Don't Dream It, Be It

My second celebrity death post in a row. I don't think I've done that since George Michael / Carrie Fisher back so long ago. 

Tim Curry's death was unexpectedly expected. He did a an NYT Magazine article a few months back. Which indicated he wasn't well, though if they specifically said from what, I don't remember. But well enough to do a feature interview. 

I didn't know Curry's oeuvre well.  Sure, Rocky Horror Picture Show and Clue. Or a few episodes of Roseanne. That's about it for me. 

His imdb will tell you he probably made a more than decent living with voice acting in cartoons or video games. The list goes on forever. 

Almost three years ago I wrote about Rocky Horror for a My Music Monday piece. 

Curry, whether good or bad for his career, playing Frank N. Furter was a career defining moment. I imagine some casting directors couldn't see past his Furter character. He played it so fucking well. Everything was over the top yet at the same time it wasn't. It was a balancing act I'm guessing only he could truly pull off. 

His character was outrageous and sympathetic at the same time. You rooted for him. 

In that post I give a brief notice on my affection for Sweet Transvestite. 

His performance of this song is just perfect. The vocal, sure. But every single movement. Every inflection. Every camera angle. Every raised eyebrow. ....and ever decaping, (it's a word!.......now.)

THIS is the performance that drew me into the movie. For me, there was no way they could do better than this. They still can't. 

Song by: the cast of the Rocky Horror Picture Show

When We're Gone, Long Gone

Ugh. 

I gotta write about Dolly Parton. 

The 'ugh' isn't because I don't like Dolly, it is the circumstances under which one must write. Death. 

I had zero against Dolly. That said, other than the two Trio albums, I owned nothing by Dolly. 

If she's done more than two movies, I don't know about it.  Yeah 9 to 5 was fun(ny).  Straight Talk I saw on a plane - avec audio - and I was exceptionally high at the time. And it co-starred James Woods. So........she gets 0 point for that one. 

But the world - or at least the US - is a worse place without her. 

I dare you to find a an interview where she wasn't so upbeat you could barely stand it sometimes. She seemingly never begrudged the things that brought her PR or get bugged by a question that so much other talent just has ooze out of their bodies. 

She seemed kind to and about everyone ever when disagreeing with them. I'm not sure that is a style that can be learned, just cultivated to a sharper degree. And she had it down. 

Unlike her - the "it sucks to be famous crowd" also didn't donate money to find a workable Covid vaccine. My first three Moderna vaccines were in part due to her. 

Her literacy / Imagination Library book programs are phenomenal. If you don't know about them - read about them. 

Ohio has a license plate template for that. I actually took a pic of a real on in a crowded parking lot months ago and can't find it. What were the chances the car owner would be walking up at the same time? But he was cool with it - and said his daughter participated in the program. 

Let's face it: there is no Patsy Cline Park or Loretta Lynn Land.  Dolly was one of a kind. Period.

With no immediate family (well, brothers and sisters there are, I'm sure), I hope her estate planning will continue that community growth of literacy and good works. 

She was an anomaly in certain ways.  Growing up poor and uneducated in Tennessee. Everything her starting fan base was. She championed literacy. A Covid vaccine. LGBTQ ally. Everything that initial fan base is against. 

Yes, I'm generalizing, but not by much. 

For me, Dolly will be missed more as a human being than an artist. Her legacy will last due to her causes and commitment. 

Song by: Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris

Not Sorry

Yes, I should stop looking at social media. I really really wish I were better at not. 

I keep seeing these "responses" that say something to the effect that we will give the same respect about Lindsey Graham's death that BLOTSU gave Robert Mueller. 

I don't disagree. I just don't see where any GOP person is asking anyone to be respectful in the first place. 

Granted, I haven't gone digging for any evidence of that either. I'm a moron. Not a fucking moron. 

Am I glad Graham is dead?  Yes.

Do I feel bad about "celebrating" someone's death?  No. Not in the slightest. At least his. I mean, there area. number of others: BLOTUS. Steven Miller. the Pillsbury ProudBoy (JD's new nickname). Bondi. Gnome.  The list goes on and on.  

