Saturday, November 14, 2026

Saturday 9: Locked Away

On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun…
 

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Adam Levine asks, "If I showed you my flaws, would you still love me the same?" Nobody is perfect. What little flaw do you have that you imagine makes you hard to live with?
I don’t know, I am very laid-back and get along with people and for some that might be a problem

2) Adam sings along with R. City, a hip-hop duo from Saint Thomas. The U.S. Virgin Islands are known for clean beaches, snorkeling and diving and palm trees. Does the idea of a sand-and-surf vacation appeal to you?
Um… I have a cottage on Cape Cod. So yeah I like the beach.

3) R. City are brothers Theron and Timothy Thomas. As kids they took both music and dance lessons. Would you rather sing or dance?
Neither. You don’t want to hear me sing and your feet are glad that I don’t dance.

4) When they were still in their teens, the Thomas brothers left the Virgin Islands to find success in the Miami music scene. Instead of working in a recording studio, they made ends meet with jobs in retail – Theron at Kroger Grocery and Timothy at Party City. What's the most recent thing you bought at the store? (Items delivered to your door don't count.) Did you pay by cash or card?
Card.
I like getting cash back from my card.

5) They eventually found success as deejays on the Miami party circuit, but it's not what they wanted to do. The Thomas brothers realized they wanted to make their own music, not play someone else's. So after a few years they headed back to Saint Thomas, wiser and more focused. Did you ever reassess your career path?
Well er… I was an engineer and now I’m a social worker. So yeah.

6) The inspiration for "Locked Away" is their parents. Their dad lost everything due to drugs, got clean, and worked long hours at menial jobs as he struggled to get back on his feet. Their mother stayed by his side through it all. After more than 40 years, they are still together today. What song reminds you of your parents?
I don’t think anyone song reminds me of them but rather the big band era itself. They didn’t listen to that much music, usually Lawrence Welk.

7) Adam Levine soloed on "Locked Away." He's better known as the lead singer of Maroon 5 and for 16 seasons (including this one) on The Voice. Do you watch The Voice?
I never watched it.

8) In 2015, when this song was popular, chef Gordon Ramsay's daughter Matilda, then just 14 years old, got her own cooking show in the UK. What were you up to when you were 14?
I guess hanging out with the neighbor kids.

9) Random question: Do you pronounce "caramel" as two syllables or three ("car-mel" vs. "care-a-mel)?
"Car-mel"



This was a slow week, a dentist appointment for a filling that fell out and an appointment with a new lung doctors. Yesterday was the meeting of the governor’s advisory council I’m on. Lots of rainy yucky days.

One of the questions this week was, “The inspiration for "Locked Away" is their parents.” and the “Locked Away” triggered a memory of a movie about Provincetown called “Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson.” It is about…
The legal and financial saga surrounding Edith Lake Wilkinson involved the embezzlement of her inheritance by the family estate lawyer and her eventual transfer to a state asylum once her money ran out. Rather than a traditional courtroom battle where Edith could defend herself, it was a quiet takeover of her finances and autonomy by the men managing her affairs.

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