Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are in a serious situation, but I need a break from the gloom, doom and bullying by way of hoarding. Music has always been my refuge and watching those beautiful Italians singing to each other from their balconies reaffirmed my belief that music is the answer. So until the old normal returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day.  And if this helps anyone else, even better.

My obsession with music is rivaled only by another vice:  my TV addiction.  It has entertained me, fed my dreams and kept me company nearly every day of my life.  It has also made me a pop culture queen which sometimes mystifies the people around me.

Case in point:  Many years ago I dated a guy from England.  He was adorable and the accent reminded me of Eric Clapton.  On our first date, he asked me who my first crush was.

“That’s easy”, I said.  “David Starsky.”

My date’s response:  “Was he a kid from your neighborhood or someone you went to school with?”

I found it both endearing and terrifying that he did not know who David Starsky was.  He and his partner, Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson, were my favorite cops until Idris Elba’s John Luther showed up (as that is a BBC show, S&H remain my favorite cops from the US).  It was 1970’s TV at its best:  cool cops with street smarts and hearts of gold, the coolest sidekick (Huggy Bear) & car that, despite how flashy it was, never hurt their various undercover personas, plus it was backed by the winning production team of Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg.  For four seasons I swooned and swooned over the two of them, with Starsky having a slight advantage thanks to his curly dark hair.  Until today’s song came out.  Checkmate, Hutch.

Thanks to all the S&H fans around the globe, this song went to number one for four weeks in the U.K. and for one week here in the US in 1977.  Does it have lyrics like the poetry found in every Springsteen song?  No.  Does it have any fierce guitar riffs by Clapton?  No.  Moreover, Soul’s voice cannot rival the passion of Otis Redding’s or the polish of Tony Bennett’s.  And the song never won any awards.  But you know what?  I ADORE it.  And I make no apologies for that by me now or for my younger self who fell in love with the two coolest cops to ever wear Nike sneakers.

Starsky and Hutch forever!!!

“The future isn’t just one night
It’s written in the moonlight
Painted on the stars
We can’t change ours.”

David Soul (Hutch) & Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky, top) and the coolest cop car ever.  (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

David Soul:  “Don’t Give Up On Us” (1977, written by Tony Macaulay).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.