Music Monday-The Bee Gees "I Started a Joke"

Yesterday, on Sunday, May 20th, Robin Gibbs of the Bee Gees passed away after a long battle with cancer. Robin, along with twin brother Maurice and older brother Barry formed one of the most popular musical acts of all time with a career that began in the 1960's. Much will be written about how they were a driving force of the disco era. That they were, but they were also very popular for a decade before that and it is that music that I prefer to the disco era. Though I do confess that I did see them in concert during the height of their disco popularity.

Rest in Peace, Robin.  Give our best to Maurice and Andy.

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My Friend-David Mills 1961-2010 RIP

Image of David Mills

Some days, it is easy to think about what you want to blog about and others not so much.  Some times the words come easily and other times you struggle.  Today happens to be one of those days when I have so much I want to say, but am not sure how to say it.  I apologize ahead of time if some of my thoughts become a bit disjointed and rambling.

I was sitting at work when I received a notice on my Blackberry that I had a Facebook message.  Usually, it is junk, but unfortunately today it was not the case.  It was a message from one of my best old friends, Don Valyou.  It was to tell me that another of our dear friends, David Mills, had passed away suddenly.  Needless to say, it has hit me like a ton of bricks.  I have written tributes here for others who have passed away, but none of them have involved folks that have the personal impact as David's death has on me.

There is a lot that can be written and will be written about David's career as a writer for the Washington Post and his Emmy Award winning television career. In fact, David passed away in New Orleans of a brain aneurysm while working on a new HBO Series, Treme set to debut in a couple weeks.  I will let others write about those things.  Instead, I will pay tribute to the David Mills that I have known in my lifetime and share some of my memories of him. 

I met David in high school when we both attended DuVal High School in Lanham MD.  David, Donald, and I were teammates on the local version of It's Academic.  We won the first round and lost in the second round.  Our time together on the team led to a strong and fast friendship between the three of us.  After graduation, we all headed off to the University of Maryland.

The three of us all headed off to Maryland with different goals and different interests.  I went to study business, David to study journalism, and Donald eventually ended up studying philosophy.  The one thing that we all shared was a deep appreciation for philosophical and political debate, music, and like most college students, beer.  In those days, you could drink beer at 18. David was the youngest of the three of us, but on his 18th birthday, the three of us headed out to the Yesterday's Inn, a topless bar near campus for our first legal beers in a bar.  We spent most of the time at a table off to the side of the stage debating issues rather than watching the entertainment.

For the rest of our college careers, we continued to do a lot of things together.  One Christmas, we exchanged joke gifts with one another.  David gave me a deck of hard core porn playing cards.  I played a lot of solitaire with those.  That Christmas, I gave Donald a Buddha incense burner and David gave him a bong.  One weekend, we ended up taking a trip up to a campground and rented a cabin for the weekend.  We took a lot of beer with us that weekend, but it was there that I tried pot using the bong that David gave Donald.  It was the first of two times, both with my boyz.

Like a lot of high school and college friends, our careers and other things took us in other directions.  We got together a few times after graduation, but we eventually lost track of each other.  Over the years, I followed David's career and I have to admit I took a little bit of pride in having been friends with an Emmy Award winning television writer.  I remember working part time at Barnes & Noble a few years ago and seeing his picture in Entertainment Weekly as one of the top 100 young up and coming people in the entertainment industry.

A couple of years ago, I reconnected with David through LinkedIn, a professional social networking site.  It was there that I discovered David's blog, Undercover Black Man.  His blog inspired me to start this humble blog, so you can blame him for this being here. Eventually, I also was able to reconnect with Donald through Facebook.  Thank God for Al Gore's Amazing Internet and Social Media.

Last summer, I was fortunate enough to be able to get together with David and Donald again.  We went to dinner one night at Ledo's and split a pizza.  Another night, the two of them attended a Bowie Baysox game with my family.  It was like we had never been apart.  I had hoped that we would be able to have more of those get togethers whenever David would come back to town.

