September | 2009 | johnozed

It’s back to work for most, and another day with less people around for those of us between jobs, or to put it less delicately- unemployed. It’s now raining out quite hard making me glad that whatever I had to do today, I got it done before the downpour.

I did laundry, ran around midtown looking for a photograph of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing in ‘Top Hat’. It’s for one of the occupants of the offices at the old job. Owner of the company is a multi millionaire and I was asked by his assistant to find the photograph and get it blown up for his mansion in Palm Beach.

Fred & Ginger

I didn’t mind, but Jerry Ohlingers’ once of west 3rd Street by Bleecker Bob’s, then on 14th Street is now on 35th Street. At this rate they will be across the street from the Apollo in a number of years. But I couldn’t find that exact picture and they suggested Movie Star News on 18th Street which was closed today, presumably for Yom Kippur.

So I will have to try tomorrow. Weather permitting.

I spoke with my sister in law Elaine today. She was off of work due to the Jewish holiday. It was an unexpected and fun chat. She was thinking about seeing Leon Russell yesterday but she was a fan of his back in the day. I emailed her some pics of ol’ Father Christmas and since she didn’t see them, not being at work, I told her about them which really isn’t the same thing as seeing them.

And since a picture is worth a thousand words, and I sent her 4 pictures…well, do the math.

One of the things that came up was my brother Frank. I don’t know if I mentioned it in an earlier post, but one thing I told him in my Beatle remastered euphoria was the fact that there was a slight jealousy regarding the Fabs.

It was also an attempt to boost his ego.

I told him that I was envious that he was aware of the Beatles releasing new records back then, and when I started listening to them, they were history and nothing new was going to come from them as a group, only as individuals which as you may well know, is not quite the same.

It was just something that came into my mind as I was riding the bus into the city. Just odd little transient thoughts that take up temporary quarters in my mind. So things seem to be back to normal, which is so loosely defined in my world.

Not like ‘Next to Normal’ the Broadway musical about a woman who’s having a nervous breakdown. People apparently leave the theater very depressed and not singing a happy tune. Not the show for me to see though it did win a couple of Tony awards I think.

I myself happy that I haven’t won any Tony’s. I don’t have a mantle to put them and wouldn’t know if I should get the mantle first or win the award first. Overall, I am content, not contentious. That was Saturday
and not today.

I guess I’m a touch hungover from last night. Must have been the 3 Absolut shots that I had. There’s nothing like a nap to correct that situation somewhat. And nap is what I did. Apparently I had a leg up on Rand who phoned earlier.

He was surprised that I had been out and about already. Around 10:00 I was getting coffee, bagels and the paper as well as a trip to the supermarket. On only a half cup of coffee I was surprisingly human. No need for homicide. Relatively coherent too.

But all things being equal (whatever that means) it took a toll and I sit around the apartment so far watching the rain fall down on this humdrum town, morosely. The weather certainly lending itself to that mood.

So a 20 minute nap was a reboot which might have done the job. So much so that I put on a pair of shoes since the sneaker I wore this morning had gotten a bit wet. Also heard from Casey Chasm, trying to entice me to move up to South Burlington with Bill so we could get married, as if that was in our plans.

I didn’t mention that that wasn’t in the plans as far as I knew. The topic hasn’t come up in a long time and why should we risk losing an imperfect relationship?

I guess jaded and cynical is the theme thus far.

Casey said everyone was fine, the missus and the baby both doing well.

It’s now a few hours after all that. I heard from Rand asking if I was interested in seeing Leon Russell play the Hoboken Art & Music Fall Festival. I was ambivalent and so was Rand, but he wanted to see what Elton John saw in Leon Russell back in those early 1970’s.

Elton said Leon was a major influence. So I called Rand and made plans to meet him at 7th and Washington. I had a big cigar and walked up to Washington St. Julio and Stine were out there with the baby somewhere and I thought I would see them but perhaps they saw me first.

Due to the foreboding weather it certainly wasn’t that crowded, but then again there was the stroller set out in full force taking up much space. People used to have babies in Hoboken then move out to the suburbs. Now, they stay.

Rand and I walked towards where Leon Russell was playing some rock and roll standards. Where we stood I thought the dark figure on the left of the stage was Leon Russell and it wasn’t until towards the end of the show that I looked to the right (it was a bit crowded) when I saw the actual Leon Russell long white hair underneath a cowboy hat and wearing shades singing ‘A Song for You’.

He did Great Balls of Fire and Roll Over Beethoven as an encore and before the last note faded away he was probably on a bus headed to the next gig.

Rand and I saw Rob La Rosa and also Roger Johansen and his wife Dina. Small talk with all of them, Roger saying he smelled a cigar and figured I was nearby. Funny thing is there are usually quite a few guys smoking cigars during the festival but Roger sussed me out.

Rand showed me some footage he shot last night at Duet, the Karaoke place. Lisa and myself singing a duet of Madonna’s Borderline. I was definitely having a good time on the recording though I think I sounded better singing Jimi Hendrix.

Also footage of various Hoppes and offshoots singing Twist and Shout. We must have had a good time, Rand and I. How else can we explain our hungover natures today?

I am also happy to say Juan’s broken heart has healed.

Here are the pics from this afternoon at the Hoboken Art & Music Fall Festival.