May 26,
2014
Claude’s
Commentary
By Claude
Hall
Bobby Ocean: “Gads, Claude! I was really sucked into this
thread! Leave it to Lee Baby Simms to reduce everything to its bare
economy of words. He says, ‘We are all doomed! I have always known that’. Then he extrapolates, ‘Everything created is
destined to die ... Where the hell did The Universe come from when it came? ...
Witness the thousands of Religions. All of them trying to explain the
unexplainable. Where will The Universe go when it goes? Ha! I
don`t see any of the smarty pants addressing that question’.
“It has
been a hobby of mine, Claude, almost as obsessive as cartooning (which I still
practice every day), to answer as many of those unanswerable Life questions as
I can and become more intimately acquainted with the nature of our
mind and our life's Inner Inventory, as spoken of by the Masters. And Lee Baby continues, ‘Ha Ha hahahaha....’
“Well,
really. To even discuss stuff like this all of our intuitions are filtered.
Everything goes through the Logic Machine, The Thought Process, The Societal
Acceptance Requirements and certainly a battery of emotional screens to ward
off negative impulses, inappropriate emotions, feelings of vulnerability and ‘bad
vibes’. For the clarity of this conversation,
I have removed those filters, so our vision is allowed to be seen through the
lens of direct experience. This is called ‘knowing’. And for a sense of
security I include instructions on how to get out of that space. To do that,
you change your point Of View, that's all. Well, I certainly don't wear
any damn ol' Smarty Pants, just some old jeans I found in the attic that I
stashed there toward the mid-70s. They fit better now than they did then.
So also does life have a better feeling of fit. Friendlier, as you allow
it. And curiouser and curiouser....
“Maybe it's time for a little
Seek And You Shall Find. If it's true
that you, Lee Baby and I were born equipped with Divine contents, we want
to know more about it. For most minds, this is very nebulous treading,
extremely esoteric stuff, far too ill defined to grasp, even terrifying. They
depart here. You are spoken to as a Saint from this point on. From here, I simply speak through the concepts
to the Higher You. Nothing has to ‘be
done’ to properly read this as a more sacred person. You're perfect now. To me, this huge
topic and its spin-offs are like candy. I
hold an ongoing fascination for All Things Behavior (from religious,
dysfunctional, cults, diverse societies to out-of-body, spiritually intuitive,
telepathic, or psychic and more). They
are like chocolate. Mm-mm-m, I always
seem to want more. And there IS a lot
more. To go beyond the shallow explanations, misinterpretations and myths, I
had to learn to mentally bungee dive... to go deeper.
“And that's what it took. I
owe any sense of spiritual progress appearing to evolve within me -
to commitment. One must choose open-heartedness every day, every moment;
to operate in the present with the grace of quiet comprehension, from Inner
Wisdom outward to that which is served up as daily life. Here's the
problem: awareness is without end, and ranges through the entirety of our one,
pure Inner Realm, into its reflective multiverses of mental and
emotional outer energies, from most vivid to intimately subtle. All those
diverse energies... How can all that material come into consensus regarding the
unexplainable? Well, it happens just like they do it on TV.
“You stand
back and look, gather all the info you can, look for patterns and repeated
names, trace it all to the one mastermind behind all the monitor screens.
Which, surprise, turns out to be one of the characters introduced early in the
script - you. From scientific and religious musings concerning from
whence it came, to ‘where does the Universe go when it goes away?’ it is YOU
involved in every question. Every one. That's significant. Then there's
this: Before any answer can be spoken - from
extreme theoretical calculus involving variations in orbits galaxies away - prior
to the simple statement, ‘I am’, you must first be present to answer the
question or make the statement. in other words, first there is you.
“The sages
point out that YOU, upon investigation, will be found to be the light that
brightens the entirety of your consciousness including its contents. That's
steeper than deep. So the answer, in sparing verbiage, is: the Universe
goes AWAY without your attention, such as when you sleep, and comes into being
once again with your awareness. Now, to alter your perspective (which is
the recipe for changing the world) you simply change your perspective. One
example is moving from ‘I know (this or that) to I KNOW THAT I KNOW (this or
that)’; entirely different POV. Finally,
Claude who got pulled into this, Lee Baby my mentor and fellow rogue, and any
interested, beloved souls along for this Ocean cruise, God (if I may use the
term; feel free to use your own) KNOWS all. BUT... requires you to EXPERIENCE that which
he knows. The Divine employs you to experience itself. Even Knowing falls short as only a portion of
the ALL Of Life ... just as thinking and feeling are only a sliver of it,
in fact empty nothing without your attention. The entire Life Puzzle is
already pieced together, works perfectly and deserves to be experienced. And,
while you and I are just fiddling around with the pieces, I can't tell you how
overjoyed I am to have you along on this cruise with me.“
Thank you for the philosophy, Bobby.
