THURSDAY --Annother Edition of....

A flip of the fedora, as always, to Jimmy Cannon :

NOBODY ASKED ME BUT......

1)            First it’s drought then its huge drenching and windy storms.  Whatever happened to moderation in the moderate climate?

2)            The NY Times reported that many children of high-powered friends of Mayor Bloomberg have gotten summer internships in the NYC Government.  Why am I not surprised?   Why am I not surprised that most people in public (and non-public) office would do the same---as did Mr. Giuliani.

3)            It seems to me that the last truly idealistic mayor in NYC was the much demeaned John Lindsay.

4)            Eric Bogle had it right in his “ Silly Slang Song”===”...do you remember when gay meant happy---oh what we have done to the mother tongue”.

5)            It is pretty rare these days to find doctors that still have real people answering a phone, have a positive personal relationship with you.  I am blessed with two of them.  Even more so since they are so good at what they do.

6)            I recall the halcyon days when people looked up and ahead of themselves and not down at their hands while they “twittered” or some such activity.  But, I suppose, back in the days of Socrates some bemoaned the invention of scrolls because it might prevent us from oral discourse.

7)            Some questions arise regarding the new play about Bernie Madoff (Imagining Madoff):

a.    Why a moral tale about a scoundrel?

b.    Why involve Elie Weisel in this fiasco? (He threatened to sue---and that ends his part in it)

c.   If Elie Weisel truly lost everything in the Madoff fiasco how does he still make ends meet and also retain attorneys?

d.   Shakespeare wrote plays dealing with morality and this seems to be nothing more than a tabloid sensational about a plain old criminal.  (I have not seen the play—and will not).

e.   Don’t plan on seeing it since it is “postponed”---read---cancelled.  If only Bernie were cancelled prior to his shenanigans---and the participation of the get rich quickers that he conned.

8)            TV is biblical in many ways.  Think of this ---Leave It To Beaver begat All In The Family which begat Married With Children which begat The Simpsons and that begat the brilliant envelope pushing outrageous (and funny) Family Guy.

9)            You have to love the car commercials and all the great things they can do---from driving up to mountain tops and fording great waters and traversing deserts.  How come they never show how they can handle traffic jams on The Cross Bronx Expressway or the various bridges and tunnels?   Better they should promote the CD players that can relax you in your overpowered portable palace.

10)      Sarah Palin is now an author, TV personality, Speaker, and one who never mentions that her idealism is for sale for very large bucks.  Amazing how she has become so “knowledgeable” and “informed”  so quickly.  Chris Smither’s song about Harry Truman was right on---

11)      So many people have tattoos these days it got me to thinking that if you have a DNR order in place and an emergency strikes with no next of kin around (with the documentation) what about a tattoo of it on your butt (or as the Brits say—Bottom)?

12)      TV in the summer is only good if you want to see the trash that was on the networks previously---BUT---Cable has some great  new alternatives one of the best starts its 4^th season this Sunday.  Mad Men

     

13)            Here is a good riposte for someone you find irritating when he says----
”What is your opinion—I value it?”    “No you don’t—you just want to tell me yours and I care not a whit about it”.  OK-- true story. Everything I learned from Dale Carnegie was a gem.

An Event Update and A Few Musical Comments

Starting with a few musical comments.   Harry Chapin is known for a number of songs ---just as Tom Paxton is known for some songs that no person realizes he wrote.  Harry Chapin is known, of course, for Taxi, Cats In The Cradle and for the real believers a few others.  For the true aficionados there are more.  So many more.   Yet there is one song which seems to have eluded many since it was written for a musical he composed and was not on any of his recordings---only on the original cast album  In fact, if memory serves, it was on his trip into the city to work on the show that the fatal crash occurred.   Cotton Patch Gospel was the show and it is still being performed by various school and amateur groups around the country.

Jesus in Atlanta and the Gospel told in those terms---musical terms is the basis of the show.   Some great music in it and one song  in particular has always grabbed me and it is, of course, on the original cast recording (you might find it on the Harry Chapin website).  I speak of "Jubilation" which was performed by Scott Ainslie in the original cast and who came many moons ago to our local library benefit program and at Tom Chapin's request joined him in doing the song---here is Tom Chapin doing it with the brilliant Michael Mark (I have not video of Scot Ainslie)



There are many other great songs in that show and if you can find the recording it is truly something to cherish---Harry Chapin as a Bway Musical Creator with a terrific show.

Which brings me to the events update---AUGUST 9. The annual Harry Chapin night at Eisenhower Park in Long Island (around 7:30). It is a very well attended Free concert (just bring some food for the local food banks---the price of admission---you know of Harry Chapin's cause about Hunger) and of the many performers there that evening Judith Zweiman has taken me up on the suggestion of doing "Jubilation"-=--she can do many things but Gospel is something she excels at and last year she blew the house (well, there is no house there) away. Hope to see you there.

One last item---and you will hear more of it on TRADITIONS this coming Sunday. Pete Seeger and a new CD produced by David Bernz and Danny Einbender called "Tomorrow's Children" (Appleseed Recordings). There is a great story behind this and how it came to be---you will hear it on TRADITIONS this coming Sunday along with some of the tracks from this most meaningful and important piece of work.

SInce we cannot give the store away---here is the cover of the CD which contains some wonderful liner notes by David Bernz---carrying on the tradition of Pete Seeger, Lee Hays and so many more. He is, as you probably know, one of the founders of Work O The Weavers----for that alone I add---bless that man.