Oh, man, we already talked just a little bit about Romper Room, so you know I'm on board for chatting about childhood TV! I guffawed at, "We weren’t melting our brains when we were sitting in front of the televisions, we were laying a foundation for flourishing creative lives." Like you/everyone of that era, I watched EVERYTHING. My parents definitely did not think "screen time" was a concern--and I don't really regret it? I mean, that sounds so sad. And we lived in Georgia, and I was a redhead without siblings for a lot of years, so going outside for very long stretches wasn't really an option because I genuinely burnt (badly), even with sunblock. But...I did a ton of reading, somehow, still! (SO MUCH.) And seeing happy, funny things genuinely elevated my mood. I needed at least a portion of that, for sure!
I don't think I ever saw Wonderama, but I do remember The Magic Garden!!--though I haven't thought about that show in for.ev.er! Wow, (switching to my best Celine Dion voice), "It's all coming back to me..."
Also...can I just say how much I love that you included "The Looooove Boooooat" in your wrap-up?!?!? I was a very enthusiastic watcher of that show (along with CHiPs and the A-Team...and, yeah, anything on at all, pretty much).
One story: I religiously watched The Incredible Hulk on our black and white TV set (this was well into where color TVs were the norm, but we were poor). Then, we got a color TV--and I apparently freaked out that this character that I thought I knew so well turned GREEN. According to my mom, I had nightmares for weeks. (This was before I went to school, so I had not be corrected on this point.) Anyhow, here's the craziest thing: my earliest memory (that I can recall) is of The Incredible Hulk slowly walking through our backyard to our back door, while I yelled for my parents. I mean, obviously, in reality, that's a memory of a nightmare I had. But the fact that it's my earliest long-term, recallable memory means I always treat my brain as...the Wild West? Because it's 100 percent a "real" memory. It's just that it couldn't have happened (except in my head...very vividly). Which I'm sure kind of informs my writing? In a, "I actually remember the Incredible Hulk coming to our house" kind of way. Blending the line between imagination and reality--I hope.
I don't know Wonderama, but I do see The Magic Garden as one side of a great comp for your books, Julie! I was thinking the other day about how obsessed I was about BOTH Mr. Rogers...and Boy George. Like, to the point where my Grandma would clip things out of the newspaper about either of them (though there were obv. far more about Boy George) and send them to me. It sounds like in this analogy Wonderama was filling the Boy George role (plus...candy!).
Anyhow, now it's time for me to say thank you for MY therapy session. And I'm looking forward to reading the Food letters!
Elayne I am obsessed with everything in this juicy comment, and it honestly feels like many parts of it are the basis for a compelling middle grade character. JUST SAYING.
I love love love the thing about not knowing the Hulk was green. Dave (my husband) similarly grew up with only b&w tv, and didn't know that Oz was in color until he was fully an adult.
ALSO I adore that the Hulk showed up in your dreams/nightmares in an incredibly vivid fashion. My only recurring dream as a child was that all of the Looney Tunes cartoon characters lived in my basement. I don't know if we need to examine this in therapy or just acknowledge that we watched an awful lot of tv. And OF COURSE it's a "memory" for you -- it feels like a precursor to having a writer's imagination, right? That it was so vivid it was a memory.
I am so completely obsessed with kid you loving Mr. Rogers and Boy George. I mean, they're not that dissimilar? Somehow? I need to think on this more. But somehow it makes perfect sense.
