The neighborhood where we live gets a lot of trick or treaters during Halloween. Our family has always enjoyed giving out candy. When I answer the door I try to interact with the kids. I’ll make comments about their costumes. If I recognize the character, I try to ask them about the movie or television …
Author Archives: elvisgumby
Halloween with Granny
As my wife’s grandmother got older, there were years that we probably should have supervised her a little more than what we did. This was probably most obvious the year of my oldest daughter’s first Halloween. We planned to take my daughter trick or treating at the houses of several family members and make our final stop …
More Bad Cinema Club
Going to the movies in the early 1980’s was completely different experience than you get now. There were still drive-in theaters and small movie theaters that would show low budget and second-run films. There were lots of these films out making the rounds to these theaters. For me and my college friends, this created a …
Why Joan Crawford Scares Me
When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time with my sister and our best friend Nan watching TV together. The TV would be on sometimes even when we were doing something else. Many of the movies that the three of us came to know and love were ones that ran in the …
Writing Cosmetic School Graduation
While many of my songs are based directly on specific incidents, Cosmetic School Graduation is an exception. I have never fallen in love with anyone that cut my hair and I’ve never gone to a cosmetic school for a cheap haircut. I’ve had several real life experiences that were inspiration for this song. This is the story …
The Story Behind The Ballad of the Pennsylvania Swiss Cheese Man
I was on a business trip and the passenger in a car being driven by a very aggressive driver back in early 2014. I was surfing the internet on my phone to keep me distracted from the driving and I read a story about someone they called the Pennsylvania Swiss Cheese pervert. In the suburbs …
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The Little Boy on the Cover of Elvis Week
Most of you probably know that the little boy in the picture on the cover of the Elvis Week album is my son, James. This picture was taken at the candlelight vigil in 2003. It was my second year to go to Graceland for Elvis Week and the first year to take my son. When I went …
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Clouds Over Graceland – 2016 Elvis Week
The rain started falling on us as we got to the edge of Memphis. By the time we pulled into the parking lot at Graceland, the rain had stopped but there was rain and threats of rain all day. When we were getting out of the car, I suggested to Tina that we take the …
The Story Behind Lucy
The song Lucy is based on some of my experiences from the first grade. I started first grade in 1968. Kids in my school would usually wear nice clothes to school every day. Occasionally, the girls would wear dresses. One day some of the boys in the class were talking about a specific girl that wore a …
The Story Behind Footprints
Footprints is a song that might benefit from explanation. It is based on a dream that I had as a child. I don’t remember how young I was when I had this dream. I also don’t remember if it was a recurring dream or one that made a huge stamp on my memory. It is a …