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He Longs To Be Close To Them

G-Fafif Jan 10 2014 09:12 AM

Rob Hoerburger, Mets fan and New York Times Magazine editor, with a touching article on his lifetime love of the Carpenters. Their gentle pop songs, stuff like “Close to You” and “We’ve Only Just Begun,” conquered the charts in the era of acid rock. And because they were a little geeky — Karen a tomboy-with-bangs who played the drums, Richard a keyboard-and-arranging whiz in a pageboy haircut — they scored big for underdogs everywhere, including me. The music could be cheesy sometimes, but I still loved Karen’s low, lamenting voice and Richard’s tidy, tuneful arrangements. And most of all I loved their chart-topping numbers. For a gay adolescent nerd whose other greatest thrill came on report-card day, their success was my success. My own review of the concert had nothing to do with Karen’s appearance; she didn’t look overweight, or underweight, to me. I was just struck by how the music — long, somewhat rote medleys interspersed with hokey patter — almost didn’t matter. For me it was probably similar to the Beatles’ legendary concerts at Shea Stadium a decade before, when the screaming drowned out what was happening onstage. On that night in 1974, my mother and I were within a few feet of the Carpenters. We touched the proverbial hem of Karen Carpenter’s hiphugger garment. They were always better in the studio anyway, I thought, again just like the Beatles. And they were due for a new album soon. The music would take care of itself then.

Ashie62 Jan 10 2014 11:30 AM Re: He Longs To Be Close To Them

A very very touching coming of age story..Thank you...

Fman99 Jan 10 2014 12:38 PM Re: He Longs To Be Close To Them

Fboy went through a phase, as young children often do, where he'd ask a long succession of "Why?" questions. This was usually to delay eating vegetables or getting in the bathtub. Eventually, often, I would flip it around and ask him, "Why do birds appear every time you are near?" And then start singing Close to You to him. I did this a number of times. One last time we had this exchange: Fboy (maybe the 9th why question in a row): "Dad, why do these carrots taste like this?" Fman: "Well, why do birds appear every time you are near?" Fboy: "Because... they long to be... close to me?" Fman: "Yes, that is correct."

d'Kong76 Jan 10 2014 02:22 PM Re: He Longs To Be Close To Them

Soon to come: Fboy (maybe the 9th why question in a row): "Dad, why do these carrots taste like this?" Fman: "Well, why do birds appear every time you are near?" Fboy: "Don't answer my question with a question!"

Rockin' Doc Jan 11 2014 04:30 PM Re: He Longs To Be Close To Them

Kong76 wrote: Soon to come: Fboy (maybe the 9th why question in a row): "Dad, why do these carrots taste like this?" Fman: "Well, why do birds appear every time you are near?" Fboy: "Don't answer my question with a question!" It is my experience that the above exchange will occur when Fboy is 12 or 13 years of age. That is when your children will (or at least mine did) decide that they knew virtually everything there was to know in the world and their parents are unbelievably ignorant. I was just thankful that breathing was an automatic reflex because if I would have have to figure out I likely would have suffocated (at least that is how my children seemed to view it). At least now my kids have learned that they don't have all the answers and their parents aren't nearly as ignorant as they once believed us to be. My goal in life is simply to live long enough for my chioldren to realize that I'm not have as ignorant as they once believed me to be.

d'Kong76 Jan 11 2014 04:42 PM Re: He Longs To Be Close To Them

That song is stuck in my head.