July 4, 1776, the United States declares its independence from Britain. For close to two centuries, the U.S. was free from British control. That changed, at least musically, in 1964.

The British completely took over the pop music charts in America. In the mid-60’s, if you didn’t have long hair and a British accent, you didn’t make it.

British Invasion groups often made appearances on the ABC-TV program, “Shindig.”

From tv.com:


Shindig! was a rock 'n' roll series that ran from September 16, 1964 through January 8, 1966 on the ABC network.

Shindig! was created and produced by Jack Good who had previously produced rock 'n' roll TV shows in his native Britain. There, he perfected his style of fast-paced rock music programming. In 1962, Good produced a pilot for American TV. The pilot, titled "Young America Swings the World," eventually became the blueprint for Shindig!

Shindig! premiered on September 16, 1964. During its first season, Shindig was broadcast Wednesdays at 8:30pm Eastern. It started as a half-hour show but expanded to an hour in January 1965.

Shindig! was different from previous U.S. rock 'n' roll programs. It featured non-stop music that, in most cases, was only interrupted by the commercial breaks. And the music was live...or so it seemed. In recent years it's been revealed that the backing music and most of the vocals were pre-recorded. Often, the guests would record special versions of their songs for Shindig. The music and vocal tracks were recorded a day or two before the episode was videotaped. The performers then rehearsed numerous times to make sure that their "mimed" performances looked live. (In some cases the vocals were live.)

Shindig! was hosted by Los Angeles disc-jockey Jimmy O'Neill. Other series regulars included the Blossoms, a female group who provided the back-up singing. The Wellingtons were the male back-up singers.  There were also the Shindig dancers, a troupe made up of 10 (or so) teenage girls who did choreographed dance steps.

Shindig's cancellation was part of a mid-season reshuffle at ABC, which the network called "The Second Season." The final Shindig aired on January 8, 1966. As if to add insult to injury, many of the songs performed on that final Shindig were presented as sketches saluting the new ABC shows! One of these sketches was a tribute to "Batman," the series that replaced Shindig!


Tonight on Friday Night Live, the British Invasion (OK, baby boomers, see how many you remember).






Pass the tea and crumpets.

Time for another course.

The British Invasion.


Shindig.


The mid-60's.


ABC -TV.


Before we say goodnight, a very special encore presentation.


After all...


It wouldn't be a true British Invasion......


Without.....

Tonight, a historic edition of Friday Night Live.

“Elvis Presley rocked the world in the 1950’s, a leader among performers who brought about a revolution in music and pop culture. Through most of the 1960's he concentratedmainly on his movie career, which had been very successful, but, by the end of the decade, was in a downturn and had become a grind, seldom giving him opportunities to prove himself as a serious actor. By 1968, it had been more than seven years since Elvis had appeared on stage in front of a live audience.”
Liner Notes, ELVIS: '68 COMEBACK SPECIAL, Deluxe Edition DVD


Elvis was to do a TV special to air in December 1968 on NBC sponsored by Singer. His manager, Colonel Tom Parker envisioned and wanted a Perry Como family-type program.

Fortunately, the creative team behind the special went in a different direction, creating a revolutionary format (Elvis goes unplugged) and a comfort zone enabling Elvis to once again show his energetic self and truly shine.


“In his first television special Elvis plays his greatest role – simply being himself, the real Elvis as performer and person. Usually referred to as The ’68 Special or The ’68 Comeback Special, the actual name of this landmark television program was Elvis. Taped in June 1968, it first aired the following December 3rd on NBC-TV, attracting 42% of the television viewing audience, the network’s biggest ratings victory that year and the season’s top-rated show. It stands as one of the great moments in rock music history and as a stunningly brilliant milestone in Elvis Presley's career. After this triumph Elvis poured renewed creative vigor into his recording work, wrapped up his movie contract obligations and returned full-time to the concert stage, beginning a new and exciting era of the Elvis phenomenon.”
Liner Notes, ELVIS: '68 COMEBACK SPECIAL, Deluxe Edition DVD

40 years ago tonight, June 27, 1968, Elvis began taping the segments for the NBC special. The show opened with silhouetted guitar players and moved on to Elvis performing in the round in front of a studio audience with full orchestra and also with old band members and friends.

