Something About You: Level 42 in Concert 7/23/10

Note: This review is long overdue, but for what it's worth, here are my impressions of my 3rd 80s concert of the summer of 2010...

"Is everybody having a good time?" shouted Level 42 bassist and lead vocalist Mark King into the crowd.
"I thought we established that already," quipped a friend, apparently referring to King's intention to get the already energized crowd well, more energized.

The British band Level 42 has garnered a reputation among most Americans based almost exclusively on the top-40 hits of the 1980s, "Something About You" and "Lessons in Love." However, those who turned out on Friday, July 23rd for their 30th anniversary show at Nokia's Times Square Theater were well aware of how much the group has accomplished above and beyond those hits. While no new material was introduced, what was played by the talented jazz and pop group was expertly executed, making for a fun show.

Besides King, the only other band member from the original lineup is Mike Lindup on keyboards and vocals, who actually inspired a few whistles from some very vocal dancing girls in the audience. The band's music inspires the crowd for the expert musicianship it clearly showcases, along with the artful blend of jazz, funk, soul and '80s pop. Level 42 showed they could get equally hot and funky with numbers like "The Sun Goes Down" ("Livin it Up"), and also smooth, tender and wistful, as in songs like "It's Over." There were moments in the show when I felt like I was at the Montreal Jazz Festival, riding the wave of smooth jazz at its pinnacle, and at other moments I felt like I was being lulled to the pop elysium of the band Chicago.

Overall, it was upbeat show and a good time, in an air-conditioned theater with great acoustics and a smattering of folding chairs at the back to anyone too lazy to stand up and dance (and lots of dancers there were, me included!). Other memorable tunes for the evening were "Running in the Family" and "Kansas City Milkman." The show was a bit short (only 90 minutes) but expertly realized. The guys returned for an encore of "Heaven in My Hands" and "The Chinese Way," which did not deliver as much punch as the other material, but it was an encore well received in any case. As King said in his concert-closing statement, "We've got to come back!"

Take Me I'm Yours: Squeeze Returns to Radio City

It seems I've been seeing more '80s bands live than when I was actually living in the '80s! Not quite, but one of the best British bands, or for that matter power pop bands to hail from the '70s through the '90s is Squeeze.

On Tuesday, July 13th at Radio City Music Hall, I had the pleasure and privilege to see the dynamic duo of Chris Difford and Glenn Tillbrook and their band. It was like being magically transported back to the hopeful decade when lyricists and musicians penned songs with cheerful guitar riffs, soulful crooning and lyrics about everyday life -- the folly of youth and falling in love, chip shops and holidays. When they opened with "Black Coffee in Bed," I knew it was going to be good.

They performed lots of their well-known songs, infectious not only in lyrics but in rhythm and memorable, heart-tugging guitar licks, diverting a bit for some jazzy cabaret. "Black Coffee in Bed" was followed by some of the most joyful tunes in pop history, which for some reason were never as popular in America as in their native Britain. They churned out -- to the delight of the fans (yes, we sang along!)-- "Take Me I'm Yours," "Pulling Mussels from the Shell," "Goodbye Girl," "Annie Get Your Gun," "Tempted," "Is That Love?" "If I Didn't Love You" and "Cool for Cats," among others.

One of the joys of pop music is the ability of its songwriters and musicians to catch the listener in a delicious rhyme or clever turn of phrase with perfect musical accompaniment. That's Difford and Tillbrook for you. In "Up the Junction," Tillbrook sings, "I never thought it would happen/With me and the girl from Clapham." In "Cool for Cats," catchy British slang and Difford's songwriting rule again with "I fancy this, I fancy that/I wanna be so flash/I give a little muscle/And I spend a little cash./But all I get is bitter and a nasty little rash."

