February 1, 2012
The Don Is Dead
For so many of us, Soul Train was more than a weekly television show. It was our sole opportunity to not only see the artists we adored on both wax and the radio but to also witness kids our age - our contemporaries - groovin' and steppin' to the sounds we adored and the mainstream media ignored. The show influenced us so much that, to date, not a house party goes by without at least one attempt at a Soul Train line. And guiding us young-uns through this hippest trip in America was the coolest chaperone on air wearing tinted aviator glasses, tight double-knit suits, broad silk ties with the fattest Windsor knot extant and rockin' his majestic 'fro like Astaire did a top hat. God speed Don Cornelius....we wish you love, peace and....soul.
January 8, 2012
Things I Miss
With the onset of a new year, I decided to look back at things this Harlem-born, Brooklyn-bred scribe misses in my beloved Nueva York.
I miss double-features at the movies. Kung fu films and Italian westerns on the Deuce. Blaxploitation flicks at the Madison, the Kenmore and the Loews Gates. The horror and action bill at the Cosmo. First run movies in their second run at third prices at the Alpine, the Drake, the Midwood, the St. Mark’s, the 72nd Street East and the Essex. Revival films at the Regency, the Metro, the Thalia, the Bleecker Street Cinema and the New Yorker. Seeing widescreen epics at the Astor Plaza, the Loews State, the Warner, the Rivoli, the National and Radio City Music Hall. Checking out arty fare at the Baronet, the Coronet, the Tower East and the Sutton. Programs in the theatre lobby. The rush during intermission to the bathroom and the concession stand.
I miss Nedicks’ hot dogs with the square bun. Orangeade served in pointed paper cups and plastic holders. No frills diners with unlaminated menus and terrific food. The cheeseburgers at Woolworth’s. Malt shops. Newsstands that sold comic books, baseball cards and candy.
I miss department stores like Korvette’s, B. Altman’s, May’s, S. Klein, Gimbel’s, Alexander’s and Abraham & Straus. Shopping at record stores like Discomat, Jimmy’s Music World, Sam Goody’s and The Wiz. Meeting friends while browsing through the jazz section at Tower, HMV and Virgin.
I miss checking out shows at CBGB’s, Max’s Kansas City, the Savoy, the Palladium, the Ritz, Disco Fever and the Bottom Line. Dancing at the Garage, Bentley’s, the Saint, the World, the Underground, Area, Private Eyes, the Roxy, Danceteria, Club Broadway and the Corso. People dressed to the nines to go out dancing. Summer concerts at Central Park’s Wollman Rink. Block parties in El Barrio.
I miss Machito, La Lupe, Hector Lavoe, Celia Cruz and Tito Puente.
I miss transistor radios, boomboxes, walkmans and Discmans. LP’s, 45’s and 12” extended mixes. Listening to WABC, WNEW, WQEW, WWRL, WJIT, WBLS, 99X, WRVR and Disco 92 WKTU. Disc jockeys like Ron Lundy, Dan Ingram, Chuck Leonard, Les Davis, Paco, Ken “Spider” Webb, Lamarr Renee, Vy Higgensen, Al Roberts, Rosko, William B. Williams, Stan Martin and Frankie “Hollywood” Crocker.
I miss playing punchball, handball, stickball, running bases and skelly. Pick-up softball games. Clyde taking Jerry West apart at the top of the key, Earl the Pearl shaking Phil Chenier in the lane, Jerry Lucas’ rainbow bombs, Micheal Ray Richardson’s fearlessness during the game’s final minute and Bernard King soaring on the break. Marv Albert broadcasting Knick games and Marty Glickman doing the same for the Giants. The Mets’ Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner. Gary Thorne. Steve Zabriskie. Met Old-timers’ games. The Yankees’ Phil Rizzuto but only with Bill White. Bobby Murcer.
I miss listening to old Dodger, Giant and Yankee fans argue in a donut and coffee shop over which team had the best centerfielder. Watching Dave Kingman swing. Seeing Don Mattingly hit a line drive. Keith Hernandez fielding a bunt. John Stearns blocking the plate. The way the Met teams of the mid-‘80s.owned the town. Watching Mookie Wilson run and Dwight Gooden freeze an opposing batter with a curveball. Phil Simms and Joe Namath dropping back to uncork a throw. A LT pass rush. Harry Carson stuffing a running back. A Dave Jennings punt. Bavaro shedding would-be tacklers. Al Toon. Mark Messier guaranteeing a victory. Pat Riley smoothening out his suit. A Billy Martin glare. The ABA. Dr. J. in a Nets uniform.