It’s Elvis at his very best.

Tonight’s special guests are the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and the Edgar Winter Group.

In reminiscing about ELO and the 1970’s, the BBC’s Cliff Wootton wrote in 2001, “Back then, we all wore our hair afro-style, had outrageously flared trousers, stack heeled kinky-boots and gold lame jackets. And that was just the blokes.”

From ELO’s website:

“The Electric Light Orchestra's ambitious yet irresistible fusion of Beatlesque pop, classical arrangements, and futuristic iconography rocketed the group to massive commercial success throughout the 1970s. ELO was formed in Birmingham, England in the autumn of 1970 from the ashes of the eccentric art-pop combo the Move, reuniting frontman Roy Wood with guitarist/composer Jeff Lynne; announcing their intentions to "pick up where 'I Am the Walrus' left off," the quartet sought to embellish their engagingly melodic rock with classical flourishes.”

In 1973, “the group returned to the Top Ten with their grandiose cover of the Chuck Berry chestnut ‘Roll Over Beethoven.’ The record was also their first American hit.”

In a review, feedsfarm.com called ELO’s first big hit, “a cover of Chuck Berry's popular rock & roll tune mixed with Beethoven's ‘Fifth Symphony.’ Epic in scale, ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ effortlessly zigzags between Chuck Berry rhythm and Beethoven melody, becoming an elegant blend of pure instrumental composition and classic 50s rock.”

Like his older brother Johnny, Edgar is an albino. In interviews, Edgar admits his eyesight has always been poor, preventing an ability to sight read. That makes it so amazing that he has become a prolific writer.

Winter’s official website says, “In late 1972 Edgar brought together Dan Hartman, Ronnie Montrose and Chuck Ruff to form The Edgar Winter Group, the legendary band that created such hits as the number one Frankenstein and the ever popular Free Ride. Released in 1973, They Only Come Out at Night peaked at the number 3 position on the Billboard Hot 200 and stayed on the charts for an impressive 80 weeks. It was certified gold in April 1973 and double platinum in November 1986. Edgar invented the keyboard body strap early in his career, an innovation that allows him the freedom to move around on stage during his multi-instrument high-energy performances. He was also the first artist to feature a synthesizer as the main instrument in a song. Frankenstein revolutionized rock and roll and opened up a whole new world of possibilities with experimentation and sound.”

Just this week, as Winter prepared to go on tour with Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band, he was interviewed by the Niagara Falls Review. Winter talked about his classic instrumental hit from the early 70’s:


Edgar Winter didn't have Boris Karloff on the brain when he wrote his classic rock instrumental, "Frankenstein."

It was just a simple riff he had come up with years earlier and recorded in bits and pieces. When he decided at the last minute to put the track on his 1973 album "They Only Come  Out at Night," the tapes were scattered around the recording studio.

"It was cut up into pieces and we were trying to figure out how to put it back together," recalls Winter. "Chuck Ruff, the drummer, mumbled the immortal words, 'Wow, that is like Frankenstein.' That was it! The monster was born."

"It just has that lumbering, monster feel. I couldn't have written anything that sounds more like Frankenstein if that had been my real intention."

Somehow, this pieced-together instrumental hit No. 1 on the pop charts and changed Winter's life.

He's still not sick of playing it. The song allows for such epic jamming, "Frankenstein" is a different beast every night.

"'Frankenstein' is my favorite live song, just because it's so spontaneous," he says. "It's very much in the tradition of jazz in that there's a lot of freedom within that song. There's plenty of space to ad lib.

"I never tire of doing that song simply because only about five per cent of it is the same. The rest is just a big jam."


Like the previous clip of ELO, this video of the Edgar Winter Group features some great solo work.





Again, from the Niagara Falls Review:


Winter was part of the last All-Starr tour in 2006 and is "flattered and thrilled" to be invited again.

It's not just fun, it's humbling to play alongside a Beatle.

"That pervasive feeling of peace and love ... that sounds like a line, but I really mean it," he says. "I really feel like Ringo is carrying on the spirit that the Beatles came to represent.

