I hear Music but there's..

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Okay, am I old? I mean, I'm not old. I worked for Rolling Stone Magazine in the 70's, and yes it was the political unit, not the music unit, but hey, I knew ALL about music. At that time, I swore I would always stay current with the latest "hits" (are they still called that?) But alas, that did not happen.

We just got a new car, and the salesperson said--let me pre-set your radio stations. What stations do you listen to?  I said, uh, well, NPR, whatever that is. And uh, um, well. (Jonathan and don't really listen to the radio, we talk to each other. When I'm driving by myself, I look at it as a time to think in silence. I didn't tell the salesperson that.).

 No problem, she said. Here's your satellite radio. What music programs do you want? Um, I said. Is there a Paul Simon Station?

Then she said--there's a wonderful station with music from the forties.

Ah. Oh dear.

So the other night we were watching the Grammys. Some of it was terrific, even though I'd never heard a lot of the songs before--are they still called songs? Talent is talent, and there was a lot of that there.

Questions I have: Was Pink actually singing while she was doing that act? Was Beyonce actually singing while she was doing that act? Taylor Swift's dress was fabulous, but can she sing without doing that with her hair? How come the men all had on lots of clothes, but the women didn't?

I confess we turned it off to watch Downton Abbey, then turned back at 11 (in time to see the robots and the guy in the hat) because we knew we'd fall asleep in Sherlock and will watch that today.

::Shaking head.::  Something's happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear...  (Please tell me you get that allusion.)

How about you, Reds? Music? Grammys? Radio?

HALLIE EPHRON: Oh, Hank, I am so happy to hear you say this. Pink??? I do know who Beyonce is. Ditto Taylor Swift. But that's how big they have to be to penetrate my consciousness.

Our radio is tuned to 3 NPR stations -- 2 that are mostly talk and news and wonderful weekend game shows (Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!) and the other one is classical music. That is IT. When, in desperation and I need something to listen to, I find a country and western station or even folk. I never know who I'm listening to but I love bopping around in the driver's seat.

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Am I the only Red who listens to Pandora radio? That's how I discover great new stuff. And you can choose any "station" -- so it's Pink for the gym, Tom Waits for brooding, Cole Porter for cooking dinner....

What's great about Pandora is they use an algorithm from songs you like/don't like to play songs from new artists or artists you might not otherwise know. That's how I first heard my current musical obsession, Sara Bariles -- who was at this year's Grammy Awards.

Highly recommend, and if you pay a small fee, you can rid yourself of the commercials.

HANK: Oh, Susan, we have Pandora in the house! We love it. We have Paul Simon station, and Judy Collins station, and Cole Porter station, and one I named Lido Shuffle. And lots more. That'd be good for the car!  Wonder how we could make a "stuff I should know about" station?

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I do Spotify when I listen on my computer. My thirteen-year-old recommended it, so either I'm even hipper than you Pandora folks, or I'm hopelessly mired in something only middle-schoolers use. Don't tell anyone, but my playlist is 90% Kings College Choir. 

Our car radio is a real amalgam of stations and styles: NPR, of course, and Ross's sports-talk station ("The Big JAB!") and Youngest's two pop and hip-hop stations. Also WBACH, for my classical music, one country and one oldies. Ross and I don't have Sirius - like you, Hank, we generally prefer to talk to each other or, when I'm alone, to have silence - but we've enjoyed having it in rental cars over the years.

 One trip that stands out in family lore was the time we got upgraded to a very posh SUV (we have to fit five, remember) that not only had some sort of super-Sirius system, it was VOICE ACTIVATED.  Once the teens discovered that, it was all over. One would ask for "urban hip-hip" only to be immediately overruled by another shouting "modern jazz!" Evidently, too many voice commands confused the machine, because when Ross finally got them quieted down and asked Sirius for "Local sports" the machine responded, "Seeking...Detroit Metal Crunk." Then blasting the most godawful stuff you could imagine. We went back to poking its buttons after that.

RHYS: I'm a Pandora fan too--often it's the SPA selection and therefore relaxing when I'm rushing around. But here in Phoenix there is a great radio station called KAHM (as in calm) and they play all soothing background music.  So it's either that or NPR.

On long trips I play selections from my iPhone... Mama Mia or the Beatles when I need to stay awake and can sing along, comedy to make me laugh, or even audio books.

I'm sounding like an old fuddy duddy but pop music for the past ten years or more has left me cold. It's boring, repetitive and I hate the screeching that is now applauded as singing.

