TUESDAY
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Rod & Sunny: Photo by Bob
Gentry 8/5/1999
A Thought for Today
Vote! It entitles you to bitch.
.ASK
ROD
As we go to the polls today, my conductor Dave Gross puts it all in
perspective with these comments from Red Buttons.
"Sure, I've gotten old. I've had 2 bypass surgeries,
a hip replacement, new knees, fought prostate cancer and diabetes, I'm
half blind, can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40
different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to
blackouts, I have long bouts with dementia, poor circulation, hardly feel
my hands or feet anymore, can't remember if I'm 85 or 92 but, Thank God, I
still have my Florida driver’s license and voter registration card! "
And now to the mail and some feedback.
THEATRE WEST CELEBRATES 50 YEARS & SUNDAY
Rod: Attended the show last night in Long Beach.
Loved your selection and you made the show for me. I was more than a
little shocked when you came out for the finale in a tux. sweaters and
comfortable worn jeans seem your signature. At the end of the concert they
closed off the lobby to the commoners, were you there? Looking forward to
"Sundays at two" in November. Fondly, the long hair in the balcony Ed Gohn
Dear Ed, I guess by now you may have noticed I'm a bit late in answering
my mail. In your case I made it just short of a month from the time your
letter arrived till I was able to write to you and say thanks.
I really enjoyed appearing in Long Beach as part of the celebration of the
50th Anniversary of Theatre West. At a time when theatre companies are in
trouble all over the United States, Theatre West not only endures but it
continues to provide not just Orange County but all of Southern California
with top flight entertainment year after year.
Saturday night was the opening night of their new production of "Mame"
directed by David Galligan. Carol Lawrence is taking on the title role and
my old buddy Sally Struthers is appearing as "Miss Gooch.' Imagine Sally
intoning "I Lived" as she comes down the stairs surprising everyone with a
belly full of baby during an important Auntie Mame cocktail hour. A hoot
and a half.
As for not appearing in jeans and a sweater, hey, it was an event.
Besides, the tux has to be taken out of the closet and aired once in a
while. Why should the moths have all the fun?
As for closing off the lobby, yep, that's what they do so the 'high
rollers' can mingle with the likes of Brock Peters & Tyne Daley. You can't
argue with that policy when Theatre West is only a few thousand dollars
short of being able to build its own theatre and drama school thanks to
all those rich contributors.
I think you'll like the Citrus College concert, because it's quite a bit
different from anything I've done in the past and it's the same show I'll
take to Chicago a week later. Rumor has it I’ll even have a special guest
star on the program, but you know rumors. All my best, Rod
^^^^^
Rod, Good Morning. I may have written before but I
will introduce my self again. My name is Marsha and I was blessed the day
I found you, your spirit and your words through my dear friend Ed ~ was it
in '98 ~ I don't remember when.. Only the feeling of "how did he know I
felt that way?" and after that the days my many feelings were given word
and validated somehow, through your words. Thank you for sharing yourself
~
While reading you was good...the experience of in the flesh was awesome,
so when Ed took me to your show in Thousand Oaks I was hooked for another
live performance. Last night we went to Long Beach to see and hear again.
Thank you for beautifully sharing with us touching words and music again,
there just wasn't enough of you...but
Fortunately, we have tickets for November and understand you have to leave
promptly. I still regret not staying in Thousand Oaks to ask you to sign
my book, so I wonder if I may ask if you would be willing to have a
prequel to your 2pm performance to allow me a hug and to sign my book of
poetry...we could meet you at the backstage door at 1...or....
Thank you, for being a safe place to be every morning. Sincerely, Marsha E
Dear Marsha: I knew that rascal Ed wouldn't come to the performance alone.
Here's the problem with a prequel. I never, absolutely never, see anyone
before a concert. It's always been that way. I really do need to save all
my energy to put into the performance because that's the most important
event of the day. Not to mention that I have to race all the way across
town for the final performance of "Something Wonderful" on the same
afternoon.
Thanks for all your kind thoughts and for coming to Long Beach and
Thousand Oaks and I'm sorry I won't be able to meet with you on the 10th
but I promise there will be another chance or two within the coming year.
We'll meet face to face soon. And at the risk of starting yet another
rumor, what’s this I hear about me attending a two-day fan-fest in
Southern California in January with other performers bent on signing
‘stuff?’ Your guess is as good as mine.
