Dave Drew Rocks

A COUNTRY DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF.......

2010-09-14T00:20:00.000-07:00

I watched possibly the saddest thing I have ever seen in my life in the great country that I love. It was on September 11, 2010, on the streets of New York City. On the anniversary of the worst day in most of our lives, there were two groups of patriotic Americans, screaming at each other. It was a sad and direct contrast to the events of September, 11, 2001.

On 9/11/2001, we were not different tribes, cultures, nationalities, or religions. We were all Americans. We helped each other, we saved each other, and many died helping each other. We all felt a bond and realized that we are in this together.

Now 9 years have passed since that horrible day. It seems as though the American family has divided. Politics and hate seem to be the rule of today. In the recent bill in congress to allow extended medical benefits to 9/11 first responders, the republicans voted unanimously against it. Sadly, 14 democrats did as well so it did not pass. I guess a multi billion dollar bailout to the banks is OK but a few bucks for our heroes is not.

I write, I speak, I sing for the liberty of all. Again, I am called a "liberal" as if that is a bad thing. Old friends talk, sometimes walk away, as though I am somehow the enemy. They embrace, and sometimes chase, the cause of those who hate. I know that hate is not in their heart. I love them just the same. I am sure the anger they feel is borne out of pain. Pain will only fester and grow without relief. An old friend sang about love on 9/11. I know it is his belief.

So why was it so astoundingly sad that two groups of patriotic Americans were screaming at each other on 9/11/10? They were divided on the validity of Our Constitution.

" Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievences."

When we are hurt so badly due to the fiendish acts of a few, to the point where we are SCREAMING at each other over the validity of the greatest document ever written by men.....
Then The Evil Has WON.

DD

JOHNNY THORPE

2010-09-10T00:12:00.000-07:00

As another summer passes, the air grows colder, and a new school year begins, I will always remember 1968. This is a true story I wrote about a very dear friend.

JOHNNY THORPE

An essay by Dave Drew

I entered fourth grade in September of 1968. At St. Brigid School in Westbury, Long Island, New York, the kids in each class stayed the same from first through the eighth grade so we knew who to look for and share the stories of our two glorious months of Summer vacation. The one thing we never knew until that first day was who our teacher was going to be. As we got off our busses, we were told to report to room 205. By this time we knew the drill: sit in alphabetical order in rows from one through five. We had 45 kids in our class so I took up my place in row 1, seat 9 (nice!).

Mrs. Bodie entered the classroom. She was very old (to a bunch of 9 year olds) and she had the reputation of being very strict. We were actually relieved to have her instead of one of the nuns (they were borderline psychotic). After introducing herself, writing her name on the blackboard, and explaining the rules (pencils for math only, cartridge pens for all other writing-NO BALL POINT PENS), Mrs. Bodie read the roll.

When she got to me, she paused and asked if I was related to Ellen Drew. I told her that she was my big sister. A smile came to her face and she proudly told the class that Ellen Drew was the best student she ever had and that we should all try to be just like her. This was pressure that I just didn’t need, but as a shy yet attention craving little kid, suddenly I felt strangely important.

Later that night, I talked to Ellen about this. She graduated High School the year before and had just begun her second year commuting to Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan where she was enrolled in Nursing School. Ellen told me that Mrs. Bodie loved her and made her sit in front of her desk for the entire year. Ellen said that Mrs. Bodie was old when she was in fourth grade but Mrs.Bodie was a really great teacher (you know, one of the good ones you never forget).

The next day, the seats in the classroom were rearranged into 6 rows. I was now in the second row, first seat, right in front of Mrs. Bodie. (Oh great). Every morning at St. Brigid, The principal, Sister Augustine (we called her Sister Disgustin’) led the morning prayers through the speaker box just below the crucifix in the front of the room. Mrs. Bodie read the roll. When she got to me this time she paused and asked if I knew Johnny Thorpe. Of course I knew Johnny Thorpe. He was the coolest kid on our whole block. Mrs. Bodie then began a string of stories that she would repeat and expand upon every day for the next 3 weeks. “ Johnny was a cut up but he always tried his best.” “Johnny wasn’t the best student but he had integrity”. “He would make mistakes but always owned up to them”. He was a direct contrast to my sister who was always perfect. I thought “I’m really in trouble now”.

Johnny was the coolest kid on the block. The Thorpes lived right across the street on Evelyn Ave. This was a typical suburban neighborhood in the baby boomer sixties. There were kids everywhere. We had bases painted on the street for the endless baseball games. We all had above ground pools in our backyards. Johnny was always nice to me. I think it was because he had a crush on Ellen since the first grade, but it didn’t matter. He was like a big brother. If you heard something sounding like a lawnmower flying down the street, you knew Johnny had built another motor bike or go-kart. He dated Ellen a few times when they were about 16, but it never amounted to anything. Johnny had a 55 Chevy in his garage that he was always tinkering with. I loved looking at all of his tools and the projects he had going on.

John was an only child. His parents had him relatively late in life and they doted on him. He never got into any real trouble and he was a gifted mechanic. He was a lot of fun. He told me my first dirty joke. He was drafted into the army in 1967, not long after his High School graduation. Soon after, the Thorpes moved to a smaller house on a quieter street in Huntington, NY. They missed John....So did I.