.....and I won't feel bad about any single one of them. I might raise my hand. I might clap. I might laugh. 

While I love cake, the chances of me getting one to celebrate are slim - though there seems to be semi-sustainable short term business idea in that type of bakery. I'll have to see about drawing up a prospectus. 

Je do love former Capitol policeman Michael Fanon - everything about him. But his sign off on Graham was meh.  "Rest in Piss".  I get it, but I can also assume that Graham might actually like that. So it might not be the insult that was intended. 

At least two sex workers have expanded and expounded on earlier claims they've made since his death. They say the NDA they had signed is no longer enforceable. There doesn't seem to be much in their tales that haven't been told before, but my recall on the before isn't crystal clear - and save 'reg lingerie' and massages, I have yet to hear of any sex - not that I really want to. 

No one does. Not really. That is not a picture we want in our mind. 

Sounds like he died quickly and not nearly painfully enough. That is a shame. So here hopes he just fucking burns in hell. It's a shame I don't really believe in it, but should it exist............welcome Lindsey. 

Song by: the Cranberries

Catherine Wheel

I guess I'm kind of glad to have had some buffer time with the pet post yesterday to reflect on Catherine O'Hara. 

No doubt everyone will be posting pictures of Moira Rose everywhere - and deservedly so. It was a stellar character who could have been played by no one else.  Ever. 

Me? I was the kid in high school who would rather stay home on Saturday nights to watch SCTV.  

That show was always a moving target of time and station, depending who gave them funding or was airing the show. Every season could be different. You had to want it.  But a better cast of folks could not have been assembled. 

Arguably, women on SCTV were underrepresented, but that made O'Hara and Andrea Martin that much more indispensable.

She had great characters on that show - and then subsequently in other shows and in movies. 

O'Hara shined like almost no other in Christopher Guest's movies, each of her characters played perfectly - and almost always paired with SCTV alum and Schitt's Creek husband Eugene Levy. They performed together for almost 50 years. 

If you haven't seen Martin Scorses's After Hours you should. It's almost 40 years old, but I think it might have been the first thing outside of SCTV I saw O'Hara in - and she's brilliant. She was also the voice on the far too short lived The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley (I still have that lunch box, btw....). 

One could go on and on regarding all her roles, but who has that kind of bandwidth? I'm sure there are blogs just dedicated to that, and that alone. And rightfully so. 

It is for Moira Rose that she will be remembered, I believe. And what a way to be remembered. Iconic might be an understatement. I know people have talked of a reboot / update of Schitt's Creek, but hopefully that is off the table for good. There's no reason. 

Should you have not watched SCTV back in the day, go to YouTube and watch some skits. They didn't all transfer well. Some are grainy but it still makes me laugh and smile. 

....and if for nothing else, these days, scrolling clip to clip that anything could make me laugh or smile is something worth watching. 

Catherine O'Hara had that power.  I will miss her terribly. 

.....and for fun, back in 2021, I posted a short film she and Martin did for the first David Letterman Film Festival (there were only two).  It is brilliant - and linked here. 

Song by: Crowded House

So Sad

Normally "celebrity" deaths don't get me down. But the passing of Raul Malo is a sad one for me. 

I can't claim he's a household name. 

As a solo artist and the lead singer of the Mavericks, he was an incredible talent. 

I have featured a few songs here on My Music Monday of either the band or him by his lonesome. His voice was just amazing. But so were his songwriting skills.

We were able to see him a few times - both on his own and with the band. Each time was amazing. No gimmicks, no stage extravaganza, just raw talent and that voice. 

For those with a memory, Malo was one of the artists and subjects over which late blogger Birdie and I bonded. Should heaven exist, no doubt she greeted him. 

A lazy man would be quick to compare Malo to Roy Orbison, which in a slight way I get. But that comparison is overlooking a lot that Malo had, which Orbison didn't - and not just the Hispanic background and influence. 

Malo had a way with Hispanic music, but he could equally be compared as big band singer for the '40s, if you really went and sampled his solo stuff. But make no mistake, he was great with a full-on Mariachi band sound too. 