"I stand in awe of the Beatles. What they did transcended music. They brought about a whole revolution without firing a shot. They caused a paradigm shift that changed the mindset of a generation. It's such an honour and privilege to be able to perform with him."

 

Edgar Winter will be onstage with Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band July 9th at the Northern Lights Theater at Potawatomi. The concert is sold out.

Thanks for tuning in.

Next week, a very historic edition of Friday Night Live......don't miss it.

Barry Manilow turned 65 today.

Mention his name and certain thoughts, opinions, and images immediately come to mind.

 

But think about it.


Suppose you have a group of men.


And much like that TV program, "The View".....


You take these guys....


And you put them in a casual setting....


And you let them talk...


About Barry.

OK.

Let's not get carried away here.

There are lots and lots and lots and lots of men who can't stand Barry Manilow.

When you think about it, Manilow gets criticized for the same things Lionel Ritchie did but never caught flak. But that's another issue.

But I'm telling you there are Barry Manilow fans, male Barry Manilow fans who are Barry Manilow fans and don't even know they're Barry Manilow fans.

Listen up guys.

Watch this next video.

The vocals are not synchronized all that great with the video but work with me, alright?

I guarantee guys (and ladies, of course you can play along, too)  that you will watch this video........okay, turn away from the computer while it's on if you must........and you will hear the lyrics and you will hear the melodies to these Manilow compositions...

And yes, I guarantee that you will say, yeh.

Yeh.

Yeh.

I like that.

And you will know the music.

And you will know the words.

You might even sing along.

And you will have to admit.

You like.......

Tonight’s guests are:

Kiss, ABBA, and the Captain and Tennille.

In the 70’s, In Concert and The Midnight Special aired on Friday nights. On Saturday night, it was Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.

Prior to his 70's show, Kirshner was a successful record producer in the 60’s. From Answers.com:

“Kirshner employed some of the best writers in the business including Carol King, Neil Diamond and Tommy Boyce. The latter two artists played a large part in the success of another Kirshner creation, the pop group the Monkees. Kirshner's staff of writers churned out hit song after hit song for such groups as the Drifters, the Ronettes, the Crystals and the Shangri-Las, upping the standard of songwriting significantly in the process. 

In 1966, the enterprising Kirshner embarked on the second stage of his professional career when he developed America's answer to the Beatles. By creating the Monkees, a group assembled by placing advertisements in various trade papers, for the NBC network, Kirshner created a cute, loveable, slightly anti-establishment rock group that would parade around in a half-hour TV show while going on zany adventures a la the Beatles in a Hard Day's Night and Help! The kids loved it. And so did Columbia when they received the royalty checks from the Monkee's hits.

After the Monkees ran their course, Kirshner formed Don Kirshner productions in 1973 to produce his successful Don Kirshner's Rock Concert series. The ‘Rock Concert’ series ran for several years before Kirshner eventually moved away from rock n' roll and into TV production in the mid '70s.”

“ABBA, a musical entity consisting of two couples, became by far the most successful act of that decade (70's), even one of the biggest phenomenons of the whole century.”
carlmagnuspalm.com

From biography.com:

“Swedish pop singing group, formed in 1973 by Björn Ulvaeus (1945– , guitar, vocals), married to Agnetha Fältskog (1950– , vocals), and Benny Andersson (1945– , keyboards, vocals), married to Anni-Frid (known as Frida) Lyngstad (1945– , vocals). The group's name derives from their first-name initials. Their major international breakthrough came with the winning song in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, ‘Waterloo’, which was followed by hit singles and albums throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. During the 1970s they were the most successful international group since the Beatles. Ulvaeus and Andersson wrote their songs, and have written a successful musical, Mamma Mia! (1999), built around many of them, as well as collaborating with Tim Rice in the musical Chess (1984). Björn and Agnetha divorced in 1979, and Benny and Frida in 1981.”






