RANDOM THOUGHTS & PONDERING (THIRD EDITION)
BY DAN MILLER
May 9, 2006
Some things racing through my mind today.
First, a universal truth:
Any time you have your car in the repair shop, and you hear the mechanic call out to a fellow mechanic, "Come 'ere and look at this!"
And the fellow mechanic looks and says, "dang!!"...
You know this is not going to be a quick, cheap fix.
The same thing applies to having your home heating/air conditioning system worked on.
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Emory University just released the findings of a study showing that the anticipation of pain (such as getting a shot at the doctor's office) is just as bad, if not worse, than the actual pain itself.
The study demonstrated how volunteers known as "extreme dreaders" would prefer to get a strong electrical shock immediately, rather than waiting half a minute for a lesser zap.
Hey, I could have saved them whatever money they spent on the study.
In fact, any parent who's taken kids to the doctor or dentist could have told them that.
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If you ever develop a new product, and you want it to be a really big seller, simply claim (or imply) that it makes human hair look fuller and thicker.
No matter whether it's shampoo, conditioner, floor wax, potato salad, or garden tools....
If people believe it will -- by some miracle or other means -- make their hair look fuller.... they'll buy it.
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Our former Channel Four general manager Mike Kettenring (who's now a priest in Louisiana) used to argue with me that Ricky Nelson was just a TV star.... not a significant factor in music.
I would always disagree, stressing that Ricky was a major force and innovator in early rock 'n roll.
Today -- sweet vindication.
I read that Ricky Nelson had more Top-40 chart hits between 1957 and 1962 than any other recording artist except for Elvis Presley.
Ricky made the charts 30 times during that brief 5-year span.
And, even as late as 1972, "Garden Party" was a Top-10 hit for him.
Even priests can be wrong.... (though, in fairness, Father Mike had not yet become a priest when he uttered his anti-Ricky Nelson claims).
By the way, Ricky Nelson would have turned 66 this week.
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