My name is Deena Dietrich, and I live in a basement back home in Ellicott City, Maryland with my 2 dogs Elvis and Cilla. My passions are Dogs, Elvis, U2, LMP, the Denver Broncos, the Baltimore Orioles, writing, and reading biographies. I have finished writing my U2 tours memoir called 'On the Road with U2' about my adventures the past 20 years on the U2 tours I've traveled to from ZooTv to 360 - all 75 concerts. I am currently searching for a publisher. The summer of 2011 I took a 3 month road trip across America with my 2 dogs seeing all 16 U2 shows in the US. I documented my entire trip on my blog at http://ontheroadwithu2.com, which also is the blog for my upcoming book and all things U2. I believe life is short, so you should do what you want to do, not what is expected of you. That's what I try to do. And you can read about my life at http://deenasdays.com. Please email me at memphismullen@gmail.com
A favorite of mine that begins with V is Vegas, as in Las Vegas my second favorite city. I love Las Vegas so much that I am planning to celebrate my 40th birthday there in October.I have been to Vegas four times, and two of those times have been with my best friend Cindy who will also be joining me in October. The first time was for my job, the second time was for U2′s Vertigo tour, the third time was for U2′s 360 tour, and the fourth time was for the opening of NKOTB’s tour and to see the Viva Elvis cirque de soleil show. Whenever I go to Vegas, I stay at Bally’s. It’s a great casino and hotel centrally located on the strip. I love everything about Las Vegas – the lights, the energy and the many, many slots! It is the perfect place to celebrate my milestone 40th birthday! I can’t wait until October!
What is your favorite city?
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge – 26 of my favorites. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog On the Road with U2.
A favorite of mine that begins with U is U2, my favorite band. More than my favorite band, U2 is one of my greatest passions. And as such, U2 has two shelves of memorabilia in my place as well as walls of posters and a display of hundreds of cds and dvds. My passion for U2 began 25 years ago.
I was a freshman in high school when The Joshua Tree was released in 1987. I remember hearing With or Without You and realizing it was by the same band that sang that song Pride I had heard a few years earlier. Luckily a classmate had a picture of U2 because at the age of 14 it is VERY important what the band that you might be interested in looks like. Out of the four guys, one was stood out. His name was Larry Mullen Jr,, and I have been in love with him ever since. Besides being gorgeous, Larry is my favorite member of U2 because he is very matter of fact, no nonsense, and always says exactly what he is feeling. I admire that about him. I have seen U2 in concert 75 times over the past quarter century, and I have had a few personal encounters with Larry Mullen Jr along the way.
Because of Larry Mullen, there is U2. He started the band with a note on the school bulletin board. And for a few minutes, the band was known as The Larry Mullen Band, which is the t shirt I wear to every U2 show. Because of Larry Mullen, I discovered U2 my favorite band for a quarter century. Because of U2, I have traveled all over the United States seeing great places and meeting great people. My favorite U2 song is I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. My favorite U2 album is The Joshua Tree. My favorite U2 tour was the Elevation Tour. I am currently searching for a publisher for my book about my travels on the U2 tours the past 20 years called On the Road with U2: my musical journey.
Who is your favorite band?
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge – 26 of my favorites. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog On the Road with U2.
A favorite of mine that begins with T is Turner, Lana better known as Lana Turner, my favorite actress. I love her. Lana Turner was independent and confident and portrayed these characteristics in her movie roles as well. It seemed in every movie she was single and making it on her own, and that was in the 1940s and 1950s. My favorite Lana Turner movies are Imitation of Life, A Life of Her Own, The Bad and the Beautiful and Peyton Place.
I’ve probably only seen about half of Lana Turner’s movies. They are hard to find and rarely on TCM, except for the obvious ones. I have read both her autobiography and her daughter’s and any other biographies I can find. So if you have any questions about Lana, just ask.
Who is your favorite actress?
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge – 26 of my favorites. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog On the Road with U2.
A favorite of mine that begins with S is Soap Operas, my favorite kind of television. I have loved soap operas since I was little. I would come home from kindergarten and sneak to watch Days of Our Lives. My mom said she always knew when I was watching soap operas because it was the only time I was quiet. In middle school, I became obsessed with Santa Barbara. In fact, it was one of the only places I wanted to visit on our trip out west in 1984. In high school I started watching As the World Turns, which I watched faithfully until it was cancelled in 2010 – a sad, sad day. I loved As the World Turns, especially Jack and Carly. I was lucky enough to meet each of them a few years ago at a soap event in Kings Dominion.
In college, I started watching Beverly Hills 90210, which quickly became my second favorite show and still is today – second only to Happy Days. I have all 10 seasons of 90210 on dvd and still watch it daily on soapnet. I pretty much can recite the dialogue, especially from the first four seasons. My favorite was Kelly, with Brenda as a close second.
Other soaps I have watched over the years are Young and the Restless, Guiding Light, Dallas, Knots Landing, Melrose Place, Felicity, Party of 5, and My So-Called Life. It is terrible that they have cancelled all but four daytime soap operas, an American institution.
What is your favorite soap opera?