I used to play army all the time. My Dad was a World War II veteran as were most dads on the block. When I wasn’t pretending to be him, shooting Nazis, I was pretending to be Johnny, shooting commies. We watched the News on TV every night. It reminded me of a football game. They would lead with the score: 14 Americans dead, 36 Viet Cong dead. Yessss! We won again.

Back in school I was becoming a teacher’s pet and I was enjoying my new found popularity. The other kids thought it was pretty cool that I actually knew the people that Mrs. Bodie was talking about. I was awarded some pretty special duties. I was allowed to help the sixth graders dispense Holy Water. I was allowed to help the Boy Scouts raise and lower the flag each day. The first 3 weeks in fourth grade may have been the best time of my life.

I came home on Friday, had tea and cookies with my Mom, and went out to play with my friends on the block. We played some baseball (I was Tom Seaver) and played army (I was Johnny) and waited for our Moms to call us in for dinner. My Mom called me later than usual. When I walked in the front door, I saw Ellen crying. I knew something very bad had happened.

My Dad put his hand on my shoulder and told me that John Thorpe was killed in Viet Nam. They left to visit the Thorpes. I don’t remember anything else about that night. It didn’t really hit me. It was just like the scores on TV.

Monday morning, before the announcements and morning prayers, I went to Mrs. Bodie. I wasn’t sure how to tell her. (Why was this horrible task left up to me.? I was only 9!) I said “Remember Johnny Thorpe?” (Of course she did, she talked about him every day). I told her that he died in Viet Nam.

Her eyes filled with tears and she left the room and closed the door. I just put my head down on my desk because I didn’t want the other kids to see me cry. They all started whispering and then talking and soon spitballs were flying and there was noise like fourth graders make when the teacher is away.

Sister Augustine (rhymes with disgustin’) said through the speaker box just below the crucifix that a former St. Brigid student, John Thorpe, died fighting for his country. The class was silent. She led us all in an Our Father and a Hail Mary. After about 30 seconds, the noise in the class began again. My head was still down on my desk.

Through the noise I heard Mrs. Bodie in the hall.....weeping. I wished I never told her.

Mrs. Bodie entered the room and said “Please open up your math books to page 14.” She never mentioned Ellen or Johnny Thorpe again.

I never played army anymore. That day still haunts me. I dream about it.

Within a few years, John’s parents passed away. They never got over it.

I go to Washington every few years and I always take the time to go to the wall and touch his name.

DD

Freedom of Religion

2010-08-25T21:48:00.000-07:00

I had the good fortune to attend 12 years of Catholic School. We had a class called Religion. It was not bible studies which are nothing more than propaganda lessons at many so called "Christian Schools". Religion Class at St. Brigid and Holy Trinity were an exploration into all religions with a focus on the Roman Catholic faith. We were taught that all forms of worship were fundamentaly good and most began from the same basic roots.
I tried to explain Islam to a friend who was a 9/11 first responder. He said "everything I want to know about Islam, I learned on 9/11."
Sadly, that same sentiment is shared by many who know very little about religion, The Constitution, and our country.
Ignorance is at a Zenith in America. The best example is the "Mosque at Ground Zero".
I'm not going to tread out the arguments here. I can only observe that the inteligent, educated, and informed have no problem with this. The opposite side is filled with hate mongers, xenophobes, and those who exploit the uneducated (Fox News, etc).
The educated among us (I use that term loosely due to the thousands who graduate with little real education) understand our Constitution. We know that particular document made this country great. Those who try to dismiss Article One from The Bill of Rights will never understand why our country became great. They will continue to complain about foreigners, gays, muslims, liberals, bloggers, songwriters, etc.
Please build your churches, temples, mosques. Just stop building hate.

DD

1969 - The Year of Miracles!

2009-07-21T01:21:00.000-07:00

I was 10 years old in 1969. That was the year that everything changed. My eyes were opened to the world and all it's wonder and to the amazing glory that is life.

I had already encountered sorrow and the loss of a friend in Viet Nam. His Name was Johnny Thorp and he was killed in October of 1968. We used to play baseball and football in the street outside of our houses in suburban America. In this case it was Westbury, Long Island, New York.

I was a Jets Fan. They became the AFL champions and were facing the NFL champs and overwhelming favorite Baltimore Colts in SuperBowl III. This was January, 1969 (The Year of Miracles). As Joe Namath predicted, The Jets won!

When the baseball season began, I had no expectations that The Mets would do any better than their history suggested. They started out strong and by July 4, they were in 2nd place, still far away from the first place Cubs. My grandpa, James Edgar, was dying of cancer. He lived in Elmhurst, Queens, NY. It was a stones throw from Shea Stadium. He was a World War I hero and he loved his Mets. I remember telling him that I think the Mets can do it! He was less optimistic.

On July 20, we put a man on the moon!! If we could do that, we could do anything!!!

On August 15, 500,000 people gathered in Bethel, NY, for The Woodstock music and art festival! For 3 days, Bethel was the 3rd biggest city in New York! There was NO violence! Just Peace, Music, and friendship. That's a miracle!!

On September 24, The NY Mets clinched first place in the Eastern Division of The National League.

On October 2nd, My Grandpa died.

Our Mets beat the Braves in The NLCS and Won The World Series from the overwhelming favorite Baltimore Orioles. It was a good year for New York, a tough one for Baltimore.

