HR Pufnstuf was naked...

..well he did wear a sash.

Must have made it easier to find his magic flute.



Tough times since my last blog.

Dick Clark passed away.



I loved American Bandstand....back in the late seventies...loved it. Most Saturdays, I'd watch it with my Mom.

Remember rate a record?

I think Barry Manilow sang the theme song.
"We're goin' hoppin' (hop)
We're goin' hopping today
Where things are poppin' (pop)
the Philadelphia way
We're gonna drop in (drop)
on all the music they play
on the Bandstand (Bandstand)"

This was before I got on the disco sucks train, as a matter of fact disco (or at least dance) music was probably predominant back when I was watching. I now know disco didn't really suck (some of it actually stuck with me...I cannot hear Rock the Boat without singing along...at least on the inside), it just wasn't my thing.
The same can be said for hair bands and 80's synth music and boy bands and rap and the Who after Keith Moon died...just not my cup of tea, so to speak. You picking up what I'm laying down?

Oh, and Levon Helm died.



Levon is the second from the left. This is the band Levon used to be in. The name of the band is The Band.
.....I hope you're following along, because I'm typing as slowly as I can....
(I have always loved this picture...a friend of mine has a picture very similar to this of a family of fisherman, all brothers, and I've always told her that picture reminds me of a famous picture of the Band. Well, Melissa, this is it.)

Levon was my second favorite drummer of all time...if there can be such a thing. If you know me you shouldn't have to ask who is my favorite. If you don't know me well, then let me hang on to that one shred of mystery.

I think I actually have a lot of second favorites...

My second favorite band ....


My second favorite color....


my second favorite movie...


my second favorite fruit....


my second favorite...well, I think you get the picture.

I always loved Levon's style...the way he hunched his shoulders when he drummed...his sideways pronunciation when he sang...he played very casual (which is, in fact, truly a style of drumming..look it up if you don't believe me). The last few years Levon held "Midnight Rambles" at his recording studio in Woodstock NY. Basically jam sessions with other musicians like Los Lobos, (the last ramble ever), and in prior years Bob Weir...John Sebastian..Maria Muldaur...Donald Fagen..Natalie Merchant...Norah Jones...etc etc etc. Would have loved going to one of those shows. Alas, another opportunity passed.

Here's an amalgamation that might have appeared at a ramble..
lots of famous folks in this lineup...see if you came name three or four or five of them...

So that's two famous people gone. They say it always comes in threes. I predicted Levon after Dick Clark passed, much to my chagrin. I was right.

Here's my prediction for number three...
and my apologies to all you Bee Gees fans out there..
..and realizing how completely morbid this is...

Robin Gibb


(Robin's the one on the left)

He was the Bee Gee that always held his hand up to his ear when he sang those melodies and had the tortured look on his face..although I don't think either of those things are ultimately what's going to do him in.

So, with that little bit of sunshine, I'm going to wrap this one up.

That's it for now.

Nice to be back on.

I'll leave you with one thing...

You should be dancing...yeah.

...and I give this blog a 91 because it has a really good beat and is easy to dance to.

42 posts...7 months...2300 hits

...that was a good run, wasn't it?

The first sentence of my first post was...
"I'm going to give this a go"

Well I have.

...and now I'm not. At least for now


We'll see maybe in a week or two or three.....or a month...

Maybe it's this new computer I have...slow connections...enter, then hit enter again...then re-enter...wrong passwords...missing links I once had... and waiting...and waaaiiiting...aanndd waaaaiiitiiiing. Writing is supposed to be easy for me...

I don't know...maybe I expected more. Not many on line comments, but I had plenty of folks come up to me and say something nice...or reference something I had written

That was cool.

..and that's all I was looking for. I guess.

There were some good moments...the top ten lists...the song interpretations...the April Fool joke....remembering my Dad.

Like my good friend, Joe Walsh, said..
"..and we don't need the ladies
cryin' 'cause the stories sad..."

So it goes.

Pop lines up his fries

First this

That's right.
Ted Nugent.
Cat Scratch Fever.

This song is not in my top 100...or even 500...as a matter of fact I've got about 5000 songs on my ipod and this isn't one of them. There's probably never been a more sexist song ever written...but...I ran across it in the car on the radio tonight...considered switching channels...didn't...then I was IN IT. I was back in 8th grade again..playing air guitar...singing along (by the way...if you want to listen, just about the 2:00 mark I've ALWAYS thought he said "bite my thing"...turns out he's says "make my bed")...I think mine suits the song better. I'm singing it that way next time too.

Oh, I do have this on vinyl though.



I'm sure it had something to do with it being about 78 degrees out when I was leaving work (and for those of you that don't know...this is being written in Maine). This is , what, April 16th or 17th....is it even officially Spring yet? I lose track. It's already friggin' Summer out. It's more likely to snow in Maine in the middle of April than it is be close to 80 degrees. Can you say global warning?