I miss the Mets on Channel 9 and the Yankees on Channel 11. I miss Shea Stadium. Yankee Stadium, too.
I miss shopping at Canal Jeans and scouring the East Village for secondhand coats, surplus military raincoats and tuxedo jackets. Skinny leather ties. Levi’s denim jackets festooned with buttons, safety pins and patches.
I miss ¾ leather coats with a belt, bellbottoms, dashikis, platform shoes, Qiana shirts, suede Puma sneakers, applejack caps cocked to the side and folding afropicks. Pierre Cardin cologne and Hai Karate commercials. Toys like Secret Sam and Gnip Gnop. G.I. Joe’s with kung-fu grip and mini-afros.
I miss kid’s TV with hosts like Beachcomber Bob, Officer Joe Bolton, Soupy Sales, Sandy Becker, Sonny Fox, and Paul Winchell with Jerry Mahoney & Knucklehead Smiff. Bob McAllister on Wonderama and Mario Cantone on Steampipe Alley. Uncle Floyd. Willie Tyler & Lester. Schoolhouse Rock. Shazam and Isis. Far Out Space Nuts. Felix the Cat. Dick Tracy. Courageous Cat & Minute Mouse. The theme songs to all of the Marvel Superheroes cartoons.
I miss subway tokens and confusing transit maps that took forever to unfold. Monthly bus and subway passes from school. Waving to get the attention of the subway clerk before entering the station through the exit door. Trains with ripped leather and wicker seats and slowly revolving fans. New Yorkers getting angry when the fare hit 50 cents. Folks buying the Daily News in the morning and the Post in the afternoon. Riders reading paperback books.
I miss Eyewitness News with Roger Grimsby, Bill Beutel, Melba Tolliver, Anna Bond, John Johnson, Warner Wolf, Guy Lebow, Spencer Christian and, yes, the pre-Fox Geraldo Rivera. CBS News with Walter Cronkite, Eric Severeid, Dan Rather, Roger Mudd and Mike Wallace. Linda Ellerbee on NBC. Ted Koppel with Nightline.
I miss real television journalism.
I miss the satirical savagery of Chuck Barris’ game shows: The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, The $1.98 Beauty Pageant, Treasure Hunt, Three’s A Crowd and The Gong Show. Variety shows like Carol Burnett, Flip Wilson, Sonny & Cher, Tony Orlando & Dawn, Dean Martin and, yes, Iris Chacon. The monologues of Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show and Bob Hope on his monthly specials. (I miss Bob Hope’s ‘surprise’ appearances on Carson’s Tonight show to promote said specials.)
I miss seeing stand-ups like Moms Mabley, Myron Cohen, Jimmy Martinez, Timmie Rogers, Alan King, Slappy White, Jackie Vernon, Totie Fields, and Bill Saluga doing Raymond J. Johnson Junior. Foster Brooks and Ruth Buzzi on the Dean Martin roasts. The things a sleep-deprived Jerry Lewis would say at 4 a.m. on the Labor Day telethon. Daytime talk shows hosted by Dinah Shore, Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin. Affable game show hosts like Peter Marshall, Gene Rayburn, Allen Ludden, Tom Kennedy, Wink Martindale and Bill Cullen.
I miss Richard Pryor, Andy Kaufman, Robin Harris, George Carlin, Bernie Mac, Sam Kinison and Patrice O’ Neal.
I miss Freddie Prinze saying ‘looking good’ on Chico and the Man. Gabriel Kaplan’s opening and closing jokes on Welcome Back Kotter. Bob Newhart on the telephone in any of his sitcoms. Candice Bergen murdering Motown songs on Murphy Brown. Crime dramas like Columbo, Kojak, Starsky & Hutch, Miami Vice, Vegas, Ironside, Remington Steele and The Rockford Files. The reliable charm of actors like Robert Wagner in shows like It Takes A Thief, Switch and Hart to Hart; David Janssen in The Fugitive and Harry O; Raymond Burr in Perry Mason and Ironside; Robert Urich in about 150 shows. The joys of bad TV on doomed shows like Pink Lady & Jeff, Manimal, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, Hello Larry and Baywatch Nights. Chiller Theater on Channel 11 and Kung-Fu Theater on Channel 5. The weekday 4:30 movie on Channel 7. The Million-Dollar Movie on Channel 9.
