Saturday 9: She'd Rather Be with Me

Saturday 9: She'd Rather Be with Me (1967)

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

1) In this week's song we learn that this particular girl would rather be spending time with her lover. Instead of answering these 9 questions, what would you rather be doing?

A. I enjoy answering the questions, so there really isn't anything I'd rather be doing at the moment.

2) Lead singer Howard Kaylan was a very good student. First, he won a Bank of America Fine Arts Award, then he was the valedictorian of his graduating class, and was awarded a scholarship to UCLA. Tell us about something that distinguished your high school career.

A. I graduated 4th in my class of 252 students, I was in the National Honor Society, and I was chosen to speak at graduation.

3) Howard Kaylan formed this week's group, The Turtles, with Mark Volman. They met while performing in their high school choir and continued working together for 55 years. Are you still in touch with old friends from high school?

A. Sort of. I connected with many of them in 2011, when we had our 30th reunion. I see their posts flit across my Facebook feed from time to time. Sometimes what I see are obituaries. We are growing old. Also, my husband and I attended the same high school, though he graduated four years ahead of me. I see more of his friends than I do my own.

4) First Daughter Tricia Nixon was a big Turtles fan and brought them to the White House to perform for a private party. They almost didn't go. When the engraved invitation came, tied with ribbon, the boys thought it was an elaborate practical joke. Have you ever successfully pulled off a practical joke?

A. A very long time ago, my father had a band. They were playing music in a parking lot across from the high school. It was a hot day and there was little to do except listen to them play and I'd heard them often. I wandered around and found some tarry asphalt and rolled it into rolls so that it looked like black licorice. I innocently went up to one of the band members and asked him if he'd like some licorice. He accepted. I stopped him before he put it in his mouth. His girlfriend lit into me like I'd committed murder. I just laughed at her. She was really mad, though. I'd have never let him eat it.

5) The Turtles' bass player was Chip Douglas. He left the band in 1967 to produce The Monkees. It's Chip that Davy Jones refers to at the beginning of "Daydream Believer" ("What number is this Chip?" "7A!"). What's your favorite Monkees song?

A. Last Train to Clarksville is the first one that comes to mind.

6) The Turtles broke up in 1970. Pressure from their record label to do more and do it cheaper was just too much of a hassle. But Howard and Mark continued to work together, renaming themselves Flo and Eddie. They sang backup on records by Frank Zappa, Alice Cooper and Bruce Springsteen and on children's TV shows like The Care Bears. Backup work provided less money but more fun. Given the choice, would you rather do a job that paid well that you didn't enjoy, or a job you liked that earned you a smaller paycheck?

A. I would prefer to do work I like. That is basically what I did. It didn't pay well, but I don't regret it.

7) In 1967, when this song was popular, the RMS Queen Mary was retired after 31 years of service. Now docked in Long Beach, the ship has been refurbished with state-of-the-art wifi, satellite hookups, and projection screens and is a popular choice for conventions and annual business meetings. When were you most recently on a boat or ship?

A. We toured a warship when we were in Charleston, SC. The USS Yorktown is on display there for tourists and visitors.

8) Also in 1967, Elvis married Priscilla. You don't need last names to know who we're talking about, do you? Can you think of another couple with whom the world is on a first-name basis?

A. Lucy and Desi, Barrack and Michelle, George and Barbara, Sonny and Cher.

9) Random question: If your phone were to ring right now, who do you think would be calling?

A. My brother.

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I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.