Go figure.

Speaking of music, I spent the day in New York City this past weekend and was exposed to tons of performers.

There was the guy playing guitar in Washington Square Park...or was it the guy in Columbus Park...or maybe it was across the street from the Plaza...or maybe Bryant Park...don't matter... either way he (they) were good. There's nothing like a guy playing solo outdoors with nothing but a hat for tips in front of him

...unless it's this guy



...the frying pans and skillets were a nice touch. Really rounded out his sound.

Then there were the Meetles.

Not a typo.

The Meetles.

Just like the Beatles except there were seven of them...and John was a girl...and Yoko played bass...and Ringo was bigger and balder than me...and they had four guitarists



Why the Meetles? Why not the Meatles? Probably some clever (or not so clever) take on Meet the Beatles...the Beatles second album



I see the resemblance, don't you? I only got to hear the tail end of "A Hard Day's Night" and it was pretty good...considering John was a girl and all.

Then on the subway on the way to Grand Central some girl started to announce herself as Samantha Smooth...or Wet Wilma...or Silky Drawers McGraw...or some such thing...gave her website (every Tom, Dick, and Harry has a website these days...look at me for crying out loud) and started to walk through the car "singin her tune" Might have been more well received if the car hadn't been about ninety people over full capacity. Slithering between people hanging off the handrails, packed in like sardines could not have been easy, but that didn't give her any excuse to suck. Because she did. She sucked. I know because when it comes to singing, I suck. I would have held my own against her in a sing off. At least I wasn't schilling my web site on the train with nothing to back it up..

"Hey, why don't you fire up your ipad...It's P-O-M-P-A" ...I think you get it.

Next time I want to get on these guy's train..



That's it for now...just had to get one out of my system.

I'm going for a ride...now where did I put that Deep Purple disc?

Love love me do.

...that's what it's all about

This first.
Easter is a religious Holiday.
Jesus died for your sins. Emphasis on YOUR...not mine...YOUR sins.

 



There now that I've got that out of the way, I'm going to talk about what most people think about for Easter (other than that bunny and those eggs).

Easter Candy.

Let's start with the peripheral candy and work our way up.
(and I'm not talking about comparing brands...or quality...I'm talking candy hierarchy)

Coconut Creme Eggs


I don't know.....do they even make these anymore? I remember as a kid, working on one of these for weeks...gnawing off a little bit each day (or more likely, a couple of times each day). It seemed like these things weighed about 4lbs when I was little...more likely it was about 8oz. I think this picture is exactly the same egg I would have found in my Easter basket circa 1974 or so....and if that coconut egg from 1974 was still around today, I'm sure it would still be edible. Wow, I haven't even thought of these in 20...30 years.
Blast from the Past

Jelly Beans



(If you look closely there's a hidden image of Jesus in there)
Never a huge fan of the jelly bean...but Easter has to be the prime season for them, doesn't it? They would always eventually get eaten, but not until all the other candy was gone. These were usually harvested by digging through the plastic shredded green "grass" that filled your Easter basket.

Chocolate eggs





I'm talking the foil lined chocolate eggs. Didn't you hate it when the foil wouldn't come off the egg with the first try? Success was always getting the entire foil wrap in one piece. That was always the ploy to eat "just one more". Nobody wanted to be left with a partial piece of foil on that egg. That meant having to go back in and delicately attempting to get that last piece off by surgically removing it with your finger nail. This always resulted with scraping the chocolate with said fingernail, resulting in getting said chocolate under your nail. Nobody wanted this, but that's what happened...every time. Balls.

Fruit flavored tootsie rolls




Sorry, don't know how these got on here. These sucked.

Candy eggs


I don't even know what these are properly called, but you know what I'm talking about, don't you? Candy shell...chocolate on the inside. Sure you do. Love the crunch before getting to the chocolate. If I'm not mistaken, as a kid I recall trying to just eat the hard shell off before the chocolate on the inside. Obviously not as concerned with getting chocolate all over my finger tips as I was getting it under my fingernail. Oh, and in case you were wondering, egg shaped malted milk balls DO NOT fall in this category.

Easter M & M's



C'mon. M & M's are probably the King of all candy. Plain, peanut, peanut butter, dark chocolate, it doesn't matter what type (except maybe pretzel...sort of the ugly step child in the M & M family), M & M's are the perfect candy. Who hasn't found themselves dipping into the bowl full of M & M's more times than they should have?
Remember, they melt in your mouth, not in your hand. (not that they've ever spent enough time in my hand to prove this out)

Reese's Peanut butter eggs



Sorry, these are my favorite. Notice I had to show the bag image vs. just a single image. I have to think of them in plural. These have gotten so popular that they've now branched out to peanut butter eggs shaped like Christmas trees for Christmas (obviously)...pumpkins for Halloween...groundhogs for groun...well, I think you get the picture.

