Donna Summer: She could sing anything, anywhere, with anyone, at any time.

[NOV 22] Greetings all and Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!  Where should I start? Well, since it's 2020 and it seems to be the year of weird things happening, let's go with this new mashup. Somebody managed to mashup Donna's Hot Stuff with... wait for it... Ozzy Osbourne's Flying High Again.  Not a combination you would exactly expect, but it's actually not terrible.  But I can't help but wonder what those guys blowing up disco records in 1979 would have thought?  LOL

[NOV 22] In other weird news... reporter Andrew Marr did an interview recently in the UK where he said that he interviewed Putin at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. (If you remember - there was a big controversy at the time because Russia wasn't exactly the most gay-friendly place, to put it mildly.) Anyway, this journalist happened to run into Elton John shortly before the Putin interview. Elton, tasked Marr with the job of giving Putin a Donna Summer album and a kiss from him.  He did not say if he actually did as he was asked or if he chickened out.  LOL

[NOV 22] Moving on to more normal things, Jazziz.com has a nice little piece celebrating the song I Remember Yesterday.  And in cover news, Kelly Clarkson recently performed a cover of She Works Hard For The Money on her show.  (And I don't think I will ever get used to the virtual audiences some shows are using!)

[NOV 22] And in Wanderer news,  Pete Bellotte did an interview with Phil Marriott in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the album.

[NOV 22] In musical news, Summer : The Musical is slated to run at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust February 16 to 21, 2021.  I am assuming that is subject to change depending on the COVID situation.

[NOV 22] Bruce Sudano fans -  check out his 5 questions on DittyTV.com,  then his interview with Cashbox Canada.

[NOV 22] Johnnyswim fans -  check out their latest release, Pass Me A Pint from their upcoming Christmas album.  You can also watch them perform it live from their garage on Instagram. Also, they are planning another Live From The Backyard concert on December 5. No special guests this time - just a Christmas party at the Johnnyswim home.  And be on the look out for new merchandise for the show.  They always come up with something, and I think they are working on making some stuff themselves again.  (Looked like maybe screen printing this time.... last time it was tie dye.)

[NOV 22] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Since it's Thanksgiving this week,  let's do a throwback to when the cast of Summer: The Musical performed live for the Macy's Parade in 17 degree weather.  (That's -8 for those of you who use Celsius.)  I'm still stunned you can't see any chattering teeth!  LOL Johnnyswim also did a Macy's Parade but their was 2016. Catch them here on the rehearsal interviews,  here on an audience home video, and here on the actual parade broadcast.  Then we have Donna on the Queen Latifah Show talking about Thanksgiving (and performing), and another Thanksgiving interview on The View.

[NOV 14] Happy Saturday all! Not a lot going on this week, but Congrats to Bruce! A whole bunch of stations have added tracks from Spirals Vol 2 to their playlists.  And he's #88 on the Billboard BDS chart! (It's the bobblehead - nobody can resist the bobblehead!  LOL)

[NOV 14] In Johnnyswim news. WideOpenCountry.com has an article about their upcoming show on the Magnolia Network.

[NOV 14] Mary Gaines Bernard fans - as many of you know, she has a Facebook group for Donna Summer fans or perhaps I should say family, as she does consider us members of the family.  It's a private group so your membership request has to be approved - so be patient if you join and it takes a little while for you to get approved. (Mary's daughter handles that techie stuff and she's busy in her own right too.)  In this group. Mary posts videos with stories from her time with Donna, and she sometimes goes live to chat with us crazies. What came out of the last chat is that at some point, Mary would like to hit the road and do small pop up concerts for the fans.  So hopefully we can get this COVID situation under control and stuff like that can happen.

[NOV 14] I think that brings us to YouTube. Hmmmm.... I haven't done any duets in awhile. Let's go there. First up, Donna with the Brooklyn Dreams doing a Motown Medley on the Midnight Special.  Then we have Donna and Mary on Enough Is Enough,  Donna with Joss Stone on Try A Little Tenderness, with Darwin Hobbes on When I Look Up,  with Seal on Crazy, and with Paul Jabara on Something's Missing.  And finally, (I can never resist posting this one!) Donna with Barry Manilow on Could It Be Magic.

[NOV 8] Happy Sunday all! It's been quite a week here in the US and the good news is that I can stop reminding people to vote for at least another year!  LOL  We had a record number of voters this  year and the highest turnout in terms of the percentage of eligible voters since 1900.  I guess it takes more than a pandemic to silence the people.  :-)

[NOV 8] I know some of my American friends feel like Christmas has come early - and actually, it sort of has! Johnnyswim has a new Christmas album coming out and they are teasing us with the first track now. It is Little Drummer Boy, and you can buy/stream it at your favorite music sources.