1969 was a year of miracles! It shaped my life and my outlook on nearly everything. I look back and remember that year more fondly than most. It was truly the best of times and the worst of times. I choose to remember the best.

Dave

Sweet Swine O' Mine

2009-05-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

The latest Media fueled panic is over something called Swine Flu. It is a strain of influenza which apparently originated in Mexico and has spread to various quarters through tourism. The real occurance of this latest "pandemic" has been extremely small and the few real reported cases are proving to be no more harmful than the many other strains of flu that appear every year.

However, due to media induced fear, people have been seen wearing surgical masks in of all places, Times Square!!! This is probably the most visited location in America by people from around the world. There are probably more germs floating around Times Square than in any other stretch of blocks in the country.

What these mask wearing morons obviously don't understand is that surgical masks don't keep you from contracting the contagion, they only keep you from spreading it (marginally)!

Due to our natural defenses, it is HIGHLY unlikely to contract influenza or a common cold through our noses and mouths. It is almost always contracted through hand to eye contact. Our eyes don't have the same protection as our other orifaces. When you touch a door knob or other object that someone has spread the germ on, possibly by coughing or sneezing on their hand, and then touch your eye, you have a far better chance of getting the "bug".

Surgeons wear masks in operating rooms to protect the patients who are literally open for infections, not to protect themselves.

President Obama was spot on in his advice. Wash your hands!

The reason I am writing this is because I host an Open Mic Night every Monday at Bartini Bar in Babylon, New York. A few musicians have expressed concern that the microphones may spread the nasty swine. That is Hogwash (pardon the bad pun)!!! You are far more likely to get it from an ATM, gas pump, door knob, stair rail, the handle on the coffee pot at 7-11, a menu, a supermarket cart, and MONEY!!! If I was a terrorist, I would infect the money!

So fear not my friends! You will survive. You can even tell your grandchildren " I had The Swine Flu and Lived"! If you do contract Swine Flu, come and sing at my Open Mic! Just don't touch anything!!!

DD

Obama to the Rescue!

2009-04-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

President Obama faced his first international crisis when a band of Somali pirates boarded an American Cargo ship, took the Captain hostage and demanded 2 million dollars for his release. The President refused to comment publicly during the ordeal and was almost immediately criticized by the republicans, most notably Newt Gingrich for failing to "act decisively".

What we didn't know was that The President called together military strategists, law enforcement officials, and various experts to figure out a plan to thwart the criminals and rescue Captain Phillips. There were 17 such meetings during the 5 day ordeal. President Obama authorized precise military action with the safety of Captain Phillips as the primary objective.

As we know, the operation was a resounding success.

Even Newt Gingrich ate proverbial crow and admitted that The President and the military were correct in their actions. What is truly stunning is that many of those lovable right wing fanatics refuse to give our President the proper respect for dealing with this crisis in a decisive and successful way.

It is certain that if the mission failed, Obama would be the one to be blamed. Since it did not fail, even the republicans should be giving him the credit.

I can only imagine how George W. Bush would have handled it. After waking up from his nap, he probably would have made a public statement that the evil doers would pay. He then would have aroused Dick Cheney from his bunker who would have ordered the bombing of the life boat. Captain Phillips would have died of course and the pirates would have escaped. We then would have bombed the villages of Somalia without ever killing or capturing the pirates, just thousands of innocent Somalis.

We then would have invaded Madagascar!!!!!

DD

More Observations on a Crazy World

2009-02-13T22:46:00.000-08:00

My boss said to me today that he is only going to get $13 a week in President Obama's plan. I had to explain to him that $13 a week multiplied by 200 million people is a stimulus to the economy. I received a check last year for $600. I used it to pay down a credit card. The difference is obvious. The sad part is that people don't realize that we are in such bad straights due to the outragious spending of the last 8 years. The republican refusal to support our president and his efforts to fix this mess is shameful. Their corporate masters are undermining our democracy and our freedom. They are bought and sold!

My boss understood once I explained it to him. It's not about what you are going to GET. It's about the effort of a brave president who will fight to make things right. It is a sure sign of a coward to be against changes just so he can leap in when something goes wrong. Where are the brave republicans? They are cowards and even worse, opportunists. Not one!!!.. broke ranks.

They are praying for President Obama's plan to fail. They are traitors and cowards. If the plan fails, we all fail. They only care about themselves and not for you, the American people.

Our president is the first president in 50 years who has no personal agenda. He wants to solve our problems. He has been in office for less than a month. Lets support!

A-ROD!!

Steroids make you a better athelete. DUH!!! We have known this since the present Governor of California admitidly took them way back in the 70's. The players will do ANYTHING to get an edge. DUH!!! They are jocks! They can play, they can't think. The idiot corporate masters who run our beloved game let this happen. If I could see in 98 that McGuire and Sosa were juiced, so could they. Bud Selig (The "commisioner") gets 17 million dollars per year because he let this happen. We have seen our pastime become a joke. How does it feel to be cheated? In 2000, the Mets lost The World Series to The All Juiced Team!

I have heard and read many so called Sports commentaters actually blame the Players Union. The players don't work for the union, they ARE the union. The union doesn't police it's members, it protects them. That is their job. There is a controversy that union officials told players that they would be tested. DUH!! The union is the player.

I was a union rep. If someone from the company said we are going after some guy, it was my DUTY to tell him, protect him, and even cover for him.

