Claude’s Commentary.4
March 31, 2014
By Claude Hall
Already
added a few names to my Commentary mailing list. Some people forwarded
the column on to friends. Good. I can probably handle two or three
dozen more on my personal list. The copy to Hal Baby Moore
bounced. And I’ve lost the email addresses of Jay West in Austin, TX,
and his brother who was living in Mexico. Thus, I worry about
them. Especially the brother living in Mexico. We’re also placing
Commentary on Facebook and
both Timmy Manocheo in California and George Pollard in Canada are
placing each Commentary on their blogs. Great.
And
I have some great news! I’ve asked a younger person who knows radio as
well as I do – if not more so – and they have agreed to take over a
radio blog. Maybe not exactly the one Jack Roberts operated … everyone
is entitled to change and/or improve the blog, which will be theirs, as
they
wish. I’m excited about the project. Very much so. The only problem
at the moment is that this person is up to their left toenails in
work. Thus, I’m going to hold onto this “list” for a while. If and
when they are prepared to take over the blog or start one or whatever, I
will turn over my “list” to them as a place to start. Maybe they will
let me write a column or article now and then for their Internet
publication. That will be entirely up to them. But I think radio/music
– and not just us for old varmints like me and Danny Davis and Morris
Diamond and Gary Owens and Chuck Blore – needs its own Internet
publication. A journal of what’s really going on. For all the years
and radio and music men and women to come. And this person could do
it. Much better than I could, in fact. So, if you people
will put up with me and contribute emails when you have something to
say, we’ll try to “make do” until the right time comes along.
I’d
like to thank those who sent me a chain letter asking me to take over
the Hollywood Hills … some of the greatest people in the music and radio
businesses. I’m deeply honored. But I feel it would be inappropriate
for me to tackle the blog just now as much as I like the idea. I’m
81 and not growing any younger.
OTHER MATTERS
Rob
Moorhead, Los Angeles: “It's been nearly a year since George's (George
Wilson) death. I'm only now starting to
recover. Been hard. It's difficult whenever a loved one dies,
however, it's doubly traumatic when one is also their caregiver in the
final months of decline. I've been in that position a few times now,
and while I can do whatever needs to be done at the time, I invariably
crash and burn afterwards. Huge depression results. It's been a year
now, and I'm still grieving, still missing the man every day. Even
Terry handles it better than I. Go figure. His
ashes remain sitting in an honored place in our living room. There's a
handsome image, a tastefully black framed black-and-white
photo, next a glazed ceramic urn. It's a beautifully intricate piece of
Native American pottery, one designed, thrown, and fired by the famous
Mata Ortiz pottery
collective in Mexico. He would have liked that, something simple but
elegant. While almost ordinary at first glance, it is actually
beguilingly sophisticated, something valuable and rare. It seems
so appropriate for the man. We are still waiting for an opportunity
when all the kids, grandkids and great-grandkids are able to travel here
at the same time for a proper memorial and scattering of his ashes.
The logistics of coordinating a suitable date are daunting, as there are
so many relatives to consider. I am now hoping we can arrange it for a
small window of time, right after school lets out this
summer. Hollywood Park recently closed so Santa Anita has extended
their racing season later into the year. I believe they will still be
open this year when school lets
out. As you know, George wanted his ashes scattered onto the Santa
Anita Racetrack, resting forever in the shadow of the towering San
Gabriel Mountains, a place where he spent a great deal of his time and
money. Happy memories. You also know that I always threatened to
George that I would merely drop his ashes into the horses' feed bags,
then let them do the scattering themselves, digestively speaking.
He never failed to get a kick out of that rejoinder, so I continued
using it for thirty-odd years, whenever the subject arose, as a means
of changing the maudlin subject. Still, it was always clear to both me
and Terry, that he was serious when entrusting us with this solemn last
wish. He knew it was something we would honor religiously ... despite
the minor illegalities involved. Rules? What
rules? That's George. Much Love.”
Just
had an email from Chuck Chellman in Nashville and he was planning to
drop by Albuquerque on vacation to see George Wilson and I had to email
him that George had changed addresses about a year ago.
Now
listening to Bob Dylan with the Grateful Deal. “Heart of Mine.” On
“The French Girl, No. 2” CD. Timmy Manocheo will be proud of me. He
and my son John got me into the Grateful Dead. But John likes all kinds
of music. Takes after his father. Of course, I wasn’t aware that
Ernest Tubb was country until I arrived in New York City, circa early
1959. In my childhood days, there was only music and opera. Wish I’d
heard Lyn Stanley way back when. Then I
would have known the difference. You listen to “Change Partners” and
you’ll know what I mean. More than a ton of years ago, I heard a unique
trio perform during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. At one of the Krewe
balls. Only members invited. Jane Russell and two other famous
actresses performed. One time only and never again. Wouldn’t it be
great for Steve Tyrell and Deana Martin and Lyn Stanley to do a CD
together? In effect, the Highwaymen or the Three Tenors.
Woody Roberts, in the bluebonnets outside of Austin, sent me a note about an exhibit at the South Texas Popular Culture Center on San Antonio Radio featuring Bruce Hathaway, billed as KTSA’s King of Rock.