HANK: Yeah, and I often agree, Rhys, but what worries me is that's what my mother used to say about the Beatles. Just saying.

DEBORAH CROMBIE:  I put Downton and Sherlock on record and watch the entire Grammy show, which I thought was fabulous. (Although I do agree I'm getting tired of female singers as pole-dancers costumes.  And the Beyonce and Jay-Z opening number was definitely not my fave.  So funny--Rick didn't bat an eye at Beyonce in her skimpy-dominatrix outfit, but later on, when she was wearing the white sort of see-through dress, he kept saying, "Wow, she looks great." Sometimes less is not more, girls.

Because for the last couple of years I've been writing about a character (Andy Monahan) who is a rock guitarist, and is now in a duo with a female singer, I do try to keep up with the music scene.  And although I am not a big fan of hip-hop or heavy metal, there is a lot that I LOVE.  I do like Daft Punk (the robots) by the way--they crack me up.  And I think Lorde is very weird and interesting. And Pharrell Williams, in spite of the weird Lone Ranger hat, is really talented.

At least one of my favorite performances from the Grammys was Miranda Lambert and Billy Joe Armstrong's tribute to the Everly Brothers. Here's the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmkZCSK3YOM

(In case you don't have any idea who they are, Miranda Lambert is a huge country star and is married to Blake Shelton, and Billy Joe Armstrong is the lead singer for Greenday.)

I do listen to Pandora, but also lots of my own CDs or downloads.  Funnily enough, I don't usually listen to music when I drive, because I find it too distracting in our heavy Dallas traffic.

But for those of you who think music has gone to the dogs since 1965, you might want to expand your horizons:-)

HANK: Debs, whoa. You are so hip! Maybe you can do a blog on what we should hear? Our own personal Pandora!  And yeah, I agree The Everly Brothers tribute was not the best--so sad, because they had some amazing songs.

LUCY BURDETTE: Yeah, not only is Debs hip, she's scolding us old farts LOL. I'm with the Paul Simon and NPR fans, plus I love the music on the TV show Nashville. Have bought all the CD's. We listen to that and music by Teddy Thompson and Alison Kraus on the way down to Florida. It's funny, I don't like to listen to the radio much when riding with John, but I like the company when alone.

HANK: Wait, wait, don’t tell me. Reds readers, can you be our Pandoras? (In a radio way, not a “letting all the bad stuff out” way.) What should we be listening to? 

(And because we're all about audio--I'll give the fabulous Macmillan audio version (on CD) of THE WRONG GIRL to one lucky commenter!)

I'm Wearing Beyonce's Pantyhose

ROSEMARY HARRIS: Okay, don't get excited - they're not her OWN pantyhose but they are the same brand. Wolford's Neon 40. I know. This is the first time I've ever bought pantyhose that had a name and a model number, like a car. Before this there was just Control Top.But recently no fewer than three magazines I read had a mention of the Neon 40s. Beyonce wore them. Katy Perry loved them. Shut up!

Maybe it was an accident. Maybe I intentionally took the long way home walking up Madison Avenue conveniently past the Wolford Store. What harm could it do to look? I walked in. Generally I tend to avoid shops where the help is all at least six feet tall, razor-thin and with necks like giraffes. A bored Ukranian beauty asked "Ken I hep you?" I uttered the magic words - Neon 40. She didn't exactly smile, that would have required her to move her facial muscles, but there was a flicker of acknowledgement. Maybe I wasn't as clueless as I looked.

She produced the package. Talk about sticker shock - 45 bucks? I wasn't going to turn around and walk out, I'd made the mental commitment to these things, but as she placed the magic hose in a box, then a bag and tied the handles with a slip of ribbon I did find myself calculating how many pairs of another brand I could have bought at Strawberry or TJ Maxx.

I wore them to the Philharmonic with a short sequined dress. My husband said "Wow." I wore them again to a charity event with an ivory lace dress and a black jacket. Were the pantyhose inspiring me to dress more adventurously? People sought me out to say hello. Was it the pantyhose?

Sad to say taking them off they snagged on a bracelet or ring. Who knows. I will keep them and wear them with boots so the tiny speck doesn't show. But I will go back to the vacuous Oksana and go through the the ritual again.

Best $45 I've spent in a long time.Have you ever had a relatively minor article of clothing really change the way you look or feel?

RHYS BOWEN: 45 bucks for a pair of pantyhose? I think I would have passed out on the spot when I saw the sticker. But I'm so glad they made you feel like a million bucks. I'm normally Ms Sensible when it comes to clothes. Good brands but wait for end of season specials.