The Baseball Player's Union screwed up by not destroying A-Rod's and all the dirty players test results.

Anyway, I'm going to pick a team soon to follow along with my Mets. Any suggestions?

DD

An Old Wives' Tale (and a bit of History)

2009-02-10T20:34:00.000-08:00

I have worn glasses since I was 12. My eyesight was probably less than 20/20 for some years before that. My mother told me that eating carrots would improve my vision and even enhance my ability to see at night. When I questioned this theory, she would say that you never saw a rabbit wearing glasses. This of course is an old wives' tale or what we now call an Urban Legend.

Like most of these tales, there is a basis in reality. In the days before we understood about nutrition and vitamins, people who were severely deficient in vitamin A would suffer debilitating symptoms including impaired vision. Eating carrots which are rich in vitamin A quickly restored their vision. A legend was born. Eating carrots or any other dietary measure can not enhance vision, but people are prone to believe such myths and superstitions. In fact, since vitamin A is not water soluble, a diet too rich in vitamin A can cause the same debilitating effects. The only thing that can enhance one's vision is technology. From corrective lenses to laser treatment, we need some help from science to overcome this problem.

OK, enough with the science lesson. Here's the cool part!

In the early days of World War II, before America entered the war, England and France were soundly defeated by Germany in The Battle of France. As the Germans planned their assault on Great Britain, they employed a strategy that has been used since air warfare was invented. They would bomb the hell out of them! They called it Blitzkreig. This had two objectives. The first was to weaken their manufacturing capabilites and impair their infrastructure. The second was to wear down their will to fight.

The bombing missions were highly successful. Despite the valiant efforts of the British fighter pilots, they were unable to stop the slow moving bombers because the raids were conducted at night under the cover of darkness. Pilots from all over the world, most notably, The US and Canada, volunteered to relieve their British comrades. Nightly, great cities in England were in flames. After several months, the German's first objective was achieved. However, the resolve of the British to defend their homeland was undeterred.

All hope was nearly lost but almost suddenly, the German bombers began falling from the sky at the hands of the tenacious British fighter pilots in unbelievable numbers! Not only were they unable to reach England, but they were being shot down shortly after they left their bases in France! The world was astounded. The British had found the answer. It was carrots! They showed newsreel footage of the British pilots eating stacks of raw carrots while preparing for missions. This enabled them to see the German bombers at night. They told the world that the old wive's tale was responsible for the complete turnaround and the victory in The Battle of Britain. The bombing missions stopped and there are rumours that German pilots were falling ill to vitamin A overload.

The truth, as we later learned, is that The British invented RADAR!!!!!

DD

Observations On A Crazy World

2009-01-28T21:10:00.000-08:00

I was really hoping that a new presidential administration might make our leaders in Washington stop the petty wrangling on important issues and get to serious work in fixing the worsening state of our economy. With thousands of people losing their jobs every day, I was optimistic that the president and congress would roll up their collective sleeves and get to work together to fix this mess. The administration introduced a stimulus bill to hopefully jump start the process. The republicans in Congress disagreed with several points in the bill as written. The President went to them in the spirit of compromise and changed and deleted several measures in the original proposal. Even after significant alterations at the request of the Republican Congressmen, not a SINGLE one voted for it. It passed of course, and it would have passed as originally written. I suppose bi-partisanship or post-partisanship does not enter the minds of republican congressmen. What is apparent is that some people are very sore losers.

My big sister Doreen gave me a birthday gift. It was Bill O'Reilly's latest book "A Bold Fresh Piece Of Humanity". Doreen and I are not fans of Bill O'Reilly but the fact remains that my two sisters (Ellen is the other one) and I went to the same grammer school as Bill. It was and is St. Brigid School in Westbury, Long Island, New York. I have many memories of the 8 years I inhabited the place and Bill's book was primarily about his recollections of the 8 years he was there. He talks about many of the same people I knew and the places and experiences we shared growing up in middle class Long Island. I must admit, the book brought back a flood of memories. That was cool.

Unfortunately, the story unfolded into a self serving advertisement for Bill's TV show. He expounded on how noble he is and how his cause is righteous and the precise ways his staff investigates everything that he spouts about (or bloviates as he calls it).

Today, Mr. O'Reilly was exposed as the unintelligent fraud that he really is. He attacked, of all people, the ACTRESS, Jessica Alba for making an off handed comment to some reporter that he should be neutral like Sweden. O'Reilly called her a "pinhead" for this remark and said that everyone knows Switzerland is the neutral country.

Ms. Alba responded on her blog:

“Last week, Mr. Bill O’Reilly and some really classy sites, i.e.TMZ, insinuated I was dumb by claiming Sweden was a neutral country, It’s so sad to me that you think the only neutral country during WWII was Switzerland.”
" I appreciate the name calling and the accurate reporting. Keep it up!!”

The fact is Sweden proffessed neutrality and has remained neutral since 1814. Their stance on this is recognized by the U.N. and all countries. I guess the well educated Bill O'Reilly and his crack staff missed this one.

The point is, stupid people can make a pile of money by bloviating to other stupid people. Bill O'Reilly certainly has. It is refreshing that a 27 year old actress is smarter than a 60 year old man who went to Harvard, Marist, Chaminade, and St. Brigid.

DD

A TIME TO REJOICE!