We close with the Captain and Tennille. From Music.yahoo.com:

Keyboardist/arranger "Captain" Daryl Dragon and his wife, singer/pianist Toni Tennille, scored a series of pop/rock hits in a light, romantic vein in the second half of the 1970s, the most successful of which was the first, "Love Will Keep Us Together." The couple met in the summer of 1971, when Dragon was engaged as the keyboard player for a musical revue, Mother Earth, composed by Tennille. Dragon, born August 27, 1942, in Los Angeles, was the son of conductor Carmen Dragon; his mother was a singer. He studied piano while growing up and briefly attended California State University at Northridge before dropping out to form an instrumental jazz trio with his brothers called the Dragons. In 1967, Dragon became a touring backup musician for the Beach Boys. He was dubbed "Captain Keyboard" by lead singer Mike Love because he always appeared on-stage in a yachting cap.

Tennille, born Cathryn Antoinette Tennille on May 8, 1943, in Montgomery, AL, was the daughter of Frank Tennille, a big-band singer (under the name Clark Randall) who had given up music to run his family's furniture store, and Cathryn Tennille, who became a local television talk-show host. Tennille also studied piano and occasionally appeared on her mother's show as a child. She attended Auburn University, studying music. 

Dragon and Tennille toured with the Beach Boys for a year, meanwhile becoming a romantic couple (they married in 1975), then left and began performing in Los Angeles clubs as a duo called Captain & Tennille. In September 1973, they financed their own debut single, Tennille's romantic ballad composition "The Way I Want to Touch You," pressing up 500 copies on their own Butterscotch Castle Records label and earning airplay in Los Angeles. "The Way I Want to Touch You" was purchased by the large independent A&M Records, which re-released it and signed Captain & Tennille to a contract, apparently viewing them correctly as a slightly harder rocking, slightly sexier version of the Carpenters, who also recorded for the label. For their next single, Captain & Tennille covered Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield's "Love Will Keep Us Together," a song that had appeared recently on Sedaka's American comeback album, Sedaka's Back, even singing "Sedaka is back" at the end of the track. The disc became a number one, gold-selling hit, launching Captain & Tennille's career.

Tonight’s guests are:

The Eagles.........and Blood, Sweat and Tears.

In the early 70’s, ABC-TV began airing a weekly series of programs late Friday nights around midnight called, “In Concert.”

Every name in every musical genre seemed to play on the show. The performers were taped in various venues, sometimes in small theaters, other times at Madison Square Garden.

Don Henley and Glenn Frey met in 1971 in California as members of Linda Ronstadt's band. They wanted to start their own band, and did. Their first single, "Take It Easy" made them worldwide stars, and their 1973 album “Desperado” launched the group’s reputation for storytelling compositions. In 1998, the Eagles were inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame. Here they are in 1973:






This year, Blood, Sweat and Tears is celebrating their 40th year performing.

The group successfully incorporated rock, jazz and blues achieving critical and commerical fame.

 From vh1.com:

“The name Blood, Sweat & Tears came to (band co-founder Al)  Kooper in the wake of an after-hours jam at the Cafe au Go Go, where he'd played with a cut on his hand that had left his organ keyboard covered in blood.The original Blood, Sweat & Tears turned out to be one of the greatest groups that the 1960s ever produced. Their sound, in contrast to R&B outfits that merely used horn sections for embellishment and accompaniment, was a true hybrid of rock and jazz, with a strong element of soul as the bonding agent that held it together.”


Mention Blood, Sweat and Tears and the man who did all those great vocals on their big hits immediately comes to mind; David Clayton-Thomas. He left the group a few times and is no longer with them (BS & T will play at Potawatomi on September 12 this year).

In their 1972 appearance on In Concert, BS & T play one of their classics, written by the late Laura Nyro. Clayton-Thomas is gone (he’d return a few years later) and Jerry Fisher is supplying the vocals. Even without Clayton-Thomas, this is a kick-butt version. The amazing harmonica work is done by one of the original members, Steve Katz who left after 5 years, but has just rejoined the group, 35 years later. Also listen for some interesting tuba work by David Bargeron. (My apologies for the annoying time-tracking on the video).

This blog is dedicated to a dear friend, MK.

Tonight’s guests: Wild Cherry, A Taste of Honey, and Hot Chocolate (Absolutely no trend or pattern intended).

Burt Sugarman had an idea in the early 70’s. To take advantage of the popularity of the Johnny Carson Show, he suggested NBC air a weekly 90-minute music program immediately following the Carson show on Friday night. The Midnight Special was born and stayed on the air for over eight years.