Cadbury Creme Eggs


Do you remember the first time you saw one of these? FREAKY. Break it open and it looks like a raw egg. Then you eat it. This has to be the sweetest of all of the Easter candies on the list. A dozen of these would put you in the hospital.

Peeps




Have to admit, not a fan. Maybe that explains why I chose this picture, at least subliminally. I don't know, maybe it's because I don't really like marshmallow...maybe it's the coating on the outside...maybe it's just because they suck. Peeps are huge now....every color, every holiday. You've got people with websites devoted to peeps. Everyone has their opinions..."Oh, I like them when they get hard" or "I like them fresh out of the package". Let me tell you folks...I've got a package of peeps in the back of a drawer in my kitchen from about four years ago and I'll bet they taste just as "fresh" as they did when I got them ...ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO.

Alright, let's put this post out of it's misery with the top Easter candy.

Chocolate Bunny



OK, probably not the best...but this is old school Easter candy we're talking here. I grew up with these hollow chocolate bunnies...by no stretch, not top quality chocolate. I'd always start at the ears and work my way down, how about you? If candy has a plastic equivalent, it's whatever those eyes are made out of. Over the years I've occasionally upgraded...you know...maybe Lindt...or solid chocolate...or whatever...nothing beats these cheap hollow bunnies. At least for taking up space in the Easter basket.

That's it...I'm going to dig out those four year old peeps and do microwave experiments with them.

Peace and love. Have a wonderful Easter and celebrate it however you choose

My day with Christopher Walken - part two

In case you didn't read part one...you need to ...now, or this will make no sense to you.

http://pompatusofpete.blogspot.com/2012/03/my-day-with-christopher-walken-part-one.html

...and just to help you visualize how the rest of the story goes, picture this every time Chris speaks. This is exactly how he sounded EVERY time he spoke...that off kilter delivery..the slightly odd pronunciation. All the time. All day long.

So here's the scene. Chris Walken and I sitting together in the front seat of a classic black cadillac parked at the end of Custom House Wharf. Saying nothing. Just sitting and staring out the front window. He hasn't even started the car yet. I'm starting to feel uncomfortable....

Chris' eyes are closed, but they're fluttering. He's moving his head like he's having a conversation with himself, then he starts gesticulating like he's punctuating his thoughts ...moving his shoulders...pointing his fingers. This is enough for me so I start to slide across the seat towards the door and I reach for the handle. Just then he opens his eyes and speaks.

"Donut time".

I say, "Donut time"?

He says, "Donut time. You know? Time for donuts". 

"Where do we get a good donut in this town. I'm not talking about no Dunkin Donuts...no Krispy Kreme donuts...no grocery store donuts. I'm talking honest to God donuts. You like a good donut, don't you pal?" (He would call me pal all day).

So I say, "Well there's Tony's Donuts. It's a little bit across town....."

"Stop", he says. He points at me and says, "Tony's it is. Let's roll"

Chris starts the car. He pushes in an 8 track tape. Yes, an 8 track. It's the soundtrack to "Liza with a Z". Kid you not.

"You like music, don't you pal"?, he says as we pull out on to Commercial Street.

"Sure I do", I say.

Chris then talks about Liza Minelli for the rest of the ride to Tony's Donuts. I don't say a word, other than occasionally answering with a "yes" or "no" when he sometimes ends one of his long dialogues in a question.

Something like this...(time to picture Christopher Walken in that video clip).....

"Liza Minelli, now that's some real talent. She was the total package...sing, dance, act. She was it. Cabaret is my favorite movie. You know, I was there the night they filmed this (pointing at the 8 track). May 31, 1972. Lyceum Theater on Broadway. Jesus, the costumes she wore. She was a real trooper. Best show ever. I mean EVER. You've seen this show, haven't you pal"?

"Yes"

"Sure you have pal. You know, I have a donut every morning. It's my one vice. I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs. I don't stay up late. I allow myself one donut every morning, but it's got to be a good one. I'm partial to donuts with a little something extra. Not just your plain or your chocolate. I'm looking for something more out of a donut. Glazed...sprinkles...crunchies....filled...(he emphasizes each type of donut, slow and methodically). I don't do the powdered though. No powdered for me. Do you like powdered donuts pal"?

"No"

"Of course you don't. Too messy. Who wants to eat a messy donut".........

Get the picture?

Ten minutes later we pull into Tony's. Come to think of it, I never had to give him any directions. Somehow he just knew where to go.

"No eating in the car", Chris says. "Let's roll".

We get inside and instead of racks of dozens of different donuts the only thing we see are powdered donuts.

Chris says to me, "What is this some kind of a joke"?

I say to him "Oh geez, what's the date"?

He says, "April 1st"

APRIL FOOL'S DAY !!!

Did I get you?

Now go and get someone else.....

Peace and love.