He put out music with the Mavericks and did solo work. A holiday album, a quarantine album during Covid, full Spanish disks, and the man was no stranger to covers - and those were all over the place. All well executed, even if not always my taste. 

Malo had colon cancer that metastasized to lungs and brain. When that happens, there is little that can be done, but even until two months ago he was planning a tour with the band. Wishful thinking perhaps, but it also might have kept him going for longer than planned. He was younger than I. 

Raul Malo was not super famous for sure, but well respected in the music community. And almost a decade ago, my cousin had his artwork on one of the Maverick's releases.  

There isn't one song I could use to encapsulate all of Malo's artistic qualities. So I'm just pulling something off one of his solo albums and using the song "Haunting Me" as a sample. 

Song by: Raul Malo

Dead!

<-------- When the bust has more warmth, compassion, feelings, humour and heart than the actual subject. 

Dick "I'm in Charge"* Cheney is dead. 

Good. 

Just 25 years too late. Maybe 30. 

He was just a vile man whose incidental music would have been Star Wars' "Imperial March" - following him around wherever he went.

So, I guess now Satan would have to hear it for all eternity. 

I was eating gruel yesterday when the announcement popped up on my phone screen. I took a screen shot of it and sent it to 710, who was upstairs. It seemed better than yelling that early in the morning. 

Honestly, truer words..........and all. 

The man who helped fake a war that killed hundreds of thousands of people and then profited from it with his government contracts - just no soul whatsoever. 

From Cheney to Sarah Palin to current day. It's an entire connect-the-dots fiasco. But at least one of them is dead.

Hopefully the Grim Reaper is working down their (I'm assuming they identify as they/their/them) list. But they really need to pick up the pace. 

*possibly said after Reagan was shot, and he was not. Not said from 2000-2009, but probably was in charge during the Bush administration. 

Song by: My Chemical Romance

Weather with You

I would really rather not comment on the Texas girl's camp that got wiped out by a flood and killed all or most of the campers and the staff. 

I mean, it is fucking horrifying, no? 

Surely some of them were going to end up in STEM classes, while some would have grown up to oppress women's rights. I mean, it was Texas. 

STEM would have helped them better. But you know......science. What's it ever been good for? 

In an even semi-perfect world, we, the U.S., would learn from this. These were somewhat preventable deaths. 

DOGE laid off 880-1000 (or more) folks at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in March of this year. More than 10% of their staff 

Some say it was for Musk to get his Starlink the contract for satellite control. Doubtful we'd get a confirmation on that possibility. In reality, it's probably due to BLOTUS being ridiculed for inaccurately drawing on a hurricane weather map and the NWS correcting him. 

You and I both know that butthurt him. And he is very very very prone to retaliation. 

Those layoffs include meteorologists and the National Weather Service, which includes early warning systems. 

Ohhhhh......so sad.  

Wouldn't it be weird if the girls who were killed were the daughters of the Tesla employees who had to relocated to Texas because of their boss?  The same boss who was the one who cut those NOAA jobs?  It's creepy to say, but it would be some kind of delayed karma. 

I mean it is all sad. And I'm 100% certain that no one in this administration will take any blame or responsibility for this. Why start now?

.....and just look at the fucking blog image. Julie (official!) 

I mean, you cannot argue with her logic.  

Really. I mean, you can't. It is impossible to reason with someone like this - and there are millions of someones like this. That it took someone a few days to blame Pappy Joe is more the amazing part. I'd have thought that'd be in an instant. 

So far, I have not heard Marjorie Taylor Cunt weigh in on the Secret Jewish Space Lasers that cuntrol (not a typo) weather. 

Oh yes, she did once say “Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”.  While she did not say who "they" were, I'm guessing it's a few guys at the JCC who meet on Thursday mornings for their shvitz.......and hurricane planning. 

Speaking of............Dave Richardson, the BLOTUS appointed head of FEMA, said - just last month - that he was not aware there was a hurricane season. 

Holy Fuck Balls. 

Maybe I shouldn't be so worried about SS / ICE. Maybe Mother Nature will end it sooner - and more humanely. 

Song by: Crowded House

Love & Mercy

I'm late to this, but with murders, protests, pets and music, who has time for current current events.

