random question: When did you last DIY and fix something around your home or yard?
The Famous Anonymous built me a deck to replace the broken down back stairs. She never did anything like that before but she did a bang up job. She even put solar lights on the posts. I am thrilled.
