California Dreams

Did Saturday morning television ever get any better than it was in the early 90's? This is a rhetorical question of course. Everyone around my age lovingly remembers Saved By the Bell. In fact, thanks to TBS reruns, generations of kids, and kids at heart, will learn to love the show as much as we all do. I am not sure everyone holds the equally awesome but less memorable California Dreams in the same regard.

To tell you the truth, it was basically the same show, with good looking, wacky, well meaning teenagers in a coastal California town. Except these teenagers had a band called The Dreams, hence the show title. Before you start to argue, Saved By the Bell had music too, but not in every episode. Their were some memorable Saved By the Bell musical episodes. A few that come to mind are any Zack Attack episode, the caffeine pill popping episode where Hot Sundae performs, and the "brings tears to your eyes every time" prom episode when Kelly could not afford a dress and Slater and Jessie sang Almost Paradise. Those were all fantastic! However, having music in every episode was a California Dreams specialty.

The music for the show was actually really great. The actors could sing, and actually did sing all the songs in the show and on the California Dreams album. You heard me correctly. An album, or more accurately, cassette tape, was produced for this show. Without keeping you in suspense any longer, I do own the tape. In fact, it is the only tape I still own and I keep it in my car at all times. I rarely listen to it, but every now and then I get a hankering for the them song Another favorite is the "true to its title" Castles on Quicksand, the epic brother/sister ballad "If You Only Knew," and an Erin Stafford favorite "One World."

Erin and I worked together at UNLV in Las Vegas for a while. One day we got to talking about California Dreams and I mentioned that I had the cassette tape in my car. I think she thought I was joking at first, or maybe just wanted to believe I was joking and not really that big a......fan. Let's go with fan! Later that day we went to lunch at this terrible mexican food restaurant across the street called El Patio. The place was really not that good, but we seemed to go there once or twice a month. We took my car and as we pulled out of the parking lot I remembered the tape so I turned it on so Erin could here the song that would become her favorite. I know the words to all the songs on the tape, but I do not put near as much heart into singing the others as I do when I belt out the rap verse on "One World." This song, more than any other, really features all four of the original cast members on the show. Lead singers and siblings Jake and Jenny get most of the action on this one. Tiffani gets a solo verse too. However, when Tony rocks the mic with his rap, it puts a smile on my face and soul in my voice. I wish I had a camera on Erin when she saw me sing the verse you see below. Her reaction was classic! The fact that she is still my friend after she saw that is a true testament to the type of friend she is!

It's not about the white, it's about the right thing.

Sisters and brothers, soul has no color.

Everyone of us is one, underneath the sun.

We have begun telling everyone about love.

Put away that loaded gun!

Use imagination, we are one nation.

Every boy and every girl, come on everybody, we are one world.

Is it just me or could that song cure what ails our nation today? I think it could. Perhaps I should send a mixed tape to our nation's leaders. Perhaps we should have an all California Dreams all the time radio station. These are all valid questions!

Dana and I were on the phone last week and she mentioned that Jimmy Fallon had hosted a California Dreams reunion episode on his late night show. I rarely watch any late night tv, but was happy to find the clip below on hulu.com. In the clip, Jimmy gathers the entire cast of the California Dreams. This is also what inspired the blog. I could not have been happier to hear these voices sing then if I had been there myself. Please enjoy the clip. If you feel you need a copy of my California Dreams tape let me know. I will have to build a time machine to go back and find a store that still sells blank tapes, but I will see what I can do!