A Master Teller of His and Her Story

 David McCullough, who passed away at 89 was the “every man” or the “every person” of history telling or retelling. From one vantage point, he had the dignity and earned the respect of the people almost as much as the historical figures he covered. From another perspective, he could break down key historical events and figures into digestible pieces that had a unique way of telling a whole story. He had a positive, optimistic point of view that made history approachable, interesting, and hopeful. When he was developing a book or book idea, he did not feel he was working on a book; he was living within the book he was creating. His recreation of the past will live on long into the future.

23Gretta Sandberg, Lewis Freeman and 21 others

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The Silence of a Master Storyteller

We lost a master storyteller--Vin Scully at the age of 94. He was a true word painter, a craftsman of sound sharing the canvas of baseball in front of him. I would listen to him from my childhood Brooklyn Dodgers days until his later years, when it did not matter who was playing. He was the "voice of the Dodgers" for an awe inspiring 67 years, but regardless of the teams, it was just a joy to hear and see how he described the action or inaction he was viewing. He could make an ordinary, every day game, extraordinary. Vin often allowed silence to paint the true picture, and the crowd noise to wash over you, just like he did as a child sliding under the four-legged Philco Console Radio to hear and feel the sound of an announcer and the crowd. It is now the time to end this word salad and let the pure joy of having heard Vin Scully wash over you.

To Be or Not To Be on Facebook: That Is Indeed A Question

I recently lost access to my old e-mail address because the company that offered my email service was discontinuing e-mail in its current form, and after that, I also had some unsuccessful login attempts to Facebook and lost access to Facebook for a few days at least. I tried to call Facebook but, of course there is no number to call, and no one is there waiting for your call. I tried numerous times to reset my password and do other things to get back into Facebook, but nothing was working.

So, I paused my efforts, and I was faced with the question, do I really want to continue to be on Facebook or not. I had more time for other things, but I certainly missed keeping in touch with friends on Facebook and what their activities were—their birthdays, their ups, their downs, and their other adventures, and what they recommended, were listening to, or were reading.

Temporarily, I re-dipped my toe in the Facebook morass, and created a new Facebook presence through another version of my name, so I could at least, from a distance anyway, stay in touch, and see if it truly mattered. With this new identity it was interesting to see who Facebook thought I might be interested in meeting as friends and topics in which I might be interested. None really seemed very relevant, but it was fun for a short time to see their recommendations and keep in the mix at a distance.

I paused again and thought about it from an existentialist point of view, and wondered what Søren Kierkegaard might do. From a refreshing article I had recently read and from some faded recollections from my college readings, I knew that Kierkegaard, one of the key figures of existentialism, felt that it is the act of making choices that brings more meaning to our lives; that through making choices, we can live more authentically, forming our own opinions, rather than being guided by the opinions of others, peer pressure, or the society as a whole. For Kierkegaard, understanding the meaning of our existence seems to come through true experiences when we make our own choices, and not following the choices of others.

What would Kierkegaard, who died in Copenhagen in 1855, really think of the virtual world of friends and groups and networks that is Facebook? The social-media enterprise seems to be continually working on its algorithms and to deemphasize content which may be passively consumed and prioritize content that Facebook predicts will make a meaningful difference. Facebook often suggests choices, but often subtly trying to take choice away. I often smile from the content that Facebook predicts will be meaningful to me, but sometimes (more than I might like to admit) they are spot on or close.

Finally, I decided to give it a last try, because I decided it is better to be frequently with my friends on Facebook albeit virtually, then to go back to the more infrequent contacts than often happen only by chance. This time I was able to log on through another device and I was back on Facebook. I made a choice, I will try to choose to be more meaningful and advance truer experience on Facebook by sharing thoughts like these. I welcome the views and journeys of others who have thought about whether to be or not to be on Facebook, and faced this choice.

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Just A Still of the Night Work of Art

 Freddie Parris, the songwriter and lead vocalist of the Five Satins whose “In The Still of the Night,” became one of the most memorable and hummable songs of the group harmony/doo-wop era of rock ‘n’ roll, died at age 85, after what was termed a brief illness. The song originally did not sell all that well, but as time went on, it became more and more popular and often topped many radio stations’ count downs of the “all-time greatest hits.” It is also one of the only songs to have charted on the Billboard Hot 100 three separate times by the same artist with the same version each time. The Five Satins also charted with the romantic heart-beating “To the Aisle,” that was featured in the movie American Graffiti.

“In the Still of the Night” has been recorded by artists such as Boyz II Men and Debbie Gibson, and has been featured in such films as The Buddy Holly Story, Dirty Dancing, and The Irishman. Freddie and the Satins often played at rock n roll revival and oldies shows over the years, and the many times I saw them, always sounded as fresh and harmonious (and as smooth as silk) as they in the 50s, never taking their near-iconic status too seriously.

Freddie wrote “In the Still of the Night” while on a brief leave from military duty travelling by train from Philadelphia to his hometown, New Haven, and he recorded it with the Satins in a small church basement in New Haven shortly thereafter. A fellow church parishioner, Vinnie Mazzetta played a bluesy sax solo in the song that helped set the template for rock sax solos in many songs ever after. The modest beginnings of “Night” exemplified how art can be created from an everyday, typical moment and setting, and yet affect the lives of millions in a very special way for years to come.

Just Like Ronnie Said

Ronnie Spector, who passed away at 78 (not RPMs), had a raw, fresh, full of life sound that skipped merrily past time and era. It jumped from her work on “Be My Baby” and a series of follow-up smashes in the early 60s with the family Ronettes, to her solo career and her reprise in 1987 with Eddie Money in “Take Me Home Tonight (Just Like Ronnie Said).” Her joyful vocals merrily scaled the heavily produced P-Spectored “wall of sound” and gave us a sense of abandon yet tension that made every listen to a Ronnie song a fresh experience. While her personal life had its challenges, she always seemed to overcome them, and be a source of resilience, confidence, and inspiration. She shared with us a sense of hope because the “Best Part of Breaking Up Is When You’re Making Up.” Her notes of optimism will never be stilled.

As a Post Script, long-time WaPost rocker writer Chris Richards wrote at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/.../ronnie-spector.../ and appreciated Ronnie's "Be My Baby" as a "hit single where the blood-pounding drums quickly gave way to a voice that seemed to yearn on behalf of humanity....,and while it surged with euphoric youth-crush desire, it had cosmic wisdom, too — an almost precognitive awareness of the paradox within this highly combustible teen love thing that lives in our memories for the long ride." Ronnie may have gotten that "teen love thing" "for the long ride" from Frankie Lyman who lived just 15 blocks from Ronnie in upper Manhattan. Her voice lessons were listening to Frankie and the Teenager's records and practicing his vocal parts over and over again as described in a 2010 interview with the legendary NY DJ, Dennis Elsas at: https://wfuv.org/content/ronnie-spector-2010... Happy listening for the long ride.

"Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness" --Griffith's Prine

 The world's a little lonelier with the passing of singer/songwriter Nanci Griffith, here singing John Prine's "Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNBeP8dzYdg

Every time I saw her in concert she put on a great show that seemed like it was meant just for you and me. May she rest in peace and song.

YOUTUBE.COM

Nanci Griffith - Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness

Nanci Griffith sings Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness (written by John