Author: DOuG pRATt
Elvis ’77
Listening to Jon Wolfert on Rewound Radio today, he brought up the anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death, and I sent him a note about my memory of the event.
Joltin’ Joe Lives!
A magnificent example of Joe Sinnott’s skill and artistry.
Here I am in 1977, after buying the page and having Joe sign it. Look to the left on the bed. Dig that crazy 70’s hotel decor! The tape recorder strategically placed on the phone switchhook came from the radio station where I worked at the time. My pal Denro and I used it to record an interview with Joe.
Bass, Guitar and Drums
It seems the age of Guitar Gods is, for now, over. I heard a young online DJ call it “Boomer Rock.” Fair enough, but quaint it ain’t, and never will be!
Pocket Pickers, Old and New
“There are people who will slap you on the back with one hand, and pick your pocket with the other.” That was the catchphrase of Racket Squad a syndicated TV series from the early 50’s. The show exposed how con men run their rackets. “Captain Braddock, Captain Braddock… ready.”
https://youtu.be/s_i5XdOnowU
Scams still abound, of course. I get calls every day on the landline with fake caller ID’s. Most don’t leave voice messages, but every so often there is one saying the IRS is investigating me and I must return the call immediately. Another trick is a fake Microsoft security alert message embedded in a Web page. The scammers are in India, with their English being, I suppose, a legacy of British colonial rule.
It’s a Walt World, After All
The summer of ’65 is a source of fond childhood memories. I saw the Beatles in HELP!, and my eldest sister attended the first Beatles concert at Shea Stadium. I was captivated by an original James Bond Aston Martin DB5 that was on display over a weekend at a local shopping center, as a promotion for Thunderball.
The biggest event that summer was my family going to the New York World’s Fair. We were there for only one day, but I was enthralled by the fair and the memories remain vivid. As a kid, I knew nothing about the fair’s contentious origin or its controversial promoter, but the presence of Walt Disney couldn’t be mistaken or missed.