As I mentioned previously, David's blog inspired me to start my blog.  During the election of 2008, he was a big supporter of Obama, I was not.  When Obama won the election, I wrote a post called Welcome to the USSA.  David commented on my post that he was confident that Obama would govern as a centrist and not hard left.  I had been meaning to email David to see if he still felt that way.  Tragically, I will not know in this lifetime.

Let me close by saying to David that I am so happy were able to reconnect and get together last summer.  I love you and miss you already.  You have been and will always be a very dear friend.  It has been a privilege and an honor to know you and call you my friend.  While it isn't my typical musical fare, I know that you loved you some P-funk, so I send you off with this.  See you on the other side. 

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Music Monday-Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes "If You Don't Know Me By Now"

Since I failed to pay tribute to the passing of Teddy Pendergrass when the news first broke, I decided to do so with my pick for Music Monday.  I bought the 45 of this hit by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes back when this song was released in 1972.  Teddy Pendergrass was the lead vocalist.

After five years with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Teddy released his first solo album in 1977.  In 1982, he was in a serious automobile accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down.  In spite of being confined to a wheelchair, Pendergrass continued his musical career. He passed away last week at the age of 59 after a battle with colon cancer.  RIP Teddy.    

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.





PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

John Lennon 29 Years Later

It was 29 years ago that my favorite Beatle was gunned down in cold blood by Mark David Chapman.  I was devastated that day.  I still miss him.  RIP John.

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Patrick Swayze: 1952-2009 RIP

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Last year, Patrick Swayze was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer. Survival rates for this form of cancer are poor, and despite a valiant fight, Swayze lost his battle passing away yesterday at the age of 57.  He continued to work, starring in an A&E Television series called "The Beast" which ran through June of this year.

I think the first movie that I ever saw that featured Swayze was "Red Dawn," a film in which the Soviet Union had invaded the USA.  That film followed his appearance in "Uncommon Valor" and Swayze seemed poised to be an action movie star.  He gained worldwide popularity in 1987 when he appeared in the romantic film "Dirty Dancing" with Jennifer Gray, who coincidentally also appeared in "Red Dawn."  As a side note, "Dirty Dancing" is one of Mrs. Dickster's favorite movies.  His biggest hit came in 1990 in another romance, when he starred with Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg in "Ghost."

While my movie tastes tend to lean towards action and juvenile comedy (I am a guy after all), I must confess that I did enjoy Swayze's performances in "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost."  They were great "date" movies. 

Patrick, may you rest in peace, and I wish comfort to your wife and family.  In what could be considered a bonus Music Monday, a day later, I have embedded Swayze singing his hit song "She's Like the Wind."

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Senator Edward Kennedy: 1932-2009

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Nearly two weeks ago, when they had the funeral for Eunice Kennedy Shriver, I thought it was notable that Senator Ted Kennedy was not in attendance. I remember thinking that it told us a lot about the condition of Kennedy in his battle against brain cancer. Last night, Kennedy succumbed to his cancer.

Regardless of how you feel about the man or his politics, it is always sad when somebody dies. It is particularly sad when they have to go through the ravages of cancer. At this point, the best we can do is to wish comfort for the family of Ted Kennedy. We should also wish peace upon the soul of Ted Kennedy and thank him for his service.

This morning while watching the news coverage of Kennedy's passing, they played clips of President John F. Kennedy. As I listened to JFK's quote "Ask not what your country can do for you, rather ask what you can do for your country." I had to ask myself, how did the Democratic Party go from being the party of JFK's "Ask not what your country can do for you" to the party of Ted Kennedy and what can the government provide for the people?

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Les Paul: 1915-2009

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When I started playing guitar in my teen years, my first guitars were acoustic, a standard 6-string guitar and a 12-string guitar. They were great and a lot of fun. However, I always aspired to rock out and go electric. There were two guitars that I desired, the Fender Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul Custom.

I eventually went with the Stratocaster because it was the model that Eric Clapton played. A good friend of mine, who I used to get together and jam with on a regular basis, had a black Gibson Les Paul Custom, the same model that Peter Frampton played on the Frampton Comes Alive album.

The Les Paul Custom was designed by the Gibson Guitar Company based on ideas of guitarist Les Paul. Paul was one of the first to develop the solid body electric guitar because he was not happy with the sound of hollow body and acoustic guitars. Paul was so pleased with the guitar built by Gibson that he signed an exclusive contract with Gibson to use their guitars. The design was said to have "made the sound of rock and roll possible."

