I’m a lyrics guy, but the right melody can travel the globe.

In 1985, Falco’s “Rock Me Amadeus” went to #1 in the USA, even though most of the lyrics are in German. Four years earlier, Falco’s “Der Kommissar,” also in German, was a smash across Europe, but stalled at #72 in the states.
My high school Deutsch ist vergessen, but “Der Kommissar” tells the story of a woman who really likes cocaine, has friends who died from cocaine, and is getting hassled by a police “commissioner.”

Then, in 1982, British band After the Fire rewrote “Der Kommissar” with English lyrics that tell the same basic story. Cocaine is still “sugar” and “snow.” This time, the song went to #5 in America.

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I’ve now lived longer in Orlando than anywhere else, and it’s good to see performers who’ve passed through Central Florida being successful in show business. The theme parks bring in a lot of talented people.

Aasif Mandvi is one of those who worked in Orlando for a bit. He’s currently on the CBS supernatural drama “Evil.” It’s got to be tricky shooting on location in NYC when a bus could drive by at any minute, promoting the show you’re in the middle of making.

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Told you last night’s episode of @evilcbs was going to be bananas 🍌 What’d you think of the show?

A post shared by Aasif Mandvi (@aasif) on Nov 8, 2019 at 7:43am PST

Mandvi is also playing the dad on Disney Junior’s animated “Mira, Royal Detective” and you probably remember him as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” in the Jon Stewart years.

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I started buying action figures, used and new, and posing them around Orlando … where I live. Batman to New Smyrna Beach, Tyrion Lannister to Lake Eola Park… The pic above is Wonder Woman at The Monument of States in Kissimmee. Built with stones from every one of the United States, the monument has a crazy history I’ll get to one day.

I’m trying to keep Orlando Action Figure updated through COVID-19. Lately, it’s been landmarks in walking distance from this desk. Maybe give me a follow?

Want to know how to correctly pronounce the region in southern France – known for wine?
Don’t watch this video.

You hear a song for years and think you know the band, but maybe you don’t. It’s no accident the band below sounds like The Beatles, but it’s actually New Jersey’s The Knickerbockers.

The Knickerbockers’ singer Buddy Randell really could play the saxophone, and in the video, you can see him put it to his lips just as the guitar solo kicks in, but if it’s there, it’s buried in the mix. Buddy’s around 24 in this clip, but he had a radio hit with another band before he was even 18.

 The Royal Teens went to #3 in 1958 with “Short Shorts.” On the single, Buddy plays the signature sax riff and says, “Man, dig that crazy chick.” In the clip below, someone else is faking to Buddy’s part. By 1958, the song was a hit, but Buddy left that band because he was still in high school and couldn’t tour. Bob Gaudio is definitely the guy on piano here. Gaudio co-wrote “Short Shorts” and, eventually, went on to perform with Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons for decades.