[NOV 8] In the Donna is everywhere category, she got name checked in a recent episode of The Connors. Some characters were playing poker, and when one lost, she asked for her money back because she worked hard for it. Another player replied, "Hey we all work hard for the money Donna Summer. Next time you'll be more careful."

[NOV 8] Bruce Sudano fans - check out this piece he posted on the eve of election day.

[NOV 8] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Here are some of the songs I have been drawn to this week (in no particular order).... Love Is The Healer from Divas 2000,  Georgia On My Mind in concert from 2004,  A Whole New World with Dave Koz,  Enough Is Enough with Barbra, Crayons live in 2009,  the unreleased Run With It,  the recently remastered Looking Up,  and of course, God Bless America.

[OCT 31] Greetings all and Happy Halloween. I have an announcement to make....  the year 2020 is being extended another 6 months!  Did I scare you?  (Seriously, ghosts and goblins have nothing on 2020 for scariness! LOL)

[OCT 31] Before I get to the news, I just want to remind my American friends to GO VOTE! (Well, unless you already did.)   If you have an absentee ballot and haven't mailed it yet - DON'T! Take it to a ballot drop box, or bring it to your polling place on election day. It is TOO LATE to use the US Mail.  And if you already voted and are in a position to, help someone else vote. Bring somebody to the polls who doesn't have transportation, bring snacks or water to the voting lines in your area, teach a first time voter how to fill out the ballot or use the machines correctly, bring a boom box  and play some Donna tunes for the people waiting online... just use your imagination, you can come up with something.  :-) (Do they still make boom boxes?  ROTFLOL)

[OCT 31]  On to the world of Donna.  If we flashback to 2012 for a second, the Republic of Togo issued a series of stamps honoring Donna.

[OCT 31] Since masks/face coverings seem to be a part of our lives for the foreseeable future, you might as well get some cool ones.  Amazon has a bunch of Donna Summer masks up for sale. One caveat though - most of them have ridiculous prices and/or  high shipping fees. They are also not eligible for Prime shipping. But some of them are really cute.

[OCT 31] In musical news - Summer: The Musical is back in Brazil for the 2021 season at Teatro Satander in Sao Paulo.  It will be playing  January 14 to April 18 and if you had tickets to the cancelled performances from this year, the theater will be emailing you to set up new tickets for you. If you see the show next year, let me know how you like it and what safety protocols they had to use.

[OCT 31] Bruce Sudano fans -  check out Bruce's acoustic performance of American Sunset in support of  the Biden/Harris 2020 ticket.  Also, he will be performing online on election day for  the iVoted.com festival.  The site finally posted the official schedule and Bruce is slated to perform at 3:20 PM Eastern time.  (Sigh.... and I am working then...)

[OCT 31] Johnnyswim fans - episode 3 of Live In The Backyard is available for you to watch on YouTube.  It got a really nice write-up on AtwoodMusic.com. And the pair is already planning on doing another one - if I recall Abner said maybe after Thanksgiving. I think they want to do a Christmas theme.  Listen, if you haven's watched any of the live in the backyard shows yet - you NEED to see at least one.  They do such an amazing job with the lighting, sound, set design, etc that I really believe they could teach classes for other artists.  (Plus their music is amazing and they always make the shows fun events.)

[OCT 31] Speaking of Christmas - Johnnyswim is doing another Christmas album. Look for that next weekend!

[OCT 31]  Donna's second grandchild, Savanna has been written up  on OxfordStories.net for her work as an artist and designer.

[OCT 31] I think that brings us to YouTube. Being Halloween, and seeing as how Donna never really did  anything scary, let's do some videos that show Donna in a costume.  First up is Breakaway (with behind the scenes clips). You can see Donna getting into the APAT cover makeup.  Then we have Donna doing Last Dance with Prince Poppycock, She Works Hard For The Money from Disneyland's 30th anniversary (Donna in her waitress costume), Sunset People from the 1980 TV special - look for a few different looks in that, and finally clips from Family Matters Pound Foolish.  For a little audio fun, here is Donna performing Hot Stuff on Bette Midler's Hulaween event.

[OCT 31] Oops I forgot to mention - the new month starts tomorrow, so I have posted the Summer Fever Pick tonight. This month we are celebrating the excitement of Love & More Encore!

[OCT 24] Happy Saturday all! First up Johnnyswim is live from the backyard TOMORROW October 25 at 6:30 PST. Their digital merchandise table is open for business as of 8AM this morning and  will only be up for a total of 72 hours. Don't forget that once that 72 hours is up, those Live In The Backyard items will disappear forever. And also keep in mind that it is the merchandise dales that pay for the otherwise free concerts.  :-) Catch Live In The Backyard streaming on YouTube, or watch the other 2 episodes in preparation for tomorrow night.