Not only was Paul an innovator in guitar design, but he laid the foundation of modern recording techniques. Paul was the first artist to use multi-track recording techniques. He experimented with recording multiple guitar parts, including some recorded at half speed. He also used overdubbing and delay effects such as phasing and echo. These innovations were the foundations that made The Beatles Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and White Album possible.

The term "legend" is probably one of the most overused labels that can be applied to a person. In reality, it should be applied to the select few. Les Paul was one of the few, and truly deserves to be called a legend. We lost a legend today as Les Paul passed away from complications from pneumonia. His career as a professional guitarist spanned eight decades and he was still playing gigs earlier this year.

Below, is a clip of Les Paul doing what he did best. He is joined at the end of the performance by another guitar legend, Chet Atkins.

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Music Monday-Tim McGraw "If Your Reading This"

My choice for Music Monday is dedicated to those who have served in the military & paid the ultimate sacrifice and the families they leave behind. Tim McGraw and "If Your Reading This."

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.




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Walt Disney

Image by JeffChristiansen via Flickr

It is always good to come back home after being away from the family for a business trip. So today, for my only full day off before having to go back into the office tomorrow, is going to be a lazy day thinking about fun stuff. I plan to spend the day on the couch while my son watches videos. His favorites have always been Disney videos, especially Winnie the Pooh.

Walt Disney was an amazingly multi-talented individual. Like a lot of success stories, Disney had to suffer through some rough times before finding success. He quit school at the age of 16 to join the army, but was rejected for being underage. Instead he joined the Red Cross and was sent to France to drive an ambulance for a year. After he left there, he had a difficult time finding work.

Eventually, he got a temporary job creating advertisements. He met a cartoonist there and that led to his decision to become an animator. He started to achieve some local success in Kansas City creating cartoons to show in local movie theaters. Unfortunately, this venture eventually went bankrupt, so Disney decided to move to Hollywood to open a new studio in the movie capital.

In Hollywood, Disney once again started to have some modest success with his Alice Comedies. The success of that series led Universal Studios to order a new series, so Disney created Oswald the Rabbit which became an instant success. With the success of Oswald, he went to New York to try to get an increase in his fee for the series. Instead he was offered less money and given a "take it or leave it" ultimatum. He left it.

Starting all over again, Disney felt he needed to create a new character to get back on his feet. That new character became Mickey Mouse, and the rest, as they say, is history. The success of Mickey Mouse launched Disney to new heights. More characters were created, and Disney would go on to create the first full length animated feature films. Disney won his first Academy Award for Mickey Mouse in 1932. It would definitely not be his last honor. All told, Disney was nominated for 59 Academy Awards and won 26, including 4 in one year. He would also win 7 Emmy Awards.

Disney was nothing if not a visionary. He set forth the plans to create the ultimate theme park in Disney World and EPCOT Center. Sadly, he would die from lung cancer before the park would open, but the plans went forward and had a tremendous impact on the economy of Orlando, Florida. Prior to the opening of Disney World, Orlando was primarily involved in the citrus trade and later became a military town. Disney World brought the business of tourism to Orlando with millions of visitors each year.

There is something magical about seeing the look on the face of a child when they come face to face with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, or in the case of my son, Winnie the Pooh. Disney World truly is the Magical Kingdom. Having just spent three nights in a small hotel room, a hotel room just doesn't do it for a family. Instead it is better to have a home away from home by renting a house like the ones available at Orlando Vacation Rentals.

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Farrah Fawcett & Michael Jackson RIP

It is a rather sad day for me today. Two entertainment icons from my youth passed away today, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson.

Farrah lost her battle with cancer, passing away today at the age of 62. She came to prominence with her starring role in the television series "Charlie's Angels." She left the show after only one season to try her hand at movies.

I think every guy my age had the poster pictured here hanging on their bedroom wall. I know I did. Over 12 million copies of the poster were sold. Legend has it that her curls in the poster spelled out the word sex. Those curls also led women everywhere to try to emulate her hair style.