OTHER
MATTERS
Bob Walker,
“The original one”: “Hi, Claude.
Nice to receive your newsletter every week. Just like the good old
days when we anxiously awaited Billboard, Cashbox and the trade newsletters in
the mail at the beginning of every week.
I have noticed an abundance of Bob Walker's at various radio stations thru
the years. Just FYI, that is my real name and I used it on WTIX since
1967. Any other ‘true’ Bob Walker's out there who used that name? Also the handle ‘Skinny’ that was introduced
by WTIX's Tom Cheney (also his real name) in the early 70s. How many
other radio Skinny's were there? And is
Buzz dead or alive? Anyone know?”
A few years ago, I wrote about 30 of the guys who
were close to Buzz. One recalled putting
him on a plane in Dallas and he was very sick at the time. Heading to Florida. That’s it.
I later found a Buzz Bennett working a blog at a Florida TV station, but
he said he wasn’t the one. The only
“skinny” I can recall off hand was Skinny Bob Harper. And I think there were at least a couple of
other Bob Harpers around. Believe it or
not, there’s a Claude Hall operating a gun show out of Oklahoma.
Chuck
Chellman:
“Reply to WTIX' Bob Walker ...
Bob Sticht was a great one, I'll agree; even a nicer, gentle man. I
first met
Sticht at WINN, Louisville, then later at Nashville's WLAC. Bob got out
of radio for a while and was a
financial adviser and stockbroker. He
left that to get back into radio at WAMB, Nashville, playing big band
records. He died two years ago. Bob Sticht is missed by many people
here in
Music City.
I’m not much of a fan of Bruce Springsteen. But I’ve just listened to “The Ghost of Tom
Joad” on “High Hopes” CD and this is a very heavy, very impressive, very
important song. My compliments, Bruce.
Morris
Diamond: “Alice and I just returned from the Jerry Vale funeral here
in Palm Desert. It was well attended.
Coming in from L A was Steve Lawrence and Norm Crosby, among others.
Also in attendance paying their respects was Deana Martin &
hubby John Griffeth, Jack Jones, Shecky Greene, Peter Marshall, Bill Marx, Toni
Prima representing her mother, Keely Smith; Keely's brother, Piggy Smith,
Michael Dante. Steve and I had a bit of a chat, both lauding Don's
efforts on his behalf. Well worth the
praise. Steve's manager for 35 years, Judy Tanen was also there. Love to you and Barbara.”
Danny Davis: “Claude-ie! It figures that Moishe Diamond, spry and
up-to-the-minute as he is, wrote ya' about Jerry Vale's funeral! It was, as
every attendee would state, Whatta' tribute! Whatta' gathering of the kind of
people Jerry loved! And they surely loved him! Look around and see Vale, silent
but revered by about three hundred tear-stained mourners! In attendance, Steve
Lawrence, Ruta Lee, Shecky Greene, Barbara Marx Sinatra, Kay Ballard, Gavin
McLeod, (memory fades), but the list of first rate musicians, signature guys
who had a hand in over fifty albums Jerry Vale recorded, are way-y too lengthy
to list, but suffice to note Vale's rendition of ‘Smile’, accompanying the
casket at service's end, was enough to wipe many, many tears before you could
start your car! Whatta' tune! Whatta' arrangement! Whatta' voice! Listen again
and 'smile' thru your tears! RIP, Jerry Vale!! Sadly, as Jerry Blavat lets me
know, all the time: ‘Nobody Gets Out Alive’!”
We come, we do, we go.
More Danny
Davis: “Hey-y Authorman! This note's
gotta' be marked 'urgent'! (Before all the 'know everythings and their
memories') flood your phone lines/email transmissions/and your most kind heart!
(Long known, in the main, as The King Of Hearts!) I was not, NOT, head of
Motown, in any year of a dynamite career! (Altho my length of workday
experiences, the association with legendary 'names' and listening to a little
guy, 'useta' work on puttin' automobiles together', at staff meetings, and
hearing the 'put together stories' while part of all of it) was a memory worth
more pages than I'm able to convey here!) All of the above aside to 'regale'
you with a Berry Gordy personal 'me's never to be forgotten!': Wifey and
'lowly' VP of Promotion, tanned and starstruck, first time in Las Vegas,
swimmingly caught up at the Riviera's pool … gets a phone call. Large like I
was, I race to answer. It's Mr. Gordy. Good humor, general good feelings, and
full of praise for some movement the staff scored on 'Switch' (Remember! A
Gordy family 'push'!) The Chairman was unable to see me, standing against that
huge Riviera pool, phone stand and hear my ecstatic response when he says, ’Danny,
I wanted you to hear it from me, I'm making you a Senior Vice President of
Promotion!’ Screams, laughter, appreciation and an immediate rush to the
crap table stands right along with that tale. Berry and that 'cherry'!”
