Random Thoughts of the Day

 

The MTA is in the process of redesigning bus routes in Queens. They are asking for feedback from riders.  Since I only ride buses and subways once a week on average, I am not particularly concerned about changes.

The local Stop n Shop had very little Passover food. That makes sense as the Jewish population in my neighborhood has diminished. Yesterday I took a ride to Aron's Kissena Farms in South Flushing which is a Kosher supermarket. I bought all the Passover food that I'll need. When I go to that store, I remember an old friend from the early 1970s named Alan Aron.  Maybe he will Google himself and find this journal entry.  My friendship with him ended on a sour note in 1974.

It is hard to believe that 2022 is 25% over.  Time flies.

Oldie of the Day - Mr. Lee by the Bobbettes in honor of his 34th Birthday

 

Mr. Lee by the Bobbettes charted 31 years before Lee's birthday.  We played it at his Bar Mitzvah in 2001.  Where did all these years go?

British Oldie of the Day - Ha Ha Said the Clown by Manfred Mann

 

Tony Blackburn just played this on his Sounds of the Sixties show that I playback on most Sunday mornings.  Ha Ha Said the Clown peaked at #4 on the British charts but did not hit the Billboard Top 100.  Manfred Mann had several American hits, but not this one.

Woody Guthrie Exhibit at the Morgan Library and Museum

 

I have documented several visits to the Morgan Library and Museum in this Journal.  I wanted to visit today as I was attracted to the Woody Guthrie exhibit which is featured until May.  In May 2019 I visited the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa just before I attended the World of Bob Dylan Symposium.  I thought this New York exhibit would be different. It traces Guthrie’s life and career through his artistic response to several interrelated themes: place, politics, family, love, and spirituality. Running through these themes is an emphasis on Guthrie’s connection to “people”.

There were some Bob Dylan artifacts there including Dylan's personal copy of Guthrie's biography "Bound for Glory".  Dylan wrote a song called "Song to Woody" that appeared on his eponymous first album released in 1962.  Below is a video of Dylan performing "Song to Woody" at his 30th Anniversary Concert at Madison Square Garden in October 1992.

First Visit to the Paley Center in Over Two Years

 

I have documented many visits to the Paley Center for Media in this journal.  It is an archive of thousands of television and radio programs held in their library.  For years I have been a member by making an annual contribution.  Unfortunately, it was closed since early 2020 on account of the pandemic.  According to my records, my last visit was in September 2019.

Yesterday, I decided to go over and watch some videos for a few hours.  I watched:

• One episode of All in the Family
• One episode of Archie Bunker's Place which was a spinoff of All in the Family
• A recording of a tribute to Katie Couric held at the Center in 2005.  At that point in time it was known as the Museum of Television and Radio.

I sampled My Facebook Friends

 

Facebook indicates that I have 615 friends.  Out of curiosity, I sampled 100 of these friends and determined:

Never Met - 26

Haven't seen in at least 10 years -32

In the Never Met category these "friends" share a common interest such as baseball, radio, Bob Dylan, or oldies.

The "friends" in Haven't seen in at least 10 years include people I knew in high school or college.

My Weekday Radio Rituals

 

Terrestrial Radio:

Weekday Mornings:

• WFUV with Corny O'Connell
• WBGO with Gary Walker

Irregular Listening

WFAN and ESPN 98.7 FM

SiriusXM

Classic Vinyl

The Village

Willie's Roadhouse

Deep Tracks

60's Gold

50's Gold

The Loft

Outlaw Country

Classic Rewind

Rock Hall

BB King's Bluesville

Elvis Radio

The Beatles Channel

My Weekend Radio Rituals

 

I listen via a traditional AM/FM radio as seen above or through the internet.  Here are my weekend radio rituals:

Saturdays

• 1010 WINS
• WFUV with Janet Bardini
• The Acoustic Storm on Pirate Radio from Key West, Florida
• Rhythm Review with Felix Hernandez on WBG)
• Don Tandler's Countdown show on Pop Gold Radio
• Mixed Bag with Don McGee on WFUV
• Cousin Brucie on WABC

Sundays

• 1010 WINS
• America's Greatest Hits with Scott Shannon on WCBS-FM
• Classic AT 40 with Casey Kasem on iHeart Radio
• Sounds of the 60s with Tony Blackburn on BBC2
• Elvis Radio on SiriusXM
• Beatles Channel on SiriusXM
• Jingle Show with Jonathan Wolfert on Rewound Radio
• Sunday Supper with John Platt on WFUV
• That Thing with Rich Appel on Pop Gold Radio

Song of the Day: Listen to the Radio by Nanci Griffith

 

I was listening to Outlaw Country on SiriusXM and heard this song for the first time.  Believe me, I listen to the radio many hours a day.