You also have to admit that with a band like Squeeze, even though Difford and Tillbrook are in their 50s, they are still, well--let's say--cute. The boyishly charming Difford quipped while temporarily sporting thick black-rimmed glasses on his head, "I'll put my glasses back on now for the girls who like me in glasses." Bassist John Bentley wore a fedora hat and dark sports jacket, which brought back memories of English bands like the Jam who wore their threads just so.

Openers Cheap Trick were a bit more tired than true...their line of defense was "We got big electric guitars and amps and we're gonna use 'em!" (and we havent changed at all in 35 years!) Although influential in their time, after a while it seemed they were just going through the motions, bombastically yet perfunctorily. "I Want You to Want Me" sounded like whiny begging. Still, they wooed their aging fans with a few catchy numbers like "Surrender" and "Dream Police," the only songs that to me had any melody worth counteracting the deafening hard rock of their electric beasts.

Was there a generation gap at this gig? You had fans of all ages, though on the one hand, there were parents in their 50s and 60s with preteen kids (some of whom were present at the show), and on the other hand, singles or married couples in their 30s and 40s. At the close of the show, holding up an 8-track and tossing a record album into the crowd, Rick Nielsen reminded us just how many years ago Cheap Trick did their schtick. Interestingly, in the ladies room after the concert, a late 30-something girl shouted over the stall, referring to Squeeze, "All the songs they didn't play I can listen to on my ipod on the train ride home."

Cosmic Thing: B52s Live in NYC

"It came from Planet Clare." "You're living in your own Private Idaho. "It was a rock lobster."

If you know the lyrics, you remember the songs and the band. The B52s, one of the grooviest, shake-your-bootiest bands of the '80s landed in NYC's Highline Ballroom on Tuesday, July 6th to a sold out show. Gay or straight, in their 20s though 60s, the sweat-coated fans bounced, jumped and shimmied elbow to elbow, to a band whose vocals and energetic, tongue-in-cheek style really hasn't changed much since they first hit the new wave scene in the '70s and more forcefully in the '80s.

It was the first '80s "nostalgia" show I think I'd ever been to. The last time I'd seen a band perform from that era was in the '90s, which were not that far off from the original decade.


Now that a good 25 years have elapsed, you can see a trace of aging in the faces of the band members and their fans, but that's it. Looks aside, the cool harmonizing vocals of Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson and the campy singing and posturing that is Fred Schneider were still very much in tact. The band sounded exactly the same as they did when they first played, and on their original recordings.

By starting off their show with "Wig," the B52s pointed and postured to their fans with a song that proved that they are a group about, well -- fun! The female vocalists in the band, with heavy but tasteful makeup and colorful garb from the '60s, didn't let anyone forget that!

They performed lots of hits, notably "Planet Clare," "Love Shack," "Strobe Light," and the final encore, "Rock Lobster" to a highly enthusiastic crowd. Although it was about 90 degrees inside and outside the venue, it didn't deter the fans from showing their excitment through dancing, rocking and shaking!

One of the reasons I think the B52s still have energy to wow a crowd is because they are not just rehashing their hits from days past, but doing new work. "Funplex," which in 2008 was their first album released in 16 years, retains the group's energy and style, with more updated lyrics relevant to our times.

In this regard, the B52s score points with their incisive lyrics about American culture, an ingredient of a message stirred into the fun stew. In the title track from "Funplex" Schneider sings, "Shoppin' for a new distraction/ I'm a pleasure seeker/Lookin' for some platinum action," and "Faster pussycat, thrill, thrill/I'm at the mall on a diet pill"

The B52s was a show worth sweating for; I look forward to their new projects and future concert dates.

10 Things I Love About Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

I don't know how many children under 6 have watched the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, or for that matter how many adults under 40 have watched the 1968 British classic.

However, I do know that even though the move is a bit lengthy and dated in places, it stands as one of my favorite family movies of all time.

I bought the movie on DVD about 2 years ago when my son turned 4. I knew he loved transporation and cars, and I vaguely remembered the movie from my childhood. I was looking for something more sophisticated than Dora, Diego and the typical early childhood cartoons, a movie that an adult could enjoy as much as a child.