I was sorry to see the death of Brian Wilson.  

There was a time in my life that I thought the Beach Boys were the shit. 

Harmonies, chord progressions, the entire thing. I was younger then, so I didn't appreciate the genius behind a lot of their music, and I certainly didn't understand the brilliance of Wilson - in his writing, arranging and production. 

As a pre-teen, one wasn't listening with that kind of ear, and I had little else with which to compare. The Beatles would be the closest thing - and even they said they'd listen to the Beach Boy's Pet Sounds and try to build upon that musical departure. 

Genius - which what many considered Wilson - has its prices. He became mentally ill. His father sold out everything he had worked for. Where others are selling their music catalogs at a half a billion dollars, his father sold it decades ago for pennies on the dollar. At a point, he was forced out of the band. 

Wilson did some great solo things - though very rarely. He finished the Beach Boys Smile record on his own. It was considered a masterpiece that was never released - and was said to be great. I have never listened to it, to be honest. 

It was when I saw the Wrecking Crew, which kind of really opened my eyes. While Wilson wrote, arranged and produced most of the Beach Boys work, the band rarely played on their own records. The voices, sure, but their biggest hits are by studio musicians who also did work for thousands of other artists. 

So when some of the band kind of trounced on Wilson to get control of the band, they weren't even responsible for their own instruments. What you got with a non-Wilson led band was "Kokomo".  UGGGH. 

Living legend gets thrown around a lot, but Brian Wilson was one - and for a long time. 

There are multiple billboards (I'm assuming electronic) that have been popping up around Los Angeles commemorating Wilson. I think he's worthy of such a tribute. 

Song by: Brian Wilson

Unbound

Unfortunately, Pride month started with a bang. Literally. 

Actor, Jonathan Joss was murdered on Sunday. 

I only knew Joss from Parks & Recreation as the leader of the Wamapoke tribe, Ken Hotate. 

There were a tons of recurring ancillary characters on that show, but I loved this guy. Every scene he was in was gold. 

I understand he was a voice actor also and was on King of the Hill, but I never watched that. 

News reports have Joss and his husband (until yesterday I didn't know Joss was gay) were shot at by a neighbor and Joss was hit and died at the scene. 

Joss's husband said the shooter had yelled homophobic slurs before firing. He also stated they had reported harassment to authorities in the past. Police say there is no evidence the shooting was related to sexual orientation. 

I'm sure not all the information has yet been processed, but they have the shooter in custody. 

This is a reminder of why Pride is so important, especially these last few years. At this point, it should not be about the beer gardens and dance floors after the parades. LGBTQI+. are being threatened in ways and frequency that is just ticking up and up. 

With MAGA and their minions, we are truly under attack. And I expect that to remain for the rest of this administration's term, should there ever be another election. 

Stonewall was a riot. I suspect we will be having another one sooner than later. Floats and rainbows are not going to do the trick. Personally, I never thought they did. But I believe action is coming......and needed. 

Song by: Robert Robertson

He's Got a Secret

Did JD Vance murder the Pope?

I mean, we can't say for sure, but I assume there was some sitcom routine of "accidentally"  tripping over the plug that was attached to whatever was keeping Francis alive. 

I don't think it was the plan, per se, to off the guy, but then Pete Hegseth made headlines (again!) a few hours prior, and the BLOTUS administration needed something to knock it off the top of the fold. 

....and it did.  

Yes, for the second time in a few weeks, Drunky Pete texted sensitive military data to unauthorized personnel...........which included his family. I guess he was on an Easter bender. Or just a Sunday one.

I only know any of this because 710 read me part of the original headline Sunday evening. I mean, you know I'm not reading that shit. 

The horror is: I just shrugged. 

I mean, why not? 

There was zero repercussion for Drunky Pete doing it the first time. Judging by the header in the above pic (of which I had to hit 'page down' three times on the NYT site to even see a mention of this) there will be no repercussion this time. 

Of course, his boss had stolen intelligence files in his bathroom, so I'm not sure he's the benchmark for what is sensitive data or not. Or better yet - if he even fucking cares (he doesn't). 