My Thoughts on Adopting Year-Round Daylight Savings Time

 

The United States Senate voted unanimously to adopt year-round daylight savings time.  The bill will then go to the House of Representatives and then to the President's desk.  It is inevitable that it will go into law.  The question is what date will this go into effect?

I never had a problem with changing the clock twice a year.  There are issues involved with year-round DST.

• During the winter months, sunrise will not be until after 8 AM in NYC.  In the western parts of the eastern time zone sunrise may be closer to 9 AM.  Would this endanger young children that have to walk to school?
• Arizona and Hawaii are on standard time year-round.  I assume they will have to make the switch to DST.
• Will year-round DST result in energy savings?  People will now need their lights on in the mornings.

My Opinion on the Extra Innings Ghost Runner Rule

 

For the past two seasons, MLB allowed for a "ghost runner" to go to second base during extra innings.  This was done during the pandemic to prevent marathon games.  When the lockout ended this rule was dropped.  It was reported yesterday that the MLB, players’ union was discussing restoring the extra-inning ghost-runner rule.

My opinion is that the 10th inning be played as usual, but the game is still tied, the ghost runner should be established for the 11th inning and beyond.  Marathon games do put a strain on pitching staffs.  Also, many fans will leave during very long games even if the score is still tied.

Let's wait and see what MLB and the MLBPA decide about this.

Cousin Brucie and Phone Calls - I Enjoy the Show but I Don't Call Him

 

Last night I heard friends Cara from Floral Park and Jerry from Woodhaven call into Cousin Brucie's Saturday night show to make a request.  Jerry calls in every week.  I never phone Cousin Brucie or any other radio personality.  I guess persistence is the key to getting through to any radio host.  One caller said she had to wait for 2 1/2 hours before she got on the air with the Cuz.

I never listen to political talk shows, so obviously I don't phone the host.  I do listen to sports talk on WFAN and ESPN New York but never call.  There are some segments when the host fields calls, but likely the caller is limited to one minute on the line.  I just don't have the patience to wait.

What Does Maylm Bialik Do When She is Not The Host of Jeopardy?

 

Mayim Bialik wrote and directed a film, As They Made Us, that will be released on April 8.  The trailer may be seen above.  Dustin Hoffman and Candice Bergen who previously won Academy Awards will be in the film.  She certainly has been active in show business before her co-hosting role on Jeopardy.  It was announced that she and Ken Jennings will serve as co-hosts until the end of this season.

I hope that one permanent host will be appointed starting in Fall 2022.  Since Mayim is so busy with other opportunities, I hope Ken becomes the full-time permanent host off Jeopardy.  I think he has done quite well.

Play Ball! on April 7

 

Finally, MLB and the MLBPA came to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement.  The season will be 162 games and start on April 7th when the weather will likely be warmer than on March 31.  I assume that the early games will be made up as doubleheaders which will now return to 9-innings.  The ghost runner in extra innings will also be eliminated.  Rule changes will be implemented for the 2023 season.  The big losers are travel and tourism businesses in Arizona and Florida who lost business on people who did not visit spring training sites.

Expect a flurry of trades and free-agent signings in the days to come.

Now it is Bob Dylan's Turn to Critique Other Songwriters

 

It was announced in Rolling Stone  and other publications that in November Bob Dylan will publish "The Philosophy of Modern Song" which will be a collection of 60 essays about songs by other artists.  The announcement states only the following four:

• Stephen Foster
• Elvis Costello
• Hank Williams 
• Nina Simone 

But who else will Dylan critique?

