I love Disneyland, Growing up in L.A. we went A LOT. Sometimes we even got to skip school and my parents would take us during the week! (I blame my high school ditching on this parental learned behavior). I have a base model annual pass with so many black out dates, you would think it was on Ecstasy oin the 1990s. And then there was Grad Night. BEST. NIGHT. EVER. All the local high schools locked in together from 11PM to 5AM. We had to be dressed up so as to cut back on the misbehavior, (I’m sure I spilled something on me, of tripped and tore something) there were parental chaperons (MINE included). If there was drinking and drugging, I missed it, and it must have been kept on the low. But for the most part it was all 18 year olds innocently running around the park, one last time together before we were sent away to be spoiled and sullied by the world.
Yesterday we went for the afternoon, just a group of us meeting there after getting things done. lat few days of out Passes before summer blackout dates, days when you would not want to be there anyway.
But it was packed like a midsummer night bad dream. It was GRAD NIGHT! WHAT? What are THEY doing here in the daylight? This wasn’t on the website!
There where tourists, both American and Elsehwere packed ride to ride with their double wide strollers. And of course old people pass holders like us wandering around with our coffees occasionally dropping onto Haunted Mansion or Mr. Toads wild ride which is remarkable Tame, except for that rather disturbing trip through Hell where Toad was banished for reckless driving. (Wish they still had THAT Punishment. Oh wait, they do, the Sepulveda Pass)
Then there where the Grads, running in Packs in matching T shirts, hunched over their smart phones trying to find each other via text. Instantly Instagraming, facebooking and tweeting their memories before they even had lived them. I felt bad for them, already all packed in there with the rest of us on what used to be the special night to celebrate the exact age and moment in time that they were living. But they don’t know that. Didn’t even know that it used to be cooler, I am sure they were having a great time anyway, or they will hopefully remember that they did.
We had fun too.

My Monthly show at Flappers In Burbank in this Sunday May 20th. I always have on great comics. The show is cheap and the food is good and since it is a “school night” I won’t keep you out too late!

Yesterday was a hard day. Wasn’t supposed to be. Could have been fun, meeting my Bestie Dan at a car dealer, which I was going to use as an opportunity to wrangle myself into a ride in a Car I liked. Before I even left the house things started going down hill and fast. Donna Died and even though I didn’t know her personally I felt sad to the point of being distressed. Dan lugged me to breakfast where they were playing CNN which had an endless loop of familiar pictures of her. Dan reminded me of something about being an artist that really helped. She is gone, but her Music will live on forever. We listened to some of her songs and they sounded just as amazing. Her passing will not change my relationship with her music or my daily life, and it really did make me feel better.
Hours later while still waiting for his car to be finished we got the news that Comic Ron Shock had lost his battle with Cancer. I met him once or twice, but Dan knew him fairly well. Dan had urged Ron to put his 10 comedy albums on i tunes, not just so he could make money, but so the future could hear them. Ron never did it. Dan has been urging me for YEARS to get my CD done and several attempts have been made. But now it must get done so once I am gone, what I have done will remain.

A significant part of my childhood, and young adulthood died this morning

I was kind of busting my sister a while back, she was letting her 5 and 7 year old sons listen to Gaga, and her rather explict lyrics.

“Please,” she said dismissivly “we listened to Donna Summer. Much worse and we turned out fine”  Well, she did

Songs about Hook Up’s and Hookers, Lost love publicity cried out for, orgasmic disco noises, Sunset Blvd.  Mac Arthur Park Suite, the 18 minute medley.  I spent so much time listening to her as a kid.

I remember being in a Fancy Jag with “I feel love” rocketing in a circular sound the car so loudly it made me dizzy

When asked to Turn on the Radio on Long car trips my father and step mother would burst into “On the Radio” ruining that song for my life time

I didn’t get it until I was an adult and going out to Gay Clubs to Dance.  Man was that music written for us, joyouys and swirlling on the dance floor.

I could dance to that 18 minutes expertly by the time I got out to those clubs even knowing the intricate hand claps during the “You’re one of a kind” interlude in the song.

The Boys would go CRAZY:” Howza about some hot stuff baby this evening!”

Every night was ended with the Donna’s sweet cooing “Last Dance” which was your cue to either quickly get out or hook up, before they flip on the lights at the last horn blast.

Now she is gone and I feel like I have left the club forever…

This is the car that I learned how to drive on. I failed my drivers test the first time I took it for speeding .

Thse cars were known for unintended acceleration…after I got my license I can assure you none of it was unintentional!