This Is For The Kid Living With Shaniqua

"Shaniqua? It's for you."

Back in the day (1999), when I last purchased a cell phone, I thought I was doing the smart thing when I got the Samsung SCH a530. At that time, it was the smallest phone out there, and my thinking was "It won't weigh much, and I can carry it to clubs" and "ain't it cute." It was small all right. Texting was a bitch. Punching in the numbers was hard. Let's just say we never bonded. When I heard the iPhone was coming out, and knowing I was getting a Mac laptop to add to my stable of computers, I thought, "Well...sooner or later...iPhone." Syncopation to the synchronization. Some such nonsense. I finally got in gear and bought the iPhone last week. Yes. I read the blogs about AT& T and their dropped calls. I even had my tech hip doctor tell me he was holding off because of "AT&Tdroppedcallsdonchaknowthat'swhati'veread." Well. I had heard it, too, but so far :::knock on wood::::

The other night I was talking to my friend Drewcifer (nickname) about what my ringtone should be. My first thought was Low Rider by War. Maybe too many viewings of Gone in Sixty Seconds. I dunno. I thought about something with a fast riff, say The Ramones anything, and then another friend said "For you, it has to be Elvis Costello doing Watching the Detectives." That twangy guitar? That, or some James Bond theme music."


Sway: What do you think is more exciting , having sex or boosting cars?

Memphis: Having sex or boosting cars... Um, oo! Uh. How about having sex WHILE boosting cars?

The real star of Gone in Sixty Seconds: Eleanor

Drew and I were goofing, and he planted the poison in my head when he said, "You have got to use Shaniqua Don't Live Here No More by Little T and One-Track Mike. He threw the You Tube my way. I was hooked. I watched every You Tube version. We bandied about other songs... all to do with telephones: Witchita Lineman by Glen Campbell (which would be perfect for The Playaz (or Conway Twitty doing Hallelujah, I Just Love Her So), Blondie's Hanging on the Telephone, or their Call Me. The Marvelettes Beechwood 4-5789. Anyway. I couldn't get it out of my head the opening to this Rick James' song where a telephone rings, and a woman's voice asks "Is Rick James there?" The woman on the phone being "the other woman." Drew said, "Do you know when you google "Is Rick James there?" your blog pops up as a link?

Sure enough. Back in July of 2006, Megarita had written a piece about listening to songs on the car radio, and what the three top pop songs of all time might be. She had on her list Bruce Springsteen's I'm On Fire, and I wrote her back that equally good was his other song Fire, because he worked in cars, radios, kissing and fire. Then I went off about that stupid Rick James song, still in my head even then.

Last night I was reading Velvet's blog: back from Greece, goats and The Google. She wrote how she had learned she was #1 on the search for Greek Google and "Velvet," and I responded on her blog, telling her how I had turned up on Google in Mega's comment field under "Is Rick James there?" (....and come to think of it probably turning up on Google under Velvet's comment field as well for Rick James.)

Drew thought I could also use the Yip Yips Meet The Telephone, especially the brrrinnnggg brinnnnnggg part. His brother had somehow rigged up a copy that was on his phone. I told him "funny," but I'd go nutz listening to that. I still don't have a ringtone. That sexy guitar opening on Watching the Detectives is sounding better and better. Yo. Shaniqua? I love yew. Call me.