A few weeks ago, we decided to have a family movie night for no particular reason. It was a Saturday night, and for one weekend, we didn't have any plans -- no birthday parties, no visits, no excursions away from home. My husband Alex prepared some crispy Mexican fried snacks, I brought out the tortilla chips and the hot sauce, and we turned off the lights and kicked our feet up on the sectional sofa.

After we watched the movie, and I sent the kids off to bed, I compiled 10 reasons why Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is one of my top 10 favorite family movies:

1. The British accents -- Words like "presumptious" and "posh" roll off the tongue like honey on a long spoon. When Jeremy or Jemimah say "Daddy" or "Truly" in a British accent, it is quite simply irresistible.

2. Manners and respect in everyday life - In English society, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, it was considered decent for most everyday people to use polite language like "pardon me" and "thank you, sir." Perhaps it's a bit dated for American society, but it's a refreshing change from the street language in our neighborhood urban park!

3. Using your imagination to overcome any hardship placed before you -- The father, Caractacus Potts, played by Dick Van Dyke, is a widowed inventor who uses his wit, brains and imagination to concoct his unique contraptions, all the while embracing non-traditional values when it comes to the education of his children. He advocates always speaking one's mind and following one's dreams and ideas, despite the obstacles.
He becomes a hero, leading the child prisoners to revolt in overthrowing the pompous, self-indulgent Baron Bomburst of Vulgaria.

4. The triumph of the spirit of childhood and the imagination over traditional social mores and propriety -- Basically Caractacus Potts is a child at heart, and through love, play and enthusiasm always helps to make everything turn out all right.

5. The humor -- The Vulgarian spies make such jokes as, "My name starts with x as in aches and pains." There's lots of slapstick comedy, plays on words, witty dialoge and humorous songs. Benny Hill even makes an appearance.

6. The perfection of the genre of movie musical -- The mark of success of a movie musical is the ease with which characters can break out into song and dance at opportune moments. "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" has so many memorable songs -- besides the theme song, there's "You Two," "Truly Scrumptious," and "Toot Sweets."

7. The belief that love conquers all and good wins out over evil with imagination, faith and determination. The lyrics from the song "Hushabye Mountain" say it all. The song is sung to the Jeremiah and Jeremy Potts, as well as to the children imprisoned in a cave in Vulgaria.

A gentle breeze from Hushabye Mountain
Softly blows o'er lullaby bay.
It fills the sails of boats that are waiting--
Waiting to sail your worries away.

8. Setting the trend for movies to come -- The movie is referenced in the animated moive "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," in which a Nazi-like character, similar to the Baron's candy-luring, carriage-toting henchman, takes all the toys away because he despises children so. The last scene in the movie, in which Caractacus Potts and Truly Scrumptious fly away in the beloved auto Chitty Chitty Bang Bang without the wings, is referred to in the final scene in the movie "Grease", when the Thunderbird flies away with Danny and Sandy waving goodbye.

9. Dick Van Dyke -- He's obviously one of the greatest comic and musical actors of all time. Period.

10. Teamwork -- Caractacus, Truly and the children work together as a team to champion freedom in Vulgaria and assist in good overcoming evil.

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." A classic. If it's your first time or not -- watch it, and enjoy!

Play is Not a Four Letter Word

As summer is almost here, I feel more playful than usual. I've been bouncing basketballs and serving and hitting tennis balls with my kids in the backyard. Yesterday we set up our gas BBQ grill and for the first time this year, ate dinner outdoors.

For as long as I can remember, summer has always signaled thoughts of family and school vacation, and a general switching of gears from work and routine to unabashed fun.

As an early childhood professional and owner of a daycare/preschool, I know that play is a significant activity and experience for children. It is not mindless, empty time, but a way for kids to learn and discover how the world works, communicate with others, and to create new realities through their exploration.