[OCT 24] Bruce Sudano fans - his EP, Spirals Vol 2 is officially released as of yesterday.  Had over to Bruce's site to grab a CD (or other cool stuff), or head over to your favorite music supplier to grab a download.

[OCT 24] A new album means new promotion, so check out Bruce on Goldmine Magazine's podcast. Then go read the review on AmericanaHighways.org, and then the interview on AmericanSongwriter.com. If you do Facebook, check out his video over there too.

[OCT 24] Don't forget that Bruce is performing live on the web for IVoted.com. The show is free, but to get tickets you have to send a selfie of yourself with your blank absentee ballot, or outside your polling place. (If you already voted, or you are not eligible to vote, they list other ways to get your free access to the show. Oh - and some states will NOT allow you to take photographs within a certain distance of a polling place, so be aware of that. )

[OCT 24] In remix news, Boston University News Service reviewed the Kygo mix of Hot Stuff. It's an interesting review - they like the mix only because they like the original song, but they don't like that to them the mix dilutes the power of the original. Go read it, you will see what I mean.

[OCT 24] That brings us to YouTube.  I feel like we need some positive songs.... so let's start with Love Is The Healer live on The View.  Then we have the video for Love Is In Control,  a slideshow for Love Will Always Find You, a liveandmore video for Let There Be Peace, a liveandmore video for Smile,  and finally Riding Through The Storm from Live & More Encore.

[OCT 24] And finally for my American fans - we are in the home stretch! Make your plan and vote! I am going bright and early tomorrow morning to cast my early vote. Keep in mind that turn out has been really high at many early voting sites - even in my usually quiet area, they had a line around the block this morning LITERALLY!  (Which is why I didn't vote today - I failed to plan adequately.) So wear your masks, bring your hand sanitizer, bring some friends, and plan to be there awhile. Have snacks and water with you if you feel you will need those - maybe a folding chair too.  Will it be inconvenient? Yeah... but nothing compared to the "inconvenience" suffered by the people who got us the right to vote in the first place.  So VOTE! Oh yeah - bring some tunes with you in your phone or whatever - that always helps pass the time.  :-)

[OCT 17] Greetings all!  Are  you all having a Wanderer lovefest?  I hope so because the 40th Anniversary edition of The Wanderer hit stores yesterday.  :-)  If you're still waiting for your copy to arrive, head over to Spotify to give it a listen.  :-)

[OCT 17] Johnnyswim fans - they are performing Live In The Backyard on Sunday October 25. Last week they announced that one of their special guests will be  Katelyn Tarver. Yesterday they announced their other special guest - Hanson.  Keep an eye on their Instagram - I'm sure there will be a merchandise announcement.

[OCT 17] While you are waiting for the concert, check out Amanda on the Motherly podcast. (Please note - the interview with Amanda was taped BEFORE quarantine.)

[OCT 17]  Congrats to Bruce Sudano! His video for Keep Doin' What You're Doin' broke 100k views on YouTube. (It's the Super Bruce - everybody wants to be him.  LOL) 

[OCT 17]  Bruce's new EP - Spirals Vol 2: Time & The Space In Between will be out October 23 - that's next week!  :-)  You can pre-save it on your favorite streaming service, or you can head to Bruce's website and order a CD. (Or some Super Bruce merchandise...)

[OCT 17] Looking for something to do October 29? The Palm Canyon Theater will be livestreaming clips from their production, I Know What You Did Last Donna Summer, along with commentary from the cast and crew. The show is a parody of slasher films set to the beat of Donna Summer.  Sound weird to you?  It does to me too, so I will try to check that out for myself. I love weird!  LOL

[OCT 17] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up, we have a new fan video from Suecase Hall for  Looking Up. (The original version, not a remix.) And now because I am about to watch a musical on TV, I'm going to do Donna's musical songs. First up, White Boys from Haare (Donna's vocals set to scenes from the film). Then we have  O segne Gott mein Seel from Godspell (audio set to a slideshow),  Donna's cover of Don't Rain On My Parade, her cover of Someone To Watch Over Me,  and from the vaulted Ordinary Girl, No Ordinary Love Song.

[OCT 17] And finally, for my American friends - make a plan and VOTE!

[OCT 10] Happy Saturday all! I guess we can start with remix news. The Figo Full Sound Mix of The Wanderer is out on YouTube now.  It's longer than the previous mix.  :-)

[OCT 10] MusicRadar.com has an article listing 5 Quincy Jones songs you need to hear.  #3 on the list is Love Is In Control.  :-)

[OCT 10]  We have some musical news (fingers crossed!)  The Starlight Theater in Kansas City has announced it's Summer 2021 schedule and Summer: The Musical is listed for July 23 to 25.  With any luck next summer we'll all be able to go back to the theater (or concerts, or movies...)

