11th & 12th December, 2004
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Rod in “The Best is Yet to Come” 11/6/04
Photo by Shira Greenburg ©2004 by Broadway.com. Used by Permission
A Thought for Today
One life will always make a difference.
A FLIGHT FROM6THE
PAST
12 December, 1998
THINKING ABOUT FRANK SINATRA
This is Frank Sinatra’s first birthday Somewhere Else. Now that he’s
there, I’ll bet it suits him fine. He liked visiting places he hadn’t
been to and learning, always finding out for himself, something new. For
all his steadfastness, need for home and family and the immense joy and
happiness familiar things gave him, Frank never lost his sense of
adventure. A creature of habit, you bet. He liked things just so and
wouldn’t settle for the shoddy or sub standard in any form, but ‘his
way’ always included being open to discovery. He had what the French
call "luxe d ‘esprit" [the luxury of the moment], in spades.
To the end, learning was part of his regimen. I never knew him not to be
reading a book or recommending one to a friend. Frank knew my appetite
for reading was as great as his and I have shelves of books he either
recommended or sent as gifts. One Christmas a truck pulled up with 4 or
5 large cartons from FS, the single word on the card, "Enjoy!". Books,
all books, history, geography, philosophy, the newest novels and
photographic books and several old and rare editions by authors we both
favored. Another year on my birthday he sent first editions of books by
poets I admired, some I’d introduced him to. I have a typewritten copy
[with pencil and inked corrections] of "The Summer Wind", signed by
Frank and Johnny Mercer, with the inscription "We thought you’d like
this." Johnny brought it around one day and said "Here, Kid, from The
Chairman and the guy on the bench."
He didn’t stop reading when he took up painting, but his tastes moved
from novels and politics to more thoughtful meditative tomes. I got him
a translation of Michelangelo’s poetry that he loved, even committing a
few lines to memory. This from a guy who didn’t like memorizing the
lyrics to new songs. Not that he needed to. Everybody knows that Sinatra
created and recreated more standards than any singer in the history of
popular music. He didn’t have to worry about the fashions of the day in
music, but he did. He concerned himself with the direction pop music was
taking and reveled in the realization that his audiences in later years
was a healthy mixture of all ages and musical persuasions.
When Frank found out I was putting together an exhaustive musical
history of the songs of World War II, he called and said, "Don’t leave
me out of it". I had just about all the permissions I needed but
mentioned I was having trouble with certain 1940’s sides Frank had made
for Columbia. A few days later David Kaprilic, head of Columbia at the
time, called and asked how he could help. It opened up a dialog that
gave me access to sides by Sinatra and all the other artists on the
label I needed. A few years later when I was starting on the second set
of the project Frank got in touch with David Sarong at RCA. Rocco
Langinestra, that label’s president, called and pledged his support. No
contracts, no hassles, no lawyers. I got complete cooperation. One day
not long afterward a heavy bundle arrived at the house from Sinatra’s
office, it included V Discs and air check tapes covering the whole of
the forties. I was overwhelmed. When I called to thank him, he said "For
these you need my permission, and you got it."
We shared a love of toys and gadgets, one of his prides was an elaborate
train set that had all the tunnels, bridges, under and over passes,
hills and valleys that the geography of his train rooms could occupy.
When he found out I was into computers he got me a prototype of the Mac
IIFX months before it was released to the media or general public. That
year while I was touring in Germany I picked up a real miniature steam
engine for one of his favorite trains and sent away for a wooden hand
painted red caboose. "Jesus," David Janson told me, "He was so excited I
thought you’d given him Boardwalk and Park Place."
Frank was crazy about his friends and loved to include us in his schemes
and dreams. When he yelled "Come out and play," for me the answer was
always yes. Whether it was salooning, a Chief Sinatra spaghetti dinner,
a flight of fancy or a flight across the continent it was Frank and it
would be fun. The only thing that keeps December 12, 1998 from being a
complete bummer for those of us who loved Frank as the nicest, most
considerate, courageous and dependable friend we ever had is the fact
that we know he’s off on a new adventure.
See you soon, Frank. In your case never soon enough.
Love, Rod.
12 December, 1998
Monday I’ll be back with a new edition of Ask Rod. I hope you’ll join me
and meanwhile have a safe weekend and sleep warm.
RM 12/19 2004 9:25PM
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