View From 420b
Bronx, N.Y., July 13, 2010 — For a few, George Steinbrenner was a bad guy from the beginning, but most in New York were happy with The Boss once the Yanks quickly won the AL pennant three times and the World Series twice, in 1977 and 1978. But people were crazed about things even then, among all the winning. Bringing in Catfish was a solid plus, but Reggie was disruptive from the outset, and signing high-priced but oft-injured arms like Don Gullet and Andy Messersmith caused lots of jealousy on an already solid staff. Continue reading In Memoriam
Looking forward to the Furthur shows we’re going to at MCU Park (a.k.a. Keyspan Park) at the end of this month, but the last time I’d been to Coney Island was with one of my freshman-year college roommates, who was a born-and-bred Brooklyn girl.
Continue reading A little bit Furthur than I’ve gone before…
I’ve been seeing the Allmans for as long as I can remember — the first time at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City in the 70s, and tonight at the United Palace in Washington Heights. I got a personal favorite (“Revival”) to end the first set, and Dan got one of his favorites (“One Way Out”) in the second set. Continue reading Love Is Everywhere…
Al Kooper's birthday bash at B.B. King's
We experienced the only high side (aside from all the hilarious late night fodder we had for weeks) of the ending of the Conan O’Brien stint on the Tonight Show when guitarist Jimmy Vivino joined the Al Kooper 66th birthday celebration at B.B. King’s Friday night. Jimmy, member of the seminal New York band Prisoners of 2nd Avenue, one fourth of the excellent Beatles cover band the Fab Faux and a regular at Levon Helm’s Midnight Rambles in the barn in homey Woodstock, has been on the wrong coast almost continuously since Al’s 65th celebration last year, and New York has missed him. Continue reading Welcome Back, Jimmy
What a great way to start out the new year! Saw The Blind Boys of Alabama and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on January 7, and then Levon Helm on January 8. The Tarrytown Music Hall is booking some great acts.
Elvis Costello with... Levon Helm, Nick Lowe, Richard Thompson, and Allen Toussaint
Had the privilege of being in the audience for the taping — it was quite a special experience. If you get the Sundance Channel, be sure to check this episode out. You won’t be sorry…
(John Wiley & Sons, 366 pages)
Bronx, N.Y., April 15, 2009 — You can almost sympathize with author Peter Golenbock when reading his just published biography of the Yankee owner titled George (John Wiley & Sons, 366 pages). In the preface, he shares with us that he was always a diehard Yankee fan, and that he was given access to the Yankee archives while doing research for his first book, Dynasty, a look at the Casey Stengel Yankees of the 1950s. One assumes the Yankees were not nearly as cooperative on this tome, given much of the criticism leveled at the Yankee owner in the books Mr. Golenbock coauthored with Yankee figures of the 1970s: Balls, with Graig Nettles; the self-titled Guidry; and more famously, Number 1, with Billy Martin; and The Bronx Zoo, with Sparky Lyle. Continue reading A New Book on George