Before I came to know her in her Charlie's Angel role, she caught my attention in a Noxema commercial with NY Jets quarterback Joe Namath. Broadway Joe is giddy when he exclaims "I'm so excited, I'm gonna get creamed!" Watch the commercial below to see why.

As I left the parking garage at work this evening at 6pm, I turned the radio on to listen the Mark Levin Show. Levin started the show, not with his usual rant, but with the announcement that TMZ was reporting that Michael Jackson had just passed away from an apparant massive heart attack at the age of 50.

Michael started his career as the youngest member of the Jackson 5 at the age of 11. He would go on to an immensely successful solo career being dubbed "The King of Pop." As the MTV world exploded on the scene, Michael took full advantage of the medium with several elaborate music videos. His "Thriller" video was a masterpiece and remains the most popular music video of all time. The "Thriller" album remains one of the best selling disc of all time.

I was a big fan of the Jackson 5 and Michael's solo work. Late in his career, his life became shrouded in controversy and allegations. I confess, I lost interest in continuing to follow his career. I prefer not to think about that Michael Jackson, but instead will remember Michael as seen below performing "Billie Jean."

I guess part of the reason it is particularly sad for me is that I guess it sort of reminds me of my own mortality. Especially the death of Jackson. He was only two years older than I am. Farrah & Michael, may you both RIP.

Dan Seals:1948-2009

On Wednesday, singer Dan Seals passed away due to complications from cancer.

During the 1970's when soft rock was dominating the pop charts, Dan Seals was England Dan of England Dan & John Ford Coley. The duo had several hit songs including "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight", "Nights Are Forever", and "Love Is The Answer."

After the duo disbanded in 1980, Dan Seals launched a solo career on the country charts. He had several country hits, including a duet with Marie Osmond "Meet Me In Montana" which earned the pair a Best Vocal Duo of the Year Award from the Country Music Association in 1986.

Here is England Dan & John Ford Coley with "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight." RIP Dan.

The Day the Music Died

February 3, 1959.  It has been 50 years since the day the music died.  Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Vallens, three of rock-n-rolls biggest stars at that time died in an airplane crash.  It was a little more than two years before I was born.  As a kid, I remember being home while my parents listened to these oldies.  At the time, there was no way you could admit you liked this stuff.  The folks listened to these guys as well as Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and others.  Over the years, I have come to appreciate more and the music that was made before I was born.  Not only the old rock, but also the old bluesmen like Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters, and old country stars like Hank Williams, Sr.

Here are Buddy Holly with "Peggy Sue," the Big Bopper with "Chantilly Lace," and Ritchie Valens with "Oh Donna."

Meet the Beatles-45th Anniversary

Meet the Beatles was one of, if not the first, album I ever owned was released 45 years ago today. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine released the top 500 rock albums of all time, and rated Meet the Beatles as #59 all time. Here are The Beatles with "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and a live version of "I Saw Her Standing There."

Sammy Baugh- 1914-2008

Hall of Fame quarterback Sammy Baugh passed away yesterday at the age of 94. He was the last surviving member of the inaugural class of the NFL Hall of Fame. Baugh began his NFL career in 1937 as a member of the Washington Redskins. He played in an era where players played in all facets of the game, not just offense or defense. Baugh was a stand out quarterback, defensive back, and punter. He still holds NFL records in punting with highest career punting average (45.1 yards) and highest single season punting average (51,4 yards). He revolutionized the passing game and earned the nickname Slingin' Sammy Baugh. He still holds Washington Redskins career records with 187 touchdown passes, highest single season completion percentage of 70.3% (which is 2nd highest ever in the NFL) and his 31 career interceptions is third highest in team history. His #33 jersey is the only Redskins jersey number that has been "officially" retired by the team.

On The Third Day of Christmas DRT Gave to You

On the first anniversary of his passing, Dan Fogelberg "Same Auld Lang Syne"

John Lennon 1940-1980

28 years ago today, John Lennon was shot four times by Mark David Chapman. Just three weeks earlier, John had released his first album in over five years, Double Fantasy. Lennon had always been my favorite member of the Beatles. I remember how excited I was that he had released new material and had started a musical comeback. I also remember how devastated I was at hearing the news of his death. In memory and honor of John Lennon, here is (Just Like) Starting Over.

