I’m sure there are times when all of us feel a little crazy. These are special moments that can make a huge difference in your life. Halloween is coming up and that was my excuse to wander off into lunacy. This past Wednesday at the D Cafe Lounge (16 North 9th Street in Darby, PA from 8;00 pm to 11 pm) we did our usual open mic, but some guy decided to wear a blonde wig and halo while singing. I’m not sure what was wrong with this guy (or maybe I do know) but this signifies how crazy the night was. That sad part was that some people said I actually “looked cute.” That is a “scary thought.” The most important thing is that we “had fun.” Thank you for checking out my Daily Thought and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.
Monthly Archives: October 2021
Brett Jolly’s Daily Thought (Still love the game of basketball)
People often chase after their past. I am content knowing that I don’t have to. When I was younger I used to wake up each morning at 5 am to go to the court and play basketball. I would be there all day until my mother came and got me. I loved the sport that much. As I got older I would take out all my frustrations on any one who tried to guard me. I fired up a lot of people who “tried.” In high school I tore the anterior cruciate ligament of my knee and everything that I worked hard for “went up in smoke.” I was not the same player anymore. I once scored 54 points in a game and felt like I was invincible on the court. The reality of my injury taught me otherwise. This video gives an idea of what it feels like to be on the court playing:
The other day I went back to the court. I had “absolutely no intentions of playing against anyone.” I was there for about 10 minutes shooting alone and that was fine for me. I had played many games against “old heads” during my prime and now I officially became one. I am fine with that. Surprisingly my shot was still pretty good. I didn’t want to jump at all because I didn’t want to risk hurting anything. I still love the game of basketball, but I am more of a spectator now. I think I am fine with that. Some people “who are still around” considered me to be one of the playground legends. I do music now, and I am safe with this. Thank you for checking out my Daily Thought and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.
Brett Jolly’s Daily Thought (Photoshoot of Renee)
Renee has such a fun spirit. She has worked with me before. She is a really good model and a real pleasure to work with. I hope you like her photoshoot. Thank you for checking out my Daily Thought and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.
Brett Jolly’s Daily Thought (Halloween)
I don’t think I have ever made a big deal out of Halloween. In the past 10 years no kids have even come to my house for trick or treat. I usually just end up eating all the candy myself. Years ago I remember going out for Halloween. I was lazy so I didn’t even get a costume. However, I did manage to get a small 3 by 5 card, and I simply “wrote on it and pinned it to my jacket.” I had a message saying “In reality I am a 5 foot 2 Caucasian woman with blonde hair.” For some reason that night I got a “LOT” of candy. I have heard some crazy scary stories, such as this one below:
Whatever you feel about Halloween you have every right to celebrate (or not celebrate). Considering all the craziness that is going on in the world I perfectly understand leaving it all alone. There are too many demented people doing stupid things to even take the chance. This year Halloween is on s Sunday, so I will be performing at church that day. Usually I am “extremely tired” after church so I like to sleep the rest of the day. “If” I feel like doing anything, I may want to check out those spooky haunted sites. I used to take my son each year and we had so much fun. Covid kind of wiped it out for a minute, but hopefully we can resume (If I can ever find the time to go). We shall see. Thank you for checking out my Daily Thought and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.
Brett Jolly’s Daily Thought (Tommy Debarge from Switch died)
I wrote something similar to this before. Years ago, some young lady wanted me to become a Jehovah’s witness (so that we could date). She was a member but I was not, so she asked someone from my profession to talk to me about joining. The man she had call me was Phillip Ingram and he was a leading member of the group “Switch.” He was also the brother to famed late singer James Ingram. You can see who he is in this video (Phillip is the first singer to sing lead. His line was “Many days have gone by.”)
When Phil called me we were supposed to talk about the Jehovah witness religion, but instead we had a “really good conversation” about the group “Switch.” I asked him what happened to the group and he said that they had recorded 3 successful albums and were doing “extremely well” but things started falling apart after that. He told me that the Debarge members of the group were really talented and their heads started filling up with all the success and fame they were achieving. After the third album they branched off to focus on the Debarge family (and other things). He said that he enjoyed the time they were big, but he understood that they had the chance to move onto other big things. I am writing this because one of those brothers, Tommy Debarge, died Thursday from Kidney failure mixed in with complications from covid. He can also be seen in the video playing bass guitar. It was a pleasure to hear the story about the rise and fall of Switch, and I am thankful for Phil telling it to me. My deepest sympathies go out to the Debarge family. Thank you for checking out my Daily Thought and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.
Brett Jolly’s Daily Thought (Performing a song I never done before)
Yes, I love to perform “all types” of music. I never like to stick to one genre or style. We “never” did this song before, but I wanted to try it out (so this is our very first time). I am singing the lead. I didn’t get all the words right but I think I got enough of it to make it work. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for checking out my Daily Thought and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.
