Gaga for ELO

It was a beautiful day in the South Front District as I cruised along 17th Street, heading for the Memorial Bridge—the gateway to Brunswick and to my very own Ms. Wonder, who was waiting at home to show me the latest photo of the SS United States. 

I stopped at Port City Java, and when I returned to my car, “Calling America” by Electric Light Orchestra was playing on Sirius XM’s 80s on 8. I distinctly remember thinking, “Wow, I’m not a big fan of ELO, but this is a really cool song. Maybe I should listen to one of their albums later; maybe I’ve been missing something.”

As the song ended, Alan Hunter—the disc jockey and one of MTV’s original video jockeys—came on and said, “Must be something in the water. People are going gaga for ELO. The reason I say that: I got five emails while that song played saying, ‘More ELO.’”

What a coincidence, right? Seconds before, I appreciated an ELO song like never before, and then Alan commented on a mysterious surge of interest in the band. Is it really just a coincidence?

After hearing Alan’s comments, I thought it would make a fun blog post. Later, when I sat down to write, I realized I couldn’t remember exactly what Alan had said. Then I wondered if, earlier this morning, I'd stopped streaming SiriusXM on my phone at a point in the program before Alan’s ELO comments. If so, I might be able to hear his actual words.

I picked up my phone and hit play. And—drum roll—Alan Hunter’s segment began right then. I know! I’m as surprised as you are. Well, actually, I suspect you think I’m making this up, so you may not be surprised. 

Still, it’s a true story, and I don’t believe it was coincidental. For years, I’ve been convinced, like Alan said, that something in the universe is running the show. So I’m going to finish my story. Here are Alan’s actual words:

“Must be something in the water. People are going gaga for ELO. The reason I say that: I got five emails here from people saying, ‘More ELO.’ 

"I don’t know, it’s a mystery why things trend, or why I get five emails. I get millions of emails—or realistically, ten or eleven. I think something in the universe may be running the show now. Maybe it’s aliens, here among us this weekend.

"My name is Alan Hunter, a little overly pumped on this Friday. It’s the weekend after all. We can lay our burdens down, and we can let the aliens in, and perhaps enjoy the probing.”

That's the way it happened on this Friday in mid-October. We can all lay our burdens down and enjoy the weekend, knowing the aliens have everything under control. 

I must add, at Princess Amy’s insistence, that it’s not aliens who are in control; she maintains that she alone sits at the control console. She wouldn’t let me rest if I didn’t make that clear.

Princess Amy and I wish you a wonderful weekend, filled with goodness and light. May all your probing be pleasant.