But in the adult world, play is not always taken seriously, or thought of as something children do, or that you do with your kids.

As a parent of young children, I know parents that have so many activities and experiences planned for their 6 and under set, it could make your head spin. They don't want their children to miss out on anything, to not experience fun and play of every imaginable kind.

Part of the reason is because that type of fun is not part of their worlds anymore. There is work to do, bills to pay, kids to drive to school, dinners to prepare and laundry to wash. If they cannot have that much fun themselves - save for a dinner out or shopping trip or yearly vacation -- why not live vicariously through the kids?

There are the music classes, the private instrumental lessons, the drama clasees, soccer instruction, Little League, swimming, rollerblading, painting, gymnastics, kid music concerts, gallery tours, and don't forget the organized playdates.

While every parent wants to enrich their child's lives and give them experiences they can hold on to for the rest of their lives, to inspire them, and to uncover the next Mozart or Celine Dion, it is all a bit much.

I used to be that kind of parent, filling the calendar until I was dizzy. As time went on, my kids and I were getting exhausted, frustrated and crunched to the limit timewise. My son is 6, and even when we went to swimming lessons this past weekend, my son asked, "Can we just come back to this pool sometimes just to have fun and play?" It sounded like a reasonable request, and we are seriously thinking to join the pool as a family.

I have significantly cut back on my children's activities, and if they find they do not like a certain activity, I am not going to force them to continue it. All I ask is that they finish out the semester or year, and we can try another activity that organically develops out of their interests.

My almost-5-year-old daughter took ballet and tap for one year (the class finishes in June) because she loves to dance, but she has asked me recently if she can try something new like gymnastics. I'm all for that. Nothing worse that a frustrated dancer in ballet slippers hating mommy for enrolling her in a class or activity she doesn't really like, but should like. All we have to do is put on the radio or a random song, and she's bopping to the beat, bouncing and twisting, choreographing her own moves. If dance is something she loves, the right outlet will come, and instruction will surely follow. She is only turning 5, after all!

I also want to experience the joy of play, and not expect to enjoy it only through my kids. I have a busy schedule but it should never be so busy that I can't make some time to play, as an adult. Yes, I also play more with the kids outdoors in this warm season, and have more family play time -- biking together, going to the beach together, playing ball together -- but I want to have fun on my own too. I want to bike on a more regular basis. I would like to attend more summer concerts and theater productions, do more dancing, have a picnic outdoors, even take a course this summer in the city -- could be cooking, stand up comedy or even learning to play an instrument or a new language.

The main thing is that whatever activity I choose is done in the spirit of play and personal enrichment. By learning to play as an adult, I can be a great role model to my kids and to teach them an important lesson -- that play is not a four letter word, but an essential ingredient in enjoying life!

My Little Princess: Watch out for the Kiss!

My daughter is coming into her own; she will turn 5 years old in just over a month. While she still has a high-pitched, adorable girlish voice that can melt butter, she is now a girl. And she's not a baby becoming a girl, but a girl becoming a young lady.

When I was around her age, at 6 or 7, I had just started to watch Disney princess movies; she has been at it for at least a year or two.

What's fascinates her most of all is the kiss, the signature ending of all Disney princess movies -- to show that love conquers all, and that a kiss from a prince can make everything better and everyone whole.

Don't get me wrong: the Disney princesses of late have been bolder, more independent and assertive. Chinese princess Mulan goes against the grain by disguising herself as a male soldier in her father's place, to serve the Chinese army against the advancing Huns. The latest princess, African-American Tiana of The Princess and the Frog, has dreams to start her own restaurant in the city of New Orleans. Yet no matter a princess's background or ethnic identity, the ultimate statement in the movie is the kiss with the handsome prince or chivalrous male.

This comes as no suprise, as romantic love is highly idealized in Disney movies, and Hollywood movies in general.

