Ain't Too Proud to Beg: A Jukebox Musical that Succeeds

Many jukebox musicals that focus on one artist have failed over the years.  Beautiful (Carole King) and Jersey Boys (Four Seasons)  succeeded because there was a viable storyline in addition to the singing of the artists' many hits.

From the photo above, you can see there were 5 men in the group, but there were many personnel changes over the years.  The show demonstrates how the group got started and how it evolved with the many professional and personal problems encountered by the members.  The singing and choreography were both excellent.

Lee actually picked this show as every year we take him to a Broadway show for his birthday which is on March 28.  I think the television commercials for the show won him over.

Review in the New York Times.

Roger McGuinn to Appear at the World of Dylan Symposium

Here is the big announcement.  It seems that the conference will be very scholarly with the speakers picking apart every word of every song.  That is to be expected, but I hope that Roger will give a talk describing his experience working with Dylan in different eras of their respective careers.  I wouldn't mind if Roger will give a little concert of his Dylan covers.

You Better You Bet by the Who - Classic Rock Hit of the Day

I heard this on SiriusXM Classic Rewind today.

Art Shamsky's book After the Miracle to be Released Today

2019 is the 50th anniversary of the 1969 New York Mets who surprised the baseball world by winning the World Series after being perennial losers. Much will be written and done for this milestone anniversary.  There will be a weekend celebration at Citi Field this June.

After Art Shamsky spoke about the book at the recent SABR meeting, I ordered it from Amazon.com.  He will report on relationships among the members of that team over the years.  There will be a chapter about his visit to Tom Seaver in California.  It was recently reported that Tom is suffering from dementia and will no longer make public appearances.

Art and his co-author Erik Sherman were interviewed on WNYC radio.

The Program for the World of Dylan Conference Was Announced

If you are interested the program can be found at this site.  I am hoping that the presentations will not be too "academic".  I guess I have to expect that it would be since it was advertised as a scholarly meeting.  I am especially interested in the following sessions:

I2: POLITICS AND FANDOM: ON BEING EXCLUDED
Nicolette Rohr, “Them Screamin Girls”: Folk, Rock, and Dylan Fandom
Laura Tenschert, “What’s a Sweetheart Like You Doing In A Dump Like This?”
Antonio de Velasco, Nature, Solidarity and Change: “Chimes of Freedom” at the first Clinton Inaugural

H1: OUT OF THE ARCHIVE II
Larry Starr, Bob Dylan’s Essential Harmonica
Betsy Bowden, “A Poem Ain’t a Song / Nyanh, a Poem Ain’t a Song / The Time Is Ripe to Right that Wrong”
Richard F. Thomas, “Too Serious to Fool”

B4: ENGLAND CALLING I
John Covach, ‘I Can’t Hide’: Bob Dylan and the British Invasion
David Thurmaier, The Collaborative and Collegial Relationship between Bob Dylan and George Harrison, 1968-70
Ken Womack, Dylan and the Beatles

Mr. Tambourine Man by William Shatner

Very often Bob Dylan's songs are taken too seriously.  The most famous cover of Mr. Tambourine is by The Byrds, but above you can hear a humorous version done by William Shatner of Star Trek fame.

Madison Avenue Visit Today - Morgan Library and SIBL

Today I walked along Madison Avenue and stopped by the Morgan Library and Museum.  I was there a few months ago but noted from their website that there were new exhibits.

• Tolkien - Maker of Middle Earth
• The Extended Moment - Photographs from the National Gallery of Canada
• Invention and Design - Early Italian Drawings

Since I was in the neighborhood I thought I would drop by SIBL (Science Industry and Business Library) of NYPL.  When I worked at NYPL in the 1980s the Science Division was in Room 121 of the main building and 5th Avenue and 42nd Street.  I spoke to Madeline who is the only person still employed there whom I knew.  Everyone else moved on or retired.  We discussed some of the people we both knew there.  I knew that they eliminated most of the science collection about 10 years ago.  It was very expensive and relatively few people used it.  Within the next year, SIBL will close and move to the renovated Mid-Manhattan at 5th Avenue and 40th Street.  Nothing stays the same.