Half A Million

Somewhere in this post (post number 1,010 if you’re counting, or even if you’re not) is the 500,000th word I have written on Disaffected Musings. As I wrote in the 1,000th post, the quest for a million words has become a major motivator for me to keep writing.

Given that I have had three books published, you would think I would know how many words are in an “average” book. I just don’t remember, any more. Let’s say the number is between 80,000 and 120,000 per book; that would mean I have written four to six books worth of words on this blog.

Please keep reading (and tell your friends about the blog, too) and I’ll keep writing.

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This CNBC article is about a study by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on the impact of raising the minimum wage to $15/hour. According to their work, such an increase would lead to a loss of 1.4 million jobs by 2025.

Those on the left love to shout “You’re a denier” to those who oppose their policies. Well, the left is in denial, too, just like all of those who blindly follow any ideology. Contrary to the blathering of the anti-business, anti-consumer culture crowd, businesses do not have infinite revenues and infinite cash flows.

If a person’s labor is worth $10/hour to a business, forcing that business to pay them $15 is going to lead to that person working fewer hours or losing their job. Besides, the minimum wage in Manhattan cannot be the same as the minimum wage in Tunica, Mississippi. Talk about denial…EVERYTHING is a trade-off.

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On this day in 1964 the Beatles made their first appearance on US television. Of course, it was on the Ed Sullivan Show. The best estimate is that 73 million Americans watched the Beatles that night. That’s more than a third of the entire country, a larger share of the population than the proportion that watched the recently played Super Bowl.

“Popular” music was never the same. In this post I compared the quantum (just for you, Bill) change in music of before and after the Beatles to the change in the American car industry pre- and post-1955.

In my demographic I am no doubt near the bottom in terms of Beatles fandom. However, I fully appreciate and acknowledge their impact on music. From NBC News a picture of the Beatles with Ed Sullivan:

See the source image

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Model year 1964 saw the introduction of one of the most significant cars in US history: the GTO option for the Pontiac LeMans. Model number 22, body/style numbers 2227 (two-door coupe), 2237 (two-door hardtop) and 2267 (two-door convertible) marked the beginning of the modern muscle car era, which had a huge influence on the cars produced and purchased by the American car-buying public into the early 1970s.

When John DeLorean “sidestepped” the GM rules about maximum engine size for an A-Body intermediate car by making the GTO an option package and not a distinct model, it was thought the option package might sell about 5,000 units. Of course, 32,450 1964 GTOs were sold. The car had an effect on the US auto industry way above and beyond even that surprising number. From Mecum, a picture of a 1964 GTO offered at their 2017 Kissimmee auction:

See the source image

As everyone reading this should know, my first car was a 1967 GTO. I like the body style of that year better than any other of the first four years. I am also somewhat of a heretic in that I am not a big fan of the A-Body restyle for the 1968 model year.

Has anyone else reading ever owned a GTO?

#HalfAMillion

#EverythingIsATradeOff

#TheBeatles

#1964PontiacGTO

#somanycarsjustonelife

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Throwback Thursday 42

Didn’t I just write a Throwback Thursday a couple of days ago?! Talk about time compression due to aging…

On this day in 1965 the following single was #1 on the US Billboard Top 40/Hot 100 chart (picture from eCRATER, an online record sale site):

See the source image

Of course, the song was written in conjunction with the movie of the same name, which was released the same year. The film premiered in New York, its US premiere, in late August about a month after its British premiere. Does anyone really care about the “plot” of the movie? Me, neither.

“Help!” was the Beatles’ 9th song to reach the top of the charts in the US. Their first Number One tune, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” topped the charts in February-March of 1964. Those nine songs were Number One for a collective 25 weeks, or about 30 percent of the time between “I Want to Hold Your Hand” ascending to the top spot and the last week “Help!” was Number One. One group held the Number One position on the US charts for 30 percent of a period of more than a year and a half. Eventually, the Beatles would have 20 songs reach the top of the Billboard charts.

Lest you think I am a big Beatles fan, I am not. For my demographic, I am almost certainly in the bottom five or ten percent in Beatles’ fandom. However, I fully appreciate their impact on music. I also don’t dislike their music, but I don’t own any nor do I stream any. If a Beatles’ song is played while I/we are listening to the Sirius/XM Sixties Channel I/we don’t change the channel, though.

Are any Beatles fans reading this post?

#ThrowbackThursday

#Help!

#TheBeatles

#disaffectedmusings

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Throwback Thursday

This day in 1969 was the last day that the Beatles’ two-sided hit “Come Together/Something” was Number One on the Billboard charts. It was their first two-sided number one single thanks to a change in Billboard policy. Beginning with the Hot 100 of November 29, 1969, Billboard changed its method of compiling the chart, ranking both titles of double-sided hits in the same position. Prior to that modification, Billboard ranked the A and B sides of the same single in different chart positions if both sides received meaningful airplay. (Otherwise, only one side—usually the A side—would be ranked if it earned enough airplay and sales.)

