Folk music post numbers 5 & 17

Yes, another post about Folk music, and Bob Dylan in particular. If you've been watching the Martin Scorcese PBS documentary over the last few days you could probably guess that he wouldn't like being called a folk singer or a protest singer or a rock singer or (later) a gospel singer. He has always been constantly changing. He seems to delight in confusing people about where he grew up, what his music is about and what he truly believes. That is his fun- and he knows that you don't stay popular for most of 45 years if you don't change it up.

I enjoyed the documentary very much. There weren't any huge revelations, just lots of little moments. I am very familiar with Dylan's music and story- I've read lots of books (his autobio included of course)
but I was still fascinated because Scorcese had access to so much amazing footage I had never seen before - especially the stuff of the infamous Newport Festival in '65 and the '66 English tour. I loved the footage of him playing "Mr. Tambourine Man" at a Folk festival workshop - like you were witnessing the birth of a classic. Seeing Suzie Rotolo interviewed was also cool- an album cover come to life (Suze is the girl clinging onto Bob on the "Freewheelin'" cover -for you uninitiated in Dylanania .

Dylan has been a legend in his own time since he was twenty-four. His iconic status is unquestioned. I know a lot of people don't like him, or more likely, don't like his voice. I feel sorry for them, but I don't really care - its not one of those things you can explain to someone. I've seen Dylan twice in my life and I don't think I'll ever go see him again. I'm afraid to lose the memory of the last time I saw him. Through the wonders of the internet I can tell you the exact date of the show and the songs he did. It was at the TLA here in Philadelphia, a small converted movie theater that only holds a few hundred people- a much different experience than seeing him among 100 thousand at JFK for Live Aid.
Bob was touring with the Grateful Dead that Summer and doing some side gigs at small places on "off" nights. Jessica, a friend of mine at the time, got the tickets and knew that I would never forgive her if she didn't take me. I'll always remember her for that (and the fact she would never give me a real shot at being her boyfriend - or whatever) It was June 22, 1995. I remember that I didn't know the first song and considering Dylan has written hundreds that was bound to happen that night. I was just hoping he played a few I knew. I did know the second song because I had heard the Dead play it many times- "It takes a lot to laugh it Takes a train to Cry" (There was a section in the Doc where someone talks about Bob re-writing this song during lunch one day). Then the third song- and I found out why he is still a legend. Dylan and his great band tore into "All Along the Watchtower". Spine tingling time. Really. This is a song made legendary by two guys. Dylan seemed to be bowing to Jimi by doing it more in his style than his own. I felt like I was witnessing history and I understood his presence and power. The next song I didn't know but it has become a favorite- "Shelter from the Storm" I had to go out and get a copy of it after the concert. The next song was my personal wish for the night and I thought it was a long shot that he would play it-
"Positively 4th Street". Some of you may know it is one of his most bitter songs and one of the best break-up songs ever. I guess I like his honesty in the lyrics - and you can sing along.

"You've got a lot of nerve / to say you are my friend /
When I was down you just stood there grinning"

"When you see me on the streets / You always act surprised /
You say 'How are you? Good luck'- but you don't mean it"

"I wish that for just one time you could walk inside my shoes /
You'd know what a drag it is to see you"

(All of those lyrics are from memory - now you know what I use my brain for)

Even more great songs came next including an acousitc "Mr Tambourine Man" and "Masters of War". I was in awe hearing these songs that meant so much to me even though many of them are older than I am. Of course I am a child of the '60's, but I spent them in diapers not at concerts and protests. The encore was "I Shall Be Released" , "My Back Pages" (I was so much older then - I'm younger than that now) and then "Like a Rolling Stone" This guy could just keep bringing out iconic songs all night. He was in great voice that night - in an era when his concerts were very hit and miss. Of course he has even put out a few great albums and won a few Grammy awards since that concert ten years ago. And his legend grows. No reason for me to go to see him again however- I've seen the Dylan I want to remember.