OMG, so reassured about your basement full of Looney Tunes troublemakers (that sounds really, really fun!) and Dave's Oz surprise! LOL! My husband's parents (bless their hearts) did not let him watch TV all day, and it's genuinely hard to talk to him about my formative (TV based) experiences. LOL! He thinks they are funny, etc. but just can't relate--and is genuinely shocked about the number of TV theme songs I know by heart. Now, though, we tell our teen about going to Blockbuster to pick out a date night movie, printing out MapQuest directions before big car trips, etc. so we've got some shared generational things to marvel at. 😂
Mr. Rogers and Boy George--I do think maybe they were not so different! Maybe they both seemed very approachable? They just sort of were doing their own (kinda weird, at least for the time) playful, musically-inclined thing. Like, if you walked up to them and asked if they wanted to sing with you, they would have been like, "Of course. What should we sing?" Neither of them acted ostentatious--they just seemed sensitive and gentle, in their own way. While Boy George's wardrobe/hair/etc. was undeniably AWESOMELY wild, he didn't act wild in his music videos or interviews--he would just sing, kind of swaying slowly side to side, though it was clear he was "cooler" than Mr. Rogers. But I appreciated Mr. Rogers nerdery, too.
Yeah, I mean, not that this is an example of being exactly the same, but I get the sense that both Boy George and Mr Rogers would help you pick up your stuff if you tripped and spilled your bag all over, and they might also offer some words of sympathy while doing it.
We do that with our kids too. There are so many elements of the pre-internet-everywhere age which are truly baffling to them. I'm not thinking of examples right now, but I know there are a lot (printing out the Mapquest directions is a good one). Also trying to explain that long distance phone calls cost more money and you'd have to limit your talking time, or write letters instead: they truly did not understand. (I need to try to remember some of the examples, because I know there were some where they flat out didn't believe us.)
Aw, love this! I read Mark's first letter yesterday and enjoyed the sense of nostalgia. The Magic Garden sounds like classic 1970s, still flavored by the previous decade.
These letters make me want to dig into what influenced me--TV, music, books, experiences--and how that comes out in my creative work now. The letter format is a great way to explore those thoughts and ideas: friendly, open, and informal. I might have to give it a try, even if it's only a letter to myself. :)
You should do it! You know, I was mostly interested in hearing what Mark's influences were, but the more I've thought about the influences of my childhood, the more it's making me think about what influences me now.
Very funny and a lot of heart is a fantastic compliment ❤️🫰
I KNOW! It's a total dream thing for someone to say, and I'm still glowing from the fact that it's a common review.
Oh, man, we already talked just a little bit about Romper Room, so you know I'm on board for chatting about childhood TV! I guffawed at, "We weren’t melting our brains when we were sitting in front of the televisions, we were laying a foundation for flourishing creative lives." Like you/everyone of that era, I watched EVERYTHING. My parents definitely did not think "screen time" was a concern--and I don't really regret it? I mean, that sounds so sad. And we lived in Georgia, and I was a redhead without siblings for a lot of years, so going outside for very long stretches wasn't really an option because I genuinely burnt (badly), even with sunblock. But...I did a ton of reading, somehow, still! (SO MUCH.) And seeing happy, funny things genuinely elevated my mood. I needed at least a portion of that, for sure!
I don't think I ever saw Wonderama, but I do remember The Magic Garden!!--though I haven't thought about that show in for.ev.er! Wow, (switching to my best Celine Dion voice), "It's all coming back to me..."
Also...can I just say how much I love that you included "The Looooove Boooooat" in your wrap-up?!?!? I was a very enthusiastic watcher of that show (along with CHiPs and the A-Team...and, yeah, anything on at all, pretty much).
One story: I religiously watched The Incredible Hulk on our black and white TV set (this was well into where color TVs were the norm, but we were poor). Then, we got a color TV--and I apparently freaked out that this character that I thought I knew so well turned GREEN. According to my mom, I had nightmares for weeks. (This was before I went to school, so I had not be corrected on this point.) Anyhow, here's the craziest thing: my earliest memory (that I can recall) is of The Incredible Hulk slowly walking through our backyard to our back door, while I yelled for my parents. I mean, obviously, in reality, that's a memory of a nightmare I had. But the fact that it's my earliest long-term, recallable memory means I always treat my brain as...the Wild West? Because it's 100 percent a "real" memory. It's just that it couldn't have happened (except in my head...very vividly). Which I'm sure kind of informs my writing? In a, "I actually remember the Incredible Hulk coming to our house" kind of way. Blending the line between imagination and reality--I hope.