Finally, I miss my friends and family who’ve passed through this earth on their way to a higher realm. It’s the memory of their laughter that warms my heart even when tears fill my eyes. As for you, dear reader, may this year bring you wonderful memories to cherish that you can document, as I just have, in the decades to come.
I miss double-features at the movies. Kung fu films and Italian westerns on the Deuce. Blaxploitation flicks at the Madison, the Kenmore and the Loews Gates. The horror and action bill at the Cosmo. First run movies in their second run at third prices at the Alpine, the Drake, the Midwood, the St. Mark’s, the 72nd Street East and the Essex. Revival films at the Regency, the Metro, the Thalia, the Bleecker Street Cinema and the New Yorker. Seeing widescreen epics at the Astor Plaza, the Loews State, the Warner, the Rivoli, the National and Radio City Music Hall. Checking out arty fare at the Baronet, the Coronet, the Tower East and the Sutton. Programs in the theatre lobby. The rush during intermission to the bathroom and the concession stand.
I miss Nedicks’ hot dogs with the square bun. Orangeade served in pointed paper cups and plastic holders. No frills diners with unlaminated menus and terrific food. The cheeseburgers at Woolworth’s. Malt shops. Newsstands that sold comic books, baseball cards and candy.
I miss department stores like Korvette’s, B. Altman’s, May’s, S. Klein, Gimbel’s, Alexander’s and Abraham & Straus. Shopping at record stores like Discomat, Jimmy’s Music World, Sam Goody’s and The Wiz. Meeting friends while browsing through the jazz section at Tower, HMV and Virgin.
I miss checking out shows at CBGB’s, Max’s Kansas City, the Savoy, the Palladium, the Ritz, Disco Fever and the Bottom Line. Dancing at the Garage, Bentley’s, the Saint, the World, the Underground, Area, Private Eyes, the Roxy, Danceteria, Club Broadway and the Corso. People dressed to the nines to go out dancing. Summer concerts at Central Park’s Wollman Rink. Block parties in El Barrio.
I miss Machito, La Lupe, Hector Lavoe, Celia Cruz and Tito Puente.
I miss transistor radios, boomboxes, walkmans and Discmans. LP’s, 45’s and 12” extended mixes. Listening to WABC, WNEW, WQEW, WWRL, WJIT, WBLS, 99X, WRVR and Disco 92 WKTU. Disc jockeys like Ron Lundy, Dan Ingram, Chuck Leonard, Les Davis, Paco, Ken “Spider” Webb, Lamarr Renee, Vy Higgensen, Al Roberts, Rosko, William B. Williams, Stan Martin and Frankie “Hollywood” Crocker.
I miss playing punchball, handball, stickball, running bases and skelly. Pick-up softball games. Clyde taking Jerry West apart at the top of the key, Earl the Pearl shaking Phil Chenier in the lane, Jerry Lucas’ rainbow bombs, Micheal Ray Richardson’s fearlessness during the game’s final minute and Bernard King soaring on the break. Marv Albert broadcasting Knick games and Marty Glickman doing the same for the Giants. The Mets’ Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner. Gary Thorne. Steve Zabriskie. Met Old-timers’ games. The Yankees’ Phil Rizzuto but only with Bill White. Bobby Murcer.
I miss listening to old Dodger, Giant and Yankee fans argue in a donut and coffee shop over which team had the best centerfielder. Watching Dave Kingman swing. Seeing Don Mattingly hit a line drive. Keith Hernandez fielding a bunt. John Stearns blocking the plate. The way the Met teams of the mid-‘80s.owned the town. Watching Mookie Wilson run and Dwight Gooden freeze an opposing batter with a curveball. Phil Simms and Joe Namath dropping back to uncork a throw. A LT pass rush. Harry Carson stuffing a running back. A Dave Jennings punt. Bavaro shedding would-be tacklers. Al Toon. Mark Messier guaranteeing a victory. Pat Riley smoothening out his suit. A Billy Martin glare. The ABA. Dr. J. in a Nets uniform.
I miss the Mets on Channel 9 and the Yankees on Channel 11. I miss Shea Stadium. Yankee Stadium, too.