A Mighty Storm

As we all have heard by now another killer storm is in the Gulf of Mexico ready to destroy more former beachfront property. This one is headed towards Texas and Galveston in particular. This got me to thinking about folk music. Let me be the first to tell you about the big one that hit Galveston in 1900. It didn't have a name - it was too big and scary (Actually they just didn't name storms back then- but it was big)
Along with many train wrecks, mining disasters and senseless murders, the 1900 storm spawned a great folk song. It is so old that no one is sure who wrote it - its just noted as "Traditional". Tom Rush made it famous I gather, but Nanci Griffith made it famous to me. It's on her second album of folk songs "Other Voices, Too". If you don't know Nanci Griffith go out and buy her entire catalog immediately. Anyway think of this when you watch the inevitable scenes unfold over the next few days and don't say you weren't warned:

Wasn't that a Mighty Storm

Wasn't that a mighty storm

Wasn't that a mighty storm in the morning, well

Wasn't that a mighty storm

That blew all the people all away

You know the year of 1900

Children, many years ago

Death came howling on the ocean

Death calls, you got to go

Now Galveston had a seawall

To keep the water down,

and aHigh tide from the ocean

Spread the water over the town

You know the trumpets give them warning

You'd better leave this place

Now, no one thought of leaving'

til death stared them in the face

And the trains they all were loaded

The people were all leaving town

The trestle gave way to the water

And the trains they went on down

Rain it was a' falling

Thunder began to roll

Lightning flashed like hell fire

The wind began to blow

Death the cruel master

When the wind began to blow

Rode in on a team of horses

I cried, "Death, won't you let me go".

Hey, now trees fell on the island

And the houses give away

Some they strained and drowned

Some died in most every way

And the sea began to rolling

And the ships they could not stand

And I heard a captain crying

"God save a drowning man".

Death your hands are clammy

You got them on my knee

You come and took my mother

Won't you come back after me

And the flood it took my neighbor

Took my brother too

I thought I heard my father calling

And I watched my mother go

You know the year of 1900

Children, many years ago

Death came howling on the ocean

Death calls, you got to go

Tipping Karma

I worked a catering party for the first time in a few months on Saturday night. Things tend to slow down in late summer as far as large catered parties go, but now the schedule is full again. Now that I'm working 9-5 I can't do as much, but thats OK. Catering work was a godsend when I started back in May. I needed the cash and I just needed to be working again. I like the work because everyone generally does their job, you finish what you have to and you go home- or out for a beer. It is hard work though, very physical, sometimes uncomfortabe conditions - in my case I sweat a bit too much. But the people I work with are nice and the money is pretty good. You get paid by the hour and sometimes at the end of the night you get an extra tip thrown in - maybe $25.00 to walk away with.

I didn't know that Saturday's party at the Philadelphia visitors center was a wedding. I figured it might be a corporate reception or some event having to do with "Constitution Day". A wedding means a long night and it was still humid out and I was tending bar in a tuxedo- outside- on the patio overlooking the Liberty bell and Independence Hall. Apparently the guests were going to be big drinkers, because we had five bartenders - three inside and two outside. So the guests start to arrive and we have a full bar -plenty of beer, wine and liquor with all kinds of mixers. It starts out relatively slow and a few of the guests offer us cash tips. Now when I'm catering I usually refuse tips from the guests - "everything is already taken care of tonight" I might say. But usually, its not a problem- people don't tip at parties like this. Most of the time the host wouldn't like it and at business parties the guests are cheap freeloaders. But tonight was different. People were insisting that we take tips. A couple bucks folded up here, a five a ten or a twenty there. It was kind of exciting. I never would have expected it, and it made me a bit nervous of what my bosses would say if they knew we were raking it in - would we have to split it among everyone?? My pockets were literally stuffed with cash. It was a hard drinking crowd. Lots of everything. I could gather most of them came from Port Richmond and Northern Liberties area of the city. Just regular folk who tip their bartenders no matter what. I thought maybe it was some kind of sociological study - rich people would never tip at a fancy party like this. I know from long experience. In all the parties I've done I might have been handed a few tips here and there. Saturday when I counted at the end of the night I had close to $200.00 (my god!) Me and my co- bartender played it cool and kept our money in our pockets. We evened out the money at the end of the night - and we gave some to the two guys who helped us out all night. It was a great unexpected bonus - I made more in tips than I'll make in salary - that has never happened to me catering before. I really need the money right now too. My bills keep stacking up even though I'm working full time. Damn economy.