[OCT 10] Johnnyswim fans - they will be live in the backyard on October 25 and they have announced that they will have 2 special guests. The first is  Katelyn Tarver. The second... is a mystery until next week.  That Abner loves to be a tease!  LOL

[OCT 10]  Bruce Sudano fans -  his single American Sunset got a nice write by by TooMuchLoveMagazine.com. It also got a write up on IndieMusicReviews.net.  And don't forget - Bruce will be performing on Election Day on iVotedConcerts.com.  Check the site to see how to gain access to his (and/or other) performance.

[OCT 10] Which brings me to my usual rant to the American fans.  Election Day is November 3, but  many places have started their early voting already, and many people who requested them have already received in their mall in ballots. You need to make SURE you have a plan to vote! Educate yourself on the issues and candidates (if you haven't already) and then cast your vote! If you are voting by mail - get it in early because we all know the post office is a bit... slow... at the moment.  And if you are in a state that allows you to - track your vote online to see that it is received.  USA.gov/voting has lots of general info on how to vote, and links to the local election offices for each state or territory. My state (NY) doesn't start early voting until October 24, but you can bet I will be there bright and early with mask and hand sanitizer at the ready! 

[OCT 10] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I feel in the mood for some ballads today, so let's start with Be Myself Again live in 2009. (It took me a LONG time to be able to play that one again after Donna left us.) Then we have the song that started it all for me - Mimi's Song live on The Tonight Show.  Then some others I like a lot: Anyway At All live on the Tonight Show,  Heaven's Just A Whisper Away live,  Sand On My Feet live 2008,  the unreleased ballad version of I Will Live For Love,  and Donna's final gift to us, Netherlands.

[OCT 4] Happy Sunday all!  It's October already so now it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month put on your blonde wigs because we're looking at Mistaken Identity.   :-)

[OCT 4] Let's see, where should we start this week? Let's go with remix news.  As you know The Wanderer 40th Anniversary edition comes out on October 16. And we have another new mix out  from the release.  This one is the Figo Sound Radio Mix of The Wanderer.  It's kind of cool.  You can hear the audio on YouTube,  but there is an actual video that goes with it too. It WAS on YouTube for awhile, but you can still find it on Donna's Facebook page.

[OCT 4] In other remix news, the Kygo mix of Hot Stuff is doing really well. It is in the top 10 in Germany, and here in the US is just debuted at #1 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart.   :-) It is also #9 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Songs chart, #15 on the Dance Digital Dongs Streaming chart, and #18 in Overall Digital Song Sales.

[OCT 4] Bruce Sudano fans - check out IndiePulseMusic.com's write up on American Sunset.  Then head over to Bruce's Facebook to see a video for Shelter Island.

[OCT 4] Johnnyswim fans - they will be live in the backyard again on Sunday October 25 at 6:30 PM Pacific time. I'm sure between now and then they will announce some surprises and some exclusive merchandise, so keep an eye on their Instagram.

[OCT 4] I think that brings us to  YouTube.  This week singer/songwriter Mac Davis passed away. Donna was a guest on his variety show in the late 70s and we are left with these 2 clips:  Donna performing A Song For You, and a gospel medley with Mac Davis, Dolly Parton, Tom Jones and of course Donna. Then we have a 2003 interview for Fresh Air (audio only). On that one, only the first half hour is Donna. And finally, in honor of the Summer Fever Pick, we have a 1991 concert from Japan starring Donna in her blonde wig.  :-)

[SEP 27] Greetings all! It's been a pretty quiet week.  I will say though that Donna's latest remixes have been seeing some chart action. The Hot Stuff mix was as high as #1 on the ITunes Dance chart, although currently it sits at #8. And on the iTunes world chart it was #4 but now it's down to #22.  I have to say the iTunes charts are fun to watch because they are so volatile.  You never know from one hour to the next where something will be in the charts!

[SEP 27] Happy belated birthday to Bruce Sudano!  Bruce fans on Facebook can watch a video about the inspiration for Bruce's latest song, Keep Doin' What You're Doin'.

[SEP 27] I mentioned last week that Bruce has some new merchandise for sale on his website.  If you are outside the US and would like to purchase something form his site, send an email to brucesudanomerch@gmail.com.

[SEP 27] Mary Gaines Bernard fans - as you know, she started a Facebook group for fans, and this weekend she just posted a new video story about her time with Donna.  She also started a Patreon account which is just starting to get rolling. It looks like the plan is to debut Mary's story videos there and then bring them over to Facebook.  This might be a really good option for those people who don't like Facebook.  So far only 2 of us have signed up to be Patreon supporters, so it's a little lonely over there. Come keep us company!  :-)

[SEP 27] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I feel like doing some old interviews. So this week we have a 1978 interview with Rona Barrett, a 1978 interview with Johnny Carson,  a 1981 interview for the Midnight Special,  an early 80s interview in German with footage of the filming of the State Of Independence video,  a Mike Douglas interview about Love To Love You, and a 1986 Good Morning America interview with Dick Clark.

