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.