2009-01-20T22:15:00.000-08:00

As I watched the concert for President Obama's inauguration, I was touched by the performances and the exuberance of the massive crowd. It paled however to the throng over 2 million strong who witnessed the oath of office. This was truly a great day for America!

The concert had many high points including a personal one. When John Mellencamp took the stage, Magge wondered if Andy was there. As soon as I heard the lead guitar, I said "that's Andy!" My friend Andy York was playing at The Lincoln Memorial! Andy York is the lead guitar player in Ian Hunter's Rant Band. He produced Ian's last few CDs. He does the same for John Mellencamp. I first met him in 2001 outside of Mulcahy's which is a bar in Wantagh, NY. We've talked several times since then and although he is a "rock star", he has always been gracious and very nice. It was cool to see him rocking for America!
The highest point was Pete Seeger leading the crowd on a Woody Guthrie song that we all know. "THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND" should be our national anthem. Pete Seeger wrote some amazing songs too. I believe his finest was "Turn, Turn, Turn" which was taken almost ver bat um from ECCLESIASTES.

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven"

We are witnessing a time in which the purpose is to take our battered and troubled union into the new millennium and forge a greater place for our children and grand children to have a happy, peaceful, and useful existence.

" I perceive that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his own works"
ECCLESIASTES: 22

I believe that finally, ALL are included in our great country. We walk together as one nation at last. The greatest accomplishments are still to come. Today was truly a day to celebrate the greatest nation the world has ever known.

There is nothing WE can not do.
Let us all rejoice.

DD

50 years!

2008-12-31T00:28:00.000-08:00

On December 30, 2008, I became 50 years old. Just the thought of that number makes me cringe. When my Dad turned 50, he was ancient. I was only 10 at the time in 1969 and we were already worlds apart.
By then I had already discovered Rock and Roll. My parents were more enamored with the music they grew up with and they couldn't fathom the new music that was pervasive everywhere. I actually tried, many times, to turn them on to my favorites like The Beatles, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, The Who, The Byrds, Bob Dylan, and other performers that I thought they might enjoy. They wouldn't even listen.

My parents were supportive though, so when I was 13, they bought me an electric guitar (a Univox) and a small amp. They paid for my lessons. They had sent me earlier to accordion and clarinet lessons as well which ultimately failed. The guitar lessons proved to be a bit more successful.

My guitar teacher was a man named John Wynn. He taught out of his mother's basement in Carle Place, Long Island, New York. He played profesionally in wedding type bands and made a decent living playing and teaching music. I went there religiously every Tuesday after school and learned the basics of playing guitar.
There was a student who had the lesson right before me. I would sit in the basement waiting room and hear amazing sounds. I must admit, that after hearing this kid, I was very intimidated. He was a chubby kid and he was about 11 years old. We eventually met and hung out a few times. We went to Matthew Music, which was a store in the old Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, NY. This kid played every great guitar in the store and completely floored the staff who were all great players too. His name was Steven Vai. He was my friend.

Tonight there was a ceremony at The Kennedy Center in Washington honoring several great artists. Among them was The Who. It was a moving ceremony which included their rich history, some comic moments by their presenter Jack Black, homage's by several artists, and a loving tribute by the NYC Finest and Bravest. In the days following 9/11/01, The Who were the first band to pay tribute to our heroes of that day.

I took my daughter Jessica to her very first rock concert. It was The Who playing their revival of possibly the greatest album of all time, Quadrophenia. She was 15. I was 36. I told her that she was ruined for all time because she would never see a concert as good as this. I took all my kids to see The Who, including Dylan, who saw them at Madison Square Garden when he was 9!

Music has always been a big part of my life. On my 50th birthday, My wife Magge, all 5 of my kids, David, Jessica, Ian, Alison, Dylan, plus my daughter in law Diana, got up on stage and played and sang "Teach Your Children" for ME!!!

So I guess I'm 50. In my head I will always be 18.

I Hope I Die Before I Get Old!!!!!

DD

December 7th and 8th...Days that will live in infamy

2008-12-06T21:57:00.000-08:00

I asked a young man I work with if he knew the significance of December 7. He didn't know. I then asked him if he knew the significance of September 11. Of course he knew. He was alive when that happened. I was not alive on 12/7/41 but I know what happened. I know because my parents lived it and it changed their lives in astounding ways as it affected our entire country and the world. They passed it on to their children just as we must pass our recollections to our children.
There are few left who remember 12/7/41. Old World War II Veterans die at the rate of 851 per day. There were 2,402 Americans killed that Sunday morning in Hawaii. Thousands more were injured. It was the event that brought America into the bloodiest conflict in human history. Young men and women should know this and remember. Teach your children well.

On December 8, 1980, I was in my apartment in Roslyn, NY. I was listening to some music and had the Monday Night Football game on the TV. I got a phone call from a friend who told me John Lennon had been shot. I turned down the music and turned up the TV just as Howard Cosell told the nation that John Lennon had been murdered outside of his home in New York City. It took days before it sunk in that a great man who literaly changed the world through music had been taken from us. It is a uniquely human trait to remember vividly where you were and what you were doing at moments like these.

Every December, I recall the stories my parents told about Pearl Harbor. I Imagine a world where John Lennon is still with us. I dream about a future when no man kills another. Sadly, I will probably never see that dream come to fruition.

