Mar 20, 20239 min read

Kokomo

My first experience cruising (on a ship, anyway) was a delightful one; I was nine years old (1961) and traveled on the SS Argentina from New York City to Rio de Janeiro. We stopped in Barbados where I saw my first Marimba band and my first string bikini. Both made a lasting impression. The cruise was a kid’s dream: swimming, unfettered access to all the food and drink I wanted without having to pay for it. I did not have to check in with my parents until dinner time and no one supervised me. I saw movies in a theatre whenever I wanted: here I repeatedly watching the Bugs Bunny Cartoon featuring an Wagnerian opera score (“Kill the Wabbit, Kill the Wabbit……”) and a first glimpse of my musical interests surfaced, The Von Trapp Family Singers, a movie which told their story featuring the music they actually sang —which was a far cry from that found in the The Sound of Music.

The very first adult cruising experience I ever had was in the Fall of 1993; my family and I traveled the Caribbean. Here, I experienced a Beatle retrospective cover band called Rain. They were excellent and while doing live music, captured a feeling that took me back to 1963. They were memorable.

While on the Beachboy Cruise this March (Norwegian Cruise Liner Pearl), I was surprised to see that Rain was a featured band doing the exact same cover. I had been introduced to one of the theatre’s managers, Dave Scruggs and mentioned the seeming time warp. He smiled broadly and then related that what he had heard was that one of the current members had inherited the band from his father. The show was very good: they play the music live and it is remarkable, capturing the sounds I heard over and over on the radio and records back in the day. Paul played a left handed bass and his face and body movements were grocked beautifully. Ringo was no doppelgänger but his drum solo from final song of the second side of Abbey Road was spot on. George’s guitar work was great and his face matched—reasonably —and like the real George, he did not interact much with the audience. John’s voice and accent—seemingly good to this American ear— did not line up with the face perfectly; his body movement and antics however, did. They tour and if you get a chance to see them, they are worth seeing.

The Beachboy cruise put on by Sixthman (sixthman.net), has found an intriguing niche in themed musical cruises. This was a bit of a gamble/adventure for me as over the years, I have associated cruising with a) crowds b) people obsessed with food c) not enough time in port d) crowds e) bad behavior f) boredom when at sea. I am pleased to report that this cruise allowed for favorable adjustments to all the above. And there were string bikinis! I had a delightful time on this cruise and was not at all bored or troubled by my shipmates. If you like music, this approach can be your oyster in that there is music to be found through much of each day. My musical interests are a mile wide and an inch deep; if you want an in-depth review of the first day’s music (the Beach Boys and the Isley Brothers) consider going to pantheon.com and looking up Andrew Hickey’s in-depth report: a virtual Mariana Trench of musical analysis and history.

The experience reinforced how the world has changed. Mike Love is in his late 70’s and the surviving Righteous Brother (Bill Medley) who sang beautifully, is in his early 80’s. There was no hiding that. The audience was varied with a majority either looking like me or certainly recognizable as peers: the 65-75 year old crowd. But while we were a majority, there were kids ie 40 somethings—and they know the lyrics to old Beachboy songs. And we know why, right?

Even if you don’t know why, the scene with the Beachboy’s our first night at sea was remarkable. They played on a stage built over a pool deck. Before them a good crowd many in variations of surf or tropical wear. The wind was twenty knots. It was pleasant and warm and the video screen behind them provided a backdrop to each song. My musical interests don’t take much pop music seriously, however, this was the stuff of my growing up. While I studiously reject nostalgia, some of the songs and videos playing behind them brought me to tears—no small thing. I knew the lyrics too, though I had not heard many of them for decades. These guys know what they are doing.

The Sixthman management has a lot of expertise. For example, the stage is an engineering marvel which in a storm has to be lightened and adjusted as does the venue for the music which people have paid for. This has to be done, “on the fly.” The performance of the staff putting this together night after night in a variety of conditions was remarkable and seamless.

Pausing between songs, and regarding the audience, I was surprised by a number of things. Those in the 65-75 year age range have not always fared well. There were a number of POV’s (power operated vehicles or carts for people with disabilities) on deck. I learned that there were more than seventy in play and that a valet parking attendant had to be assigned duty to keep aisles and emergency lanes open during events. I can’t help but look at crowds with my medical eye and I saw unhealthy people, people with cerebral palsy, kids with Down’s syndrome, and people with after-effects of a stroke—all seen on a rolling deck in a wind. Reflecting on the cruising environment I learned that it is very favorably disposed towards the ADA community and I came to honor all these people whose love of music put them on this boat. While I got tearful with the Beachboy’s, it was for the Temptations that had Kernie singing, dancing, and clapping. At one point, next to the security guard by our seats, I was standing and while stretching put my foot on a barrier and started to go down. He caught me with a very soft, “I’ve got you,” uttered and yes, he did. I could not thank him enough and he said earnestly, “Are you kidding? No problem! I do that at least four times a day……”

There was a downside; indoors, an accident occurred and I suspected DUI. A little old lady (LOL—not LOL) hitching a ride on the back of a POV fell off and “degloved” the skin from part of her lower leg near the entrance of the casino.