However, a kiss between a man and woman is making its impression on her young mind and heart. Whenever she sees a kissing scene on TV or at the movies, she blushes and covers her eyes, giggling and tittering. She asks her daddy to kiss her "on the lips" like a prince. She even approached me, tilting her head to kiss me on the lips as well. We respond as innocently as she requests, but it does make you consider how girls today grow up so quickly.

The thing is to keep it all in perspective. Even at this young age, it's a good idea to let my daughter know that the kiss is just one ingredient in a relationship, and happens when you are grown up, as in "over 21, when you are grown up and finish college'"! In a marriage or any partnership, you have to work as a team, divide and juggle household duties, and give and share in a relationship to make it work. She needs to know that a kiss in itself will not solve all your problems. This premise of a kiss solving all things, which has been engraved in the hearts of girls and young women, has lead to a lot of unrealistic expectations in marriages and relationships in general.

I have no qualms about a kiss in a Disney or any other movie per se, but it should be taken, and explained to a child, as part of a bigger picture and as part of general instruction about what to expect from others in life and in love.

In summation, a kiss is ok, but keep it real!

Snack on Demand

They are my heroines. The moms who produce instantly for their hungry little ones snack on demand. They are my David Copperfields, magicians pulling rabbits out of hats, slipping coins between sleeves with ease. Instead, in less than a moment's notice, they pull out savory treats and carefully wrapped goodies; bags and containers of fruits, cookies and other delights to feed an army.

You know the type and you know the scenario. You're away from home and could be anywhere -- a park, the theater, a museum -- and there's not even a snack machine in sight and you're down to your last ounce of Poland Spring, jutting out of your pocketbook like a trophy.

Then it starts -- the chant, the familiar refrain --better than Tibetan monks-- "I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, my tummy hurts." You assure them there's food at home or in the restaurant you're planning to take them to for lunch, and even offer a sip of your water till you get home but it just doesn't cut it. You're losing patience with them and they've lost all patience with you. They're repeating themselves a bit louder, more forcefully this time. Then comes the whining. The high-pitched shrill question: "Whyyyyyy? I want to eat NOW!"



You rifle through your purse and in between the wallet, tissues, hand sanitizer, bruch, comb, baby wipes, receipts and loose change for some morsel, a stick of gum even, you could give the little ones. Is it possible you left the granola bars on the kitchen counter before you went out the door with the keys?

You glance over to the park bench or theater seats or makeshift table and your jaw drops open with what you're about to behold.


There to your side are moms opening mini-Tupperware containers with snap-on lids brimming with pre-cut strawberries and grape halves. There's hummus and octagon-shaped gorgonzola crackers. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut into heart shapes. These are not thrown together munchies, but perfect packages, like beautiful Bento boxes. Don't forget the tidy cartons of Goldfish crackers, fruit rollups, little boxes of Cheerios and animal crackers.
Then there are the momma wizards who can whip out lollipops, chocolates and candy cups with dancing candy pellets that twirl and play music with flashing lights, faster than you can say tantrum. And if they bring along candy or food they always have enough to offer your child and half the kids in sight, which can be a dozen or more! These moms are magical snack wizards -- look out Harry Potter!

These are not hasty, roughly thrown together snacks like I prepare: grapes thrown in plastic baggies. A few raisin boxes. Foodbars dumped in my purse at a moment's notice that get smushy and all crumbly when you're ready to eat them. That doesn't cut it. That means you're lazy, sloppy, a bad mother.

I want to be a mom who can produce snack on demand. I want to be a pharmacist of calm. An anticipator of antsiness. A resourceful survivor for my own sanity. Entrepreneur of an array of tricks. I want to be a masterful food psychologist with a forumla that always works.

Maybe I'll never reach those heights, but I can get a bit better organized and make my snacks more creative and organized, and maybe prepare snacks for my kids at least the night before.

You thought the story of Jesus and the loaves and fishes was a miracle -- try the moms with the snacks!