For a long time growing up, I always zigged when others zagged--it wasn't about being myself so much as insisting on being different from everyone else. When it came to celebrity crushes, I always insisted on traveling a little off the beaten path. When all my friends were cooing and giggling over Shaun Cassidy, I was more of an Andy Gibb fan (Andy had chest hair!!!! So much more sophisticated!). And when all my friends were ooohing and aaahing over Leif Garrett, Willie Aames and Scott Baio, I had it bad (real, real bad) for a guy most of them had never heard of. His name was Rad Daly and he played Buford Pusser's son Michael on the very short-lived TV series version of Walking Tall. For a couple of months, I was madly, passionately in love with him. I fantasized that my parents were going to get me him for my thirteenth birthday--what I might do with him once I had him was kind of vague, but man, did I want to make it more specific.The TV show was cancelled and I moved on (to soap hunks--that's a post for another day) and I haven't thought about Rad Daly for a bazillion years. Then one day, I was watching some sports thing with one of the boys (tennis? soccer? not sure) and saw this:
Yup. There he was--Rad Daly--hotter than ever--you know in a dressed in a totally dorky costume hawking men's undies kinda way. I have no idea what it was about his middle-aged face (especially set off by that ever-so-attractive apple costume) that clicked with me, but I checked him out on IMDB and we have a confirmed Rad Daly sighting. Once I'd confirmed it was him in the Fruit of the Loom commercial, it hit me that it's also him in the dippy Grape-Nuts commercial where his friend is being attacked by a bear but he is obliviously chowing down a bowl of the (loud) crunchy cereal.
Wow. I'm old.
Oh my gosh! I've had a flashback! I have a Leif Garrett album. It belonged to my aunt, but I loved listening to it! Hahahah! I'm such a dork!
ReplyDeleteTee, hee, hee! That cracks me up that your old crush is now an underwear fruit. SNORT!
ReplyDeleteI was the same way growing up. While everyone like Shaun Cassidy, I liked Parker Stevenson. In the 80s, I fancied John Cusak (still do) over Rob Lowe.
Dana--It's soooo sad, but we had one of the Leif Garrett albums, too and I loved the music (even though I didn't have room in my heart for Leif)--the sad part is I STILL have the album and I have listened to it within the past six months.
ReplyDeleteMomCat--John Cusack is sooooo much more substantial than Rob Lowe. I'd take him any day!
I wrote a letter to Shaun Cassidy....when I was 6. He still has yet to grow into his adams apple...
ReplyDeleteI liked Andy Gibb better, but I still listen to Shaun and Andy both. Once a dork, always a dork. (Me, not Shaun.)
ReplyDeleteHey, Shaun may not have grown into his adam's apple, but at least he's not on national TV dressed as an apple!!!!!!