I don't know Wonderama, but I do see The Magic Garden as one side of a great comp for your books, Julie! I was thinking the other day about how obsessed I was about BOTH Mr. Rogers...and Boy George. Like, to the point where my Grandma would clip things out of the newspaper about either of them (though there were obv. far more about Boy George) and send them to me. It sounds like in this analogy Wonderama was filling the Boy George role (plus...candy!).
Anyhow, now it's time for me to say thank you for MY therapy session. And I'm looking forward to reading the Food letters!
Elayne I am obsessed with everything in this juicy comment, and it honestly feels like many parts of it are the basis for a compelling middle grade character. JUST SAYING.
I love love love the thing about not knowing the Hulk was green. Dave (my husband) similarly grew up with only b&w tv, and didn't know that Oz was in color until he was fully an adult.
ALSO I adore that the Hulk showed up in your dreams/nightmares in an incredibly vivid fashion. My only recurring dream as a child was that all of the Looney Tunes cartoon characters lived in my basement. I don't know if we need to examine this in therapy or just acknowledge that we watched an awful lot of tv. And OF COURSE it's a "memory" for you -- it feels like a precursor to having a writer's imagination, right? That it was so vivid it was a memory.
I am so completely obsessed with kid you loving Mr. Rogers and Boy George. I mean, they're not that dissimilar? Somehow? I need to think on this more. But somehow it makes perfect sense.
OMG, so reassured about your basement full of Looney Tunes troublemakers (that sounds really, really fun!) and Dave's Oz surprise! LOL! My husband's parents (bless their hearts) did not let him watch TV all day, and it's genuinely hard to talk to him about my formative (TV based) experiences. LOL! He thinks they are funny, etc. but just can't relate--and is genuinely shocked about the number of TV theme songs I know by heart. Now, though, we tell our teen about going to Blockbuster to pick out a date night movie, printing out MapQuest directions before big car trips, etc. so we've got some shared generational things to marvel at. 😂
Mr. Rogers and Boy George--I do think maybe they were not so different! Maybe they both seemed very approachable? They just sort of were doing their own (kinda weird, at least for the time) playful, musically-inclined thing. Like, if you walked up to them and asked if they wanted to sing with you, they would have been like, "Of course. What should we sing?" Neither of them acted ostentatious--they just seemed sensitive and gentle, in their own way. While Boy George's wardrobe/hair/etc. was undeniably AWESOMELY wild, he didn't act wild in his music videos or interviews--he would just sing, kind of swaying slowly side to side, though it was clear he was "cooler" than Mr. Rogers. But I appreciated Mr. Rogers nerdery, too.
Yeah, I mean, not that this is an example of being exactly the same, but I get the sense that both Boy George and Mr Rogers would help you pick up your stuff if you tripped and spilled your bag all over, and they might also offer some words of sympathy while doing it.
We do that with our kids too. There are so many elements of the pre-internet-everywhere age which are truly baffling to them. I'm not thinking of examples right now, but I know there are a lot (printing out the Mapquest directions is a good one). Also trying to explain that long distance phone calls cost more money and you'd have to limit your talking time, or write letters instead: they truly did not understand. (I need to try to remember some of the examples, because I know there were some where they flat out didn't believe us.)
Aw, love this! I read Mark's first letter yesterday and enjoyed the sense of nostalgia. The Magic Garden sounds like classic 1970s, still flavored by the previous decade.
These letters make me want to dig into what influenced me--TV, music, books, experiences--and how that comes out in my creative work now. The letter format is a great way to explore those thoughts and ideas: friendly, open, and informal. I might have to give it a try, even if it's only a letter to myself. :)
You should do it! You know, I was mostly interested in hearing what Mark's influences were, but the more I've thought about the influences of my childhood, the more it's making me think about what influences me now.
So much of this is new to me! Love it!
So much of yours was new to me! I'm excited about the food next week.