I Recall Seeing Bob Dylan in Brooklyn Twice

 Tonight's the big night as I am going to see Bob Dylan at the King's Theater in Brooklyn.  There will certainly be a journal entry tomorrow.

There were two other times I saw Dylan in Brooklyn

August 2008 in Prospect Park

November 2012 at Barclay's Center

Knicks 129 Charlotte Hornets 107 at Madison Square Garden

 

Tickets at Madison Square Garden are very expensive so I have to limit the number of games I can attend.  Since this was an afternoon game, we decided to see the Knicks.  It was a good game as the Knicks recorded season-highs in point and shooting percentage. R.J. Barrett scored 24 points; Jalen Brunson had 23 points while Julius Randle also scored 23 points to lead the Knicks.  The Knicks also took advantage of the poor Charlotte defense.

The Knicks are now 5-4, but it is a very long season followed by the playoffs.  It could be a successful season if the Knicks can play future games as they did today.  It has been 50 years since the Knicks last won the NBA championship.

Game Recap

Danny Fingeroth - Facebook Friend of the Day

This is the first time in years that I have honored a Facebook friend of the day.  I met Danny in the online Bob Dylan discussion group that meets monthly.  He presented at the Bob Dylan Symposium in Tulsa on a panel exploring Dylan's connection to comics.  Danny is best known for his expertise in comics as he has written several books about comics including a biography of Stan Lee.  He is a co-curator of an exhibit at the Center for Jewish History that I visited last month.

Right now, I am listening to an interview on Pod Dylan where he is talking about his forthcoming biography of Jack Ruby who murdered Lee Harvey Oswald, JFK's assassin.

I just ordered the book from Amazon.com.  I watched the murder of Oswald on TV back on November 24, 1963.  Most people today were not living at the time of the JFK assassination.  Danny says he interviewed Ruby's rabbi and a few of his nieces and nephews.  In the podcast, Danny also discusses Dylan's song Murder Most Foul.

 

More Random Thoughts - November 9, 2023

• I am still debating whether I should upgrade to an iPhone 15.  My iPhone 8 is running just fine.  The only difference is the more sophisticated camera in the newer model.  They are certainly advertising it like crazy.
• Likewise. My laptop is still running on Windows 10.  The general advice I received is not to upgrade to Windows 11 until it is absolutely necessary to do so.  I understand that Microsoft will support Windows 10 until October 2025.  Likely, by then I'll need a new computer.
• I watched The Last Waltz on DVD again yesterday.  Garth Hudson is the only living member of The Band.

 

Random Thoughts of the Day - November 7, 2023

Today is Election Day, but there are very few races of interest.  In my district, there are elections for District Attorney and City Councilman.  When I went to the poll at 7:45 AM there must have been at least five poll workers for every voter.

The Met hired the Yankee's bench coach Carlos Mendoza as manager.  He has no major league managerial experience but held several positions for the Yankees over the years.  Craig Counsell who was the favorite to land the position with the Mets, just signed a contract to manage the Chicago Cubs for $40 Million over five years.  No manager should be paid that much.  Mendoza will get $4.5 Million over three years, but will he last that long?  Only time will tell how he will work out as manager.

I cannot understand how anyone in his right mind could want Donald Trump as President.  He was indicted on 91 counts in four jurisdictions. He belongs in jail.

 

Mazel Tov to Al Kooper on His Induction into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame

 

I have followed Al Kooper's career since 1965 when he led the Blues Project some people called the Jewish Beatles.  After that he founded Blood, Sweat, and Tears.  I fondly remember Super Session when he recorded with Stephen Stills and Mike Bloomfield.  He recorded several albums as a solo artist.

I saw him twice in concert:

• Late 1983 at the Bottom Line with Cousin Bruce as the host
• 2012 at his 66th birthday celebration at BB Kings.

He played on Bob Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone session in 1965 and appeared with Dylan at the August 1965 at Forest Hill when the folk purists booed him.  He discovered and produced Lynyrd Skynyrd.  Al played on recordings by Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Paul Butterfield, BB King, Tom Petty and dozens more.

Here are some websites of interest:

• Al Kooper.com
• Rock Hall Induction Page for Al
• KooperKast - Al's Podcast

A hearty Mazel Tov to Al

The Gateway Project is Finally Moving Forward

 

The Gateway Project involves the building of two new railroad tunnels between New York and New Jersey for Amtrak and New Jersey Transit. The two old tunnels are in such poor condition that trains running into and out of the city are often delayed by signal failures and problems with the overhead wires that provide power to their engines.  If you read my companion commuting blog  you know that umpteen times between 1992 and 2017 when I commuted to Newark, I encountered delays.  When one tunnel was down, there would be single tracking when Amtrak trains were given preference over New Jersey Transit trains.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and the alleged criminal Donald Trump delayed this project for years.  New York Senator Chuck Schumer has lined up over $10 Billion for the project also supported by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and President Biden.

The project will not be completed until 2035.  It obviously won't do me any good, but future commuters will be spared miserable delays.

The story was documented in the New York Times.