Incidentally Ed's a good guy and I consider him a friend too. With
affection, Rod
KATZ & CATS
Hi Rod, 6 cats? Boy, if a cat can calm you down just
by walking past your chair, with 6 in the house, you must be practically
comatose by now.
You've introduced us to Dinah, Sunny, Rocky, and KubbyKat Too. When do we
get to meet the other 2? Ann
Dear Ann, You've met the other two, Edward & Rod. And they’ll both be at
Saturday and Sunday’s performances. Edward’s the one who resembles a
Persian (or some kind of Arabic descent). I’m, as ever, The American
Shorthair. As ever, Rod
LIKE A CHILD & MAC STUFF
Rod, How are you? I know you've been busy.
I like to comment on the flight plan for October 21, 2002 concerning the
song "Like A Child (Un enfant)" on the Through European Windows LP - I
have seen 6 copies of this LP since I started adding to my McKuen
collection and have NEVER encountered a copy with this song actually on
the LP so I just assumed that it was eliminated after the covers were
printed.
Anyway I've written Dwight to order a copy from Stanyan By Mail to get a
copy that may have this song.
If you look at the "Notes" section of my database it lists some odds and
ends I have found relating to your records and songs that I have
encountered while working on the database.
Buy any new Macs lately? I hear OS X10.2 (Jaguar) is supposed to be pretty
good. With two kids still in college I haven't had the chance to buy a new
Mac.
BTW, I'm still using FileMaker Pro 4.1 for your database. I don't know
what version you are using but until the end of the year you can upgrade
to 6.0 from any version for $139. After the first of the year then you can
only upgrade from version 5 to version 6 for that price.
I will not be switching to version 6 until I buy a Mac that can handle it.
My Macs are still running at 8.6. FileMaker Pro files in version 6 are not
compatible with version 4.1.
I assumed that you received the latest database I sent you about 4 months
ago. Take Care, Leland
Dear Leland: Mac System 8.6! What is your CPU, a Lisa? I have a Lisa and
only sentimentality about all things Mac has kept me from buying a kit and
turning it into an aquarium.
For the record here’s my Mac Inventory. And lest you term this wretched
excess, my kids have long been out of college and I assume they are making
their own way in life & paying their own bills. I’m not completely sure of
this since I hear from them only every other millennium. However, with
Jean-Marc and Marie-France no news is usually good news.
Of course when it comes to nearly everything else in my life I’m barefoot
and broke, but if you’ll pardon the expression,
Apple must be served. Edward keeps saying, “Enough with all these Benefit
Performances & College Matinees, will you please do something for a change
that makes a profit – for this household? Either that or walk away from
Mac.” (Mc to Mac I could never do that.)
But from the minimum, back to the max, er, Macs. Here’s what I’m currently
working with. My first G4 PowerBook fell & broke its head but with a clamp
& some duct tape I still manage to use it. I have a newer G4 PB that I do
the Flight Plans on. My current database is on my G4 iMac and I’ve only
played around a bit with making DVD’s on it. I hope to catalogue a
lifetime of photographs one-day using the iPhoto program that came with
it.
I have a second-generation iMac that I like a lot. but believe it or not
my favorite work horse is my PowerMac G3. This model M440 is known around
the house as “The Beast” because it takes lots of punishment & with two
hard drives it holds all the material from nearly five years of Flight
Plans and all the other files from a Safe Place to Land.
Edward has his own iMac and there is one in the Stanyan office that Dwight
uses when he drops by. I’m reluctant to part with my old G3 PowerBook
because of the interchangeable modules (CD burner/player, disc drive and
zip drive.
Honestly, I use all of these machines. I know, Rod, get a life!
I like Jaguar (System 10) a lot even though I can’t get Word 10 (allegedly
written for OS 10) to work on either of the G4 PowerBook’s. The very best
thing about ‘Jag’ is that it almost never crashes. And yes, Leland, I
stood in line for two hours at the new Grove Apple Store waiting for
Jaguar’s recent midnight release.
Your database is terrific. It’s sobering to realize I’ve made that many
recordings.