Famous disc jockey Wolfman Jack was the announcer for the show that typically featured a different guest host every week. Helen Reddy and the Bee Gees were most often picked for that role.

Many musical styles permeated the 70’s, including R &B and disco. They were often highlighted on The Midnight Special.

The Righteous Brothers were the first and most famous “blue-eyed soul” artists. Numerous imitators followed.

Named after a flavor of cough drops, Wild Cherry started out playing straight rock. But with disco capturing the attention of fans, the band was bombarded with requests to "Play that funky music."  It became their only hit, going to #1 in 1976.

Sometime around 1971, singer/bassist/guitarist Janice Marie Johnson and keyboardist Perry Kimble organized a band after they met at an audition for vacation gigs for Princess Cruises. They called the band, “A Taste of Honey,” after an old R& B song, one of their favorites. They quickly started playing in Southern California bars and military bases in the U.S. and abroad (Kimble would eventually leave the group).

Their first single came about after the group encountered a less than responsive audience at a military base. A Taste of Honey was unusual in that it featured two female guitar players. During this particular engagement, Johnson felt that the male crowd wasn’t warming up to them because they were chauvinistic.

Before the recording session for “Boogie Oogie Oogie,” Johnson was warming up on her bass, unaware engineers were rolling tape. The bass solo is a key part of their smash that sold over two million copies in 1978.








We close with a group formed in London in 1968.  The band’s second album was filled with message songs of social and political commentary. But it was a light-hearted tune from that album that climbed the charts and enjoyed renewed fame in many films like “The Full Monty,” and in commercials.  Hope you’ve enjoyed.

“Let the Midnight Special shine it’s ever lovin’ light on me.”

One of my tags over on the right side of your screen is labeled, “Nostalgia.”

Go ahead. Take a look. 

See it.

Right in the middle of the pack.

Nostalgia.

At the risk of setting off a barrage of old fogey alerts, I readily admit to often reminiscing about those good old days.

Many times, the memories revolve around music.

I play no musical instrument. I do not possess the talent my brother has who, in the 60’s, strapped on a candy apple-red Fender Stratocaster, playing in bands at gigs where go-go girls danced in cages right next to him on stage.

But I am a music lover that has marveled at pop stars of the 60’s and 70’s. In those days, you heard them on radio and then saw them on television.

Television in the 60’s provided ample opportunity to see your favorite stars on Shindig, Hullabaloo, The Ed Sullivan Show and The Hollywood Palace, not to mention dozens of variety shows.

The 70’s showcased these stars in late-night hours on Friday, usually after Johnny Carson or some other post-10:00 news fare. On NBC, it was the Midnight Special. On ABC, it was In Concert. Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert was a syndicated vehicle.

I love watching the old clips of those great programs. Over the summer months, I will share some of my favorites as we relive those thrilling days of yesteryear. Starting this Friday night at 11:30, join me in musical time travel. I’ll call the blog something cool and trendy like, Friday Night Live.

You, of course, can read/watch anytime you wish, but to capture the flavor of what it was like for those old Friday night shows, it’s best if you stay up a little late, click on at 11:30 and rock out.

We’ll do our best to keep the blog a bit more interesting than just tossing up some videos.

Any requests?

Last year marked the 25^th anniversary of the compact disc or CD.

Small in size, convenient, easy to track, and better sound quality……..these qualities make the CD invention a wonder of technology.

The bad news is that the advent of the CD meant the virtual disappearance of a lost art, the great album covers.

A fascinating pop culture debate would be what is the best album cover of all-time.

You’d certainly get a lot of votes for Sgt. Pepper.

Honey by the Ohio Players, too.

If you pose the question to Dolores Erickson, she’d answer in a heartbeat with no doubts whatsoever as to her choice: Whipped Cream & Other Delights by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass.

She calls it, “the world’s most famous album cover,” and she may be right.

Mind you, Erickson is far from objective.

Erickson happens to be the woman on the cover.

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If there had been no Beatles, the Dave Clark Five would have taken their place as the world’s favorite band.

For a brief time in the 60’s, the Dave Clark Five rivaled the popularity of the four lads from Liverpool.