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope some day you'll join us, and the world will live as one" - Lohn Lennon

DD

The Price Of Oil

2008-12-03T22:27:00.000-08:00

For several years I have played a great song written by Billy Bragg called "The Price Of Oil". Ever since we were involved in the Iraq War, the price of gas and home heating oil increased as the war dragged on but spiked about a year ago. It reached its zenith last May when the price of gas topped out at about $4.50 per gallon. The residual effect was an increase in prices for any goods that were delivered by truck, train, or plane. We were all affected in many ways.

The price of gas and oil is currently back under $2.00 per gallon. What was the real reason for this spike? Did OPEC go wild with their prices? Did Hurricane Katrina hurt our oil production in the Gulf of Mexico? OR...was it artificially inflated to give the big corporations an even bigger profit in the last days of the Bush administration?

Whatever the answer may be, one thing is certain. Our "leaders" were asleep at the wheel at best and were co-conspiritors at least. I believe the latter.

"Voices on the radio, tell us that we're going to war. Our brave men and women in uniform want to know what they're fighting for. The generals want to hear the end game, the allies won't approve the plan. But the oil men in the white house, just don't give a damn.....
It's all about the price of oil....
Don't give me no shit about blood, sweat, and tears, and toil....
It's all about the price of oil".
-Billy Bragg, 2003

"The profiteers dance, their pockets are filled. They don't give a damn about my brothers or sisters they've killed"
-Dave Drew, 2006

Please...Think, use your brain! and at the very least... Question authority!!!!

DD

The RFK Bridge

2008-11-23T22:34:00.000-08:00

On November 19, 2008, The Triborough Bridge was officially re-named The Robert Francis Kennedy Memorial Bridge. It was forty years ago this past June when Bobby Kennedy was gunned down by an assasin after winning the California Democratic presidential primary. We can only guess at what would have happenned if Bobby Kennedy faced Richard Nixon in the 1968 election. Perhaps some close friends would be alive today. Perhaps there would be peace.
After the assasination of Martin Luther King in April of 1968, Bobby predicted that in 40 years we would elect a black man to our highest office.
The tribute on 11/19/08 at the RFK Bridge included many speakers. This is what Mayor Bloomberg said:
Robert F. Kennedy is a perfect match in both regards. He climbed mountains — literally. In fact, there’s one in Canada named for him. But he also scaled plenty of mountains in his political career, cracking down on organized crime, helping his brother resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis, and fighting for equal opportunity for all Americans — from Bed-Stuy to Birmingham.
As United States attorney general, a U.S. senator from New York, and later, as a candidate for president, Robert F. Kennedy thought on a grand scale and achieved what many thought impossible.
He stood at the summit and saw the true soul of America. And like the great bridge that stretches above us, he tied us together: people of every color, every class, every creed. He united us — as New Yorkers and Americans — in the common cause of social justice. He devoted his life to the belief that America should be a place where any child — regardless of race or religion — has an equal shot at realizing the American dream of getting a good education, and of being elected to our nation’s highest office. He knew that day would come. And it has.

His most famous quote is:

"There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were and ask why not."

We miss you Bobby!
DD

The Struggle Continues (No on 8)

2008-11-16T22:35:00.000-08:00

My friends, as we rejoiced in the fact that our beloved America finaly boldly announced to the world that we are truly free, the cause of liberty was sadly silenced in some quarters on November 4, 2008. California passed Proposition 8 which disallowed marriage between persons of the same sex. A small victory occurred when Connecticut joined Massachusetts as the only 2 states that allow such unions.

On November 15, 2008, there were rallies in every major city in America to raise awareness to the fact that there are currently about 30 MILLION Americans who are not allowed to wed. In 1968, there were 16 States where it was illegal for people from different races to wed.

The other night, I watched a movie that was made that year (1968). It was "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" starring Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, Sidnet Poitier, among others. It featured some pretty dated dialogue concerning a "colored" man marrying a white woman. The subject was taboo at that time 40 years ago. I wonder if Derek Jeter's parents saw that film!

When President Clinton passed the law that would not exclude gay men and women from the military, there were some people who were upset by that. Some were afraid that this would affect them adversely. Perhaps their fears were based on misconceptions and lies. It did not adversely affect the military but allowed young patriotic Americans who happened to be gay, to proudly serve their country as they had all along but no longer under a shroud of secrecy and false shame. My Dad once told me that when he and his comrades were under fierce attack on Anzio Beach, he couldn't care in the least who they slept with at home. When they came home in boxes, they were no less heroes because they happened to be gay.

So why are people so afraid that gay men and women could marry? How does this hurt anyone? Are our archaic religious beliefs so pervasive that an entire segment of our population can be legally discriminated against? Love is good. Please remember that a public affirmation of love serves us all and does no harm.

I suppose that fear of one's own sexuality probably plays a role. Another is the fear that your child may be gay. Once we understand that being gay is not an affliction, but another diversity to be celebrated, we will never get out of this cycle of hate and fear.

We are all diminished by our acceptance of legal prejudice. If your anti gay feelings are solely based on your religious beliefs, I offer you a few words:
"Judge not, that ye be not judged" Matthew 7:1

If you are unable to accept the truth, then please get out of the way.......or be judged.