In all honesty, I am not a big Beatles fan although I like their music far more than the music of Elvis Presley. I don’t think I actually own any Beatles’ music nor would I likely stream any if I used such a service. I’m sure that makes me rare in my demographic. However, I fully appreciate the group’s significance and impact on music. From Vulture a picture of the Fab Four:

Not that this has anything to do with anything, but I have a friend who bears an amazing and startling resemblance to John Lennon, especially Lennon without facial hair.

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On this day in 1941, the US aircraft carrier Lexington and five heavy cruisers left Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. As a result, these ships were not damaged during the Japanese attack two days later.

The Lexington played a meaningful role in the Pacific early in World War II, but was—unfortunately—damaged off the coast of New Guinea in combat in May, 1942 and was scuttled by an American destroyer in order to prevent its capture. The wreck of Lexington was located in March, 2018 by an expedition led by the late Paul Allen (Microsoft’s co-founder and owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers), who discovered the ship about 430 nautical miles off the northeastern coast of Australia in the Coral Sea.

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On this day in 1977, Chrysler Corporation began production of the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon. Why is this event significant? These were the first front-wheel drive economy cars built in the US and the first FWD vehicles produced in meaningful quantities by Chrysler.

These cars were produced until early 1990 and about 2.5 million of them were made. The Omni/Horizon helped to keep Chrysler afloat. Since the Horizon sold more units than the Omni and since Plymouth is no longer with us, a picture from CarGurus of a 1982 Plymouth Horizon:

I am always aware that a given car has different meanings for different people. While a car like this is pas pour moi I appreciate what it meant for Chrysler and for the millions who purchased them. Different strokes for different folks…

#TheBeatles

#Lexington

#PlymouthHorizon

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Throwback Thursday and A Quarter Of A Million

Somewhere in this post is the 250,000th word I have written on Disaffected Musings. (Maybe it’s this one or this one.) If in the roughly 21 months I have been writing this blog I had half as many views as words then I would be happy, well maybe less unhappy.

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While my wonderful wife and I were at the National Corvette Museum I entered a raffle to win a 2019 ZR-1. Here is the car, picture from the NCM website:

A maximum of just 1,500 tickets will be sold. Here is a question: if I actually win the car do I keep it and sell my 2016 Z06 (I don’t have room for and don’t want two Corvettes AND I will have to pay taxes on the ZR1) OR do I sell the ZR1—for somewhere north of $100,000—pay the taxes and then upgrade my Z06, etc.? What would you do?

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On this day in 1964 the number one single on the Billboard charts was “Oh, Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison. By the way, that is the correct title of the song.

Orbison was very popular in Great Britain. From August, 1963 through December, 1964 he was the only American artist to have a number one single in Britain; he actually had two, “It’s Over” and “Oh, Pretty Woman.” He toured the UK in 1963. His opening act, although some times he opened for them, was the Beatles.

Of course, 1964 was the year the Beatles entered the consciousness of the US. I am not a big Beatles fan, but I appreciate their significance and the fact that they changed popular music forever. On the April 4 Billboard Hot 100, the Beatles occupied every position in the Top 5! In the next chart, April 11, they had 14 songs in the Hot 100. Between January 18 and October 24 the Beatles had 28 different titles on the Hot 100.

When the Beatles phenomenon began their former record labels realized they had quite a treasure trove. While their first “big” American label was Capitol Records, “She Loves You” was recorded and released by Swan Records and “Love Me Do” on Tollie Records, a subsidiary of Vee Jay. (By the way, much of this information is from The Billboard Book of Number One Hits by Fred Bronson.)

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Of course, 1964 was the debut model year for the Pontiac GTO, considered by most to be the first modern muscle car. Also of significance in the auto industry (some understatement never hurts) was the debut of the Ford Mustang in April, 1964. However, continuing my obsession with defunct American makes I am going to show this car, instead:

See the source image

From classicregister.com an obviously recent picture of a 1964 Studebaker Daytona convertible. Apparently, I have shown a picture of and written about a car like this before. I guess after 250,000+ words I can’t remember everything I’ve written.

The Daytona was one model that survived the closing of the main Studebaker plant in South Bend, Indiana in December, 1963. The wonderful Avanti and Gran Turismo Hawk were not as fortunate. I think these cars (the Daytona) have quite an appealing design. Only 702 1964 Daytona convertibles were produced, 647 with a V-8 and 55 with an inline six-cylinder engine.

#ThrowbackThursday

#250000Words

#CorvetteChoice

#1964

#RoyOrbison

#TheBeatles

#1964StudebakerDaytonaConvertible

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.