Remember when BLOTUS, in his first term, pointed out a number of countries and called the 'shit holes'?

Yeah - we are now that country. 

Song by: the Bangles

Crying, Waiting, Hoping

Over the 35 years the Simpsons has been on television (IKR?), the show has weirdly predicted any number of things that would come to pass. 

A sample would be:

• Lisa predicting the Washington Redskins would win Super Bowl XXVI. 

• The show featured a Siegfried and Roy-like characters whose tiger attacks one of them. This happened 10 years before Siegfried (or was it Roy?) got attacked. 

• On a March 17, 1996 show, they reportedly predicted the January 6 United States Capitol attack, which occurred on that date in 2021.

• November 8, 1998, features an establishing shot of the 20th Century Fox logo as "A DIVISION OF WALT DISNEY CO", which thereby predicted the Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, which began on December 14, 2017 and ended on March 20, 2019

• On the episode, dated May 20, 2012, predicted Lady Gaga's halftime show at Super Bowl LI, which occurred on February 5, 2017. Just as it was depicted in the episode, Lady Gaga used suspension cables to give the appearance as if she were flying. The outfit she wore at Super Bowl LI was also similar to one shown in the episode.

The list goes on a little bit more. A total of 34!

The show did NOT get a female president (Lisa Simpson) inheriting a huge debt from previous president BLOTUS.  ....and that one was back in 2000. So they got part of it right, just not the female president piece.

There is another prediction they had. 

There is an aired episode from March 19, 2000, reportedly predicted the presidencies of Donald Trump, which occurred from January 20, 2017 to January 20, 2021 and later from January 20th, 2025.

...and yet there is one more.........slated for tomorrow. 

Please, believe me Santa, please!

Of course then we are stuck with "President JD Fucking Vance".   ......so, no real gain. 

We can revisit this all on the 13th, I suppose. I'd even forgo 12 of 12 to make a joyful death post. OR, just 12 of 12 of BLOTUS death shit. That might even be better!

Song by: Marshall Crenshaw

The End the End

It is a major bummer that drummer Clem Burke passed away two days ago. 

He was the third longest member of Blondie - with only Debbie Harry and Chris Stein being in the band longer - since mid-'74. 

If you only listen to one Blondie song to understand his talent, let it be "Dreaming".  While is drum track was more of an overplayed one, it was a test track and wasn't meant to be the final part of the song - but I'd argue it IS the song. 

His best work might be on the album Eat to the Beat. I mean, he holds down the fort for the band with his rhythm track throughout their history, but he was a force when they'd let him shine. With the mix on this album, he shines on almost every single track. 

For a while there was lot of downtime between Blondie albums, so he made appearances with the Eurythmics, Joan Jett, Iggy Pop (along with many others) and was a member of other bands. 

Burke is (well, was) only eight years older than I. I have had every Blondie disk since 1976, so for me, he's been around since I was 13! It just seems odd. 

Not for nothing, but the last three Blondie disks could have been one really good one if they cherry picked the best from those. Allegedly they were recording a new disk. Stein has been out of commission for the last few tours and now with Burke gone, that might just leave Harry and a bunch of no names. Maybe it is just time to retire the band name and live off the past glories. 

I was lucky enough to see Burke (and Blondie) live only once - during the No Exit tour.  Even Jimmy Destri was still part of the band then. It was great. 

Burke was a talent for sure. Under recognized at that. I'm sorry to see him pass. 

Song by: Blondie

Chuck (is the King)

Aww man - Big Chuck died. 

Chuck Schodowski (on the right) was a Cleveland staple. Well.......for a certain generation. Mine. 

I grew up watching Houlihan & Big Chuck. They showed bad movies starting at 23:30 on Friday or Saturday nights (I'm losing track now) with their own skits in between. 

The 'ski' that ended Big Chuck's name was important in their brand. Parma, where I was actually born due to it being the closest hospital at the time, is notorious for having a high Polish population. 

