saturday 9: Angie Baby

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1) This week’s song is a spooky one about a young man who breaks into the bedroom of a troubled girl named Angie. Their encounter doesn’t go well and he’s never seen again. Though there’s been gossip, no one knows for sure what happened to him. Does your town have any scary legends that have been passed down through the decades?

I’m from Potsdam, NY, and there are a lot of spooky legends in the area. One of the most famous is centered at one of the local universities. Satterlee Hall at SUNY Potsdam is said to be haunted by the first dean of the college, Dr. Howard Satterlee. He has been seen wandering the third floor of the building. He’s also been known to turn on the light in the clock tower. Students have also reported orbs, as well as the sounds of marbles hitting wood.

2) Songwriter Alan O’Day said he drew upon aspects of his own childhood to come up with “Angie Baby.” He was an only child who often stayed home sick from school, with only Top 40 radio for company. What do you recall when you think about sick days as a kid?  

I wasn’t sick often, so when I did stay home from school, I was generally too sick to pay attention to much. I didn’t have a TV in my room, so it was the radio for me, too!

3) Helen Reddy said she enjoyed hearing what her fans thought happened in “Angie Baby.” Can you think of another song that is open to interpretation?ert

Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. Everyone has a different interpretation of the song, from death to greed to you name it. Even Robert Plant said that it’s meaning changes from day to day, from person to person.

4) When Helen and her husband/manager Jeff Wald heard “Angie Baby” the first time, they immediately agreed she should record it. She went into the studio that afternoon and in less than 10 days, disc jockeys were playing it and “Angie Baby” became international hit. When were you glad you acted on impulse?

When I sent a drink to an actor in a bar, a guy who grew up near me. It was the mid-1990s, and he was filming a TV show in the local area. I sent the drink, from one townie to another, not expecting a thing. But then he came over, sat down, and we ended up chilling with his friends and mine. We low-key dated eventually for several months. He was, and is, a nice guy.

Questions inspired by Halloween …. 

5) Though best known as a recording artist, Helen Reddy also acted on occasion and appeared as a singing nun in Airport 1975. A nun’s habit is a popular Halloween costume. Will you/did you dress up this year?

I’m going to be pretty stationary as I dole out candy, considering my current issues. But I have a pretty gray, renn-faire-esque dress with a gorgeous lavendery-pink hooded cloak embroidered with silver moons in its phases. I also have a long silver braid extension for my hair, and a gorgeous handknit slouchy witch hat decorated with pink, mauve, and purple flowers. Witchy woman!

6) In 2024, more Americans than ever dressed their dogs up for Halloween. Have you ever taken your pup with you trick-or-treating?

I always left the pups at home. I don’t want to take any ch

7) According to the Guinness Book of Records, the award for highest number of jack-o-lanterns in one place went to Keene, NH, where in 2013 there were 30,581. Did you carve a pumpkin for Halloween this year?

Nope. Too hot and humid in Hawai’i, so they rot crazy fast!!

8) In years gone by, the Irish celebrated Halloween not with pumpkins but by carving turnips, potatoes and beets. Are any of those foods in your kitchen right now?

Leftover potatoes from Monday’s roast, but that’s it.

9) Some Elvis fans insist his ghost hovers in the trees over Graceland. Have you ever seen a ghost?

I don’t know. But I’ve had some experiences I just can’t explain.