I’ve blogged about this in the past. I recall going over to my Uncle Claude and Aunt Rose’s house with my parents on Sunday evenings. There would be my cousins, Claire and Claudia, fighting over the mirror in the bathroom as they ratted their hair so it could touch the ceiling.

Then in the living room, the TV would come on…..Ed Sullivan, of course. Ed would introduce the Dave Clark Five and Claire and Claudia would scream at the television. Grampa Fischer would just roll his eyes.

Like the Beatles and many other British Invasion groups, the Dave Clark Five were clean-cut, good-looking young guys. And man, were they good.

Last week, the lead singer and keyboardist for the group, Mike Smith died at the age of 64. Smith suffered a spinal cord injury a few years ago and was paralyzed from the waist down.

Another member of the group, Denis Payton died of cancer in 2006.

The Dave Clark Five are to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this Monday.

Here are the Dave Clark Five appearing on the 60’s TV show, “Shindig.” They are introduced by the show’s host, Jimmy O’Neill.








Rest in peace, Mike Smith.

 

The 80th annual Academy Awards will be presented Sunday night. Here are the nominees for the Oscar for the Best Song:

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Falling Slowly" from "Once"
"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted"
"Raise It Up" from "August Rush"
"So Close" from "Enchanted"
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted"

How many of these songs will you remember 10 years from now?

Five years?

One year?

One month?

These nominees certainly don't measure up to past Oscar Best Song winners:
 

10) Beauty and the Beast-1991

9) Thanks for the Memory-1938








8) The Days of Wine and Roses-1962









7) All the Way-1957

6) Moon River-1961

5) The Way You Look Tonight-1936

 

 

 

4) Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head-1969









3) White Christmas-1942

2) When You Wish Upon a Star-1940










1) Over the Rainbow-1939

 

I read with great interest the other day from msn.com about the latest in the Captain America saga:

Captain America's alter-ego, Steve Rogers, is still resting in peace at Arlington National Cemetery, having been done in by assassins last March. But his good buddy and sidekick from the 1940s, Bucky Barnes, has picked up the bulletproof Captain America shield, put on a new uniform and taken his place.What's that you say? Wouldn't Bucky be about 85 years old now? And without any real super powers to fall back on, isn't that kind of long in the tooth to be taking a bite out of crime?Well, yeah. But remember, this is the comic book world we're talking about. Bucky was put in suspended animation by the evil Russians (back when they were evil) and stayed that way for the better part of 60 years."So he's probably in his late 20s right now," jokes Marvel Editor in Chief Joe Quesada, who decided to promote him to Captain America.

Hurray, I exclaimed!!

Captain America and his mighty shield are not dead.

That brought a smile to the face of someone who grew up as a child in the 60’s, reading comic after comic after comic book.

As a youngster, I read the Baltimore Catechism, the Weekly Reader, textbook after textbook.

I read a lot.

The Hardy Boys?

I couldn’t wait till Gimbels Schuster on Mitchell Street had the latest Hardy Boys'  adventure hard cover for sale.

I read Jerry Kramer’s “Instant Replay.”

I read weekly magazines.

I read teen magazines that immortalized the Beatles.

I read the liner notes of my older brother Greg’s albums.

I read comic books.

Religiously.

I was barely 8, 9. 10, 11, 12 years old.

There were certain things that excited me:

My small RCA transistor radio that I attached to my Raleigh bike.

My Raleigh bike with the cool banana seat.

Debbie Huck.  She was an absolute dream. A classmate of mine at St. Anthony’s grade school. Did I mention she was gorgeous and built?

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OK.

Back to normal.

My weekly scramble down the steps of Woolworth’s to get the weekly Top 40.

If they didn’t have it, I’d hop on my Raleigh and head up the street to Sears.

And then there was the pursuit of:

Comic books.

Like the stay at home housewife watching,’”As the World Turns,” I had to have my fix.

Is Superman OK?

What about Batman?

And Hulk and Thor and the Fantastic Four?

I’d race on that Raleigh bike of mine, park in front of the store at 6^th and Becher (now a Hispanic bar) and run into the all-purpose drugstore and head right to the comics section to the immediate right as you entered the place.

There they were.

Racks and racks of them.