Of course, they couldn't tell "Polish jokes" on the air, so they became "Certain Ethnic jokes" (and Big Chuck played a "Certain Ethnic Man" (or even the "Certain Ethnic Six Dollar Man"), and the on-going series of the "Kielbasa Kid" or "Mary Hartski Mary Hartski" or "Ben Crazy" (instead of Casey).  And then there was the take off on a Cleveland standard "Polka Varieties" (with Paul Wilcox) with "Polish Varieties" (with Paul Whitesocks).  

Maybe that last one doesn't translate. A Cleveland joke was that all Polish people wore white socks. I'm not sure if that one goes outside city limits. And yes, every Sunday we had a one-hour show on Polka and Polka dancing.

I'd say, for a 10 year old, Houlihan and Big Chuck were HILARIOUS. But since males humour rarely develop after 13, I still found them hilarious as I aged. I can still hear the taped laugh that would end every single skit. And I'm smiling thinking about it. 

Houlihan would eventually leave to be replaced by Lil' John (middle), who would eventually sell 710 and myself our wedding rings. 

Big Chuck (I mean, we can't just call him 'Chuck') was funny. And for a coming of age gay boy, I thought he was handsome. That chin!

The show eventually moved to a Saturday afternoon and then eventually disappeared after UHF and VHF became a thing of the past. 

Big Chuck was 90. Even USA Today called him a Cleveland icon.  

He'll be missed. 

Song by: Eddy Grant

Love is the Answer

I just found this Washington Post story to be rather sad. 

For those who can't link to it, as you might not subscribe, in a nutshell a man comes out at the age of 85 - in his obituary. 

A fire fighter, a friend, a strong family background - and could never tell anyone he was gay. 

I mean, he did. And some people knew, but never discussed - at least with him. You know friends and family (even co-workers) talked once he was out of the room. 

Edward Ryan even had a partner for a quarter of a century. Rarely were they seen together and never at Ryan's family events. They would attend the partner's family events, but always taking separate cars. 

I totally get that some families will not accept a same-sex relationship. And I get that some families are close. But these things are not mutually exclusive. They can't be. They shouldn't be.  Having the feeling the family will shun or judge you for who you love totally fractures the idea that your family is truly close - or even truly your family. 

Blood is just blood. 

I always say that Family Planning should mean you get to plan that family - not just be thrust into it. You don't see me talking to 2-3 of my sisters since my parents passed. I feel zero need. There is not an ounce of regret or second thoughts on this. I even successfully avoided three of them at a viewing for a cousin of ours. I guessed - incorrectly - that they'd go to the afternoon viewing hours, not the morning. Yet I made it in and out without exchanging a syllable. 

That said, 710 and my relationship might have been discussed behind our backs - who can know for certain......except you know it. But we had relationships with each other's families and I was welcomed by his, and he by mine. I still attest that mine liked him more than me. And it's valid, for sure. 

Still, Ed Ryan and his partner lived a life of covering tracks and secrecy that, while by his own words had "25 wonderful years together", the omissions had to be exhausting over time. 

But in his obit, he himself writes that he'd always been gay and was sorry he didn't have the courage to come out to his family - afraid of being ostracized. 

With his obituary, he says he is at peace now being able to say it. At 85. 

I'm happy for him, but I'm so sad for him too. He probably doesn't want that pity or sadness, but I want the younger generations to be able to be themselves - whomever that might be, and with whomever they might love. 

Song by: Todd Rundgren

Ship of Fools

It was an off day. Meaning, I was off. I felt off. 

I was off. 

I dodged news. I dodged emails and texts when I could. There is a certain group of friends who are exempt from my anti-social behaviour. Everyone else? They'll hear from me when they hear from me. 

We had a double "celebrity" death two days ago:  Eric Carmen (from the Raspberries and solo work) and Karl Wallinger (from the Waterboys).

Carmen was a Cleveland boy. And while it didn't say where he died, he did relocate back here a few years back. Oh, how scandalous it was to have "Go All the Way" on a K-Tel album. Even I knew at a young age that was like kissing or something. 

While one of my sisters had his first solo disk and played it far too often (according to me!), I knew the music but was never a fan. Less so when Celine Dion decided to cover "All By Myself". I mean, good for Eric - because you know that was a bunch of coins. But ick - the cultural stigma for the rest of us. The scordeling. 