DD

A Night For The Ages

2008-11-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

We witnessed history tonight! It was as if we were present at the signing of The Declaration Of Independence, or if we were present during The Gettysburg Address. We saw the like of women's suffrage coming to fruition and our victory in World War II. It was akin to John Kennedy promising conquest of the new frontier or Ronald Reagan challenging The Soviets to tear down that wall!

Or perhaps Jackie Robinson taking up his position at second base in Ebbett's Field.

I am proud to be an American tonight. Proud because I have seen our beloved country rise to a plateau I never honestly expected to see. I witnessed history. America has been reborn again. We are the best. We can overcome hate, prejudice, injustice, and slavery. We can sing in harmony, in one voice, and proclaim to the world that this is truly the land of the free and the home of the brave!

I was cynical and highly doubtful that America had the capability to be great again. Since John Kennedy was assassinated, our leaders have been lacking in many ways. Tonight, we have A New Hope for greatness, not seen since I was a child.

In 1968, before he was assassinated, Robert Kennedy said that it would be 40 years before a black person would be elected president.

I was 13 in 1972. That was the first presidential campaign that I was seriously interested in. Sister Ruth ( My teacher in 8th grade) made me take the McGovern button off my tie. My family was badly affected by The Viet Nam War. I went to anti war rallies and read everything I could about Nixon, McGovern, economy, the war, the republican burglaries and lies, the attempts to cover up Watergate, the invasions of Laos, and Cambodia, and the possibility that the new 18 year old voters could somehow change a nation. On Election Night in 1972, I wept.

As Robert Kennedy prophesied, in 2008, an African American was elected to the highest office in the land. There was rejoicing throughout the country! But what's much more, we have elected a man who will speak for all men and women. A man who is intelligent, educated, and has a vision for the future of America. He is not looking to profit, but to protect and defend all of us! President Barack Obama will be one of the best presidents we have ever had. He will be because he has to.

Just like Jackie Robinson at second base in Ebbett's Field.

On Election Night in 2008, I wept....this time for joy.
DD

The Question of a Lifetime!!!

2008-10-09T00:37:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Robin Eve posed a question! It is a hard one to answer but I gave it a shot nevertheless (is that one word?).

In the past 20 years, what is the most important thing that you have learned, and why? I replied:

Dear Robin,

As I approach my 50th birthday, this question is extremely prescient. The answer is really quite simple. It is simply to make the most of your life and your potential. Make every day important to yourself and to everyone you touch. Complacency kills the soul. The wonder of new experiences are at all of our fingertips. Don't be afraid to overturn the apple cart and upset a few people on the way because if you do it in the right way, they will eventually learn something. Far too many of us go to our mundane jobs, then sit in our little boxes, watch TV and forget what real feeling is all about. I did that for a long time. I loved my family, coached little league, and worked hard. I was turning into my father. I loved him, but something was missing.

Three events changed my life.

The first was in August 2001 when a music idol from my youth, virtually came out of retirement, and made an album that spoke to me in a profound way. That was Ian Hunter. His CD "RANT" and his ballad "Dead Man Walking" started me thinking that if a 60 year old man could still rock, then maybe I could too. I picked up my guitar again.

The second was 9/11. On 9/12 and 9/13, I stayed up all night writing "Tower To The Sky" through tears and catharsis. The floodgates opened. I wrote over 50 songs in the following years. There was no more TV for me, ever.

The 3rd was when my love, Magge, made me get off my butt and suggested that I should play these songs for others to hear. I found a little bar called The Village Pub South that had an Open Mic Night hosted by a talented young woman who accepted me, and my songs, immediately with no question. The crowded bar cheered for my "stupid songs" and I realized at that moment that I had something to give.

I never looked back. From that moment on, I decided to shun complacency forever and always look forward. My life has been amazing since these revelations. I have made more real friends in the past 7 years than in the previous 42. I have played in front of huge crowds and intimate rooms. I recorded 2 full CDs and more. I have played with hundreds of amazing musicians. I have met and partied with rock stars and roadies and had dinner with the CEO of Bambu rolling papers! That was interesting!

The most important thing I learned in the past 20 years is to live life every day as though it is the final day. Don't ever look back. Be a participant, not a spectator.

The Late Great Erma Bombeck wrote while dying of cancer:

"I should have cried and laughed less while watching television - and more while watching life."

I am no longer a spectator. I stopped watching the evil tube years ago. TV is the bane of our existence. It is the Liar in the room. If you want to see something really cool, watch the sunset, or the stars on a clear night. I don't mean Dancing With The Stars. Listen to some music. Write something. Read something. Talk to someone. Send an e-mail.

TV can be a useful tool. Treat it as such. Watch a live sports event, a political debate, some breaking news, but when it devolves into bad drama, with bad actors, terrible writing, trite commentary, and streams of commercials, turn the box off! Think!!!! Discuss!!! Dream!

You have one life! Don't waste it watching false laughing and fake crying. Watch the trees or read Joyce Kilmer. If you need to see flickering images, then watch a movie that will make you feel or think. There are many that transcend the mediocrity and have become art! But.. Make sure you watch them without commercial interuption!!!

DD

Lets Go Rays, Lets Go Rays!

