I’m happy to say that viewership is up again this year at SoulRide which pleases me. Seems like those who are out there looking for info on the media of the past are making their way here and I like that. I suppose that as the years go by Vintage Leisure comes up more frequently as a result of various searches so we are continuing to grow. One badge of approval I experienced this year was my son telling me that when he searched “How much does it cost to use a Marty Robbins song in your movie?”, the third result was my article on Marty. Nice.

2023’s most-read article went through the roof and became the most-read of all-time here and a similar thing happened this year. And it had to do with Presley again. I am not really surprised that many latched onto Elvis World: The Truth About Priscilla this year. In the wake of suffering through Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla movie, I became inspired to talk a little about this unique Vintage Leisure player and set the record straight somewhat where Elvis is concerned. The point of the article was that Priscilla is human just like the rest of us. She is neither villain nor hero and she needs to be assessed lucidly and honestly and I tried to do that. The piece was picked up in at least one social media group and the majority of the ladies there were very angry at me for not dumping on Cilla. The article was by far the champ of the year and vaulted into the top five of the most-read articles of all-time at the site. On a similar note, I have mentioned half-jokingly that I am a truth merchant; I am not afraid to declare something “bad” while heralding it as something that can still be enjoyed. This particularly applies to another “truth” article that did well this year, The Truth About Jan & Dean. I watched in surprise as this one from 2019 was consumed regularly in the fall of 2024.

We lost David Soul early in the year and my remembrance of him was well received. I was pleasantly surprised to see my article on Cheryl Ladd’s debut album do so well. Consider that at the close of winter this year I issued an article on Carole King’s legendary Tapestry album three weeks before the piece on Ladd’s record – and through the ensuing months Ladd drew 13 times the number of readers that Carole did. This I like (in a way) because it speaks to SoulRide‘s commitment to shine a light on things lesser known. Only here can Cheryl Ladd do better than Carole King. Also in music, Kris Kristofferson’s death drove a lot of folks to the site to read my take on his Jesus Was a Capricorn album, a lot of people showed up to read this year’s Didn’t He: The Best of Jimmy Webb, an article with one of my more clever titles, and my Talkin’ Tunes look at the two albums of Bruce Willis.

I had a great response to Elvis World: Walking in Memphis, a large undertaking that charted my return to Presley’s hometown after several years away. Perhaps part of what drew readers were two key parts of the trip; the abandoned Days Inn we stayed in and my audience with Blanchard E. Tual, the Elvis World hero I’ve written about before. Actually having met the man was one of the highlights of the trip, my year and indeed my life.

I am proud to continue my affiliation to two guys who have become my closest friends among those I have never met in the flesh. I am going into my seventh year as a contributor to the coolest radio show in the world, Koop Kooper’s Cocktail Nation. On Words With Wellsy, I try to shine a light on interesting books with retro appeal and Koop’s promotion of my site is greatly appreciated. And I continue on with George Fairbrother and his fantastic DEC4 Podcast. George is constantly coming up with things for us to talk about and our episodes on the ill-fated Winter Dance Party, Beach Boys books and Elvis concerts of the Seventies are going over extremely well thanks mostly to George’s thorough research and preparation and his hard work editing my rambling. These two cats do much to help me spread my love around the world and I am so grateful for my relationship with both of them.

Speaking of virtual relationships, I’d like to take a minute again this year to thank my many internet friends for referring readers to my site. Amazingly, my late compatriot Paddy Lee and her site CaftanWoman.com still drives people to my site though Paddy left this mortal coil years ago. Among the living, my man Nick at BAMFStyle.com also deserves some thanks as do my brother TY at The Mystery Train blog, Koop’s Lounge Life Magazine and George’s Substack account. I’m appreciative to these folks and those who have reposted me on X.

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“Oh, ev’ry thought that’s strung a knot in my mind
I might go insane if it couldn’t be sprung
But it’s not to stand naked under unknowin’ eyes
It’s for myself and my friends my stories are sung”

“Restless Farewell” – Bob Dylan

I will take a minute, though, to get personal. What I mostly see as I look over the 44 articles I issued this season – the lowest ever – is the memory of having gone through some challenges in 2024. This sometimes showed up in what I wrote about or how much I wrote but mostly it put things in perspective. I can’t see an end to these dispatches from my adventures in the Vintage Leisureverse but I’ve learned that life can be hard and sometimes my hobby takes a back seat to simply navigating life. In terms of therapy, though – in terms of escape and helping me to cope – I can think of nothing I’d rather do with my down time than listen, watch, read and write about it. The fact that you are out there reading is a bonus – I would do this anyways but I’m glad you are there.

Join me for this new year as we party like it’s 1975!

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This Year’s Top Discussions

• Elvis World: The Truth About Priscilla
• Talkin’ Tunes: Cheryl Ladd
• Elvis World: Walking in Memphis
• Last of the Romantics: A Tale of Engelbert Humperdinck
• Didn’t He: The Best of Jimmy Webb

The Top Ten of 2024

• Elvis World: The Truth About Priscilla
• The Truth About Jan and Dean
• The Reputations of Marty Robbins
• Check This Out: Edie Sedgwick
• Golden: The Story of Andy Williams
• Elvis Week: Blanchard E. Tual – Hero
• A Leisurely Look @ Shelley Fabares
• The Ping Girl: The Story of Carole Landis
• A Leisurely Look @ Jack Lord
• The Flickers: Diner – Scene By Scene