Saturday 9

 I need to say something before I answer this week’s questions.

I am writing this on Friday.

It’s the 25th anniversary, a solemn day.  9/11 was terrifying for all of us, but it was particularly intense in NYC and the surrounding suburbs.  I live on Long Island, and I spent much of my life working in lower Manhattan, though thankfully not in 2001. I knew someone who died, I knew someone who lost her husband, I know people who came home covered in dust.  I know people who worked in the area but circumstances kept them home that day. 

Tonight is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year,  and the start of the High Holy Days, which end on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.  It’s a solemn time of year, a period of introspection, when we examine our lives and seek to improve ourselves. We ask G-d to inscribe us in the Book of Life for another year. On Rosh Hashanah it is written, on Yom Kippur it is sealed. 

On Rosh Hashanah in 2001 the Rabbi in my synagogue asked everyone who’d been in Manhattan on 9/11 to step forward and say a special prayer, thanking G-d that they had escaped the danger. I willnever forget how many members of the congregation stepped forward to recite that prayer.  

My emotions are all over the place.  So I will end with  this:  May G-d protect us from evil, and may we all be inscribed in the Book of Life. L’Shanah Tovah.  Happy New Year.

And now, my Saturday 9 answers:

Devil in the Bottle

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: Devil in the Bottle (1974)

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

1) This song begins with T. G. Sheppard taking off his shoes to slip into the house with disturbing his sleeping wife. Are you wearing shoes as you answer these questions?

Yes

2) His wife hears him anyway. Are you a light sleeper?

No
 

3) This is the first of 22 consecutive #1 hits for T. G. Sheppard. Not bad for a high school dropout. What's the last year of education that you completed?

You all already know this.  I earned a Juris Doctor degree in 1984.

 

4) He was born William Browder and chose the stage name T. G. Sheppard just because he liked the sound of it. He says "T. G." doesn't stand for anything, and he gets a kick out of fans who insist there's some secret meaning behind the initials. Since most of us didn't choose our names: Is there a story behind your name? Did your parents tell you why they chose it? (If you did choose your name, share what influenced your decision.)

The Jews of Eastern Europe always name their children after deceased relatives.  My father wanted to name me after his mother.  One problem, though.  My paternal grandmother had the exact same name as my maternal grandmother, who was very much alive.  Superstition said that naming a child after a living relative meant you wished they would die. 

I was named after my great aunt.

 

5) It was after hours at a Memphis roller rink when he first met Elvis and his entourage. As T. G. was leaving, Elvis was entering and asked if he wanted to stay and skate longer. T. G. was confused because he knew the place was closing for the night. "Not for me," Elvis replied and T. G. skated with Elvis and his buddies until dawn. Are you good on roller skates?

The last time I wore roller skates was in college.  I did ok.  But I won’t attempt it now.

6) T. G. loves NASCAR and was an associate sponsor of the Folgers Chevrolet. He enjoyed the collaboration with the coffee company and has performed the familiar jingle – "the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup" – in concert. Are you loyal to a particular coffee brand?

Only Dunkin’ in my Keurig.

 

7) T. G. understands the lifestyle of his fans. That's why he named his live country music venue Guitars and Cadillacs. If you were going to name a business after two of your favorite things, what would you call it?

Peacock Feathers and Unicorn Horns 

 
8) In 1974, when this week's song was on the country charts, Linda Ronstadt was getting a lot of radio airplay with "You're No Good." That song is about a real cad. Let's turn that around: Who is the nicestperson you know?

My friend Kathy.

 
9) Random question: Have you ever had your palm read?

Yes. More than once, actually.  I like visiting the psychic at the Renaissance Faire. 
 

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!