“This Hammock T-shirt was at the Sturgis South Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis Mississippi before riding home (Franklin TN) along the Natchez Trace Parkway. More pictures next month – riding to Texas via Clarksdale Mississippi and God Knows Where…..” Robert Jansen
Last week, I was working out and listening to the IPod, when my guilty pleasure song played. A few years ago, Maggie Flynn collected the guilty pleasure songs of Hammock people, but here is an update from those who are so bold as to bear their souls.
Summer Huggins responded first:
Oh man, that’s a toughy… I recently got satellite radio in my car, and with 160-some-odd stations, I find I don’t move very often from the ’80s station. The first song that came to mind when I saw this question was Culture Club’s “Miss Me Blind.” I heard it recently while in the bathroom at a restaurant and found myself dancing uncontrollably. Please don’t tell anyone!
Sorry, Summer, I just did, and I own that particular Culture Club album.
Ride managing editor Bill Hudgins says:
I have so many, it’s hard to pick a favorite. So I will be utterly fearless and give you several:
Massachusetts and Words – The Bee-Gees
Gloria – Laura Branigan
MacArthur Park – Richard Harris
El Paso – Marty Robbins
Bill, “Massachusetts” is probably the best thing the Bee Gees ever did. Try Jive Talking or If I Cant Have You, I Dont Want Nobody Baby from the disco era.
American Spirit managing editor Jamie Roberts admits to liking:
1. Beat It by pre-1987 Michael Jackson (may he R.I.P.)
2. Rockafeller Skank by Fatboy Slim
3. Bust a Move by Young MC
Laura Creekmore at first was uncommitted.
Hmmm. I really think my entire music collection is a guilty pleasure. I think it would be easier to name you the two songs I listen to which I know to be hip. But let me see if I can think of the guiltiest of my pleasures, musically. And I’ll define this as not only a song that’s campy now, but one that was also considered bubble gum or goofy at the time of its release.
Upon further prodding, Laura commits to I Will Survive.
Allison Lund
Probably a lot of my iTunes could be considered guilty pleasures, but this song is not on my iTunes. “Man on the Silver Mountain” – by Rainbow. (Ronnie James Dio prior to singing for Black Sabbath.) I played this for my husband and he looked at me like I was an alien.
Emily McMacklin
I have two: Love to sing along to “I Will Survive” by Aretha Franklin (I think she sang it?). I also like to get down to “Shake Your Tailfeather” by P.Diddy & Co.
No, Emily, Gloria Gaynor sang I Will Survive. And P. Diddy just changed his name to Diddy.
My Guilty Pleasure song is another 80s classic Come on, Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners. Another favorite of mine from the 60s is Morning Girl by the Neon Philharmonic. This album featured the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, which was the first time that a symphony orchestra played on a rock album.
Barbara Mathieson
Hot of the presses is Hammock Publishing’s new collaboration with Conferon Global Services: The CGS Guide to Room Block Management. The 64-page resource details the best practices of the industrys leading meeting planning firm, drawing on its collective wisdom of 35 years of experience.
Because successful room block management is one of meeting planners’ toughest challenges, the CGS Guide breaks down the process for veterans and novices alike. The publication gives strategies for compiling group history, selecting a site, determining room counts, creating the proper mix of hotelsall while ensuring that meeting attendees are satisfied and associations remain on firm financial footing.
Hilton Hotels, sponsor of the Guide, shares cover billing with CGS. They will unveil the new publication at this weekend’s annual meeting of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) in Nashville.
For over 1,000 days, the server which hosts Hammock Publishing’s website ran continuously. That’s right. Never a crash or interruption. It took a fire in downtown Nashville near the hosting facility we use to stop this baby. And the fire would not have done so if the fire department had not made the hosting facility shut down the auxiliary power (some lame excuse about the fire and the diesel fuel needed to keep those generators humming). Thanks to Patrick Ragsdale (and Blair & Julia for the phone-relays) for spending his Sunday evening getting all our servers back up and running. 12 hours and ticking.
I am in a hammock T-shirt taken last week at Iowa 80 Truck Stop, The World’s Largest Truck Stop, at Walcott Iowa, just off I-80 at exit 284.
We celebrated the release of iTunes 4.9 today (the new version that integrates “podcasting” into the interface) by commissioning Summer Huggins to conduct one of her famous national polls (she sends an e-mail to everyone) to find out what the Hammorati are downloading to their iTunes/iPods these days. Here are her findings:
From America to the Brady Bunch to Coldplay, the staff of Hammock Publishing seem to have a wide range of musical tastes. Here is what I learned.