I miss shopping at Canal Jeans and scouring the East Village for secondhand coats, surplus military raincoats and tuxedo jackets. Skinny leather ties. Levi’s denim jackets festooned with buttons, safety pins and patches.
I miss ¾ leather coats with a belt, bellbottoms, dashikis, platform shoes, Qiana shirts, suede Puma sneakers, applejack caps cocked to the side and folding afropicks. Pierre Cardin cologne and Hai Karate commercials. Toys like Secret Sam and Gnip Gnop. G.I. Joe’s with kung-fu grip and mini-afros.
I miss kid’s TV with hosts like Beachcomber Bob, Officer Joe Bolton, Soupy Sales, Sandy Becker, Sonny Fox, and Paul Winchell with Jerry Mahoney & Knucklehead Smiff. Bob McAllister on Wonderama and Mario Cantone on Steampipe Alley. Uncle Floyd. Willie Tyler & Lester. Schoolhouse Rock. Shazam and Isis. Far Out Space Nuts. Felix the Cat. Dick Tracy. Courageous Cat & Minute Mouse. The theme songs to all of the Marvel Superheroes cartoons.
I miss subway tokens and confusing transit maps that took forever to unfold. Monthly bus and subway passes from school. Waving to get the attention of the subway clerk before entering the station through the exit door. Trains with ripped leather and wicker seats and slowly revolving fans. New Yorkers getting angry when the fare hit 50 cents. Folks buying the Daily News in the morning and the Post in the afternoon. Riders reading paperback books.
I miss Eyewitness News with Roger Grimsby, Bill Beutel, Melba Tolliver, Anna Bond, John Johnson, Warner Wolf, Guy Lebow, Spencer Christian and, yes, the pre-Fox Geraldo Rivera. CBS News with Walter Cronkite, Eric Severeid, Dan Rather, Roger Mudd and Mike Wallace. Linda Ellerbee on NBC. Ted Koppel with Nightline.
I miss real television journalism.
I miss the satirical savagery of Chuck Barris’ game shows: The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, The $1.98 Beauty Pageant, Treasure Hunt, Three’s A Crowd and The Gong Show. Variety shows like Carol Burnett, Flip Wilson, Sonny & Cher, Tony Orlando & Dawn, Dean Martin and, yes, Iris Chacon. The monologues of Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show and Bob Hope on his monthly specials. (I miss Bob Hope’s ‘surprise’ appearances on Carson’s Tonight show to promote said specials.)
I miss seeing stand-ups like Moms Mabley, Myron Cohen, Jimmy Martinez, Timmie Rogers, Alan King, Slappy White, Jackie Vernon, Totie Fields, and Bill Saluga doing Raymond J. Johnson Junior. Foster Brooks and Ruth Buzzi on the Dean Martin roasts. The things a sleep-deprived Jerry Lewis would say at 4 a.m. on the Labor Day telethon. Daytime talk shows hosted by Dinah Shore, Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin. Affable game show hosts like Peter Marshall, Gene Rayburn, Allen Ludden, Tom Kennedy, Wink Martindale and Bill Cullen.
I miss Richard Pryor, Andy Kaufman, Robin Harris, George Carlin, Bernie Mac, Sam Kinison and Patrice O’ Neal.
I miss Freddie Prinze saying ‘looking good’ on Chico and the Man. Gabriel Kaplan’s opening and closing jokes on Welcome Back Kotter. Bob Newhart on the telephone in any of his sitcoms. Candice Bergen murdering Motown songs on Murphy Brown. Crime dramas like Columbo, Kojak, Starsky & Hutch, Miami Vice, Vegas, Ironside, Remington Steele and The Rockford Files. The reliable charm of actors like Robert Wagner in shows like It Takes A Thief, Switch and Hart to Hart; David Janssen in The Fugitive and Harry O; Raymond Burr in Perry Mason and Ironside; Robert Urich in about 150 shows. The joys of bad TV on doomed shows like Pink Lady & Jeff, Manimal, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, Hello Larry and Baywatch Nights. Chiller Theater on Channel 11 and Kung-Fu Theater on Channel 5. The weekday 4:30 movie on Channel 7. The Million-Dollar Movie on Channel 9.
Finally, I miss my friends and family who’ve passed through this earth on their way to a higher realm. It’s the memory of their laughter that warms my heart even when tears fill my eyes. As for you, dear reader, may this year bring you wonderful memories to cherish that you can document, as I just have, in the decades to come.
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