We were most of the way through the party when we found out why fortune was smiling on us as never before. It turns out that the groom owns a bar in Northern Liberties, so most of the guests were waitresses and bartenders and managers themselves. Everyone knows they tip better than anyone. I guess all my years of hanging out in bars (and tipping pretty well) has finally paid off.

Fall TV and the suspension of disbelief

Let me first say that I obviously watch too much TV. I have TIVO now so that I can tape things while watching things I already recorded. And I can watch them faster because I can skip the commercials. I don't have patience for commercials. I like when the new season starts because you can check the new stuff and see if it will become a new obsession. Can you believe that "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" are just a year old?
With all the cable channels and diversification these days, the new shows sometimes start (and end) during the Summer - a new second season (Shows I like such as "The Closer" and "Monk" are in this category.) But of course most of the good shows start up again in September and October.

One new show I've started to watch is "Prison Break". Now, I kind of like this show because its a mystery and its action and sort of a puzzle in the "DaVinci Code" kind of way. The basic plot is the brother of a Death-row inmate gets incarcerated too so he can break his brother out. This is a show where you have to take it with a large amount of salt. There are so many cliches and cop-outs on this show- I hope they don't start to annoy me and take away from the clever ideas. First of all, there don't seem to be many black people in this prison. Now its pretty much a reality that Blacks make up a huge proportion of our prison population. Their conviction rate is much higher and their chance of getting the death penalty is ten times higher (Our death row guy here is a white guy - who of course was set up in a vast government conspiracy). I suppose its political correctness that they don't want to stereotype the cons by race, but in this show all of the major players (save one hispanic guy) are white. The two brothers, white, the mobster inmate who is the leader of the prisoners and part of the escape plan, white, the inevitable evil assistant warden, white, the warden of course, white. Why not a bit more racial diversity here? A few other things that stretch credibility have also come up. The Death row inmate is allowed to be on a work squad with other inmates where he gets chances to talk to his brother. I can't believe that Death row inmates would be allowed among the general population and allowed a job to pass the time less than a month before their execution? Wouldn't that just be dangerous for everybody?? Another thing that the "authorities" just figured out is that these two guys are brothers. They have different last names, so that apparently fooled everyone. Wouldn't they have known about the family history of a high profile death row inmate?? (he allegedly "killed" the vice presidents' brother- what?) Maybe I can believe that out government can make an oversight like that. I could go on, but actually I still watch this show even though it is so far-fetched. Maybe I do watch too much. I'm trying to cut down. At least now I don't watch commercials.

Here we go....

So the Eagles season starts tonight. If they are mediocre or even bad this year I will have a terrible Fall. If they are good I will be content but a bit nervous. I've never been the kind of fan who thinks "my team is the best". I'm not going to brag too much when they win and I will ignore it when they lose. I won't watch TV or listen to the radio to dissect what went wrong. In my case misery does not love company.

Some of my attitudes are just part of being a Philadelphia sports fan. There have been books written about our psychology, our penchant for bad behavior and our sad plight. We have four pro teams and no Championship since 1983. That's 22 years and around 88 separate seasons without a title. I don't consider myself a typical rowdy Philly sports fan (I don't even like to say Philly- it sounds low class). I have been in attendance at several of the major events of bad behavior in Philadelphia sports history - but I wasn't really part of the problem (more on that another time).

