The following crappy photos are courtesy of the slightly buzzed blog owner:
Among the attendees were several members of the newly formed Sacramento chapter of Mormon Spectrum. Interesting folks with interesting stories - from a young man who is struggling to raise his kids alongside his believing ex, to a middle-aged woman who had married into Mormon royalty (with disastrous results), to an eighty-year-old who still endures the snubs and rebukes from her believing siblings some 60 years after leaving the faith.
Also we got to meet Mike, who is famous for his YouTube temple videos. He reminisced about those wholesome, bygone days when we got to pantomime our own deaths in the LDS temple. Ah...memories.
This prompted me to recall that smarmy Protestant minister in the old temple film, the one who hung out with Satan. ("We teach a religion made up of the philosophies of men, mingled with scripture.") Any of you old enough to remember him? He was played by none other than J. Spencer Palmer who taught World Religions at BYU. No irony there (snort).
But if you really want a laugh check out Mormon Temple: The Musical!
When we got back to San Francisco "The Galaxy Song" from Life of Brian was still swimming around my brain.**
Then yesterday I received a package from a Gentle Reader! Inspired by my recent post on rock music and BYU, he sent me some fun CD's. Do I have cool readers or what?
One is an LDS fireside featuring Lynn Bryson whose anti-rock music talks were popular in Mormon circles during the 1980's. Also an "Up With People" album (an LDS pop group circa 1970) and some "Sons of Mosiah," an LDS group formed in 1970 who look like they could be back-ups to Greg Brady's Johnny Bravo schtick.
Look! He even sent a spare album cover.
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| The back cover is an article in the Washington Post, published 2/28/70 |
Thank you Gentle Reader/You Know Who You Are! I now have the makings of endless material for future posts. Also hours of anything but dull moments ahead of me.
**Don't get the Life of Brian reference? That's because you haven't checked out Mormon Temple: The Musical!
Posts
Ohhhhh I'm jealous! What a great group of people! I tried an exmo meeting once, while I owned my coffee shop. It obviously didn't stick...
ReplyDeleteyay for loud laughter and evil speaking and like minded heathens!! =)
Heather, let us know if you're ever in NorCal, we'll throw a party in your honor!
DeleteI may take you up on that!!!! I have good reason to visit and meeting you guys would be the cherry on top!
DeletePlease do!
DeleteI endured an Up With People "concert" when I was in high school. Sickeningly wholesome. I didn't realize at the time they were Mormons. It still gives me the willies.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you all know how to have fun now!
OMG, they must have toured the country. I saw one of their clones later in the 70's. It was a 4th of July concert. I remember they were decked out in red white and blue polyester jumpsuit get-ups and ended one their set with "This is a Great Country." Very disturbing.
DeleteYou ought to watch a documentary about Up With People, a DVD, SMILE TIL IT HURTS. And read up about Moral Rearmament. Spooky Bircher stuff!
DeleteThat's funny! Our daughter was just asking us today, if we used to imitate killing ourselves in the temple ceremony? We showed her how they were done. It's strange how bizarre they seem now, but we went and performed them all the time, not thinking too much about it. Not realizing that I was promising to end my life in a brutal way, all to build up the kingdom of God. God requires such strange things from followers, especially if you are high up like a prophet, your life can be threatened by an angel with a sword! lol
ReplyDeleteIt's chilling, how much self-abnegation Mormonism requires of its adherents.
DeleteDebbie, good for you for showing your daughter the old ritual. Nowadays lots of believing Mormons won't admit to doing it. And LDS Inc. won't own up to it. Just like they've always accepted gay scouts, etc.
DeleteAhab, you're right, it is chilling. As you know, religion drives people to do and believe crazy things.
Is it the last party of summer, or the last party?
ReplyDeleteI think Up with People toured. I'm pretty sure I saw them in Santa Rosa when I was in junior high (as we called it back then.)
Up with People seems to have jarred quite a few of my readers' memories. Maybe we should petition for a reunion!
DeleteGlad you liked the CDs. :)
ReplyDeleteThe Grand Land Singers (Southern California group) and BYU's Brigham Young University Singers (a 1967-68 MGM one-off album, SOUNDS OF FREEDOM) borrowed a lot from the Moral Rearmament patriotic entertainment (?) spinoff, Up With People. The Brigham Young University Singers morphed into the Young Ambassadors and BYU Sounds (of Freedom) groups making oodles of Lps and CDs, covering songs by the Carpenters, Paul Williams, Barry Manilow, Disney, etc...., from about 1971-present.
Orrin Hatch, per Lynn Bryson's book, was his music attorney in the early '70s.
I had a BYU roommate who played the piano for the Young Ambassadors. I went to more of their concerts than I'd like to admit. A couple of years ago we happened to be at a Giant's game on "Mormon Night." We didn't see them, but we heard that the Young Ambassadors had performed in a pre-game show. I was a little disturbed to learn they were still around. lol
DeleteYes, I love the CD's and have the album cover proudly displayed by my desk for inspiration! :)
My dad was a Young imbassador for one year until he convinced his mother he could get through university in just three years if he dropped it.
DeleteI think they'll be around forever.
Looks like fun! sac used to be near my neck of the woods.
ReplyDeleteI must see Mormon Temple; the Musical!