Barbara: I last uploaded a song called “Chicken Payback” by A Band of Bees off a CD sampler called SXSW Astralwerks New Music ’05. The sampler also has “Jerk It Out” by The Caesars which has been used in the iPod TV commercial. So I can play this on my iPod and dance around. I’m so cool.
Laura: “The First Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes
Bill:“The Spirit of Radio” by Rush
Jamie:I recently loaded the entire 100 Percent Funk album. (Kool & The Gang, Commodores, Rick James, et.al.)
Shannon: “Sister Golden Hair” by America. My extended family is getting together for the Fourth of July and I’ve started a playlist for the weekend…all Classic Rock songs my dad and uncles will love.
Summer: Robyn Ludwick’s whole debut CD, For So Long. She’s a singer/songwriter from just outside of Austin. Little sister of Bruce and Charlie Robison.
Allison: Well, I don’t have an iPod (yet), but I loaded some stuff to my iTunes this morning. I don’t actually recall all the songs, but here is a list of the latest artists showing up in my iTunes: Bowie, The Clash, Chemical Brothers, Crystal Method, John Coltrane, Sahara Hotnights.
Kerri: Like this would be a big surprise…the new Coldplay, X&Y.
Lynne: Suspicious Minds (Dwight Yoakam)
Leslie: The new Coldplay single, “Speed of Sound”
Lena:“American Pie,” by the Brady Bunch. Before you judge me, I do have an explanation. So I really wanted the song, but to get the Don McLean version on iTunes, you have to buy the whole album. So I went with the Brady Bunch one, which, I’m pleased as punch to report, is not as bad as one might think.
Rex:The last thing I downloaded on my iPod was the podcast, “The Nashville Nobody Knows.” The last music I purchased on iTunes and downloaded was five different covers of the Bill Monroe bluegrass gospel tune, “Working on a Building.”
Blair: I have loaded a lot of music lately but I think my most recent addition
was the live 3CD set, How the West Was Won by Led Zeppelin.
Natalie: Lisa’s husbands CD – David Ask – Rest
From Julia:
The proud dad of Sienna Grace Willis just e-mailed us this photo from his cell-phone. She was born early this morning and weighs 6 lbs, 12 ounces. Mom (Natalie) and baby are doing fine. And, as he was able to e-mail us this photo, we presume Dad is, as well.
All together, now: Ahhhhh!
Update: Today is creative director Susie Garland’s daughter, Sammy’s, third birthday. (Happy birthday, Sammy.) Sienna Grace was born at almost the exact same time of day at which Sammy was born.
All together, now. Hmmm!
Update 2: A new picture of Natalie holding Sienna:
From Lena, Hammorati entertainment correspondent:
We Hammock Publishing folks LOVE American Idol. OK, I love it and deep down, I think Rex does, too. In getting pumped for tonight’s final results show, there has been much discussion around the office as to which Idol contestant (the beautiful and talented Carrie “Crooner” Underwood or the grizzly but unfortunately likeable Bo “Bad Hair not to Mention Bad Habit” Bice) will be named the next American Idol. Here’s what some of us (those who admitted to following the show, at least) had to say:
Meredith: “Bo is scary looking.”
John: “I like that little Clay fellow. He’s great.”
Allison: “Bo. I think he offers up something a little different than all the other pop stuff out there.”
Rex: “Bo will win, but Carrie will move to Nashville and have a huge hit country album, then die in a tragic plane accident, after which she’ll develop a cult following who dedicate their lives to perpetuating the belief that she wast the greatest country singer ever.”
Barbara: “Paula is sleeping with Bo. No contest.”
Blair: “Carrie is a 5-7 favorite according to Vegas odds makers, so I go $1 on Bo.”
Laura: “Give me a rerun of ‘West Wing’ any day. ”
Jamie: “Bo. He’s from Alabama, the birthplace of another Idollittle Ruben Studdard.”
Carrie: “Well, I am for Carrie just based on the way she spells her name…”
Leslie: “Gotta go with Bo!”
Me: “Bo is stupid.”
So there you have it. If Hammock Publishing accurately represents the American Idol voting population, Bo will win. Blech.
From Rex:
As some of the Nashville hammock folk traveled to Austin for the South by Southwest Interactive Festival over the weekend, we felt any such trip would not be complete without stopping by the exact spot where Austin-hammoratian Summer Huggins hangs out. So, here are Laura Creekmore and I with Summer. (Photo by Summer’s husband, Cole.) Cole and Summer have also been more than kind in taking us from incredible eating establishment-to-establishment.