Rockabilly Star Ronnie Hawkins Passes Away at 87

 

Ronnie Hawkins with the Band Singing Who Do You Love

at The Last Waltz

This obituary from the New York Times best tells the story behind Ronnie Hawkins.  One of my favorite groups, The Band, was Ronnie Hawkins' backing band for many years.  I have a CD of Ronnie's best-known songs released by Rhino Records.

In the video above Ronnie sang with The Band at the Last Waltz which was supposed to be The Band's farewell concert.  Some years later the group reformed and recorded albums and gave concerts.

RIP Ronnie.

It is Sad to See People Scrounging Garbage Cans for Bottles and Cans

 

People buying soda and beer must pay a five-cent deposit for each item.  This is done to prevent thousands of pounds of plastic and aluminum from entering the waste stream and to allow them to be recycled.  Many consumers don't want to be bothered and through the bottles and cans into garbage pails.  I regularly see people scrounging garbage cans to look for items that can be redeemed for cash.  They take big shopping carts with recyclables to the local supermarkets.  It is so sad to see people doing that.  It would take 200 items to get $10 in cash.

I usually generate about 20 bottles and cans each week, resulting in $1.00.  Whenever I went to the supermarket, I saw lines of people waiting to redeem bottles.  Since it is not worthwhile to wait so long for just a buck, I place my bottles and cans into the recyclable bin in my building.  Obviously, someone will break through the large transparent plastic bags and take out the bottles.  I see it as a donation to charity.

Ryan Long - Jeopardy's Latest Big Winner

 

Ryan Long last night became the 14th Jeopardy contestant to win ten or more games with four of them coming this season.  He drives for Uber and Lyft and really needs his winnings as he lives from paycheck to paycheck.  It shows Jeopardy contestants need not hold advanced degrees to succeed.  Apparently, he gains his knowledge from reading or maybe even from conversations with his customers.  He recovered from a long bout with COVID-19 in early 2021.

Everybody wishes Ryan well in his future appearances in Jeopardy as he has attained celebrity status.  We never know from one game to the next what will happen.  A contestant must be knowledgeable, but luck can be a factor.

Stay tuned.

Random Thoughts of the Day

 

It takes me about 5 hours each week to do the laundry.  I wish I could use that time doing other things.  Nobody wants to wear dirty clothes.

I was pleasantly surprised to hear WKCR (89.9 FM affiliated with Columbia University) played all Dylan on his birthday.  I was disappointed that WFUV did not do something similar.  I listened for about 40 minutes on Tuesday and there was no Dylan at all.  Today at about 6:40 AM Delphine Blue played Maggie's Farm.  Corney O'Connell has been out much lately from his morning shift on WFUV.  I am sure there is a legitimate reason for it.  I hope he is not ill.

This weekend Rewound Radio  will be playing WABC Rewound and continue a Memorial Day tradition.  It is fun to hear how radio sounded in the 1960s and 1970s.

For Bob Dylan's Birthday - Do the 81 by Candy and the Kisses

 

At 81 years young Bob Dylan is still very active.  In four days the Never Ending Tour will resume in Spokane, Washington.  Will there be a new album or Bootleg Series in 2022?  Radio station WKCR (89,9 FM in NYC or wkcr.org elsewhere) is playing only Dylan music all day.

Exhibition of Sports Memorabilia on the East Side of Manhattan

 

Bruce and Lee at the Exhibit

Neil Scherer. the proprietor of https://goinggoinggonesports.com/ is displaying sports memorabilia on the east side of Manhattan.  This show will run until June 20.  Includes photos, tickets, programs, and art work featuring:

• The New York Yankees
• Polo Grounds
• Brooklyn Dodgers
• New York Giants (Football)
• National Basketball Association

For information, please contact Neil at njsart@msn.com

Here are some samples:

Ted Williams

Mickey Mantle

1941 Brooklyn Dodgers

Happy Birthday to Mary Shaw Radio Enthusiast Extraordinaire

 

Mary Shaw with Cousin Brucie at a

Palisades Park Reunion

Mary is certainly New York radio's greatest enthusiast.  I think everyone knows her.  Back in the mid- 1990s I met Mary on the WCBS-FM folder on America Online.  The people in that folder got together every year.  Later, she came to most of the Oldies Meet and Greets that we had at Ben's Deli.

