In Praise Of Electricity And Elton John

by Kevin Burton    All right look, let’s get this out of the way up front. Deal with it however you want.    Elton John, “Benny And The Jets?” It has to be “electric boobs,” period.     This is the ninth time I have written about a record that has influenced me.  It’s the album …

Seemingly (But Not) Random Stories

by Kevin Burton    Where is Monty Hall when you need him?    When Jeannette and I first got married she carried a purse I called “the purse of death.”    Monty Hall on his TV show”Let’s Make  A Deal: used to give women in his studio audience cash if they had certain things in …

Mrs. Gump Offers Insight Into Our Times

by Kevin Burton      One of my friends sent the following post on Facebook:    “You come home from work and everyone you ever dated is on your front porch. Respond using just three words…and go!”    My response, “Holy Kodachrome Batman!”    One of my better lines I think.    But to get it …

Dear KC, Touch Me And I End Up Singing

by Kevin Burton    Karen Carpenter was the spokesperson for the brokenhearted.    She alone, truly gave voice to our feelings. She worded and sang it so well that we forgot the pain, if only in the moment.     Carpenters music was a hiding place, a comfort, a home. It made bad things go away, …

Road Trip! An Old-World Pleasure

by Kevin Burton     Found a little note in my briefcase last Thursday morning.  It reads, “Got the hurry turned down to minimum, the worry off altogether.”    And this is in my handwriting.  Wow!     It appears that this notion came from my brain at some point in the medium-distant past.     Oh merciful …

The Heavenly Voice Of Cynthia Clawson

by Kevin Burton    Ever been around a really good singer, who really, really wanted people to notice how good they were?     We all have. Makes you appreciate those great voices filled with love, as opposed to pride.    Ever liked a record, then listened again years later and found a new level of …

American Tribes, No Nuance, No Thinking

by Kevin Burton    There’s a song I used to sing with some feeling when I was a child. The lyrics went like this:    “We don’t give a damn for the whole state of Michigan, the whole state of Michigan, the whole state of Michigan. We don’t give a damn for the whole state …

God Can Make Even A Tantrum Work Out

by Kevin Burton    Then there was the time I signed a contract I didn’t read. Actually, I couldn’t read it.    Who knew back then that one of my future jobs would involve giving career advice? How about, always read your contracts!    I know these things happened. But sometimes it feels like I …

Mexican Rock: I’ve Got All The Flans Tapes

by Kevin Burton    And now, a departure.    This is my sixth post in response to the album challenge. I’m writing about the records that meant the most to me as a younger person.    It’s not possible for me to do this without talking about my Mexican interlude.    Short version? My all-time …