Hey Joe Revisited

 A Google search revealed there are over 1800 versions of Hey Joe written by folk musician Billy Roberts in the 1950s.  Below are versions from Jimi Hendrix, The Leaves, The Byrds, Tim Rose, and Johnny Rivers.

Remembering Roy Herschaft - New York Culture Has Lost a Friend

 

Roy at a Forest Hills High School Reunion in 2017

Roy at My 60th Birthday Dinner in 2009

Roy Herschaft passed away on Saturday, October 18 after being in failing health for a long time.  I was friends with him since our Forest Hills High School Days in the 1960s.

My first memory of him was walking to school talking about the WABC and WMCA music surveys.  He was a big fan of the Supremes while I was a fan of Bob Dylan.  I’ll never forget in October 1966 he came out of his building beaming when You Keep Me Hanging on by the Supremes hit #1 on the WMCA survey.  In high school we were in a program that emphasized the sciences.

After high school our paths diverged as Roy went to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, to study architecture, while I studied chemistry at the City College of New York.  We stayed connected through letters and phone calls.

After college Roy worked for the Peace Corps for a while and lived in San Francisco for about a year.  After he returned to NYC, he worked for the Department of City Planning where he stayed until he retired.  For about 50 years, he lived in an apartment in Brooklyn Heights.

Roy should be best remembered for his devotion to culture in New York City.  He was most passionate about ballet.  For many years he attended ballet class and, for a short time, aspired to be a professional dancer.

He just loved movies.  He would go to a multiplex and stay all day seeing 3 or more films on one admission.

He regularly went to museums and knew when the specific institution offered free admission.  Roy was also a big fan of opera and collected artwork.

In later years Roy’s musical interests changed toward classical music.  I remember going to the record department with him at J&R in lower Manhattan.  Earlier in this essay I mentioned my enthusiasm for Bob Dylan.  Roy came with me to three Dylan concerts at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, and Forest Hills Stadium.  I bought a 2-LP set of the Supremes Greatest Hits which he signed for me.

Roy was a very big enthusiast of the theater.  He went to almost every Broadway show that was out and always could find a bargain for tickets.  He would stand in line for hours to get tickets for Shakespeare in the Park.

Roy was an avid viewer of PBS programming and left money in his will to WNET-TV

I was always a big sports fan, while Roy was completely indifferent.  I once had an extra ticket for a Mets game, and he joined me at Shea Stadium.  He appeared to be uninterested.

In recent years, I would always speak to Roy on the phone on Sunday mornings.  We would always discuss our cultural activities of the past week. He always said that I watched terrible movies. Since he just passed away, Sundays will just never be the same, so I will conclude by posting hit by Spanky and Our Gang.  I will certainly miss Roy.

Whitney Museum - October 2025 Visit

 

It was time for a return visit to the Whitney Museum.  The main attraction today was Sixties Surreal, an ambitious, scholarly reappraisal of American art from 1958 to 1972, encompassing the work of more than 100 artists. It recontextualizes some of the decade’s best-known figures alongside those only recently rediscovered..  Below are two of the many works we saw today.

RIP Gary Fishbein New York Mets and Oldies Fan Extraordinaire

 

Gary Fishbein at the 2012 Oldies Meet and Greet

He is wearing a WMCA Good Guy Sweatshirt and

a Brooklyn Cyclones Cap

I always saw Gary at the annual Meet and Greets that we held in Manhattan.  We had many phone calls over the years discussing the Mets, the Brooklyn Cyclones, oldies artists, and radio personalities from WMCA, WABC, and WCBS-FM.  A few weeks ago the phone calls stopped.  Today, when I reached his cell phone, I got a message saying the phone was disconnected.  I accessed his Facebook page and read the following message from his Cousin:

This is Gary's cousin, Michele. I am sorry to let everyone know that Gary passed away in his home on August 17, most likely due to a heart attack or something similar. Thank you for being his friend. Gary was a man of few words, but when he spoke, it was usually about the Mets.Hopefully, he can watch the games where he is. We had a private funeral last weekend, but if you want to share any memories you have of Gary, please do so on this page. Thanks.

RIP Gary. There will be an empty seat at Citi Field and Maimonides Park.

I will make a donation to the Amazin' Mets Foundation in his memory.

I Stand by the No Kings Protests Today

 

I don't like to discuss politics, but I am saddened every time I watch the TV News or see online reports about the current President of the United States. Our founding fathers rebelled against the King of England and formed a government based on checks and balances among the three branches of government being the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.  This president has essentially done whatever he wants by signing an executive order.

The Constitution allows for the President to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States.  This entails various forms of clemency, including commuting or postponing a sentence, remitting a fine or restitution, delaying the imposition of a punishment, and providing amnesty to an entire group or class of individuals.

I am quite upset over the clemency given to George Santos as detailed in this article in the New York Times.  He pardoned the criminals who invaded the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

He is using the judiciary to punish his political enemies.

It is so sad that no Republican will stand up to him.

I pray for the future of the United States of America.

Best of Luck to Future Riders of New Jersey Transit and Amtrak

 

The Gateway Project was initiated to add more railway tunnels under the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey. It is currently underway, having undergone numerous starts and stops, and sits at the center of the busy Northeast Corridor, which stretches from Washington to Boston.

During my 25 years of commuting from New York to New Jersey, I had to endure many delays when one of the tunnels had to be closed for one reason or another.  These tunnels were also damaged by Superstorm Sandy and must be closed to be completely repaired.  This cannot be done if the Gateway Project is stopped.  I fear there will be a disaster on the rails if a tunnel fails because the repairs could not be made.

This article in the New York Times details the politics behind the withholding of federal funds for this project.

Why does Donald Trump hate New York?

Why does Donald Trump hate Democrats?

What does Donald Trump have against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs?

I think this convicted felon should sit on a New Jersey Transit train stuck in a Hudson River tunnel for hours.

It Was 20 Years Ago Today I Started Bruce's Journal

 

Actually, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play on June 1, 1947.  On October 15, 2005 your truly started Bruce’s Journal.  My first entry was very brief as I just described the family going to see a football game at Hofstra University.  At first, the journal was published as an AOL Journal, but when that service was discontinued in 2008, the journal was transitioned to Blogger, a service of Google.  I was able to get a domain with my name.

Over the years, I have just kept on writing.  The entries ranged from the ridiculous to the sublime.  Some were thought out in advance, while others were written spontaneously.  The topics in no particular order include:

• Baseball – especially the New York Mets
• Oldies Music – On some days I post a song that comes to mind
• Bob Dylan
• Jeopardy
• Museum trips
• Movies
• Radio broadcasting
• Family outings
• Autobiographical Information

I rarely discuss politics, which I despise, especially over the past 10 years.  I try not to get too personal, as I believe that certain issues should be private.  I am always careful about what I write since anyone can read it.

I have written 5289 entries over the past 20 years.  This amounts to 264 entries annually, or approximately 5 each week, which means that some days are not documented.

According to Blogger, there have been over 7 million hits, but I sense that most of them are from robots.  I wonder how many of those hits are from real people.  Blogger states that 45% of the hits were from China.  I am certain that all of those hits are from robots.

I post most of my entries on Facebook, so I am aware of a some regular readers.  A few have contacted me saying they read it regularly.  I will not ask for feedback as I know that most people are anonymous when they surf the web.  Many hits are likely from Google searches.

Thanks for reading, and I will continue with Bruce’s Journal.

I will not post Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band Reprise