Well, dear readers, how can it be? How can it already be Friday when it was just Monday? Conversely, how can it be Monday when it’s already Friday. Ooh, that was very metaphysically metaphysical, wasn’t it? That just gave me goose bumps, it was so metaphysical. In any case, it is Friday, the end of another workweek. I, for one, intend to enjoy the upcoming weekend. I, for one, intend to have me a blast, daddy-o. I shall be cool, man, cool, a finger-snappin’ hep cat on the prowl for a good time, baby. What am I, Maynard G. Krebbs all of a sudden? Speaking of Maynard G. Krebbs, I had a very nice but busy day yesterday. I awoke early, did a first pass at the jacket flap copy for Rewind, and then got the booklet designer all the remaining information he’ll need for the Stages CD – track lists, cast lists, credit, etc. It’s going to be quite a nice booklet, I think. I then toddled over to Profiles in History, where I met up with our very own Mr. Nick Redman. We purchased our auction winnings, and we were both very happy with our items. The Li’l Abner costume sketches were really nice seen up close. We then lunched at the ever-popular Kate Mantilini’s, where I ordered the same thing I had the other day – the fish and chips sans chips. It was quite yummilicious. Mr. Redman and I dished much dirt and we laughed and laughed and just when we thought we could laugh no more, we laughed again. I then came back to the Valley and picked up many lovely packages, and, happily, a few errant and truant checks that I’ve been waiting on. Hopefully, the large wire transfer will show up today. I then took the Li’l Abner sketches to the framers, and they will be ready this afternoon. O joy! O rapture! I then came back to the home environment and had to deal with a lot of telephonic conversations and e-mails. I finally got through with everything at around six-thirty. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that just too too?
Last night I watched some old television programs on DVD. First off, I watched a homegrown DVD, which contained an episode of 77 Sunset Strip (snap, snap) entitled Eyewitness. The episode is a blatant rip-off of Cornell Woolrich’s marvelously marvelous short story, The Boy Cried Murder, which was made into a memorable little noir entitled The Window. In this episode, the boy was played by a pre-Dennis the Menace Jay North (the episode was filmed in 1959). May I just say that once you hear that fershluganah title song you can’t stop singing it or snapping your fingers. I walked around for hours afterward, singing “77 Sunset Strip (snap, snap), 77 Sunset Strip (snap, snap).” I sang it and sang it, and snapped and snapped until I wanted to strangle a gazelle. The main point of interest about the rather lame episode was that the last third of it was filmed on location at Pacific Ocean Park. What a little trip down memory lane that was. It was all the more interesting because it was shot there at night – it’s the only footage of the jernt I’ve ever seen at night. The Ocean Skyway featured prominently, as did the Neptune’s Kingdom entrance, and there were nice shots of the rollercoaster and other rides, but not the Flight to Mars. After that, I finally opened my season one box set of Dragnet 1967. I watched the first episode, and let me tell you what a load of fun that was. I think this set is going to be one of my favorites. I just love me my Jack Webb and Harry Morgan, and there are tons of location shots of 1967 Los Angeles. The first episode was about LSD. It was very interesting, and I learned that LSD is bad for you. One thing that I did not know was that there was no law against LSD until 1967. There were wonderful shots of the Sunset Strip, and there were shocking LSD parties. The young fellow who is tripping out and then selling LSD to one and all and also all and one, was played by my old pal Michael Burns. And, in a small role as a young girl who’d had a bum trip, man, Heather Menzies. I’m looking forward to more episodes – they’re really fun.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below, whilst we all sing in unison, “77 Sunset Strip (snap, snap).
77 Sunset Strip (snap, snap) – you see, I cannot stop. That song is like LSD, man. I’m tripping out on that song man. I’m grooving on that song, man.
At this point, it appears that I do not have too busy of a day. Oh, I have a morning meeting for the LACC show, and then I have to send yet more CDs to amazon. But, I think that’s about it, which means I can use the rest of the day to write – finish the little odds and ends for the booklet and the flap copy, and then finally get back to my short story, which I’m close to finishing.
I also have a light weekend, I think, although I may be recording a song on Sunday, although I won’t know that until noon today. It’s either going to be Sunday or Monday, and I’ll have more to say about that later today or in tomorrow’s notes.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, sing 77 Sunset Strip (snap, snap), I must do errands, I must meet, I must write, I must pick up some packages, and I must do whatnot. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player, and your DVD/video player? I’ll strat – I’ll strat? What the HELL does that mean? I think I meant to type I’ll start but somehow on the way to the page it became I’ll strat. Oh, well, we’ll have to live with it now. In any case, I’ll strat – CD, a homegrown combo-platter of John Barry’s The Ipcress File and Richard Rodney Bennett’s Billion Dollar Brain (that’s in the home environment CD player). In the car, I’m listening to what we believe is the first recording ever made by Lalo Schifrin, which has been released as an import on BMG. It’s an album that was on the French Vogue label, one of those 10 inchers. It’s really quite good – very Latin before Latin was even a genre. There is a second Vogue 10 inch album coupled with it – by Astor Piazzola. It too is very, very good. After that, a 2 CD import of the anime, My Neighbors, The Yamadas. DVD, Dragnet 1967, and after that perhaps Preston Sturges’ Unfaithfully Yours. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely posting shall we? And remember: 77 Sunset Strip (snap, snap).