Brett Jolly’s Daily Thought (My experiences with Ashford and Simpson)
For those of you who might not know, Ashford and Simpson are a historic songwriting and performing duo. They are the actual writers of “Ain’t no Mountain High Enough,” performed by Marvin Gaye and Tammie Terrell. They also had hits with their own solo careers. Tunes like “Solid as a Rock, Don’t cost you Nothing, and it seems to hang on” were signature hits for them. Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson were husband and wife. If you are not familiar with them, here is one of their videos:
I have had the honor to work with them on several occasions. I even had dinner with them. Unfortunately, Nick Ashford is deceased but Valerie is still around. She currently has an open mic event (which I got the chance to visit) in Manhattan, New York. One time I got to perform with them doing the song “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Valerie played the piano and the one thing I noticed was that she played it a little bit differently than it was played on the song for Marvin and Tammie. Nick was a tall man, and Valerie was short. On the surface you probably wouldn’t think they belonged together, but they did. I remember performing with Teddy Pendergrass in Westbury, New York (an outside venue) and while I was singing background (onstage) someone tapped me on the shoulder. Before I could turn around my first thought was “Who could possibly get to me onstage during a gig?” Well, it was “Ashford and Simpson” and they wanted to know if they could sing background for Teddy. “Of course, I gave them my microphone.” It was a really fun evening and I was really happy to be onstage with them. I have played for them on other occasions as well. I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to share my experience with you today. Thank you for checking out my Daily Thought and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.
Brett Jolly’s Daily Thought ( Need a new car right now?)
If you are like me, your car should be starting to “implode from within right now.” I think all cars are “designed” to “self destruct” after 5 years just so that the dealers can “make” you come back to them to buy another one. Mine is probably due, but I intend to hold on to my “Jolly-mobile” as long as I can. Considering the prices of cars today in the year 2021, you might want to consider doing the same thing. “New and used cars are INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE right now.” I could try to explain it, but this guy can do it a lot better than me:
My “Service Engine Soon” light is coming on, and as far as I am concerned it can keep coming on forever (or at least until the car breaks down) because I have “no intentions of paying for over priced cars.” I would rather stick my head into a live bee hive first. On top of all this, gas prices are the highest they have been in 13 years as well. I think I am going to find me one of those Flintstone cars where you put your feet on the ground to pedal it (Those people who are “young enough” know what I’m talking about). If your car is old, decrepit, funky (but still runs) then “congratulations.” As long as my car can still “get me there” I am going to drive it. Just in case I am also going to get my bike fixed up as well. I ain’t playing. Don’t let them “force” you into buying an over priced car, because then they will have “no justification to bring the prices back down.” Once they realize that no one will buy cars now then they will get their act together (or be broke). Thank you for checking out my Daily Thought and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.
Brett Jolly’s Daily Thought (remembering Colin Powell)
Say what you want about this man, but obviously his “integrity meant a lot” to him. This man was an African American Republican who (by today’s standards) would be considered “an outcast.” Colin Powell would define his party, but he wouldn’t let his party “define him.” Chris Wallace (who I also admire as someone much like Colin Powell) says it best in this interview:
In the current world where people of a certain party honor the standards of their party (no matter what) Colin Powell was a “breath of fresh air.” Yes, he gave an “incorrect” statement to the world about Iraq’s “weapons of mass destruction.” He didn’t want to give the speech but was overruled by his own bosses. Powell “admitted” his speech was wrong and he felt some kind of way from it. It led to him “eventually” crossing lines and endorsing candidates from different parties (Barack Obama and Joe Biden). “No one” is perfect.” I think the “real heroes” are the ones who willingly “admit their mistakes.” There will always be people who will have something negative to say about Colin Powell, but they cannot question the strength of his “integrity.” Colin Powell passed on at the age of 84. He had a lot of ailments but some are trying to say that his was a victim of the corona virus. He was fully vaccinated, but he was in such a weakened state that “the virus contributed to his death, but was not the sole cause.” If he were able to still speak today I believe he would be the first one to state that. This man of integrity will sorely be missed. Thank you for checking out my Daily Thought and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.
Brett Jolly’s Daily Thought (“That beautiful Philly mentality”)
Over the weekend I was very surprised to check out social media and see that my fellow citizens were in the news for something that they “didn’t” do. An incident occurred on a Philly subway whereby an unknown man “raped” a woman on a crowded train. Of course, the Philadelphia riders on the train did exactly what they felt was right. They did “NOTHING.” Here is the actual story:
“Well blow me down” (quoting Popeye). Can you even “imagine” this happening while you are riding a subway train? I can understand if you are a frail old woman (but if you owned a phone then you could have at least called the police). If you are a guy who just didn’t want to get involved then you are a “straight out punk.” What if this had been your sister, mother or daughter? Wouldn’t you want someone to help save her? I can understand you worrying whether or not this man had a gun, but chances are if his pants were not on then “obviously” there was “no place to hide it (and no, don’t even “think” of him putting it in there).” Obviously this incident “puts an ugly blotch” on Philadelphia residents. I know it doesn’t speak for all of us but people will look at this and make inferences. Bad or worse, I live in Philly and I am ashamed that this happened. I would have at least tackled him long enough for the woman to get away. Since his pants were obviously down this would have given me enough time to get off the train too (while he took the time to adjust himself). I just think that someone should have “Done Something.” Thank you for checking out my Daily Thought and as always I wish you the very best that life has to offer.
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