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 and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous holiday weekend .... and week ahead.
ART NOTES— an exhibition entitled A Family Affair: Artistic Dynasties in Europe (1670–1900)— which tells the stories of eighteen artistic families active in France, Italy, England, Scotland, and India — is at the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas through December 7th.
YOUR WEEKEND READ #1 is this lengthy yet intriguing story of a twenty-five year-old Dutch restaurant worker who (in his spare time) uses a metal detector to locate traces of WW-II items long forgotten. Most often it is relatively anodyne … but in 2022, Laurent Stemkens let out an expletive when he found the dog tags of an American GI he suspects was involved in the Battle of the Bulge— and spent two years before he found his (most grateful) descendants.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Buster the Cat - the new kitteh at Split Rock Books in the Hudson Valley of NY state (after the death of the previous bookstore cat Georgie) who finds a way onto every bookshelf and book cart in the shop.
YOUR WEEKEND READ #2 is this essay by Amanda Marcotte in Salon on how the recent Supreme Court decision allowing parents with to promote book bans or opt-out provisions on religious grounds … has led to an Oklahoma group (with a delicious name) to use it to challenge the state’s right-wing school chief’s plans.
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Maxine the Cat - who as a kitten was rescued by an Indiana animal control officer (named Max Nurrenbern) from drowning in the streets during a severe thunderstorm last April .. then when he received updates, he just knew he had to adopt her.
FILM NOTES— in the 1989 biopic about the life of Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire— starring Dennis Quaid in the title role — I thought Alec Baldwin did a very fair portrayal of his cousin Jimmy Swaggart (not the over-the-top dolt we saw on TV) which I had forgotten about until now.
BRAIN TEASER— try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC ...… and the usually easier, less UK-centered New York Times quiz.
SEPARATED at BIRTH— TV host/SNL alumnus Seth Meyers and actor/comic Nat Faxon (who won a screenplay Oscar in 2011 for The Descendants).
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… while he came along just after the demise of the L.A. session musician collective known as the Wrecking Crew, one of the most in-demand drummers of his era — along with Steve Gadd, based in NYC — would be Jim Keltner, who has worked with three of the four Beatles … as well as numerous other artists. He has also been part of touring bands and even twice part of a short-lived all-star band.
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1942, he began in at the dawn of the 1960’s as a jazz drummer, yet found more work as a result of the British Invasion’s changing the music scene. His first major work came in 1965 via his fellow Oklahoman Leon Russell, in recording with Gary Lewis & the Playboys (Gary being Jerry Lewis’ son) on She’s Just My Style as well as working with the Hungarian guitarist Gabor Szabo in 1968 (his first credited recording).
Yet work was not easy to come by until the start of the next decade, again on the word of Leon Russell. First it was Delaney & Bonnie, then it was Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour of 1970 — working alongside another talented session/touring drummer (Jim Gordon) whose life spiraled out of control years later — and at George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh album.
Soon he was performing on recordings of pop music, rock, blues, country, folk and much more (a partial list will follow later) as well as going on tours. The aforementioned all-star bands were back-to-back: on drums for George Harrison’s Traveling Wilburys (1988-1991) and then for Little Village (1991-1992) with John Hiatt, Nick Lowe and Ry Cooder .. which was a commercial flop yet their one album earned a Grammy nomination.
He has continued on into his eighties, joining Bob Dylan on last year’s Rough and Rowdy Ways tour of Europe. And he even finds time for a jazz session now-and-then.
Just a partial list of those he’s performed with (records or tours) not including those already noted: Dave Mason, Barbra Streisand, Neil Young, Arlo Guthrie, Rita Coolidge, Bonnie Raitt, Dolly Parton, Steely Dan, Ronnie Wood, Joni Mitchell, CSNY, Fiona Apple, Sheryl Crow, Warren Zevon, the Manhattan Transfer, Brian Wilson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Keith Moon, Booker T. Jones, Freddie King, Richard Thompson, Simon & Garfunkel, Lucinda Williams, Porter Wagoner …. and much more.
Four examples of his work: beginning with John Lennon in 1971.
This from Bill Withers in 1972.
From 1974 (before it was used in a commercial):
And from 2020, when he was at the age of seventy-eight.