My mistake, Danny.
I apologize. Guess I always
considered you presidential material.
Robert
Moering: “Thanks for the email.
Casey is a good man, he doesn't deserve what's going on with his life.”
Diane
Kirkland: “Claude, I felt the same way
about Jean ... I haven’t seen Casey since the 70s or maybe 1980 or 1981
either. It’s a shame. I guess he has Lewey Body Dementia ... one of
my best friend’s father had that, and he deteriorated very quickly. I
feel bad for him and his kids. Those nails
and that bleached hair ... yuk. I read part of your ‘review’ of her to my
sister, and she evidently knew them when she was editor of Tiger Beat for eight
years back in the 70s. She said the only thing she liked about Jean was
that when she sent out invitations to parties, they were elaborate and
classy. So I guess she’s good for something, but I don’t think she’s good
for Casey.”
Try this one: “The Way You Look Tonight” by Jumaane Smith
on the CD “I Only Have Eyes for You.”
What a beautiful jazz masterpiece.
Every note reaches into your soul.
The vocal is superb. Soft. Penetrating.
This is bourbon-in-the-dark-of-night music. I hope it sells well enough to chase Jumaane
back into the studio. The problems you
and I had with Elvis Presley and Kris Kristofferson is that they never stayed in
the recording studio enough. I sometime
faunch at what Elvis could have been.
Fred Foster, head of Monument Records, once told me and Paul Ackerman,
the music editor of Billboard, that he had the same problem with
Kristofferson. The result is that both
men short changed their geniuses … not enough really great material out
there. Oh, they did okay. But I keep thinking: What might have been! When you’ve got a great talent, you must
create a great body of work. For
posterity.
Jack
Gale:
“Interesting to read in your
column about Jay Thomas. When I resigned
as PD at Big WAYS in Charlotte in1970, I hired Jay Thomas to do mornings
at our
Jacksonville station, WAPE. Later, Stan
Kaplan brought him up to WAYS in Charlotte.
Jay did the eulogy when Stan died.
Nice to see that Morris Diamond is still around. He was one of the few
gentlemen in promotion. Thank goodness for your column, or we'd never
know who is still breathing from the world we knew. Keep up the great
work. Best to Barbara.”
Now and then I go back and listen to the Three
Tenors and I did so this morning (Friday).
Now the random generator has switched to “Dream You” on Roy Orbison’s “A
Black and White Night.” Great tune. Just FYI:
I think Roy’s “Pretty Woman” on this CD one of the best records ever
made. Great way to start a day!
Chuck
Brinkman: “Mention of Steve Lawrence
made me think of his brother Bernie. This guy was ahead of his time with
comedy ... should have done stand-up. Is he still around and healthy?”
Burt Sherwood.
Grandfather. The baby’s name is
Hayley.
Don Graham
forwarded a note from Nancy Lange, widow of the late Jim Lange. “…in lieu of flowers, friends could make a donation to
a charity of their own choice. We would assume we won’t be getting
anybody supporting the NRA or Tea Party!”
What a delight, this latest by
Johnny Cash … “Out
Among the Stars,” most tunes produced by Billy Sherrill in the 80s.
Cash at his prime. Unreleased until now. As some of you know, I’m a
huge Johnny Cash
fan. I heard Elvis Presley and Johnny
Cash in their early days over the “Louisiana Hayride” out of KWKH,
Shreveport. Heard both of them their
first time on the air. Love the title
tune of this new CD, but “She Used to Love Me a Lot” deserves, right
now, to be
a hit and it should have been back in 1984.
The writers listed are Rhonda Fleming, Dennis Morgan, and Charles
Quillen so I surmise it was in some 40s movie; Dennis Morgan was a great
tenor
and in several films. I also like the
idea that Marty Stuart is everywhere on this CD. Always thought he
never achieved the fame he
deserved. Basically, this is a damned
good CD. Another favorite cut: “I’m
Movin’ On,” a re-do of the Hank Snow hit.
Cash with Waylon Jennings.
My son John, Esq., also brought over an old
Mavericks and a Linda Ronstadt CD called “Duets” that’s on my listening agenda.
Bill Taylor: “Regarding Greg Mason. I saw Greg often
while I was in L.A. I would get a Christmas Card from him each year after
I left, but missed the last few years., He lived at 1626 N. Poinsettia Place
for years. After question as to what happened. I called his number which
he had for years and it was not a working number. So I'm afraid we've
lost him. Greg was not in the best of health. He had survived a horrible auto wreck. Was
involved with full-time Christian service. I helped him fix the sound system at
a church on Sunset. He was doing accounting. Greg was good person who
took the fall when WNOE fixed their Mardi Gras contest. We put together a
‘Turkey Trot’ contest to give away turkeys at Thanksgiving. 50 years
later I still use it and it never wears out. Thank You Gregg.”