But one splurge I can remember was a Kate Spade purse. I was at a charity event and a woman who was clearly a mover and shaker, dripping in jewels, said to me. "Hey, we have the same purse." I didn't wipe the smile off my face all evening. And I feel so shallow repeating this!

JAN BROGAN: I have to know: What exactly did the $45 panty hose do for you? I pretty much hate all panty hose. But I've experienced let's call it a limited-euphoria from a pair of boots. Is that minor enough of a clothes article? And remember that Nailtique stuff they made for your nails? All her life my mother wanted long nails, and it actually worked. That product brought her so much happiness. We're all pretty shallow, Rhys!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I want those pantyhose! (In England they call them "tights" which sounds much more flattering.) I have a really short (probably not age appropriate) sequined dress that I've been wearing as a tunic with leggings, but if Beyonce's pantyhose are miraculous, maybe I could get away with wearing it as a dress.As for personal experience, can we categorically exclude Spanx here? They do work, but they are SO ugly!

So if I have to stick to one article of clothing, and I don't want to veer too far down the underwear lane, I think I'd say a pair of NYDJs (Not Your Daughter's Jeans.) They really do wonders for your, uh, bum.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Is it bad that I thought Beyonce's pantyhose meant they had extra room in the derriere? For me, the "small item, big payout" has to be a bag.

I am definitely a bag hag (as opposed to a shoe floo) and am willing to pay sometimes silly amounts of money for just the right one. I've been stopped in the street and asked about my Coach bags (I own the earlier, classic ones and avoid the modern mall- design versions like the plague.) I've been complimented by cognoscenti on my Angela Adams purses (made right here in Maine.) They don't have to be pricy - I have some hand-tooled Mexican tourist specials I picked up at the thrift store that make me smile whenever I wear them. Oh, and Deb? You have great legs. Keep rocking that short sequined dress.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Fine, fine, you know what's coming and Hallie is going to kill me, but I admit--I don't wear any other kind of tights but Wolford. (RO:YAY!!) They are INDESTRUCTIBLE. I used to wear L'Eggs, 3.95 or whatever, they lasted two days per pair. I moved up to Donna Karan, 20 bucks per, they got runs in ONE SECOND. Adios, Donna. Back to L'Eggs.

Then I found Oroblu. Life-changing, wonderful, but suddenly hard to find.

A pal said: Wolford. I said--not a chance on this planet I'm paying that much! Then I did. I'll never go back. I can assure you, cost-wise they are much cheaper than running through all the those L'eggs.(And remember, because of my job, I wear them every day.)

ROSEMARY: Thank heavens! I'm redeemed!!

JAN: So now, Ro and Hank, even though I have almost no use for panty hose in my daily life I'm still intrigued -- is it just that they are indestructible?? Or do they somehow make your legs look better?

LUCY BURDETTE: Okay, I'm with Jan here--absolutely no use for pantyhose. I probably still have a couple pair from fifteen years ago--I'd offer to pass them along, but they're most certainly L'Eggs. No fancy purses either, except for a little pearl beaded vintage number that's sadly starting to come unraveled. NYDJeans--I love those Debs! they fit, they come in petite, and I'm absolutely willing to splurge...phew. I was having trouble coming up with anything!

HALLIE EPHRON: Forty-five dollars for PANTYHOSE?? You couldn't pay me $45 to WEAR pantyhose! I might, just for the record, pay $45 a pound for really good ham. But that's not the question here, is it? I'm with Jan on great boots. When it's cold and nasty, it's the one part of me I can still see, and it's so nice when they're lovely to look at and keeping me warm. And I just splurged on my third pair of Christopher Blue jeans -- soft and shapely -- but I confess, I get them from their web site on sale.

ROSEMARY: Will look into those jeans...I buy any pair that TJ Maxx is selling as long as they make me look slim. I don't care whose name is on the pocket. And Hallie - how do you get the ham to stick to your legs? ;-) Shoe floo and bag hag - that's a whole post in and of itself. I'm a little of both but only on sale or at outlets.

The famous pantyhose - apparently even the ones that come in nude (or whatever the cooler version of that color is) make your legs look phenomenal. Sleek, dancer-like...I swear I could have gone on point in those babies. My posture was different. I was TALLER. Who knows...maybe I just don't get out much.

DEBS: Ro, you sold me, even though I haven't worn actual pantyhose (as opposed to black tights in the winter with boots) in about fifteen years. Santa, are you listening?