“FYI --
Nobody in the biz is nicer than Bruce Hathaway, a gentleman. I worked
with Bruce during three different periods at KTSA. First in 1961 when I
was a fledgling DJ learning the McLendon format at KTSA, four years
later when I was programming consultant to KTSA (when Lee Baby Simms and
I were forced off the air), and two years later when I was GM at KTSA
and putting 102.7 FM on the air. A total of 5 1/2 years over 11 years
under stressful conditions of combat, I never heard any negativism about
the job or expression of ill will toward anyone coming from Bruce. He
worked at KTSA from late '50s until they went news-talk.” The exhibit
features Bruce's long career beginning as a pioneering rock 'n’ roll DJ
in the 50s, his many years at KTSA and continuing to the present day as a
best-known name, face and voice to
generations of South Texans. The Tex Pop Center is at 1017 E.
Mulberry, just off Broadway by Good Time Charlie's.
Don
Sundeen: “Well, Commentary #3 certainly confirms there’s a real need
for some form of the Hollywood Hills to continue on, albeit without the
beloved Jack Roberts who left way too soon. Woody Robert’s message
mentioning Dick Starr, another wonderful man who died
too young, and Buzz Bennett brought back a lot of memories. If Buzz is
still out there and can understand, it would be wonderful if he came in
out of the cold and told his incredible stories before it’s too late. I
think the last time I saw Buzz was in New Orleans when he did his
return stint at WNOE, Kevin Metheney still a young man, was there also,
with a great compliment of jocks. My late friend and colleague Lee
Arbuckle and I stopped by one day and invited Buzz to dinner, always a
touchy situation, and he readily agreed. That night he showed up at the
La Richellieu, New Orleans' notorious Rock and Roll hotel, wearing a
cowboy hat, fringed vest and chaps, with a toy six shooter in a holster
on his waist. The great thing about the Big Easy was that we could walk
through the French Quarter with Buzzy in that outfit and few people
even look twice. Later in conversation he said to Lee and
me,
‘You
remember when I invented call-out research?’ We concurred giving him
credit for the invention, ‘Well, I made it all up and watched it spread
through the business’, he
replied, with that evil twinkle and smile he’d have when revealing his secret … there was never anyone else quite like him.”
Arnold
J. Smith of New York has donated his collection of 10,000 jazz records
to the Arnold Shaw Popular Music Research Center on the campus of UNLV,
Las Vegas, according to the View of the Las Vegas Review-Journal
newspaper. F. Andrew Taylor, Mar. 19, 2014, reported that Smith, a
lecturer at the New School in NYC, has a collection going back to Benny
Goodman’s LP “The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert” released in
1950. For the full story, tap into viewnews.com. Just FYI,
many who read Commentary will remember Arnold Shaw, once a well-known
NYC music publisher and author. He moved to Las Vegas and taught at
UNLV for a few years. He has written many books dealing with
music. The Smith collection includes rare taped interviews, posters,
books. Director of the Shaw center is Ken Hanlon.
Ken Levine edits one of the best humor sites
around. He just wrote about a trip to Hawaii. Great. Tap into Ken at
Chuck
Dunaway after triple bypass is probably at home by the time you read
this. Word is he’s doing great for a guy with emphysema.
Jim Ramsburg: “One of the directions of www.jimramsburg.com is finding little-known stories from Network Radio's Golden Age. A prime example is the new text and audio post, ‘Fibber McGee Minus Molly’. It
deals with an 18-month period when Marian Jordan was hospitalized and
Jim Jordan was forced to do the show without his wife as ‘Fibber McGee & Company’ . How
he and his writer/partner Don Quinn managed to keep the program going
and growing in popularity is a tribute to their comedic talents. Audio
posts of the show
before, during and after Marian's absence prove it.”
I’m
on a mailing list for Robby Vee, son of, and it’s great. I’ve known
Robby since he was a pumpkin kid and, would you believe, he now has his
own band and is big in those mid-west casinos. Just played a week in
the Grand Casino in Hinckley, MN. Does rockabilly mostly and, yes, his
dad has been known to sit-in on special
occasions. Robby’s two brothers – Tommy, bass, and Jeff, drums – not
only perform backup nationwide to various major acts but operate a
recording studio in St. Cloud, MN.
My
especial appreciation to Don Sundeen and Rob Moorhead for the two tales
this week. I figured out one of the claims of Lee Abrams was a bit
south. Buzz? Who knew other than Don Sundeen and Lee
Arbuckle? But that short story in the eBook “Radio Wars” makes more
and more sense, now that I think about it. Interested in the
eBook? It’s available via Amazon.com/Kindle Books. Cheap. I think the
price is only $2.99
Other
than “Radio Wars,” I have the eBook “I Love Radio” installed with
Amazon.com/Kindle Books and it’s fairly cheap,
too. I soon hope to install the “Disc Jockey Cookbook” with
Amazon.com/Kindle Books. A must have. And, yes, there’s a recipe by
the late Jack Roberts in the book. The recipe by Lee Baby Simms is
great. “Red Beans and Rice.” I’m about due for another batch. What I
do is cook up a whole bunch and freeze some of it. Now and then I
prepare some rice and thaw some of the delightful mess that Lee Baby
Simms invented (he actually spent a few days in New Orleans) and Barbara
and I will have a feast! This recipe – and the article by the
phenomenal Rollye James – is worth the price of the book, whatever price
I decide to put on it. Just FYI, George Wienbarg just bought "I Love
Radio" and says: "What a charming and fun book, Claude!"
May the Good Lord bless and keep you.
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