If I ever had the time and patience to work it out I’d create a database
in FileMaker or AppleWorks to enter all of the unreleased sides that fill
up the walls in the vault. It’s a slow process but I’m working on
transferring all the three, four, eight and sixteen track reels from 40
years of sessions to the D88 format.
Going through dozens and dozens of reels of tape for the RCA-Bear box and
now The Warner Bros.Years is a bit daunting. To have that kind of
information on my hard drive would be a Godsend.
If you can believe it the information (copyright, first use, licenses,
co-authors etc.) of all my songs is still on file cards. Ditto as far as
the several thousand poems and lyrics, published and unpublished, that
I’ve written. Jay has offered to help me create a database for them but
I’ve been slow at setting out the criteria for it.
I’ve checked again and the few remaining LP’s of “Through European
Windows” at Stanyan DO NOT contain “Like A Child.” So I was mistaken. It
will be on the just mastered Bear / RCA box. If you want to return the
“European Windows” LP, please do.
I have the new version of FileMaker but haven’t installed it yet.
Continued thanks for the updates on your database; it really does come in
handy. As ever, Rod
THE SERIES
Ok, Rod: It was inevitable, I suppose. I'm on your
"opposite" side, for likely first time. Go Giants! in the World Series!
That comes from several years in San Francisco ... and calling Dusty Baker
a friend. Not a better guy in baseball ... and in general! Was at Pac Bell
when park opened in 2000 and few games since. But, it's a long way from
Atlanta ... so I'm glued to the tube, watchin' all the whining, pissed off
Braves fans cry in their beer.
(Have been stuck at home, literally--w/IV's, recovering from nasty spinal
surgery, so I've not missed one inning!)
Baseball AND ASPTL have been better for recovery than meds! Thanks ... you
and Ken & co. Approaching a champagne kick ... should be a great Series.
Happy BAYSball! Love, Sherilyn in Atlanta
Dear Sherilyn: It was a great series. Frankly I'd have been happy if
either team won. I only left half of my heart in San Francisco. Besides,
by now you ought to know I always root for the underdogs. Why else would I
be wearing my I STILL love Martha T shirt at this very moment or continue
to drive around sporting a Free Winona bumper sticker? Yea Team!
Edward went North for the San Francisco games. Get well and stay well, As
Ever, Rod
WHOOPS!
Dear Rod, Not to be a nit picker but an answer to
one of your followers raised concern. In your 11/4 Flight Plan David
inquired as to east coast dates for concerts. You responded that your B.D.
concert was scheduled for "May" 30th. Was this a typo or has the April
concert been moved to May?
I ask only because I have been watching for further updates on ASPTL and
have also been checking Carnegie's web site. Don't mean to be a pest but I
am determined to be there & have good seats. Rich Anthony
Dear Rich: Whoops! Thanks for catching the gaff. The Carnegie Hall
performance is definitely April 30, 2003. Jerry is coming to Glenn Ellen
for the upcoming concert and we'll be discussing tickets at that time. The
idea is to be able to make tickets available so that they can be ordered
before Christmas.
The announcement of availability will be made simultaneously here and on
Carnegie Hall's Website. For others who may be interested, here's a link:
Carnegie Hall
All the best, Rod
WHEN ISN’T A GUY A GUY
Bruce Bellingham reminds us:
Happy Guy Fawkes Day. Nov. 5th commemorates the
Gunpowder Plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605. Let's hoist a
few to our own petards. Here in S.F., more than a few are hoisted by their
own leotards. All over England, this plot, hatched in support of James I
and the rights of British Catholics, is recalled with bonfires, fireworks
and scattered effigy-burning...
The Daily Telegraph carries news that on Tuesday night, people in the
village of Sherston in Wiltshire will gather round a fake Guy Fawkes
bonfire - complete with a smoke machine.
The reason is that insurance costs have spiralled ten-fold to nearly
Ł2,500. The "fire" is being built from beanpoles, straw and flaps of
orange paper to imitate flames. It will be adorned with plastic lights and
its centre will be lit by a lightbulb.
Sounds more than a little cheezy doesn’t it. Wonder if Willie Brown would
consider loaning ‘The Mother Country’ The Sisters of Perpetual motion for
a little real fire.
Webmaster Ken takes over this space tomorrow for This One Does It For Me.
Don’t forget to join him.
RM 11/4/2002 10:33 PM PST
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(posted 09/28/2002).
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