The ultimate of comic books.

The DC comics: Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Flash, the American Legion, etc.

The Marvel comics: Fantastic Four, Captain America, Hulk, Sub Mariner, Spiderman.

It was the Baskin Robbins of comic books.

The store owners knew me by name, bike and face.

“The new comics aren’t in,” they’d say.

I knew a single second upon looking at that rack if I hit pay dirt or not.

So, I'd say ,"Thank you," and head off on my bike to the next shop that might tell me if and how my favorite hero had lived to fight another week.

As neat as the comic books were, the cool factor exploded when independent television (i.e., Channel 18) started showing the Marvel superheroes'  TV shows.

Fast forward to today.

I don’t attend a lot of movies.

I think most movies are junk and a waste of my money.

I am intrigued by movies, however, that bring back sweet memories of my past.

And that means I’m very interested to see the next Hollywood adaptation of superhero from the past.

The Flash?

Sub Mariner?

Green Lantern?

Super Girl?

Try Iron Man.

Iron Man was a tremendous superhero.

The problem was he was overshadowed by so many other stars with ultra powers.

It didn’t help that his cartoon TV series was punctuated by a cheesy opening with a cheesy theme song.







That was the 60's.

In three months, Iron Man will be the next Hollywood superhero.

I will go.

And I will watch.

And I won't care if it doesn't get nominated for a Golden Globe or an Oscar.

When I see Iron Man on that sceen, you know what I will see?

I will see a 10 or 12-year old Kevin Fischer, a bike that was the envy of the kids in the neighborhood, the building anticipation I'd feel as I pedalled harder and harder on my bike to get to the drugstore to find out how, or if Iron Man surviived,a drugstore you could leave that bike outside unlocked without fear it would be stolen. the malted milk mizers inside the store I'd buy the Iron Man comics, the sheer delight when I'd look and look and look at that rack of comics from eye level down to the floor to see that YES, YES, the latest editions had come in.

In a few months, when I see Iron Man on the big screen, larger than life, he'll be cool.

But trust me.

It won't be nearly as cool as forking over that 10 or 15 cents for the latest Iron Man comic to the nice lady behind the counter and then rushing home on my two-wheeler to see if Tony Stark pulled it out this week.

You see, In 2008, I know Iron Man will be okay.

When I walked into those drugstores on 6th and Becher or 12th and Lincoln, I had no idea.

That's the difference.

Enjoy Iron Man, the movie.

I’m realizing that New Year’s Eve today is much like it was for me when I was growing up.


As a youngster, even in my teens, no car and no date meant staying at home.


Dad would ask mom when the pickled herring was coming out. Any raw beef ?


And we’d wait.


And wait.


And wait.


And wait.


And wait.



For………



You guessed it.


Live from high atop New York……


In a ballroom inside the famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel….


Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians.


Certain memories stand out because they’re so…..


Well……


Silly.


When you’re just a kid who’s into Elvis and the Beatles, you know how un-cool it is to see this, and then listen to your parents singing along to the television in harmony......

Boo hoo is right.


So I’d just go in my room, turn on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, and watch Chicago.

Here’s a clip from their appearance, and pay attention to the lyrics and sentiment of this campy early to mid-70’s tune.

Decades later, I'm not complaining,


But I'm home.


And I'm excited about appetizers.


Sometimes Dad wouldn't make it to midnight.


I'm about 70% sure I will tonight.


And there's a part of me that wishes I could turn to CBS and see the nasally Guy Lombardo with baton leading people in gowns and tuxedos dancing elbow to elbow, cheek to cheek.

One of my favorite groups in the 60’s was the Dave Clark Five, who, for a brief time, rivaled the popularity of the Beatles.

I recall going over to my Uncle Claude and Aunt Rose’s house with my parents on Sunday evenings. There would be my cousins, Claire and Claudia, fighting over the mirror in the bathroom as they ratted their hair so it could touch the ceiling.

Then in the living room, the TV would come on…..Ed Sullivan, of course. Ed would introduce the Dave Clark Five and Claire and Claudia would scream at the television. Grampa Fischer would roll his eyes.

 

Today, Dave Clark (the drummer) turns 65. This week, the Dave Clark Five were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and rightfully so.