I was not sure if we would meet many people on this trip. Kernie and Darby and I mostly hung together. I did meet a singer of an ABBA cover band with pink hair and tattoos that required some explanation. She was centered and delightful and reminded me something from my practice which is, you can’t judge a book…..… We met an Englishman who had been to six Leonard Skynard Sixthman cruises and more. This was his second Beachboy cruise and his companion, met during one of the Skynard tours was named, Purple Reign. She looked the part! I introduced myself to Mr. Hickey ( I have mentioned him before as he writes and narrates the podcast, “The History of Rock in 500 Songs”). I surprised him by recognizing him from his photo and regret we did not have a chance to share more than greetings. His depth regarding this music is something to behold.

People watching is indeed part of the fun of cruising provided you can find privacy when you need it. We did—our afternoon naps were peaceful and on one occasion, with the slide door open so as to feel the breeze and hear the wake’s sound, I heard a monotone in a child’s voice. I could not quite make out the sound until I got up and went to the rail. Somewhere nearby, a small child recited, “Help me Rhonda, help help me Rhonda——Help me Rhonda, help help me Rhonda.”

More routine cruising experiences were found—the crowds searching for food and drink. I saw l people interact kindly with a very pleasant staff, and I saw people look through, “the help” and insist on getting their needs met immediately: “Get me a lemon NOW.” It is the stuff of our crowded world’s life in this, an environment of mostly pleasant experiences. Even in the crowded venues, people mostly behaved and the visual mix of audience remains a vision. Sixthman offers a loyalty program to recurring cruisers of all manner of musical genres. On this trip,there were reunions of tattooed fans of Kiss among other bands (I did not recognize) congregating below the stages. There were multiple fashion alerts which these days get my attention way more than tattooed sleeves or facial piercings.

There was an all girl band, the Surfergettes from Toronto, Canada doing garage band instrumental surfer music. No tears were forthcoming, but they did tap the nostalgia keys really really well. They played “Ghostriders in the Storm” as well as a number of Ventures classics I recognized, and lastly, a cover of the Blondie’s “Heart of Glass.”

A surprise was found within two short concerts with Jimmy Webb. I did not recognize his name, but I did recognize his songs: Up Up and Away, Galveston, Wichita Lineman, By the Time I get to Phoenix, and much to my surprise, All I Know (Art Garfunkel’s first hit song after the breakup). He sang on a piano with a guitarist for very minimalist accompaniment and he was masterful, telling great stories along the way. He had a great shit eating grin when he pointed out that many song requests at his concerts find him explaining, “Well, I would but Burt Bacharach wrote that…..” I was pleased to have made that connection especially following the monologue preceding MacArthur Park which he described as being a part of his psychedelic phase. I have wondered why that song held such a strong grip on me in those days before Woodstock. It was psychedelic and I did not get that.

There were on-shore experiences to be found: I can now say I went to Belize—sort of. The boat docked off a privately owned island and we were told we could buy what we needed on shore with our key cards. That turned out to not be true. Darby outlined a typical, Moeller, “what can go wrong?” scenario: “So you just take your key card and you want to buy something but need cash or a credit card—so far so good. Bring some cash and one credit card. Now, you break your leg and need to go to a nearby clinic; you need not only a credit card, but your passport. Did you bring it? Who is going to fetch it for you and what was that safe combination again? How far away is the boat from the clinic? Helicopter evacuation for your heart attack? Same.” Meanwhile, the beach was full of coral shards, shells, and coarse sand; the water was warm, and overhead, a zip line with the occasional exuberant helmeted rider that started at the top of a “lighthouse” and ended somewhere in the jungle. The temperature and breeze were perfect as we relaxed under our palapa. I soaked up salt water and sun so I am in fact, checking the, “I have been to Belize” box. I passed on the Mexican village experience the next day: Costa Maya is a small, made-for-the-cruise line town that had fake temples mimicking Uxmal, Palenque, and quaint colonial styled buildings. I got the best massage I have had in ages on board—and a nap.

One more windy night and we caught the Temptations again. The Righteous Brothers came on and in the wind, Bill Medley’s daughter was introduced while holding her dress firmly as it attempted to do a “Marilyn moment—“ she announced that she was pregnant and sang a beautiful soulful version of “California Dreaming.” Her dad had great stage presence and with a pause, muttered, “Pregnant, huh?”

I took time to introduce myself to the medical clinic on board, feeling nostalgic about my work on a small ship in 1994. The crisply dressed young Indian doctor from Bombay gave me short tour and made me feel very old. They had an automated lab, digital xray machine, ventilators, and icu beds. I was so out of my element as I considered my attempts at performing a manual white count mid Atlantic in 1994. In a rolling sea. While seasick…….he did not want to hear my war stories and I did enjoy knowing that the resource looked pretty complete.

Opportunities to meet celebrities are always tricky for me; I want to treat celebrities the way I would want to be treated which is mostly, to be left alone. We had a photo shoot ( along with our other 2000 guests) with Mike Love and Bruce Johnston. I rehearsed what I would say for our fifteen second run—“Well, you guys were there for Junior High and High School, I guess it is time for the graduation picture.” Bruce asked, “Which High School?” Our responses got no recognition, and it was time to move on.

It is clear that sixthman.net has found a remarkable niche for a different kind of vacation. Check out their web site if you are a music fan and see if they have something for you! I am eyeing the Cayamo tour 2024.

Disclosure: This opportunity came about because my daughter Darby, works for Sixthman. She was a very generous hostess and delighted us with this new experience. Shout out to Darby.