[SEP 27] And finally a note to my American friends - early voting has started in some places already (or vote by mail is available now in some places) and in other places it will be starting soon.  So please, if you haven't already, make sure you are registered to vote, educate yourself on the issues and candidates, and then make a plan to get out there to vote! Make your voice heard! And since the polls are likely to be very busy this year, I highly recommend voting early if your state allows it. Oh and I know everybody like to focus on the Presidential race, but it is just as important to focus on your local candidates as well.  Those people have just as much (if not more) direct effect on your everyday life as the President does.)

[SEP 20] Happy Sunday all! I guess the best place to start is in the land of remixes.  First up is the Le Flex Sunset Remix of Nightlife.  It's got a completely different vibe from the original. And then with way more fanfare, we got the new Kygo mix of Hot Stuff complete with music video starring Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes from Outer Banks.  The Hot Stuff mix hit #1 on the iTunes Dance Chart and #10 on the  iTunes Top 200.   :-) You can read  about the mix on kticradio.com. (Oh and if you like  behind the scenes things - EDM.com has some  pictures from the Hot Stuff video shoot.)

[SEP 20] Bruce Sudano fans - check out his new song and video Keep Doin' What You Are Doin'. Note - this video features the return of Super Bruce who was last seen in The Mountain.  The song is available to stream at  the usual places (Spotify, etc), and it got a write up on BSidesBadlands.com.

[SEP 20] Speaking of the return of Super Bruce - he is now a bobblehead that you can buy.  He is also available as a magnet, a pin and a sticker. And of course if music is more your thing,  autographed CDs of Spirals vol 1 are still available for sale, as well as cd and vinyl for  21st Century World.  Grab any (or all!) of those on Bruce's website.  (And yes, I ordered a bobblehead just because it makes me laugh.)

[SEP 20] Johnnyswim fans - they posted their cover of Dear Theodosia (taken from their latest Live In The Backyard event) on YouTube as a stand alone video.

[SEP 20] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I have an eclectic mix of clips this week - stuff that just fell in my lap.  First up, the JRX 2020 Lockdown remix of Hot Stuff. Then we have Donna's live cover of Natural Woman along with Donna's spoken intro about "twins".  (Those of you who saw the shows where she did it know what I mean. Everyone else - prepare to be entertained.  :-) ) Then we have Donna's performances of Last Dance and On The Radio for Merv Griffin's 1993 New Year's Eve Special. And finally we have Donna's cover of Georgia On My Mind.

[SEP 12] Happy Saturday all! Wanderer fans (in North America)  -  the US Amazon store now has the pink vinyl available for pre-order.  Now if Amazon isn't your thing, Barnes and Noble has it listed too,  along with ImportCDs.com.  I am told that Import CDs will slap a customs fee on anything shipped out of the US.

[SEP 12] So, The Wanderer isn't the only album coming out soon in colored vinyl.  In November we can expect to see Bad Girls in beautiful blue and red translucent vinyl.   :-) FNAC.com has the images posted already.

[SEP 12] Johnnyswim fans: our favorite duo filmed episode 2 of their Live In The Backyard concert series and you can now watch it on YouTube.  During the show, they debuted the video they made (and directed themselves) for Til We Get Back Again. You can also watch that on YouTube.

[SEP 12] Bruce Sudano fans: Bruce has a new video out for his new song American Sunset from his forthcoming EP, Spirals vol. 2. It is very much a song for the times we find ourselves in now.  Bruce got to talk a little about the song to American Songwriter. Song Facts also talks about the song.  And of course you can find the new song on all of your favorite music sources.  :-)

[SEP 12] I think that brings us to YouTube. This week... well, it's been a weird week (like every week in 2020 LOL). I feel like we need some songs of encouragement. So we'll start with Riding Through The Storm. Then we have the unreleased We're Gonna Win, the also unreleased ballad for I Will Live For Love, a performance of Carry On, and of course I can't leave out Stamp Your Feet.  And as a bonus, here's a live performance of Amazing Grace.  I saw Donna do that one a couple of times in concert in response to terrible events. (In particular I remember her doing it in Boston to honor the victims of the bombing in the London Underground.)