I wish her a happy and healthy birthday.

Pete Alonso Hits a Walk-Off Home Run as the Mets beat the Cards 7-6 in 10 innings

 

A nice benefit of retirement is the ability to go to weekday afternoon games.  I really got a bargain today as I was able to get a ticket from Stub Hub for $10.66 to sit in the upper deck of Citi Field.

Chris Bassitt was the starting pitcher for the Mets as he allowed 4 runs and 9 hits over 6 1/3 innings.  It was a seesaw battle as the lead changed four times.  Jeff McNeil had a run-scoring infield groundout in the first and a two-run single in the fifth off Nick Wittgren that put the Mets ahead 5-3.  His fielding excelled as he climbed the wall in left-field foul territory to grab Paul Goldschmidt's seventh-inning sacrifice fly, pushed off with his right foot, and threw to second to nail Brendan Donovan, who tried to tag up from first. Then, with a runner on first in the eighth, McNeil made a sliding catch on a soft liner to deny Dylan Carlson and threw to second from his back.

Edwin Diaz blew his second save opportunity in 11 tries as the Cards scored in the ninth inning to tie the game.

In the top of the 10th, Albert Pujols hit into a double play to drive in the "ghost runner" to take a 6-5 lead. Francisco Lindor was the "ghost runner" for the Mets in the bottom of the inning.  Pete Alonso hit a slide off Giovanny Gallegos into the left-field stands to win the game for the Mets who are now 26-14 which is tied for the fourth best 40 game start in team history.

Game Recap

My Latest Walking Tour of Rego Park

 

Corner of Booth Street and 63rd Drive

A sporting goods store named Harley's

was at this location decades ago

I have certainly written a lot about Rego Park in this Journal.  After my dentist appointment today, I decided to take another walking tour as I have done several times in the past.  Obviously, nothing in this world stays the same.  Many retail establishments have come and gone over the decades.  Some observations:

• The site of the Tower Diner on Queens Blvd. was demolished.  The site of the Trylon Theater next to it which is now a synagogue is also slated to be demolished.
• Parkside Chapels at 66th Road and Queens Blvd. was also demolished.
• The Shalimar Diner on 63rd Drive was also demolished.

I believe in all three cases there will be high-rise apartment buildings constructed.

In any event, everyone I knew in Rego Park has either moved away or passed on.

I'll Remember You by Bob Dylan

 

This appeared on the album Empire Burlesque in 1985

But do you remember me?

I’ll Remember You

WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN

I’ll remember you

When I’ve forgotten all the rest

You to me were true

You to me were the best

When there is no more

You cut to the core

Quicker than anyone I knew

When I’m all alone

In the great unknown

I’ll remember you

I’ll remember you

At the end of the trail

I had so much left to do

I had so little time to fail

There’s some people that

You don’t forget

Even though you’ve only seen ’m one time or two

When the roses fade

And I’m in the shade

I’ll remember you

Didn’t I, didn’t I try to love you?

Didn’t I, didn’t I try to care?

Didn’t I sleep, didn’t I weep beside you

With the rain blowing in your hair?

I’ll remember you

When the wind blows through the piney wood

It was you who came right through

It was you who understood

Though I’d never say

That I done it the way

That you’d have liked me to

In the end

My dear sweet friend

I’ll remember you

Copyright © 1985 by Special Rider Music

9th Inning Rally Falls Short as Mets Lose to the Mariners 8-7

 

Lee and I were supposed to go to the game last night, but since it rained at 6 PM we decided not to go and attended today's game instead.  Last night's game eventually began at 8:18 PM and ended close to midnight.

The highlights of the game for the Mets were:

• A home run by Francisco Lindor that landed in the second deck of the left field stands.
• In the bottom of the fourth inning J.D. Davis and Brandon Nimmo hit two-run triples that gave the Mets a 5-4 lead at that point.

Julio Rodriguez tied the score when he homered in the 6th inning.  Cal Raleigh, in a 2-for-33 slump, added a go-ahead, two-run drive against Drew Smith later in the inning for a 7-5 lead. Rodríguez tacked on an RBI single in the seventh.

In the 9th inning, the Mets scored two runs to make the score 8-7.  Pete Alonso stuck out the bases loaded to end the game.