Now just watching the ESPN pre-game show - which I usually skip- I find out before the game officially starts that Eagles defensive stallwart Jeremiah Trotter has been ejected for a "fight" during pregame warm-ups. I was maybe expecting a Hockey game to break out. It was really just a shoving match and I don't even think Trotter threw a punch. Anyway its a bad omen. At least he will just be out for one game. Now its nail biting time.

PS: Yes, they lost. And it was hard because they were in it the whole way.
Sometimes blow-outs are easier. I was discussing Trotters' supposed "fight" with my boss this morning. I told her that I didn't really think he was fighting- he just looked like he was in it - he didn't even throw a punch. but it didn't matter- he was out anyway. Wisely, she came back with "You know I've never been accused of "looking" like I was fighting"
Sometimes wrong place wrong time. Wrong way to start the year.

The Danger of Blogging

So much has already been said and written about Hurricane Katrina that we are now getting the story behind the story. In the New York Times the other day I noticed a story about a blogger, a self described "weather nerd" who had predicted the Katrina disaster and tried to warn New Orleans days ahead of time. I haven't read his blog but according to the Times it was eerie how he kept making exactly the right predictions about events as they went on. His blog was widely quoted and "linked" to by other blogs. It was the top "linked to non-news blog" as reported by people who follow this kind of thing. He was getting about 25,000 hits a day and being quoted by uber blogs like Slate.Com and Instapundit.com. He was obviously being interviewed and getting his 15 minutes of fame. But if you made it to the end of the Times story you'd have found out that he probably regrets the whole thing and he's probably sleeping on the couch. From the Times 9/5/06:

Correction:

Sept. 6, 2005, Tuesday:An article in Business Day about Brendon Loy, the Notre Dame student who was one of the earliest to sound the alarm about the potential threat to New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina, misstated the name of Mr. Loy's dog. It is Robbie, not Becky (which is his fiancée's name).

Leave it to the New York Times to bury the lead.

What'l ya have Hon?

We had a very Philadelphia experience the other night and I suppose that was the point. Todd has been planning a meeting for his high-powered government lawyer colleagues here in town. Since he hasn't really lived here for most of the last 13 years he has asked for recommendations of places to take them. He wanted a traditional South Philly Italian place for a big dinner one night and I immediately thought of Villa di Roma. It is one of the few restaurants actually on ninth street in the famous Italian market and a sentimental favorite in my family for years.

Now Todd is scrupulously honest (esp. for a lawyer), so he wouldn't just take my suggestion- he had to try out the restaurant himself because he knew everyone at his meeting would ask him "Have you been there before?" So Todd, Pete, Jen and I arranged to meet for dinner there last Thursday night. I took it upon myself to invite three more people- my brother Alex, his wife Melissa and my Mother. Now I suppose most guys don't go out of their way to invite their mother to a dinner with friends, but in this case my friends know my Mom is much cooler and hipper and more entertaining than I am. She has been trying to have Todd and Pete come over for dinner for a while anyway.

Villa di Roma has not changed much in the 25 or so years we've been going there. It is basically two small dining rooms and the bar which is always crowded with people waiting to get into the dining rooms. It's like it came out of central casting for a traditional "red sauce" Italian American restaurant. Older waitresses with hairdoos from the 1960's, the menu up on a board on the wall, carafes of cheap Chianti served in water glasses and plenty of brocolli rabe and 'scarole on the side.

Todd had not seen my Mom or Alex in a long time and he had never met Melissa either. So it was kind of a reunion- considering Mom and Alex and I have all known Todd his entire life. The conversation flowed to many different subjects: New Orleans, China, Burning man festival, September 11, football, airport stories and of course -sandwiches.

