THE JOB INTERVIEW and LUTHER VANDROSS

The Time was now about Late October of 1988, I had a Job Interview with the Local County Council to Work as a Cook in an Old People's Day Centre, about 2 Miles from Home!

I Remember going to the Interview, as Clear as Anything, this is because, there Must have been about 6 People in the Interview Plus Me!

They had the Day Centre Manager and her Deputy, they had the County Council Area Manager and his Deputy, there was the Cook who was Leaving and a Couple of Others, I Thought I was going for a Job as a Brain Surgeon Not a Cook!

One of my Main Worries about going to the Job Interview was, Do I Tell them about my Bankruptcy, that had Just gone through, or Not!  

I had Decided to Tell them, as they would Probably find out anyway, if not now, but Later.

So after I had about an Hours worth of Grilling, I told them what had Happened with my Previous Employment, i.e having my Own Takeaway and Going Bankrupt as a Result of Failure, I didn't Know at the Time, if this went Down Well or Not!

The Previous Cook, who had the Job was on Maternity Leave and had Decided Not to come back to Work, so she was in the Interview, but there was also another Cook who they had Working there on a Temporary Basis, now I Knew this other Cook, she was the Older Sister of one of my Aunts (although I Never got on with this Aunt).

She had given me a bit of Useful Advice on Getting the Job, but when I left the Interview, it seemed my Only Worry about getting the Job was, I was a Male and they had Never had a Male Working there, Apart from 1 Male Van Driver (although he Never Worked inside the Centre, Just on the Vans), Nowadays that would Never Happen with All this Equality and PC Crap!

There was Something else I Learned from the Interview, if I did get the Job, I would Not be your Normal Run of the Mill Cook, I would be Called "Cook-In-Charge" 

I Don't Know who I would have been In Charge of, Because I was the Only Person Working in the Kitchen, and I had to do My Own Washing Up as Well!

So I Left the Interview and was Told, they would Contact me Either Way in a Couple of Days Time, so I went Home and had to Wait while they went through All the Usual Cr@p, what them Sort of Manager's go through!

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Now for Some Music, Back in July of 1981, Luther Vandross Released his Debut Solo Single, which was Taken from his Debut Album to be Released on August 12, 1981, they were Both Entitled "Never Too Much"

The Song was Written and Produced by Luther Vandross and on the "Epic Record Label"

It Features the Great "Marcus Miller" on Bass and Cissy Houston and Tawatha Agee (Mtume) on Backing Vocals!

The Track Reached Number 1 on the US R&B Chart and Number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100, it also Charted in the UK at Number 13, this Turned out to be his Highest Ever Chart Position in UK for one of his Solo Singles!  

           

                    The "Never Too Much Album" in Full

                                

                    

JOB APPLICATION and ANITA BAKER

The Time was now around September of 1988, and Two Things were Happening in our Life, Firstly I had the Bankruptcy Hearing to Sort Out and I was Looking for a New Job!

I had a Choice of 2 Different Jobs I would have Preferred to get at that Time, One was a Chef or the other was a Butcher, the Kids were 10 and 8 Years Old, so I Needed if Possible to get a Day Time Job, so it was Looking Likely I was going to go back into Butchery!

As for the Bankruptcy, Everything was just about Sorted out, apart from the  Money, I had to Pay to go Bankrupt, I think at that Time it was £100, which I did Eventually find, Cant Remember how I got this, but I did!

So One Late Septembers Day I had to go to Norwich for the Bankruptcy Hearing, One thing I do Recall is, I was Not Suppose to have a Car, so I went to Norwich Early and Parked Near the City Centre and had to Walk to the Building in Chapel Field Road, which was about 15 Minutes Away, I Cant Really Remember too much of what happened, all I can Recall is being Told what I can do and what I Cant do Financially, for about the Next 7 Years! 

After about 2 Hours of Listening to all that, I was on the way Home to see Susan and the Kids, as was Very Glad that all the Stuff was Over!

But as it Turned Out, that Day was the Start of a lot of Financial cr@p We were going to Suffer over the Next Few Years!

On the Job Front, I was Very Lucky, because the Local County Council were Advertising for a Cooks Job, about 10 Minutes from where we Lived, so I Phoned up for All the Details, and was Told all about the Job over the Phone, it Sounded Great, 8am to 3pm, 5 Week Days a Week!

This was the Ideal Job for me, I had Never had a Chefs Job Before where I got all Nights and Bank Holidays Off, so I asked the Centre Manager to Send me an Application Form. 

But there was only a Couple of Draw-Backs with this Job, I could see, and they were, I was going to be a called a Cook instead of a Chef, that was No Problem and Secondly they had Never had a Male Cook before, they had always been Female, so it was going to be Difficult in getting in there, in the First Place! 

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Now for Some Music, Around Late 1988, The Best Female Soul Singer "Anita Baker" Released her 3rd Solo Album to Date, on the Elektra Record Label, it was called "Giving You The Best I Got" 

The Album Reached Number One on both Pop and R&B Charts in the US and it also Charted in the Uk at Number 9!

The Second Single Release from the Album was a Great Track called "Just Because" what a Great Track this was, it Reached Number 1 on the R&B Chart and Number 14 on the "Hot 100" Chart.

The Song was Written by Alex Brown, Sammy McKinney and Michael O'Hara and Produced by Michael J Powell, he was the Founder Member of "Chapter 8" who Anita Baker had Sung with a Few Years Earlier!

             

"Just Because Lyrics"

When I think about how much I'm loving you
No limitations, no set of regimented rules
I'm amazed how much this love has touched my life
And the commitment that we share is a welcome sacrifice

This must be, sweet fatal attraction
My life-long date with destiny
Love this strong, it just brings out the passion
I never knew was here in me

I love you just because
I love you just because
Just because I do, my darlin'

Emotions more than words can help me say
I love you, baby, just because you're you
Just because you're you

You're a diamond in my mind. a treasure found
A precious gem to me. you're so nice to have around
I'm so glad I took the path that led to this
And it's amazin' loving you, I'm doin' things
I never thought I'd do

I don't know, there ain't no explanation
Of why I'm sharin' love at last this way
I won't try to work out all my reasons
I'II use these words to simply say

I love you just because
I love you just because
Just because I do, my darlin'
Emotions more than words can help me say
I love you, baby, just because you're you

I love you just because
I love you just because
Just because I do, my darlin'
Emotions more than words can help me say
I love you, baby.

Could it be that there's more to this than meets the eye
Maybe that's the reason why
All I know is when I'm in your arms it feels all right
I'II hold you tight and I come alive

I love you just because
I love you just because
Just because I do, my darlin'
Emotions more than words can help me say
I love you, baby, just because you're you

[til fade]