I did, however, like the Waterboys. I'd say they had a number of songs - and they did - but few most people might know. The assumed biggest (I did zero research on this) is what I"m featuring below, "Ship of Fools". 

Save me from tomorrow........indeed. 

Go Now

2023 has not been a great year for artists of a certain generation. Or generations. The Grammys is gonna have a long 'in memorium' portion of their show whenever their next event might be. 

Denny Laine, founding member of Moody Blues and Wings died yesterday. Very late 70s. His age, and his era.  Kind of. 

I know everyone things of it as Paul McCartney & Wings, but really - for the most part - it was just Wings, founded McCartney, his wife and Laine. 

While he was only in the Moody Blues for less than two years, it was an influential band that went into very progressive rock. It is for that band that Laine landed in the Rock Hall. He sang lead on their first hit, "Go Now". 

But that tenure was short. He is most notable for his work in Wings. His lead guitar on the album Band on the Run and Venus and Mars shined. I loved his one lead song on Speed of Sound with "Time to Hide", which I feature on a MMM post almost 7 years to the day.  It is my favourite song on Wings Across America - their triple live disk. 

He and both McCartneys were the only mainstays of Wings for its 10 years. 

I get he's not a huge name in music, but he's someone whom I liked in my formative years way back when. 

I'm including Wings' version of "Richard Cory", which is a cover of a Simon & Garfunkle song. In reality Paul Simon is close to plagiarizing the late 1800's poem of the same name by Edward Arlington Robinson.   ....but Wings does it better, and Laine takes the lead. 

Song by: the Moody Blues

Sister Chirstian

I really don't have much to write about today. 

I saw Bobby Knight died. 

For you sportsball impaired people, he was a volatile basketball coach for the Indiana University for almost 30 years. 

He played the sport for THE Ohio State University. 

Regardless of all his wins, it is his temper for which people will remember him: hitting players and throwing chairs across the court when he was angry. 

It'll give people the creeps, but now and then  - mostly then - Knight had a hot-ish daddy thing goin' on. 

Sue me. 

I will say, his death gives me to use the title image. On Parks & Recreation, at a music festival called the Unity Concert, there was a band that played, which was called Bobby Knight Ranger.  At the end of their set they tossed their chairs across the stage. 

Save for the show's writers, I'm thinking there were 83 people who watched the show who got the joke. I know I couldn't stop laughing. 

Andy, the emcee of the concert says, "I've never heard "Sister Christian" played so many times".  It garnered another laugh from me. 

Song by: Night Ranger

the Sound is Fading

I get that I am now of "that age" where the artists I grew up with are not just aging along with me, but dying. 

These last few weeks have kind of proved that. Even Randy Meisner's death went pretty much unnoticed. 

Yesterday though, it was Robbie Robertson. 80.

Bummer. 

Robertson was a founding member and one of the main songwriters of the Band. That group was widely known as the band that took Dylan electric. They had their own body of work too - much of it notable, but still, backing Dylan for a few years was a big deal. 

When the Band ended in 1978 (?), Martin Scorsese directed their last concerts and released the Last Waltz, which is still regarded as a classic rock movie. Robertson would partner with Scorsese and score 6-7 of his movies. 

Robertson was Canadian, a Jew and Native American......well, native to Canada. He would incorporate much of the latter into his solo work. He even wrote pieces specifically for the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. 

He was well spoken, interesting man and artist. 

His first solo disk didn't appear until a decade after the Band's demise. But the self-titled album was a good one. Scorsese even directed the video for the initial single, "Somewhere Down the Crazy River". 

The video was beautifully shot, and lit. My friend Jon is no fan of it.  Me?  I'm a big fan. Of the song and video - which incudes Maria McKee and Sam Llanas from toe BoDeans.  Tony Levin and Daniel Lanois almost make appearances. I featured it several years ago in a My Music Monday, but I'm repeating it here..........on a Thursday. 

I found Robertson untraditionally handsome. But 80 is a good life. And he made a lot of it. 

Song by: Robbie Robertson

She's Not There

Large Tony has passed. 