It is the first series that the Mets lost this season.  They still lead the National League East by 5.5 games.

Game Recap

Video Biography of Joe E. Ross of Car 54 Where are You Fame

 

Car 54 Where are You which was only on TV from 1961 to 63 was one of my favorite TV series.  In December of 2012, I wrote a journal entry reviewing a book written by Martin Grams about the TV series.  Today, I discovered a video biography of its star, Joe E. Ross.  He was a stand-up comic appearing in nightclubs and similar venues for most of his career.  His other TV credits included Sgt. Bilko and It's About Time.

Joe very often forgot his lines and said Ooo, Ooo instead.  He passed away in 1982 at age 68.

Going Nowhere by Los Bravos - Random Rare Oldie of the Day

 

For some strange reason, this rarity came to mind today.  It charted on Billboard in 1966, but only got to #91.  I likely heard it back then on WMCA.  Los Bravos is a Spanish group best known for Black is Black.

Bob Dylan Center - Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

 

This video runs for about 43 minutes.  It includes several speeches by people associated with the Center.  It was explicitly stated that Mr. Zimmerman did not come by last month while he was in Tulsa for a concert.  Does he care about how his works have impacted people for 60 years?

Bob Dylan: Retrospectrum at the Frost Art Museum

 

This exhibition in Miami closed last month, but it is supposed to travel.  Will it come to NYC?

Bob Dylan Cards - 2022 vs 1965

 

This is a follow-up on my journal entry of May 6.  Subterranean Homesick Blues was released as a 45 RPM single in 1965 but peaked only at #39 on the Billboard chart.  It is best known for its iconic video with Allan Ginsberg seen at the beginning of the documentary Don't Look Back.

If you go to https://www.dylan60.com/ the people at Sony Music have offered a website where you can see the cards from the 2022 video.  If you click on the card, you will see the card from the original video done in 1965,

Higher Love by Steve Winwood - Classic Hit of the Day

 

Any song that charted in 1986 is not an oldie but a classic hit.  Scott Shannon played it this morning on "America's Greatest Hits", a syndicated show heard on WCBS-FM.  I hardly listen to that station any more as I dislike their music mix.

Subterranean Homesick Blues - 2022 and 1965 Versions

 

Above is a re-recording of Subterranean Homesick Blues with a new video tied to a new audio project from producer T-Bone Burnett who has developed a new analog sound technology that he says, “possesses a depth, resonance and sonic fidelity that exceeds that of vinyl, CD, streaming or any other means of experiencing recorded music.” It certainly sounds a lot crisper than the original 1965 version.  That video seen below was the opening scene of the documentary Don't Look Back.

Do Newscasts Turn Off Listeners to Music Radio Stations in Morning Drive?

 

I regularly listen to WFUV from 6:25 AM until 7:10 AM when I turn on the Today Show on NBC.  Until recently the station had a brief newscast at 6:50 AM.  For the last week or so this newscast was dropped.  Several years ago, the station dropped NPR news but kept a local newscast.  I don't know if this situation is permanent or temporary.  Is the station trying to cut its costs by eliminating a newscast or is there evidence the listeners turn to another station to avoid hearing the news?

Later in the morning, I listen to WBGO which plays jazz.  There is an NPR newscast at the top of the hour followed by local news.  At the bottom of the hour, there is only local news.

Both not-for-profit radio stations are excellent but obviously differ in their approach to the news in the morning.

Mattea Roche - The Latest Jeopardy Superstar

 

Mattea is the fourth contestant this season to win 10 or more games:

1. Amy Schneider - 40
2. Matt Amodio - 38
3. Mattea Roche - 20 (still going)
4. Jonathan Fisher - 11

With 20 wins she ties Julia Collins for the second-biggest winner in the number of games won for women.

For winnings in regular season play, she now ranks #6.

But how many more games will she win?  You never know if she will miss a Daily Double or Final Jeopardy and lose.  I observe that she is gaining more confidence as she wins more games.

I hope that the final three in the Tournament of Champions in November will be Amy, Matt, and Mattea.

From Ringo Starr to the New York Mets - The No-No Song

 

I sent Cousin Brucie an email yesterday afternoon requesting him to play this song in honor of the Mets no-hitter.  I listened to his show until 8 PM when I switched to watching the Mets.  I am guessing that he didn't play it since he gets so many requests.