I told you sandwiches would come up frequently. Todd must have mentioned that it would be tough to make a sandwich with the food on the menu here. I just showed him the great loaf of fresh bread the waitress has just put down in front of me. My mom, hearing this and having read my previous post about the Tomato and mozzarella sandwich said she thought it was a joke that I liked sandwiches so much (her comment about Sandwich Post #1 - "Why didn't you tell them I bought you the mozzarella?) Todd and Pete assured her it is true. So my brother in a completely unplanned outburst says "Well they are almost the perfect food" I think this comment may have earned him a rolling of the eyes from Melissa. Todd mentioned how his friend Elaine wrote a rhapsodic comment on my blog about the Mozz and Tomato sandwich. Alex said that Todd would be a sandwich convert if he had one of his masterful tuna melts. I said that Todd is anti-sandwich because it is food for the working man on the go- not stopping to eat a fancy lunch and he wouldn't understand up in his ivory tower lawyers' office. This all led to a discussion of the relative merits of "Pat's Steaks" and whether Todd should be allowed to take his boss there during their upcoming visit. We also discussed some favorite sandwich places that aren't there anymore like Charlies' Water Wheel (free meatballs and "condiments") and Stan's (King of "Stanwiches"). My brother has very strong sandwich opinions too and we almost came to blows about the relative greatness of The White House in Atlantic City (I was there last Sunday). In the midst of all this Mom was telling Jen the recipe (in great detail) for the Veggie Wedge sandwich she made for fifteen years or so at her store in Reading Terminal. Of course we forgot the smoked mozzerella cheese - I always thought it was too strong anyway.

The food we were actually eating was good too and we all had a great time catching up. I think everyone understands why Alex and I like food that you can eat with our hands when they saw Mom picking at her entree with her fingers. I guess she had trouble finding her fork because it was right beside her plate. It's just something that runs in the family I suppose, forks just get in our way.

Modern football fan's dilemma

My favorite part of the year is the fall. The crisp weather, Halloween, Thanksgiving, my birthday (and - new this year - my neice Rebecca's birthday) -but most of all Fall means football. Monday September 12 it starts for us. Eagles Vs. Falcons- Monday night football. Every week a new game, some amazing play you can't believe you just saw. Nothing on TV gets me as excited, nervous and sometimes angry. I sometimes have to be restrained and I usually disturb the neighbors with yelling and obscenities- and it gets worse if the Eagles are losing. Losing can really ruin the entire week. Thank god they don't do too much of that these days.

So Sunday afternoons in Fall are sacred. I am much more religious about football than I am about Judaism. It is one thing that I share with my father and brother. Alex and I are even kind of Superstitious when it comes to the Eagles. Last year we refused to go to our Dad's house to watch the NFC championship game because his house was 0-3 in that game in the last three years. Of course we made the mistake of going back there for the Super Bowl, but we don't talk about that.

So here's the problem. I have to go to a wedding. Well not really a wedding, really a commitment ceremony - my first one. My cousin Erica is getting hitched to her girlfriend Mayra on a Sunday in the Fall at 1 pm in the afternoon. Right at the start of a football game. Now, let me say right off that I strongly support gay marriage. If gay couples can adopt and raise children then why can't they get married? I also think it would stimulate the economy. Who would throw bigger weddings and go on better honeymoons than gay couples? Right now I think it is just a convenient divisive political issue used to mobilize the Christian Right and eventually it will be totally legal.

The only problem I have with gay marriage right now is that two women planning a wedding on a Sunday in the Fall did not take the Eagles schedule into account. That would have never happened if there was real guy involved in the planning- even if his only contribution was to check the football schedule. Now it is early in the football season, and I do love my cousin (she is just a second cousin), but I could miss the entire game, dammit. Is this a sneak a radio into the ceremony situtaion? Will there be a TV somewhere at the reception (I doubt it). I guess I'll go anyway. I kind of already said I would. I mean its not like its a playoff game.