• Paul McCartney?
• Paul Simon?
• Roger McGuinn?
• Neil Diamond?
• George Harrison?

I guess we won't know until the book is published until November.  Over the years umpteen books have been written criticizing his lyrics and music.  Now the tables will be turned as he can critique others.  I must say that he is quite busy for an 80-year old.

A Pleasant Surprise in My Retirement - Financial Stability

 

Younger people always worry about their finances when they retire years later.  It is never too early to plan for retirement.  I belonged to the TIAA retirement plan during the 25+ years that I worked in academia.  Over the years I also maintained an Individual Retirement Account with my local savings bank.  I retired when I was 68 years old.

I am happy to say that financially, everything has worked out for me.  Maybe I should spend more money.

The Allen Ginsberg Bob Dylan Connection

 

For years I was curious about Allen Ginsberg but didn't know much about him.  I knew he was a beat poet with works including Howl and Kaddish.  I took time to read the biography seen above which was over 650 pages.  The author, Bill Morgan, is to be commended for his extensive research.  This work did not at all critique his poetry.

Ginsberg did extensive traveling throughout his life giving poetry readings all over the world.  The book did have some references to his friendship with Bob Dylan.  Ginsberg had from row seats at one of Dylan's concerts in England in 1965.  There was a scene from the movie Reynaldo and Clara where Ginsberg and Dylan visit Jack Kerouac's grave in Lowell, Massachusetts.

My favorite scene of Dylan and Ginsberg together was the appearance in the video of Subterranean Homesick Blues that was at the beginning of the film Don't Look Back.  This was not discussed in the book.

Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour Resumed in Phoenix Last Night

 

Here is the set list as reported by Bill Pagel:

Phoenix, Arizona

Arizona Federal Theatre

March 3, 2022

1. Watching The River Flow (Bob on piano)

2. Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I'll Go Mine)

(Bob on piano)

3. I Contain Multitudes (Bob on piano)

4. False Prophet (Bob on piano)

5. When I Paint My Masterpiece (Bob on piano)

6. Black Rider (Bob on piano)

7. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (Bob on piano)

8. My Own Version of You (Bob on piano)

9. Crossing The Rubicon (Bob on piano)

10. To Be Alone With You (Bob on piano)

11. Key West (Philosopher Pirate) (Bob on piano)

12. Gotta Serve Somebody (Bob on piano)

13. I've Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You (Bob on piano)

14. Melancholy Mood (Bob on piano)

15. Mother of Muses (Bob on piano)

16. Goodbye Jimmy Reed (Bob on piano)

-- Band introductions

17. Every Grain of Sand (Bob on piano)

It is the same set list that Bob performed on the east coast last fall.  I am sure that many of the diehard fans will travel to see several concerts on this leg of the tour which ends on April 14 in Oklahoma City.  What will happen after that?

There are Many Losers in the MLB Lockout

 

The Athletic reports

"Three months after they started a lockout, commissioner Rob Manfred and the owners on Tuesday said they were canceling the first two series of the season after a 5 p.m. ET deadline passed Tuesday without a deal.

Negotiations have ended for the immediate future and the sides are expected to leave Florida, where they’ve bargained with each other for nine straight days."

As of now, the first two series for all 30 teams are canceled.  Since there are no new talks scheduled, many more games are likely to be canceled.  There are many losers here:

• The players will lose their salary since the games will not be made up.
• The owners will lose about $6 Million for every game that is not played.
• People who work at the games such as ushers, ticket takers, and vendors will not be paid.
• Businesses near the stadiums such as restaurants and souvenir shops will lose business.
• Tourism in Florida and Arizona will suffer as spring training trips are canceled.
• Most of all the fans will be denied their favorite sport which is a great diversion.  Many may give up on baseball.

Everyone is out for the almighty buck.  Let's hope that the parties will come to their senses and come to a settlement that is fair to both sides.

Wishful Thinking - Take Me Out to the Ball Game

 

The players and owners have extended the deadline for starting the season on March 31 to 5 PM today.  This seems to be a good sign that an agreement will be coming, but I could be wrong.  This situation reminds me of the NYC transit strike situations of the 1960s and 70s when an agreement was made at the last second.