So, I was driving along listening to my Pandora collection in my Jeep, and it occurred to me that I was listening to 60 year old music- The Beach Boys. I always liked them and liked their music and was pounding on the steering wheel ” Tack it up, Tack it up ,buddy going to shut you down.” ” Gadda be cool now, power shift here we go.” I revved up my Jeep pretending to be in the drag race from the song when I said to myself- slow down man. “Shutdown” was a cool song from back in the day. Next on the hit parade was ” When I Grow Up to Be a Man.” ” Will I dig the same things in a woman that I do in a girl? Will I love my wife, for the rest of my life……? When I grow up to be a man.” So funny – I do love my wife, 38 years into it, and not sure I am yet ” a man.” Have a lot of kid still left in me.

Listening to this music reminds me of my days at Allegheny College in the spring trimester when we would blast the music from the stereos in Caflisch Hall. So much fun building up to graduation . My 50 year reunion is this year and I wonder how that could be. I still feel the same over all these years, but it is not lost on me that the years have gone by. The Beach Boys are still touring minus most of the original players but, still at it- 60 years later. “Lets go surfin now, everybody’s learnin how – come on a safari with me…..”

I kept the Boys on when I was riding at my local MTB route the other day and really enjoyed peddling to the sounds of Wipeout by the Surfaris on my Shokz earpieces. Some of the great music on the Pandora Beach Boys channel include the iconic sounds of Jan and Dean- ” The Little Old Lady from Pasadena.” Another great tune to get your engine running – this time pumping up a rock strewn trail. ” She’s the terror of Colorado Boulevard” I geared up one when I heard that. LOL!!! The smile on my face made me realize that I was actually riding back in time and remembering where I was when I used to hear all those tunes.

It’s not like I am wishing that I was back in the past, but some of that music is just ingrained in me and when I hear familiar tunes, I really enjoy them. I sing to them and remember all the good times. Yes- 50 years out of college is a daunting statistic, but I am enjoying life and look forward to many more happy years. I am upping my game a bit with music that is a little more current- but not that current. I can take my old music ahead to many drives and rides in the future. Janet kind of shakes her head when I hear a tune and remember the artist. I bet her 5 bucks she can’t name the tune or the artist and most of the time, I win. Ronnie and the Ronettes- you lose. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs – you lose. After all, she is 8 years younger than me and didn’t listen to music as much as I did ,driving my cars around. She doesn’t know the Flying Burrito Brothers, or the New Riders of the Purple Sage either- but then again- not many do. I actually had an Iron City beer back in the day with Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen. But ………………then again, not many people remember them either. Hint- ” Hot Rod Lincoln.”

This discussion might be lost on some of the younger crowd who read my blog. But, for those of us who are a little older, the sounds of “Pet Sounds” are fondly remembered. I even get a little misty eyed when I hear, ” God only knows what I’d do without you.” Sometimes the sentimentality knocks you off kilter on the trail and you have to compose yourself getting through the rocks. Then comes……………….” she’s real fine my 409, my 409. Well, I saved my pennies and I saved my dimes. Before I knew there would be a time. When I would drive a brand new 409.” That got me through that screaming downhill and the hikers I passed probably thought……………..what in the world is that guy singing.” LOL!!! Keep listening to the oldies, and thanks for reading.

Please follow the blog on http://www.chroniclesofmccloskey.com Easy to do, free, and it helps me. Thanks