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge – 26 of my favorites. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog On the Road with
A favorite of mine that begins with R is Robert Cassotto, whose stage name was Bobby Darin. My favorite artist, after Elvis and U2, is Bobby Darin. I first learned of Bobby Darin at age 4 while watching my favorite tv show Happy Days. Potsie, Richie and Ralph would sing Bobby’s hit Splish Splashevery time they played Arnold’s. Of course I called it ‘Pish Pash.’ I didn’t speak too well back then, but I loved that song.
Splish Splash was pretty much the extent of my knowledge of Bobby Darin until I became an adult. I heard and fell in love with Beyond the Sea, and I was hooked. I read every biography I could find. I first read Me and Bobby D by Steve Karmen, Bobby’s boyhood friend and first music partner. Then I read Roman Candle: The Life of Bobby Darin by David Evanier, Bobby Darin by Al DiOrio, Bobby Darin by Michael Seth Starr, and finally Dream Lovers by Dodd Darin about his parents Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee. I also bought the three movies Bobby Darin starred in with Sandra Dee: Come September, If a Man Answers, and That Funny Feeling.
I learned many interesting things about Bobby Darin while reading all those biographies. The most attractive to me was his passionate performances. The main reason I love Elvis and U2 is for their passion. Actually passion is probably the most attractive and admirable quality to me. Bobby Darin was so passionate about performing that he wore a condom on stage while singing because he would get so excited. Music moved him that much! Of course after reading this, I had to find DVDs of his performances. I bought Bobby Darin: The Darin Invasion, Bobby Darin: Singing at his Best, and my favorite and his last Bobby Darin: Mack is Back.
Bobby Darin was born Walden Robert Cassotto in 1936 in the Bronx. He grew up poor and sick. He was stricken with recurring bouts of rheumatic fever, which weakened his heart. Bobby lived his life knowing that it would be a short one. This motivated him to do as much as he could as quickly as he could. Bobby grew up with his mother and his sister. The man who he thought was his father died in jail before he was born. Bobby Darin married Sandra Dee in 1960, and they had one son Dodd. Unfortunately they divorced in 1967. A year later Bobby, at age 32, was shocked when his sister Nina told him that she was actually his mother and his mother Polly, whom he adored and had died years before, was actually his grandmother. Bobby never learned who his real father was. Later that same year Bobby was devastated when his friend Bobby Kennedy, whom he had been traveling with on his campaign, was assassinated. After all of this, Bobby sort of lost his way. He spent some time in seclusion in a trailer in the woods and turned to folk music. He eventually returned to the stage. Bobby Darin died in 1973 at the young age of 37 from an infection after forgetting to take his medication to protect his heart during a dental visit.
Bobby Darin was a great singer, a great performer, a great actor, and a very passionate man. He starred in many movies and was even nominated for an oscar. Bobby also played many instruments, including the drums. But what I admire so much about Bobby Darin was his singing – he was so passionate and versatile. He sang all types of music really well. He could sing 1950s pop like Splish Splash, big band standards like Beyond the Sea and folk music like If I Were a Carpenter.
What do you think of Bobby Darin?
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge – 26 of my favorites. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog On the Road with U2.
A favorite of mine that begins with Q is Queso – better known as Cheese. I had to be creative here because I could not think of a favorite of mine that began with Q and since I had already used Johnny Cash for my favorite ‘C’, Queso (spanish for cheese) was a perfect fit for my favorite ‘Q’. If you read my previous post, you know I love pizza – specifically extra cheese pizza. I like cheese on everything. You can never have too much cheese. I eat cheese as a snack, rather than sweets. In fact I always say that I don’t want candy or flowers, bring me a basket of cheese. I am not sure if I have a favorite type of cheese because I like them all, but I really love an extra sharp cheddar and brie – especially warm brie. When I was in Milwaukee last summer, I made a special trip to the Cheese Mart – one of the happiest places on earth.
What is your favorite food?
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge – 26 of my favorites. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog On the Road with U2.
A favorite of mine that begins with P is Pizza, my favorite meal. I love pizza. I mean I really, truly love pizza. I eat it every week. My favorite kind of pizza is extra cheese. My favorite place to get a pizza is Ledo pizza. Unfortunately, there is no Ledo’s in Memphis because they are only on the East Coast – so this is another reason why I am so happy to be back home in Maryland. I will get a large extra cheese Ledo pizza and eat it every day until it is gone – it usually lasts me about four days. But if I were thin and didn’t have to worry about heart disease, I would eat pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. But for now, I’ll settle for one meal a day a few days a week, every week.
What is your favorite meal?
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge – 26 of my favorites. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog On the Road with U2.
A favorite of mine that begins with O is Orioles for my favorite baseball team the Baltimore Orioles. O could also be for orange, which is my favorite color and the color of the Orioles. I have been an Orioles fan my entire life. My dad took me to my first baseball game when I was seven, and I have been going ever since. The first place I drove (of any distance) when I got my driver’s license at 16 was to Memorial Stadium for an Orioles game. My favorite player growing up was Cal Ripken Jr. I was lucky enough to see Cal play his entire career. I was there for his 2130 game when he tied Lou Gerig’s record. I was there when Cal did not start and broke his streak. I was there for Cal Ripken’s last game in 2001. I even went to Cooperstown to see Cal get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. My other favorite player is Brady Anderson- you can scroll down to my ‘A’ blog post to read more than you want to know about me and Brady.
