(Original article posted 2011)
We are often asked how we came up with the name for the store "Cats Like Us". The short answer is that it's the name of a great song! But the long answer is hopefully a little more interesting.
You can read more about how the store started on our about us page... On that flight back from Las Vegas in 2009 we were pretty fired up about starting the store, lots of ideas buzzing around our heads about what we should do, how to do it, and... what we should call it...
The store name ideas came fast at first, and some of the contenders were:
Glamourpuss, Black Cat, Hell on Wheels Retro, and Shindig.
None of them sounded quite right to us, so we put this on hold for a little while, while we worked up a business plan to see if we could swing it.
A few weeks later we were deep in planning and we remembered that we needed a name. It must have been fate because at that moment we were listening to one of our favorite modern rockabilly bands, the Hillbilly Hellcats. The song that was playing was "Cats Like Us", and we thought – hey, that could work.
If you listen to the song, the lyrics sing about being original, really belonging to a subculture that is not often understood, and having fun instead of working too hard. We really related to this so we thought it would work well. And that's how we choose Cats Like Us.
Cats Like Us (Chuck Hughes, THE HILLBILLY HELLCATS (ROCKIN' CAT RECORDS))
Some people try for a pie in the sky
Slavin' away just to have it
You could put all of their dreams at our feet
We wouldn't bother to grab it
They worry and slave, their hours are so long
We're skippin' through life with only a song
And if trouble's comin' we're gone
It's a habit
[Chorus ]
Cats like us got a whole 'nother scene
Our own little walk talk and song
We found a sound on the far side of town
In a place where all cats can belong
In this whole wide world we don't stand a chance
But we'll laugh and we'll live and we'll party and dance
Forever only to trust cats like us
I'm here to report, life is too short
To spend it a slave to ambition
We gotta have fun before our time is done
'Cause we leave in the same damn condition
Some scrimp and save and they always behave
But I swear that they're missing the point
'Cause they ain't got the smile and the style
Of the cats in this joint
More about the Hillbilly Hellcats
Hopefully you already know and appreciate Chuck Hughe's songwriting. Tracks like "Hillbilly Love" and "Road Rage" are as smart as they are catchy. We got the chance to meet Chuck at VLV14 this in 2011, and he was very gracious. It's nice when the band you like is so cool offstage as on.
Find out more about the Hillbilly Hellcats here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hillbilly-Hellcats/210370150485
They have several albums, which you should buy right now!
What's with "Cats" anyways?!
Cats was slang in the 1950s to mean Jazz musician, but in today's retro sensibility means anyone Cool or Hip. If you need me to define those terms, you might be in the wrong place daddy-o!
Cats --- Folks who play jazz music.
I used to partake in late-night jam sessions with the "cats" over at Sid's.
Stay cool, Cats! -A