Shel Talmy has died. Who?
The Who.
Talmy was an American who found his way to England and became one of the most important record producers of the 60s.
The Kinks.
The Easybeats.
Sam the Red Snowman
Folk singer and actor Burl Ives was a Communist sympathizer who cooperated with HUAC; however, Ives’ most enduring legacy is almost certainly his narration of 1964’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
A tip o’ the Dog Rat toupee to twinster Jeanie Beanie for letting me know that Rudolph is returning to NBC after decades at CBS, for a special 60th anniversary airing.
Jean and I have a possible connection to Burl Ives through our maternal grandfather. Our parents met at Eastern Illinois State College, where our grandfather, Eugene Waffle, was an English professor and later chairman of the department.
The connection with Ives is explained at this link:
However, during a “Beowulf” lecture in his English class, Ives decided to stop pursuing his degree and he wanted to become a singer. He left in the middle of class. Allegedly, the teacher made a nasty remark about him as he left and Ives slammed the door behind him, shattering the glass.
https://www.dailyeasternnews.com/2021/10/04/the-person-behind-burl-ives-studio-hall/
My grandfather became an English professor at the college in 1926, as seen here:
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/archives_faculty_sz/259/
With Ives attending the school from 1927-30, I wouldn’t be surprised if my prickly grandfather was the English professor who made the snide remark.
J.R.R. Tolkien lectured on Beowulf, having completed his translation of the epic poem in 1926. I wonder if anyone ever walked out of his class?
Hitting Below the Utility Belt
“The Bat Pill is the little blue one?”
Dorma’s Hubby, Subby
Die, Grapevine, Die!
A few of you have seen how overgrown the grapevines have become on part of my property. With loppers and a pruning saw in hand, I have been aggressive in my grapevine attacks, now that I can reach the roots.
No, there aren’t any grapes, just the vines and leaves.
We Shall Never Be Beatless
There is no record of Walt Disney saying anything about the Beatles. A Hard Day’s Night was released on August 12, 1964 and Disney’s Mary Poppins arrived on August 27.
I was eight when the Beatles arrived in America, and fourteen when Paul made the breakup official. Six short years, but in those years I went from being a little kid in the third grade to being an adolescent in the ninth grade.
“All of you youngsters out there,” as Ed Sullivan would say, may not even be aware of the Beatles, let alone appreciate their significance. But having lived through it and grown up with it, the effect and influence of THE BEATLES cannot be overstated.
“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, ‘The Beatles did’.” – Kurt Vonnegut, 1997