I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in "Cheers & Jeers".
OK, you've been warned - here is this week's tomfoolery material that I posted.
CHEERS to Bill and Michael in PWM, our Laramie, Wyoming-based friend Irish Patti and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead.
ART NOTES— an exhibition entitled 20 Flowers and Some Bigger Pictures— four concurrent showings of 30 iPad works of David Hockney, both individual digital paintings and composite pictures (with multiple screens) that explore hillsides, flowers and shadows — are now on display in London, Paris, the Gray Gallery in Chicago (to Dec 23rd) and the Louver in Los Angeles (Nov 16th to Jan 7th), with a final showing at the Pace Gallery in NYC (Jan 12th — Feb 25th).
YOUR WEEKEND READ #1 is this excerpt from the book by Chris Stirewalt— who got canned for defending his Fox department’s decision to call Arizona (early) for Joe Biden in 2020, and publicly testified before the January 6th Committee — with some interesting insights into the people at Fox, and how his department was able to make the (correct) call … because of a previous Murdoch action.
END of an ERA— if you read a print Sunday newspaper, today’s edition will be the last to carry a print copy of Parade Magazine— which will go digital-only beginning next week — with a Steve Martin interview its last major feature story.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Lupin the Cat— an English kitteh who was adopted as a stray, yet seems to enjoy frequenting an Aldi’s supermarket … and wanders many aisles, including the cat food area.
YOUR WEEKEND READ #2 is this comprehensive look at the abortion issue in the midterms by Jessica Valenti— noting that anti-abortion organizations are upset that Republicans didn’t lean hard enough into abortion.
FRIDAY's CHILD is resting at a cat sanctuary in Rome … founded in 1993 in the same square where Julius Caesar met his end in 44 B.C.
BRAIN TEASER— try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC ...… and the usually easier, less UK-centered New York Times quiz.
NOTE— in two weeks, I will have a Trump-centric poll for you (over the Thanksgiving weekend), so that will cover a good deal of ground after he announces Tuesday night.
SEPARATED at BIRTH— two English New Wave/punk guitarists — Elvis Costello and Joe Strummer (early 1976, before he joined The Clash with a different look).
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… a few weeks ago, I noted the lyricist Howie Greenfield, noting that he worked for Aldon Music in NYC. It occurred to me that the back-story of that firm deserves another look, nearly sixty years after it became part of Columbia. And especially the much lesser-known ½ of its ownership, Al Nevins (who was the Al along with Don Kirshner)
He was born in Washington, D.C. in 1915, became proficient at guitar and at age twenty-four was signed to RCA Victor with his band The Three Suns. They became a popular cabaret and nightclub act and in 1944 Nevins co-wrote a Top 20 song for The Three Suns, Twilight Time— which fourteen years later hit #1 when sung by The Platters. The Three Suns also had a 1947 hit cover version of the Ziegfeld Follies tune Peg O’ My Heart.
Al Nevins suffered from heart diseases, and left the band in 1954, with his replacement on guitar … Bucky Pizzarelli. He did some solo work, and then in 1958 met Don Kirshner — nearly twenty years his junior — who was a songwriter who had made numerous contacts in his field. Kirshner had made inquiries into (and been turned down by) Doc Pomus-Mort Shuman and also Jerry Lieber-Mike Stoller before finding a willing ear in Al Nevins.
The two men discussed a novel type of music publishing house: not aiming at a broad swath of the music business, but instead focused on young people. Al Nevins brought with him his knowledge of the music business as well as his studio experience — which was to make their company stand-out: not only publishing songs, but also producing records (with a much-higher profit margin). Kirshner acted as a talent scout, signing numerous songwriting geniuses.
And what geniuses: the (then) married couples of Jeff Barry-Ellie Greenwich, Carole King-Gerry Goffin and the (still married) Barry Mann-Cynthia Weil. Add in Neil Sedaka, Howie Greenfield, Neil Diamond, Paul Simon and more. There are numerous hit songs of those songsmiths — too much to mention here. While many ascribe them to the legendary Brill Building (1619 Broadway @ 49th Street), Aldon Music was actually across-the-street at 1650 Broadway (@ 51st) Street.
The company is not well known today, as Al Nevins’ heart troubles continued, with a heart attack in the early 60’s that led to his having a diminished role. In 1963, Aldon was sold to Columbia Records, with Kirshner becoming an executive in the new company and Nevins having a more manageable consultant role. He died due to his heart troubles in 1965 at the age of forty-nine.
Don Kirshner is much more well-known, and so I will simply list some notable items. He specialized in pop music, and had a hand in bubblegum music (notably The Archies). For television, he was hired in 1966 to provide music for The Monkees — and with his stable of songwriters (notably Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, plus having Neil Diamond contribute I’m a Believer) this worked quite well for a time. But as 1967 rolled-around, the music business was changing … and The Monkees balked at some of his songs (wanting to have more control themselves), so that Kirshner was fired in that role.
He later became known for his TV shows, notably Rock Concert (from 1972) which had a more diverse lineup of music than he had previously promoted (and was one of the first major TV network shows to insist on live performances, not lip-synching). It ended in 1981 … at the time that MTV launched.
Don Kirshner was awarded a publisher’s award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007, and was inducted posthumously (as a non-performer) into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a year after his death from heart failure at age seventy-six.
One of my favorite songs from that era is one that Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil intended for the Righteous Brothers in 1965 — but the London-based record producer Mickie Most (who had been a regular trans-Atlantic flyer, in search of material) heard it and offered it to Eric Burdon and The Animals. We Gotta Get Out of this Place was popular with G.I.s during the Vietnam War and its legacy includes being ranked as #235 in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs list.
In this dirty old part of the city Where the sun refused to shine People tell me there ain't no use in tryin'Now my girl, you're so young and pretty And one thing I know is true You'll be dead before your time is due, I know
See my daddy in bed a-dyin' See his hair been turnin' grey He's been workin' and slavin' his life away
We gotta get out of this place If it's the last thing we ever do We gotta get out of this place 'Cause girl, there's a better life for me and you