Flip Wilson Tribute

When I was a kid, the first comedy album I ever owned was Flip Wilson's Grammy winning "The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress" released in 1970. That same year, NBC launched The Flip Wilson Show which ran from 1970-1974. As a kid, I watched the show regularly. The show featured Flip's comedy routines, especially his popular characters Reverend Leroy pastor of the Church of What's Happening Now, and of course Geraldine Jones who popularized the phrase "The Devil made me do it." The show achieved high ratings and much critical acclaim with 11 Emmy nominations and won Flip a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series.

Ten years ago today, Clerow "Flip" Wilson, Jr. passed away at the age of 64. With much respect to Flip on this the 10th anniversary of his death, here he is as Geraldine Jones with Bill Cosby.

Happy 47th Birthday Wynton

Happy 47th birthday to Wynton Marsalis. Marsalis has won Grammy awards in both Jazz and Classical music playing the trumpet. His music gave me my first appreciation of jazz. I am particularly fond of his traditional slow blues as featured on the Marsalis Standard Time series of discs.

I had the pleasure of seeing Wynton live at Blues Alley in Washington DC. There is nothing like seeing a legendary performer in an intimate setting like Blues Alley. At one point during the set, Wynton walked off the stage while the band kept playing. He walked through the crowd, shook some hands, as he made his way to behind the bar where he poured himself a beer before heading back to the stage.

Below is Wynton Marsalis with "Delfeayo's Dilemma", featuring Marcus Roberts on piano. Marcus had an awesome album called "Deep in the Shed" which featured some great bluesy jazz.

RIP Paul Newman 1925-2008

Legendary actor Paul Newman passed away at the age of 83 after a battle with cancer. Newman became a star in the 1950's and never lost his popularity. He appeared in several classic movies like "Cool Hand Luke", "The Hustler", "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," and "The Sting." He won his first Oscar in "The Color of Money," a sequel to "The Hustler." He is survived by his long time wife, Joanne Woodward, and five children.

Newman became active in auto racing after playing a driver in the movie "Winning." He participated in the 24 Hours of Dayton at the age of 70 and continued racing into his 80's.

Newman was also well known for his philanthropic activities. In 1982, he and a friend founded Newman's Own, which has grown into a hugely successful natural and organic food manufacturer. All of the profits from that company go to his charitable foundation to support his charitable causes.

A few years back, my father in law was introduced to Paul Newman in Florida. Newman was looking for a fishing charter, and the marina recommended my father in law. They were able to go out fishing on a couple of occasions. As a thank you, Newman sent a ham to my in laws which we had for a holiday dinner. The world lost a great entertainer and a true gentleman.

There's a Tear in my Beer

There has been just too much bad news lately, so I have been sitting here crying in my beer trying to figure out where things are headed. Do either of the presidential candidates have what it takes to lead the country? I just don't know. I know that Obama scares the hell out of me. I have always admired and liked John McCain, and I liked the pick of Sarah Palin when it was made.

The current administration and Congress with their bailouts of big business are going to cost us taxpayers big time in the end (I feel a little like Ned Beatty in Deliverance.) I was listening to some radio station and Newt Gingrich was on the program. He made a lot of sense on energy and the current financial problems the country is facing. As polarizing as he has been in the past, I wish he were running.

So I just need something to make me feel a little better. So here we go;

I remember in the 90's when Natalie Cole released an album of songs performed by her father, the late, great Nat King Cole. Through technology, she was able to record a duet and music video with her father of his most famous hit "Unforgetable." It rightfully went on to win a Grammy and several other awards.

However, two years prior to that, the son of a legendary country singer (who also died before his time) recorded a duet and music video with his father. Hank Williams, Jr was only four years old when Hank, Sr. passed away at the young age of 29. That songs also went on to win a Grammy and several country music awards. So here is Bocephus with his daddy Hank singing "There's a Tear in my Beer."

Oh, what the hell. Since I am now feeling a little sentimental, here are Nat and Natalie with "Unforgetable."