October, 1992, I went to see Frank Sinatra at Radio City Music Hall with two friends, and my boss at the time, a miserable human being who was also a somewhat legendary record store owner. By this time, I had seen Sinatra over a dozen or so times, in small venues and large, casinos and arenas, with the first time being The Main Event at Madison Square Garden in 1974, courtesy of my Uncle. He's often been outstanding, but there have been bad nights, where he was either lost, drunk or a little of both and simply did not bring it. (Sinatra, not my Uncle.) And while my boss could be hilarious at times, he was mostly a terrible person. He disliked most things, thought the greatest band in the world were The Chambers Brothers, who til' this day, "never got a boxed set," and truly hated himself, and he took it all out on anyone who got in his way, anyone who didn't like The Chambers Brothers, and especially, mostly, his employees. Sinatra, by the way, was incredible that October night in 1992, and delivered a Hall Of Fame set list---look it up---as well as a classic monologue to rival The Sands, 1966. Not bad for a guy who lived hard for sixty years and would die less than five years later. After the encore and one final standing ovation, we exited to 5th Avenue, three out of four of us, ecstatic. But not my boss. He was sporting a Scrooge-like puss, and was stamping the pavement like a scolded child. "What? You didn't like it?," I asked. "No. He didn't do High Hopes."
PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS
PART ONE
http://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2010/07/people-and-things-that-went-before.html
PART TWO
http://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2010/07/they-drove-you-or-you-drove-them-crazy.html
PART THREE
http://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2010/08/east-19th-street-brooklyn-it-goes-into.html
PART FOUR
http://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-saw-led-zeppelin-twice-they-sucked.html
PART FIVE
http://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2010/08/hear-my-song-people-wont-you-listen-now.html
PART SIX
http://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2010/08/theres-something-wrong-here-there-can.html
PART SEVEN
http://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2010/09/all-things-must-pass-songs-n-hoods-part.html
PART EIGHT
http://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2010/10/tim-vega-songs-n-hoods-part-8.html
PART NINE
http://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2010/11/all-accessfor-some-songs-n-hoods-part-9.html
PART TEN
http://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2011/03/scuse-me-while-idisappear-songs-n-hoods.html
PART ELEVEN
http://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2011/10/old-records-die-hard-songs-n-hoods-part.html
PART TWELVE
http://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2012/01/he-wasnt-friend-of-mine-songs-n-hoods.html
PART THIRTEEN
http://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2012/04/bless-me-father-for-i-have-sinnedi.html
PART FOURTEEN
https://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/2012/05/you-either-get-it-or-you-dont-songs-n.html
7 comments:
Sal, there are more horses asses in this world than there are horses (and I'm not talking about Sinatra or your uncle)!
I just spent the better part of the morning reading the entire catalog of Songs 'n' The Hoods though being a 'regular' I had read several before. When I was finished I thought "Man, Sal needs to write a book."
Then I realized that he already has.
Thanks for that.
Randy
P.S. Have you read the new Todd book?
Thanks Randy.
I did read the Todd book, in one straight sitting. I enjoyed a lot of it, but could not fathom how no one in his camp, not even the publisher, bothered to fix typos. There are hundreds! Just lazy. Good read, though.
If I remember correctly, his "three best bands ever" were the Beatles, the Sex PIstols, and the Stranglers. But the Chambers Brothers were definitely top ten.
Pete
Thanks for posting those older links. Excellent thoughtful,funny, poignant stuff, much enjoyed. Cheers!
Meant to mention, Mr N, that part 9 "All access for some songs n hoods" is not, somewhat ironically, accessible. "Page does not exist" is what I get, which is a pity as I've truly enjoyed the other tales. Cheers anyway!
Dogbreath,
I never liked Part 9, and after I posted it, a few comments agreed with me. I never rewrote it, so it remains in draft. Thanks for noticing.
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