[SEP 6] Happy Sunday all! I hope my American friends are enjoying the holiday weekend!  So let's start off with The Wanderer. One of the new mixes is available for sale now - the Figo Sound mix of Looking Up (and the extended version as well.)  The mix was posted first on Facebook as a lyric video,  but then Suecase Hall got his hands on it and made a fan video which you can see on YouTube.   :-) By the way - if you have Spotify, you can find the new mix there as well too.  It's so nice to see The Wanderer tracks getting so much love these days.  I've always looked at that album as an old friend. :-)

[SEP 6]  Bruce Sudano fans -  catch Bruce performing on a live webcast Election night (November 3) for the I Voted concert series. That will be so much more fun to watch than the talking heads on TV trying to analyze the election results. (You know how they are - "With 0.0001% of the votes counted, we can confidently predict that one of the candidates will win. And the others will lose."  LOL)

[SEP 6] Johnnyswim fans - as you already know, episode 2 of live from the backyard is slated for September 10. And they have just announced that Chip and Joanna Gaines will be among their special guests. Also, (and this is important) there will be special merchandise available for the show including tie-died shirts, crew jackets, and other special surprises. The merchandise "table" opens Wednesday September 9 at 8 AM PST and will remain open for 72 hours.  It is the sales from the merchandise that finance these backyard concerts, so  if you want to keep seeing the shows make sure you grab some merchandise.  :-) Also note - the shirts were tie dyed by hand by Johnnyswim - so when you watch the show Thursday, see if they ever got the dye off their hands.  ROTFLOL

[SEP 6] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I have a sort of random mix of clips that came my way this week. First is the Suecase Hall video for Grand Illusion. Then we have a Donna vs Michael Jackson mix called Bad Girls (Can't Let Them Get Away), an acapella  recording of Bad Girls (which is Donna and the backing singers  with the music mostly removed from the track), an acapella recording for Love Is In Control, the Groovefunkel alternate vocal mix of Last Dance, and finally a 1999 commercial for McDonald's featuring She Works Hard For The Money with alternate lyrics recorded just for the campaign. Did somebody say McDonna's?  LOL

[AUG 30] Happy Sunday all!  The new month starts on Tuesday, so I am posting the new Summer Fever Pick now. We are welcoming the fall with Another Place And Time. (On a side note - what the heck happened to summer?  Even in quarantine, time flies!)

[AUG 30] Okay, on to Donna. First up, BBC radio 4 posted the episode of Great Lives: Jessie Ware on Donna Summer. It runs for about a half hour and includes commentary from Pete Bellotte. (That's extra cool since we don't get to hear from him often. They also use some clips from archived BBC interviews with Donna, and they have commentary from the Danielle Smith, author of an upcoming book called Shine Bright: A Personal History of Black Woman In Pop. It sounds like it might be an  interesting book. :-)

[AUG 30]  North American fans - good news about the forthcoming anniversary edition of The Wanderer. The CD version is available for pre-order from Amazon.com.  As of right now, they don't have the vinyl available, but that is something to keep an eye on. The release date for the CD is October 6 - same as in the UK.

[AUG 30] We may be looking forward to a Kygo mix of one of Donna's songs. He did an interview recently where he mentioned that he was doing a project that he wasn't sure he could talk about yet, and his hint was that it would be for the Queen Of Disco. When one of the hosts Googled "Queen Of Disco" (don't get me started on that! LOL) and guessed "Donna Summer", Kygo said "Maybe..." Oh yeah... it's her! LOL

[AUG 30] Spotify users - there is a new playlist out there called Donna Summer: Top Tracks.  It kicks off with Love's About To Change My Heart (from our Summer Fever Pick!)  and includes  an eclectic bunch of tracks from Love To Love You all the way up to Crayons. There are some mixes, some remasters , some hits, and some deep cuts. At 57 tracks, this playlist will keep you company for a long time!  :-)

[AUG 30] Johnnyswim fans - they are live in the backyard again on Thursday September 10 at 6 PM PST. They are planning to have at least one special guest, and there will be exclusive merchandise only available for 72 hours starting the day before the show. Even better - they are hand tie-dyeing the shirts THEMSELVES.  If you follow them on Instagram, you will see in their stories some of the adventures in tie-die.  Their backyard concerts have been lots of fun so be sure to tune in on either Instagram of YouTube. (The YouTube feed is much higher quality though.)

[AUG 30] Also in Johnnyswim news, look for a new video for one of their Songs With Strangers EP soon. Our favorite duo sneaked off  for an afternoon to shoot and direct their own video for Till We Get Back Again, and they will debut it during their upcoming Live In The Backyard broadcast. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

[AUG 30] I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's celebrate our Summer Fever Pick.  First up, This Time I Know It's For Real and I Don't Wanna Get Hurt from Top Of The Pops.  Then we have an ABC News feature to promote Another Place And Time,  and an appearance on Arsenio Hall also to promote the album.  And finally, there is the rarely seen official video for When Love Takes Over You.

[AUG 23] Greetings all!  Well, we now have order links for The Wanderer 40th Anniversary edition.  It is available in vinyl or CD at Amazon UK (which is unfortunately NOT shipping to the US at this time.) Resident-Music.com also has it (and that looks like it will ship to the US but I didn't look up the shipping costs) and TownsendMusicStore.com also will ship to the US... but shipping costs almost as much as the item itself!  LOL I'm sure as we get closer to the October 16 release date there may be other options for purchase, or Amazon UK may start shipping overseas again. In the meantime use the Townsend Music link above, or this Facebook link to see what the vinyl looks like.  (It looks really nice, although the pink vinyl is paler than I expected.)

