Saturday 9: Goodbye, Cruel World

Saturday 9: Goodbye, Cruel World (1961)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 

1) This week's song has a circus theme. Have you ever been to a circus? If yes, did you enjoy it?

A. I went to the circus when I was a child, and my parents took me. It was not in tents; it was in the Salem Coliseum. I don't recall much about it as I was quite young, maybe 5 years old?

 

2) James Darren sings that he's running away to join the circus. When you were a kid, did you ever run away from home?

A. I did when I was 16. Long story short, my parents reported my car stolen, and I was picked up by the police in a few hours.

 

3) While he understands intellectually that this girl is no good for him, he tells us his heart is stubborn. Do you have a stubborn streak?

A. I can, yes. But generally, I just give in to go along and not make waves.

4) Though he had three top 20 singles, including this one, James Darren found more consistent success as an actor. Between 1959 and 1963, he played surfer Jeff Matthews, aka "Moondoggie," in three Gidget movies. Have you seen any Gidget movies? What about the TV show, starring Sally Field?

A. I don't recall ever seeing Gidget in any form.

5) "Moondoggie" got his unique nickname because he enjoyed surfing in the moonlight. Looking back on Summer 2023, did you visit the beach (by moonlight or otherwise)?

A. No, we did not go anywhere this past summer. Or the past three summers, for that matter. We last had a get-away in September 2019.

 

6) While he was playing Gidget's teen dream, he was a married man. He wed Danish beauty queen Evy Norlund in 1960. They met when she came to Los Angeles to pursue a career and they were both working at Columbia Studios. More than 60 years later, they're still together. Tell us about the longest-married couple you know.

A. How about I just tell you I'm going to be married for 40 years in a month? That's a long time, although to be honest it seems like maybe 3 years, not 40. Lots of memories, kind of all jumbled up, and stuff can be broken out by time - did it happen while I was still in school, did it happen when he was at fire station X, Y, or Z? Did it happen before my hysterectomy or after? Before 9/11 or after? Pre-pandemic or after? Which newspaper was I writing for? Who was I working for? Was my mother still alive when it happened, or had she passed away? The big marker moments stand out, but the day-to-day stuff smooshes all together, so that time does not seem like 40 years at all.

7) James Darren also played Officer James Corrigan on ABC's police drama, TJ Hooker. Have you ever considered a career in law enforcement?

A. I thought about being a lawyer, which is part of law enforcement, but that's all. My father was a policeman when I was born and up until I was about 3 years old.

 

8) In 1961, when this song was on the radio, matching "his & hers" mohair sweaters were on trend. Do you have a favorite sweater?

A. No, I do not.

9) Random question -- They say we're all young at heart. In what ways are you childlike?

A. I still have a darned sweet tooth and crave sugar almost constantly. I also need a lot of hugs. And I still like to read everything in sight, which I have done since I was four years old.

 

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