Tag Archives: The Beatles

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Last night at Rand & Lisa’s with Lois and Fred. After telling Lois about the three hour nap the other day following lunch with Rand, Lois was so excited about the whole idea of taking a nap.

I suggested we swap places. I’ll take her job and she can have all the naps she wants.

It was a pleasant little get together, and though Rand said I wasn’t, I was the fifth wheel. Just a matter of fact. 2 couples, four people and me. I was fine with it, having been that wheel many, many times.

After a cocktail at Rand and Lisa’s we headed up towards McSwells, for one or two more. As we walked up I was frantically looking for my lighter so I could enjoy a quick smoke en route.

Lois was telling me about a project she was working on as a German art dealer. I patted my pockets, rifled through the pockets and finally gave up only to find the lighter in my hand.

The Bongos at McSwells. Scott and Andrea and Chaz and one or two faces from back then. Since Meghan Taylor was under the weather with the flu I didn’t go in the back. Really didn’t care.

20 years ago it would have been something to see the Bongos after breaking up in 1987. No it’s a day late and a dollar short. It was good to see Scott and Andrea again.

I’m sure they’re still living apart, Andrea living in Asbury Park and Scott living in the Jersey City Heights. Their kids were there Ed and Elmer. I don’t know if Chrissie made it, but it was otherwise, a Harbison family reunion.

It was good to see Chaz again as well. I came home a little buzzed after a couple of pints and sat down and wrote most of the above. Today was a gray day again. Rain expected most of the weekend, so it’s going to be an indoor weekend mostly.

I have from the library a 3 disc DVD set of the Dick Cavett show, Musical Guests. Sly & the Family Stone, Jefferson Airplane, Joni Mitchell, Crosby & Stills, Janis Joplin, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and George Harrison.

Not as interesting as I had hoped. George Harrison is the most interesting for me of course. Jefferson Airplane were deadly dull. It’s fun to see the clips knowing the history of what was going on behind the scenes.

Sly and the fear and loathing that comes with excessive coke use, Janis not alive much longer after her visits on the Cavett show. George Harrison was in the midst of the ongoing Beatles break up that wouldn’t really be resolved until 1976.

In the last issue of Mojo, with Kraftwerk on the cover, there’s a review of yet another Beatles book. This one got my attention with the gossip and the juicy details and a good review.

It’s Called ‘You Never Give Me Your Money: The Battle for the Soul of the Beatles’. Apparently it wasn’t all lovey dovey (though that’s been dispelled).

Paul writing a note to John during the White Album sessions saying ‘You and your Jap tart think you’re so cool’ and also Paul secretly buying up shares of their publishing company Northern Songs.

They all come off badly. Ringo was a drunk, Paul really didn’t care that John was murdered. And George had his own problems with his constantly choosing the wrong manager who would steal money. He did that a few times. And John with his hang ups and problems.

It seems so gossipy I hope it gets released in the States. It’s been on the shelf in England for a few weeks already.

Last night on the Python documentary was all about the Life of Brian and how Graham Chapman finally sobered up.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

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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.