I THINK I INVENTED CARPOOL KARAOKE

     With all due respect to James Corden, I'm pretty sure I came up with carpool karaoke decades ago.

     I was lucky to go on lots of summer family vacations.  I seem to remember different station wagons, but the Gran Torino was the one I remember the most.  I'm sure you can double check with my brother, but I had two really annoying habits on road trips.

    One clear memory is my obsession with leaning over my father's shoulder and saying "do we have enough gas, is there enough gas, do we need gas?" over and over again.

   
      My prowess in math is legendary (not at all) and he would try to explain we get 11 miles to the gallon, our tank holds 29 gallons, blah...blah...blah.  My little brain would melt down, my eyes glazed over and I would sink back muttering "I hope we have enough gas".  So you know that one time that there was a problem with the gas tank?

     Yep, ran out of gas.  I am pretty sure I started wailing in the back seat.  And I'm also pretty sure I was like 16.  Not pretty.

     The other extremely annoying habit was being able to identify a song on the radio within the first 3 notes.  My father would exclaim "how the heck do you know all these?"  Just massive skill I guess.

    I would yell out "I Got You Babe" or "King of The Road" and begin to sing along much to the consternation of the rest of the family.   This amazing skill has continued to annoy those around me.  My favorite utilization of this talent was when I would drive my son to school  or on errands when he was younger.  He was allowed to put in a CD (kids Google it)....mostly rap / hip hop stuff.  Now, as we adults know...lots of this music had sampled bits.  So I would love to break into Earth Wind & Fire's "SEPTEMBER" that was mixed into some DJ song.  My son would roll his eyes...."how do you know THIS music too???  You are so annoying!"  Yes, that I am, just ask your Uncle or Dad.

   Now, some clarification.   I knew the songs, would sing (and still do) at full voice.  However, this does not mean I was correct with the lyrics all the time.  Most of the time, but there have been some doozies:

• Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival:  Correct lyric:  "There's a bad moon on the rise".  My version:  "There's a bathroom on the right".
• Blinded By The Light by Springsteen:  Correct lyric:  "Blinded by the light.  Revved up like a deuce another runner in the night".  My version:  "Blinded by the light.  Revved up like a DOUCHE another runner in the night".  I always got in trouble for that one.
• Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks:  Correct lyric:  "White winged dove, sings a song."  For years I was belting out "One winged dove, sings a song."  Makes absolutely no sense.

   And many more.....fortunately, this all happened in the good old days of not having everything filmed showing your ignorance for internet eternity.

   But one classic tune that I thought for years I was singing right, my exposure as being full of s^%$ was captured on a funny episode of my friends' YouTube channel.  Spandex Nation unMasked...check out their channel and here is the funny episode featuring my ignorance in all its glory.  And some other jackasses too:

Watch Patti & other jackasses