It Was Fifty Years Ago Today

It might be arguable as to whether I was earliest in Manhattan to buy a copy of the epochal "Meet the Beatles," but I was unquestionably the first to plunk down my money for their February 12, 1964 Carnegie Hall concert. I had surmised they might be appearing there sometime between their two Ed Sullivan TV dates on the February 9th and 16th. I was right. The only one in line the morning the Carnegie box office opened, I bought two tickets for a ridiculously low $ 15. Duckets in hand, I left the box office, and already police lines were in place to control the hundreds of Beatlemaniacs suddenly descended upon Carnegie mere minutes after the first radio announcement of the event. If only I could have channeled my talents along more societally productive lines than outguessing masses of crazed Beatle fans. In honor of the occasion, when "B" day arrived, I got ripped on something called 20 mg biphetamines to become the most stoned I had ever been in my life up to that time. I was accompanied by an equally crazed and stoned friend, now a tenured U. Mass lit prof. Liz Taylor stood in front of me in line, as did Happy Rockefeller, wife of New York state's governor. Which caused me to think that maybe there was something to the egalitarian message being propounded by the Beatles after all. The thing I remember most about that 1964 night is the screaming---like all the tape loops in hell going off at once. They wore identical mod gray suits, and were still not too proud or hip to do the crowd-pleasing bit where they put their heads together, shook their mop tops and sang "Ooooh" on "She Loves You." Then the crowd really went wild. At one point, I looked down from my perch in the second balcony to espy someone in the first tier having to be restrained from leaping headfirst to the main floor. (Maybe we're not so far removed from the Mayans after all.) In response to a reporter's remark that the audience was so loud you couldn't hear the music, one teenaged female fan Zenfully (and immortally) replied: "But I already know the words."

Mort Hillman R.I.P.

I received the following this a.m. from Bill Hillman

"Morton C. Hillman, a veteran of the music industry and former member of the New York State Assembly passed away peacefully February 3, 2014, in Delray Beach, Florida. Born in 1926, he grew up in Norwood and Cincinnati, Ohio. As a musician playing cornet and trumpet, he served in the USO during World War Two. He later became a member of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra as a trumpet player. His vocal group, the “C-notes” made an appearance on the “Arthur Godfrey” show, placing second to Steve and Eydie Gormé. As advertising director of “Record World Magazine” he was known throughout the music and entertainment industry. Settling in the Beechhurst/Whitestone section of Queens, NY, in the early 1960’s, he continued his activities as a community leader and activist. In 1986, he was elected to the New York State Assembly to serve three terms for the 26th Assembly District, and later was appointed to the Bi-State Commission on Long Island Sound.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in his honor can be made to the Jewish War Veterans, The American Diabetes Association or the National Breast Cancer Foundation."

That is not even the tip of the iceberg. You'll see what I mean if you check out the following: Here is a post  I wrote about Mort in 2008. A true lily of the musical field.

It must be in the genes. . .

 

I came across this video clip when I was archiving Page Cavanaugh's video collection recently. Lots of work, but worth it if for no other reason than its resulting in my first-time awarness of singer-pianist Randy Carmichael. Which then led to my subsequent coming across his first-rate CD entitled, natch, Carmichael Sings Carmichael. Clip is from a 1995 Larry King show. He is accompanied here by Page C.

Carmichael continues to play jazz clubs around the U.S. and also performs at charity events.

 

"My dear, it was so gay that. . .."

"How gay was it?"
"Gayer than Ikea on Superbowl Sunday."

And here's an interesting SB "fun" fact. . .
The highest rate of spousal male-to-female abuse in the U.S. traditionally occurs immediately after the Superbowl Game. Check it out if you don't believe me.

I wonder what would happen if all the teams switched uniforms just before they ran out on the field?

Yurs veri truley,

O.J. Simpson