Now they have to correct an injustice and put Chicago in there.

Before you continue on to the rest of this post, please look at some or all of this video:

 

Two of today’s hot country stars, Josh Turner and Martina McBride share stories in USA Weekend’s article, “Why America Loves Country Music.”

Turner has this account of meeting the Man in Black:


You apparently have an, ahem, unique Johnny Cash story. Tell us about it.
Turner: I got to reading about his neurological disorder, and I thought, if he dies before I get a chance to meet him, I'm going to be so disappointed. So one of my friends had a book that tells you where stars live, with addresses. Sure enough, Johnny Cash's address is in there. So I head off to Hendersonville, where he lived in Tennessee. I was just praying that I'd come across as a genuine person that cared and not ...
McBride: A stalker?
Turner: Yeah, a stalker. I found the place, and the gate was open, so I drove right in. I knocked, and eventually the door swung wide open, and there's Johnny Cash! He had reading glasses and bedroom shoes on, in a long-sleeved denim shirt and gold chain. I said, "Mr. Cash, my name is Josh Turner, and I was wondering if you had time to sit down and talk." He said, "Well, I've been ill lately, and I can't sit down and talk for very long." I told him I understood, and I was reading about him and praying for him. He reached out with that big old hand of his and shook mine and said, "Your prayers are appreciated." We spoke some more, and then he had to go back inside and rest. He shut the door, and I walked away with tears just flooding out of my eyes.

 

Here’s the entire article.

Nice story, Josh.

 

TOMORROW IS THE DAY.......

WILL YOU MAKE A STAND TO SAVE LAWS TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM SEX OFFENDERS?

 

 

 

 

It’s a common topic of conversation around this time of year: what’s the best horror movie?

Many of my blogs have featured a nostalgic theme. So indulge me as I walk down memory lane once more to answer above question. When my older brother was in his swinging teens and I could only dream about being as cool as he was, my brother played guitar in a rock and roll band. Yes, rock and roll band. That’s what they were called in those days.

My quiet, reserved, shy brother played rhythm guitar on his bright apple red Fender Stratocaster in clubs where go-go girls danced in cages right next to him.

On Saturday nights when my brother’s band had a gig, it meant he wouldn’t get home until late. Mom and Dad would often go see my brother play, but on nights they didn’t, Dad would go to bed after the 10:00 news. Mom, who to this day loves horror movies, the spookier and creepier the better, would let me stay up with her and turn on Channel 18 to watch Shock Theater.

Shock Theater is where I saw, one after another, the Universal Studio horror classics: Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolfman. I loved each and every one of them.

Decades later, the “monsters” are revered at Universal. They single-handedly saved a studio in deep economic trouble by drawing huge crowds to theaters to see the latest in the saga of each “monster.”

I never tire of seeing those old classics.





There were some horror movies I saw as a youngster that left me wide-eyed.






I recall walking out the exit doors of the old Juneau Theater on Mitchell Street that led to an alley after seeing this movie, scared out of my wits.

"Do you know where you are Bartolome?"





Of course, what could be the very best never had a monster, a man in a mask, a spaceship, a robot, or a villian with super-human strength...






Happy Halloween

When I was growing up, you had but a handful of TV options: Channels 4, 6, 10, 12, and if UHF wasn't real snowy, Channel 18.

On the weekends, there were certain family traditions where everyone huddled around the TV.

On Saturday night, it was the Lawrence Welk Show (not real cool).

On Sunday night, it was The Ed Sullivan Show (very cool).

The Sullivan Show was entertaining, historic, groundgreaking television.

Sullivan had Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones, Sinatra, Broadway performers, acrobats, he had everybody!

One of the classic shows involved the Doors.

Anybody who was anybody was a guest on Sullivan. Many stars got their start on his show.

Here are some great R & B performances.

Good stuff!

OK, one more clip...

Ed Sullivan died 33 years ago today.

He was 72.

 

Tonight’s Emmy award winners had nothing on these:

The Dick Van *** Show



The Ed Sullivan Show




The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson




All in the Family: Prior to a trip to Disney World, Edith (and Archie) go through menopause.



The Avengers



A famous western




The Fugitive