Ladies and gentlemen: Just in case you don’t know, Bill Taylor is a
legend in Top 40 radio. There almost at
the beginning in New Orleans and the Deep South. I’ve wished for years that I’d interviewed
him for “This Business of Radio Programming.”
Woody
Roberts, quail territory outside Austin, TX, sent me a note. “If you remember Ricci Ware ... one of the first
Top 40 personality DJs and from KTSA circa '60 ruled the San Antonio airwaves. Ricci shared his love of motorcycles with son
Trey now longtime morning talker at KTSA ... at first did duo Ware Pair morning
show. Trey Ware returned to his KTSA-AM
show Monday morning after taking three weeks to mourn the loss of his son,
Justin, who took his own life late last month … just over two weeks after Justin’s
girlfriend, Erin, did the same, the veteran radio personality explained on the
air Monday and in a letter on his Facebook page. Justin was 28. It was the Ware family’s second loss
of a child to suicide. Five years ago,
their daughter Rebekah took her life at the young age of 20.”
Ron Jacobs, Hawaii, send me a couple of notes about
Dave Diamond from “KHJ: Inside Boss Radio,” now an eBook available for
$9.30. A peek at http://tinyurl.com/ptdbya9) FYI, Ron will receive the Lifetime
Achievement Award next year from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts for
songwriting, producing and broadcasting music in the Aloha State.
Dave Diamond: “It all started for me with my being hired by Drake in
1965. The first day I spent with Drake was my introduction to his
philosophy and personality. That’s the day I got hired for $15,000, which
was AFTRA union scale, same as everyone else. I was making $30,000 in
Denver doing an afternoon TV show and a night radio show. But who in their right mind wouldn’t make that
trade? I showed up in February, stayed at a motel on Vine Street, just
down from the Hollywood Ranch Market, later moving to a pad on Tamarind, a few
blocks from KHJ, up around Gower and Sunset. When I got to KHJ it should
have been a signal to them that times were changing and the rock ’n’ roll boys
were going to take over. I think Steve Allen resented us. I always
respected him and thought he was a great talent but times move and things
change. There were some other big stars on the station. All I knew is we
were going rock and Drake had the support of RKO and had not yet hired all the
staff. The former on-air staff and all the network shit were dropped. Gary
Mack, Steele and Morgan had been hired. Sam Riddle was on board, Roger Christian,
then, Johnny Williams. Frank Terry came
on last as I recall. Terry worked with Jacobs in two towns and was brought in
as PD by Drake.”
I
know what Dave means about Steve Allen.
I once heard him talk at the Brown Derby, I think, and went up to
compliment him and got a big brushoff. I
never felt very good about the man from then on. Gary Owens, though, told me that Steve Allen
had a great mind when it came to comedy and had jokes cataloged in his head, A
to Z.
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Bob Todd commented on a post I had
in Facebook:
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"Many
of us do Gary ... and that's the truth!"
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Doc
Wendell sent me a review he did of a new B.B. King documentary; it was, as
usual, extremely well written and pithy and I told him so.
Don Wendell: “Thank you Claude. I got to spend my 21st birthday
hanging, jamming on Lucille, and talking with B.B. at the Blue Note in NYC for
two hours. I learned more about the
music biz and life than any school could teach … I wish I had been mature
enough to truly understand everything he was trying to warn me about the biz. I would have to really learn that stuff on my
own, through my own experiences. It was one of the greatest nights of my life.”
NOVEL MATTERS
I’ve
shelved the western on which I was writing and have decided to devote
considerable attention to my “great American novel.” Try to get it published as
an eBook. Some parts are a little
tedious to me; I’ve edited and or rewritten so much of this novel that it’s
engrained in my soul. But I’m already on
chapter three and I like what I’ve written here. Taut.
Pithy. Shades of meaning. Tension.
The 40s in West Texas. All too
real. Bill Pearson is doing the
cover. What would I do without Bill
Pearson? Only God knows. But he’s there. Willing.
We’ve known each other since the early 50s. I didn’t meet him until about the end of that
decade when I climbed four flights of stairs to that dusty apartment he was
then sharing with comic artist Dan Atkins.
We attended a few art classes back then. I’m no artist, though. Not much anyway. However, one night there was to be a nude
model. I trotted up the steps to the
classroom with Dan and Bill, my opaque watercolors in hand. Viola, a nude! Very pg.
Oh, well.
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