[AUG 23] In the Donna is everywhere ... or not.. category, there is a kebab place in the UK called Doner Summer. And there is an item on the menu called the Bad Girl Berlin.  :-)  I have no idea how the food is (the menu looks good)  but if you find yourself in Leeds or York, go check them out.

[AUG 23] Johnnyswim fans - guess what? The duo are planning to be live in their backyard again on September 10.  They are also planning some surprises for that night. Keep an eye on their Instagram for updates.

[AUG 23] I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's celebrate The Wanderer this week in honor of the upcoming pink vinyl.  :-) So first up is the official video for the title track.  Then we have the new Le Flex Poolside mix of Grand Illusion, the live version of The Wanderer from Tom Snyder's talk show, Cold Love from the same show, and a stampyourfeet video for the studio version of Cold Love that incorporates clips from Art On Ice.  And finally we have liveandmore's video for Grand Illusion that uses footage from the Whenever There Is Love video to really great effect and a Suecase Hall video for Running For Cover that makes great use of both the 1980 TV Special and A Hot Summer Night.

[AUG 16] Happy Sunday all!  I can't believe summer is almost over and we had to waste so much of it in quarantine.  So listen, if there is any other virus out there looking to cause a quarantine - I am hereby decreeing that you can only do so in horrible weather when nobody wants to go out!  LOL  (Wouldn't it be nice to have god like powers like that?  LOL)

[AUG 16] So on to Donna.   :-)   BBC Radio 4 has a series called Great Lives where they spend a half an hour talking about - well whoever the subject is that week. They cover everybody from Maya Angelou to Mussolini and everything in between so there is a decent variety of subjects.  Anyway, on Tuesday August 25 at 4:40 PM UK time, they will feature Donna.  Here's the best thing.... unlike BBC television, BBC Radio is not locked into UK residents only.  So we here in North America (and I am assuming most other places as well) can listen in live online. And shortly after the broadcast it will be available to stream on demand.  So check out the BBC 4 website.

[AUG 16]  In the land of politics,  the Vote Proud campaign here in the US is using Enough Is Enough to help bring out the LGBTQ+ vote.  The ad has gotten enough attention that BroadwayWorld.com has an article about it (and a link to the video) , Variety has an article about it (also with the video), and so does CNN. And this is probably a good time for what may be the first of many public service announcements for my American friends. (Everybody else - skip ahead.  lol)  Election Day is rapidly approaching and this year... well this is probably the weirdest year I've ever lived through.  Between the post office being all messed up and the pandemic, voting may be more difficult this year. But don't let that discourage you!  As a citizen, it not just your right, but your RESPONSIBILITY to educate yourself on the issues and VOTE for the candidates you feel will do a good job.  So if you are not already registered, go register now. If you are planning to vote by mail - do it as soon as you possibly can in your state, and if you are planning to vote in person, see if your state allows early voting and do that to avoid some of the lines.

[AUG 16] In the Donna's music is everywhere category,  I Feel Love is used in the latest commercial for Amazon Alexa. (Watch it until the end.  :-) )

[AUG 16] Johnnyswim fans - as you know, our favorite duo performed live in their backyard the other day to celebrate Amanda's birthday.  You can catch the show here on YouTube.

[AUG 16]  Bruce Sudano has also been performing live on the internet.  He filmed a short clip for Ditty TV that you can see on Facebook.  And he also did a half hour set for the Philadelphia Folk Festival  which had to go online this year.  Now if you bought a ticket and watched online last night like I did, you will know there was a problem with the feed.  That has been corrected for the archive which is available on line - probably only to ticket holders though.  If you want to catch the archived performance, use this link then scroll to about 9:25 - well, unless you want to check out all the other talented acts too.  :-)

[AUG 16] Mary Bernard fans - as you know she and her daughter created a Facebook Group for the diehard Donna Summer fans where she can share stories from all those years of touring.  She posted another video just the other day, so group members should check that out if they haven't already. And those interested in joining the group should check out Mary's public page for info.

[AUG 16] I think that brings us to YouTube.  All these live performances this week puts me in the mood for more concerts.  So let's see some of Donna's concerts.  First up the Crayons tour at Jones Beach, NY 2008, then we have Brazil in 1995,  the Mistaken Identity tour in Japan 1991,  and live in Japan 1979.