Allegedly. 

I might be speaking ill of the dead. But perhaps not. Maybe he's dead. Maybe his persona is. If either ever existed. 

Yes. I'm going to be THAT guy. 

GregM alerted me to the fact that this was posted on Twitter, a medium to which I no longer am involved - because they kind of banned me. Throughout the day other bloggers and former bloggers also gave me a notice as well. 

I used to follow Tony and link to him. His writings were decent - almost too much so for a self-subscribed hick from eastern Tennessee. I'm not casting dispersions on folks from there, but he wrote more eloquently than his background would suggest. 

The man would shut down blogs and start them up again under another name / title. I eventually gave up even attempting to follow him. I think he was trying to throw people off the trail, but maybe I'm projecting. 

I am not all about the blogger meet-up, but you've seen I've had my fair share. I never attempted to meet Tony because, well, I was never planning on being in or near Knoxville. But I know others who have attempted and at the last second he'd always beg off or cancel. Not one person I know actually met him. 

His pictures, while very nice and sometimes provocative, were nothing short of professional photographs. Never a single candid picture of him anywhere ever. Very little that was not perfectly lit and shadowed. And Dorian Gray had nothing on this man. He barely aged a day in 20 years. Not one of us who has blogged that long can say anything remotely the same. 

I am also cynical enough as to why a Twitter post like this would show up 3-4 months after the fact, or that someone would have his username and password to that account to post it int the first place. Sure, maybe "the lawyer" did it, but going by his blog and this post, no one in Tony's immediate family is still alive. 

Even if someone being Tony was a persona, maybe it was just better and easier to kill "him" off with a tweet. 

Not a trace of a grave or a marker of existence.  Faking the perfect death. 

Or he fell off a ladder while painting a house and died. Either Or. 

Song by: the Zombies

Baby Let's Play House

"Au Revoir Pee Wee", Sinone would say in his Big Adventure movie. 

It is now "adieu". 

What a week it has been. I've been playing Sinéad a lot since last week. 

But I loved Pee Wee - and Paul Rubens. Saw all of his Playhouse and his first movie is still superb. And he was a good henchmen in the original Buffy, the Vampire Slayer movie. 

.....and he still has the best Christmas show around.  Ever. Hands down. 

I can't say why Pee Wee spoke to me. Maybe he's just the kid in us men who never grew up. I've always said, we, as a gender, never grow up intellectually after 12. Maybe Pee Wee just personified that.

I lived up to it as well.  I have a decent collection of Playhouse collectibles: Randy, Pteri, Magic Screen, a Billy Bologna doll, a Chairy, a talking Pee Wee doll and yes, a live sized Pee Wee - which I've now had for at least....let's see......33 years? 

It took way longer than expected for Ruben / Herman to live down his Sarasota porn theater wank fest. 

Over the years - even here - I would tell the story of seeing his arrest on the news and seeing the theater.  Years before - but not too too many - I was in that very theater as well.  At the tender age of 16. 

My family vacationed about two miles from there. Other kids I'd see yearly who did the same were with me. I remember there being four of us. I don't remember who drove. I don't remember paying. Clearly we weren't 18 and yet clearly no one stopped us. 

I remember the "film" being about King Midas. I remember years later finding the lead in the straight movie being John Leslie, who at the time I thought was handsome.  ....and yes, his pecker did turn to gold when he fucked some chick. 

I do remember none of the four of us masturbating in the seats, or even aware that it happened there. 

It was a story I could never tell my family, as I'm sure over the years knew of the theater's existence. But Mr. Herman knew. 

A decade or so later, my still current friends and I would watch Pee Wee's Playhouse every Saturday morning. And we would base holiday parties around his xmas special. When it finally came to DVD (yes, I had a pirated VHS copy), I purchased a copy for all my friends. 

I won't lie. I tried watching his last Pee Wee movie a few years back. I couldn't make it through. Nostalgia only goes so far, I suppose. But it didn't lessen my love for his character. 

He will be missed, but he will live on. He was a brilliant visionary when it came to his character and how to portray him. 

Au revoir, Mr. Rubens. 

Song by: Rachel Sweet