I went to the Orioles Opening Day on April 6th, just as I had 20 years ago when Oriole Park at Camden Yards first opened. My best friend Cindy and I drove downtown at noon for the 3pm game. We had lunch at our friend’s Grilled Cheese and Co in Federal Hill and then walked around Camden Yards to see all the new stuff, since I have been away for three years. I was like a tourist – buying a program, hat, pin, and tee shirt. It was cold and windy in the shade where our seats were, but Brady Anderson was there so I was able to keep warm. I felt nervous and excited while waiting for the Orioles introductions – as if I was waiting to meet Larry Mullen. When Brady was announced, I let out a blood curdling scream that scared Cindy. The Orioles won their Opening Day game 4-2. I am so happy to be back in Baltimore.
Who is your favorite baseball team?
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge – 26 of my favorites. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog On the Road with U2.
A favorite of mine that begins with N is Newton-John, Olivia – better known as Olivia Newton-John. Olivia is my favorite female singer. I have loved her since I was five. She was my first obsession, my first scrapbook. I discovered Olivia Newton-John in Grease and soon had all of her albums. Olivia has a memorabilia shelf along side Elvis and U2. My favorite Olivia Newton-John album is Totally Hot, which contains my favorite ONJ song A Little More Love.
Unfortunately I have yet to meet Olivia Newton-John, but I was lucky enough to see her in concert a few years ago. I was in the front row and cried during her first five songs. I was just so excited to finally see her live in concert. Besides being a wonderful singer and great actress (you should also check out Xanadu and Two of a Kind), Olivia is a a great humanitarian. She is giving back to the planet more than she is taking. I can’t say (or write) enough about this wonderful woman.
Who is your favorite female performer?
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge – 26 of my favorites. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog On the Road with U2.
A favorite of mine that begins with M is Memphis, my favorite city. I love Memphis so much that I moved there – twice. I have to admit that I originally became interested in Memphis because of Elvis Presley and my love for him. But after a while, I loved Memphis for Memphis. It just felt like home. The food is fantastic, the people are nice and it is the home of Elvis Presley. Memphis has such a rich music history. It is where rock and roll began, and it is the home of the blues.
I lived in Memphis for a year from August 2002 to August 2003 and then again from July 2008 to October 2011. While in Memphis, I worked at the National Civil Rights Museum (where Martin Luther King was assassinated) and a couple of hotels and visited my favorite places Graceland (Elvis’ home) and Sun Studio (where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee and many others started) regularly. I wanted to live in Memphis because I wanted to live where I vacationed and where I loved. I moved to a house five minutes from Sun Studio and ten minutes from Graceland. I visited all the local museums, ate at all my favorite restaurants, got yearly passes at Graceland and the Zoo, and bought season tickets to the Memphis Grizzlies. I became friends with a great local singer named Nancy Apple. I attended annual local festivals and local movie screenings, such as Footloose, Johnny Cash’s America and Daylight Fades. I went to the annual Blues Ball, Who Shot Rock n Roll photography exhibit at the Brooks Museum of Art, the opening reception for the Elvis: from Memphis to Manhattan exhibit at Stax Museum, the famous HiTone music venue, the Arts Memphis Bravo season kickoff party featuring the Bluff City Backsliders, WEVL’s annual Blues on the Bluff featuring the BoKeys, Marshall Grant’s (Johnny Cash’s bassist) final performance and book signing at the Brooks Museum of Art, and the Memphis Roller Derby.
I took day trips to the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in Jackson, TN, the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, AR, Elvis’ birthplace in Tupelo, MS, and the casinos in Tunica, MS. I visited Johnny Cash’s childhood home in Dyess, AR and Jerry Lee Lewis’ current home in Nesbit, MS. I spent a weekend in Nashville visting the Ryman, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Broncos win over the Titans. I took a five day road trip through Mississippi visiting the sights in Jackson, Biloxi, Vicksburg, Greenwood and Clarksdale. I took a ten day road trip out west along route 66 through Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico then toured all around Texas on the way back visiting sights in Lubbock, San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas – and then Shreveport, LA. I finally made it to Chicago (and Wrigley Field), and have been three times since it’s only an eight hour drive from Memphis. Then of course there was the 3 month road trip back and forth across the America to all the U2 shows in the US. Besides all these wonderful places I’ve visited and great things I’ve done because I moved to Memphis, it was in Memphis that I discovered that I loved to write. I started this blog to share all of my activities and travels and then starting writing for Examiner.com about events in Memphis. This led to my second blog On the Road with U2 about all of my travels on the U2 tours, which led to me writing my U2 Tours Memoir.
What is your favorite city?
This blog post is part of my A to Z April Challenge – 26 of my favorites. Thanks for stopping by. I am also blogging the A to Z Challenge on my other blog On the Road with U2.
