Saturday Night Nostalgia

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Transcript

00:00You know, growing up, Saturday nights were sacred in our house.

00:04While other kids were glued to cartoons or whatever cool shows were on,

00:08I was stuck watching the Lawrence Welk show.

00:12I mean, who thought it was a good idea to make a show about a guy who played the accordion

00:17and had a band that looked like they just walked off a 1950s cruise ship?

00:21I can still hear the opening theme music, that bubbly,

00:25cheerful tune that felt like it was trying to drown me in a sea of polka.

00:29The dancers! Oh, the dancers! They were like a human kaleidoscope,

00:34spinning and twirling in sequined outfits that could probably blind a raccoon.

00:39I remember thinking, is this what adults do for fun?

00:43Dance in matching outfits while smiling like they just won the lottery?

00:48And then there was Lawrence himself, with that ever-present smile,

00:51as if he had just discovered the secret to eternal happiness,

00:54which, spoiler alert, was probably just a lifetime supply of champagne bubbles.

01:00And let's talk about the musical guests.

01:02I swear, every week felt like a game of guess who,

01:05with a bunch of people I'd never heard of.

01:08There was always some crooner belting out a love song

01:11that made me wonder if my parents were secretly in love with Lawrence Welk.

01:16I mean, who needs a heartthrob when you have a guy

01:18who looks like he just stepped out of a time capsule?

01:22But here's the kicker. I didn't realize until years later

01:26that I was being trained in the fine art of irony.

01:29I mean, who knew that watching a show about bubble machines and accordion solos

01:33would prepare me for the absurdity of adulthood?

01:36So thanks, Lawrence.

01:38You may have been a little cheesy, but you gave me a lifetime of laughs.