[AUG 8] Happy Saturday all! If you are looking for some music to play while you check out the update,  Try this megamix from De Manger. I was playing it while writing this.  :-)

[AUG 8] Let's start with The Wanderer's 40th anniversary.  :-)  To celebrate, a special anniversary edition of the CD is coming out with extra mixes plus liner notes by Christian John Wikane.  There will be new interviews with Pete Bellotte, Harold Faltermeyer, Bruce, Tom Kelly , Figo Sound and Le Flex. Plus they are throwing in some archived interviews with Carmen Grillo and Donna.  The mixes include 2 Figo Sound mixes of The Wanderer, 2 Figo Sound mixes of Looking Up,  2 Le Flex mixes of Nightlife and the Le Flex Grand Illusion mix we've already heard.  :-)  (All the ones with 2 mixes are  basically an extended version and a radio edit of the mixes.) RetroPop Magazine has an article about the release.  Oh and you vinyl hounds will like this.... the album will also be released in a 2 LP pink and black vinyl set.  (I bet it will be gorgeous!)  :-)  Look for that October 20. Order links are not available yet, but I assume you can get it from all the usual sources.

[AUG 8] SIriusXM's Studio 54 Radio is celebrating it's 9th birthday on August 15.  In honor of the occasion, they will be counting down the listeners' Top 54.  If you want to vote, the list of choices is here.  You can vote ONCE between now and August 12, then tune in at 4PM on August 15 to see how your songs placed.  :-)

[AUG 8] Johnnyswim fans -  first of all, don't forget that they are doing a live concert from their backyard on Instagram and YouTube on Tuesday August 11 to celebrate Amanda's birthday.  There will also be special merchandise available on that day AND if people tune in and buy the shirts, they will keep doing these shows.  One note, if you  have the choice of which service to use for the stream - YouTube is the higher quality one.  And no time has been posted yet, so stay tuned to their Instagram for an announcement on that. I know the last one they did ran a little late for the east coast, so I think they were going to try for an earlier time.  But they also have kids to feed and get to bed, so who knows?

[AUG 8] As you know, Johnnyswim is slated to have a show on the new upcoming Magnolia Network.  (The network was supposed to debut this fall, but it has been pushed back due to the COVID virus situation. So stay tuned for a new date for that.)  Anyway, CountryLiving.com has an article teasing the various shows slated to air on Magnolia and the article features a video from Johnnyswim singing Home inter cut with clips of the Ramirez family at home.

[AUG 8] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I feel like doing some Donna medleys tonight. So first up, her country medley with Eddie Rabbit.  Then we have a gospel medley with Mac Davis, Dolly Parton and Tom Jones,  a Motown medley with the Brooklyn Dreams,  the 1980 Grammy medley with Kenny Rogers, the My Man Medley from her 1980 TV Special, and a short hits medley from 1999.

[AUG 1] Happy Saturday all! Sorry last weekend's update was late. I had some technical difficulties with the upload.  This week let's start with the new Summer Fever Pick which is All Systems Go.  :-)

[AUG 1] Something else new this week is... the Le Flex Poolside mix of Grand Illusion.  This the first of 4 mixes that are being released to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Wanderer.  (Yes we are all old!  LOL)  Now I am going to give you one small tip for when you play this mix.  When I first heard it, I thought it was the weirdest thing ever. And then after about 10 seconds, I realized that I had another open tab in my browser that was playing something else at the same time.  Oops!  LOL (It's not so weird when you play only one thing at a time. )

[AUG 1] In this day and age of everyone wearing face masks, you might want  to make a statement with yours.  If you head to RedBubble.com,  they have a ton of Donna Summer masks. (Like lots of the t-shirts out there now, these are not authorized by the estate.) Now as someone who has had to become a connoisseur  of face masks (I work in a pharmacy), I bought a RedBubble one for a friend and the fabric is comfortable, but there is no metal piece to tighten it over your nose, so it might be prone to slip.  The earloops are not adjustable either, but you can buy the adjuster beads online if that is an issue.  (If you are crafty, you can probably also add some bendable metal for the nose too. And of course as with most face masks these days, you have to be patient with the shipping.  Seriously.... I never thought I'd have to become an expert in face masks.  2020 is weird!

[AUG 1] Moving on to Johnnyswim. August 11 is Amanda's birthday so the duo have decided to celebrate with another live streamed concert from their backyard.  :-)  They will stream it on their Instagram and YouTube   accounts and I can tell you from my experience with the last one that Youtube is a much higher quality stream. They haven't picked a time yet, so stay tuned to the Johnnyswim Instagram page for more details as they come.   Abner is already promising surprises. :-)

[AUG 1] And that brings us to YouTube.  This week, let's celebrate the Summer Fever Pick.  First up is the official video for All Systems Go.  Then we have the official video for Dinner With Gershwin,  then an interview done on the set of the original unused video for Dinner With Gershwin,  a 1987 UK interview promoting the album,  All Systems Go live in the UK,  Dinner With Gershwin from a TV appearance,  Jeremy live in Japan,  and Love Shock from a TV appearance.

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