2008-10-03T23:58:00.000-07:00

I am a Mets fan through and through. That said, being a Mets fan is an existence of disappointment. There have been brief times of glory. The miracle of 69 and the roller coaster ride of 86 are the only 2 times we have reached the mountain top. For that reason and the fact that being a Mets fan equates with either outright losing or bitter defeat, I pick a team every year that I choose in Spring Training and follow them throughout the season. I buy their hats. I like baseball hats. They make me feel comfortable. I digress.
I started this little ritual after The Mets lost to The hated Yankees in the 2000 World Series. In 2001, I was travelling to Arizona fairly regularly on business and I started following the Diamondbacks. Although I was and will always be a Mets fan, I became enamored with The D'Backs! I bought a hat! They beat The Yankees and won The World Series. I was on to something.
In the Spring of 2002, I read an article calling The Minnisota Twins the "anti-yankees". They had a low payroll, young players, an ex-Met manager, and had a losing record for a few years. I adopted them! I bought their hat. They finished first in their division but lost in the playoffs (to The Yankees) but they have been contenders since.
So I continued with this yearly pick of a team to follow so I could enjoy baseball after my Mets had fallen like a stone.
In 2003, I picked The Washington Nationals. They finished 2nd in The NL East but were surprise contenders for most of the season.
In 2004, It was The Houston Astros. They made it to the playoffs but lost.
In 2005, I picked The White Sox, and guess what? They won it all!!! That was for Shoeless Joe and the Eight Men Out! And Ray Kinsella.
In 2006, I believed my luck had changed, so I picked The Mets! They finally deposed the Braves, finished first in The NL East, but were devestated in game 7 of the NLCS by the Cardinals despite "The Catch" from Endy Chavez. I can still see Carlos Beltran looking at the third strike!
In 2007, I picked The Mets again (Big Mistake) although I thought The Red Sox were the team to beat. Then came the collapse. It was the biggest breakdown in baseball history. They broke my heart again.
In March of 2008, I watched a Spring Training game between the Yankees and The Tampa Bay Rays. There were pitches thrown at batters and a collision and fight at second base. These little upstart Rays were spanking the mighty Yankees! No one believed The Rays were going to be anything but the losers they had been for their first ten years. I found a team to follow! They reminded me of the 69 Mets! I picked the Tampa Rays to go all the way to The World Series and win! I have eye witnesses to prove it! I bought a hat!
Tonight, I watched The Tampa Rays beat The Chigago White Sox for the second time in the playoffs. It's not over, but I believe The Rays will finish off The Chisox, Beat The Bosox, and win The Series!
I have another reason to root for these upstart little underdogs. In July, 2007, I watched the last baseball game together with my Dad. It was The Tampa Rays vs. The Chicago White Sox. The Rays won.

Shea Goodbye

2008-09-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

I went to my first Baseball Game in 1964. My father took me to Shea Stadium to see the Mets play the Giants. I don't remember much about the game, but I remember being with my Dad and the overwhelming sight of the green grass and the enormity of Shea.

We went to many games together over the following 10 years. We had a little ritual each year. When the schedule was published in the newspaper each Spring, I would cut it out and circle 4 games. In those days, there were only a few places you could buy advance tickets other than at the stadium. One place that sold tickets was at Macy's in the Walt Whitman mall in Huntington. It was in the top floor by the furniture department. I always picked at least one game against the Giants. They were my father's favorite team until they moved to San Francisco in 1958. Plus they had my favorite non Met, Willie Mays.

I looked forward to those games like they were Christmas morning. The drive to Shea was always filled with anticipation but my heart would always start to pound as soon as we passed the Unisphere at the World's Fair grounds along the Grand Central Parkway and Shea Stadium came into view! It was like no other feeling in the world!

Shea Stadium was an amazing sight to behold! It was tall and light grey with blue and orange panels suspended from cables that were invisible from a distance. They seemed to be floating in mid air. Inside, there was always an intense feeling of excitement, even though we pretty much knew the Mets would probably lose. It didn't matter! There were many fathers and sons who were there for the sheer joy of the game. The green grass enveloped by a colorful grandstand was a treat for the eye! The field level seats were yellow, the loge was an orange ring, the mezzanine was blue, and the huge upper deck was green. The aromas were piercing! The air was filled with the smells of hot dogs, peanuts, beer, and cigars. If I concentrate hard enough, I can still conjure up the sensory experience.

Upon entering the gates, we would always buy a scorecard. They were 25 cents and came with a little blue pencil. My Dad taught me how to keep score. He taught me the nuances of the game. He loved pitching duels and great defense. Every time someone would hit a long fly ball, he would tell me to watch the outfielders to tell whether they had it or not.

1969 was the year of miracles. I was 10 and suddenly The Mets were a contending team! Every game we went to that year, the Mets won! In June we were at Shea when a pitching duel between Mets rookie Gary Gentry and Giants ace Juan Marichal went into extra innings. Tommie Agee hit a line drive homerun in the bottom of the 10th to give The Mets a 1-0 victory. That was the first time I felt Shea Stadium MOVE! The whole place shook! It was like an earthquake was happening in Flushing! We all know what followed. The Mets destroyed the Cubs with the help of a little black cat, They swept the Braves in the NLCS, and defeated the mighty Orioles in the series. Shea Stadium shook many times that year.

As the years went by, my father and I went to fewer games together. I became a teenager and after 1973, the Mets became losers again. When they traded Tom Seaver in 1977, I had lost interest. In the subsequent years, I got married and started my own family. A friend invited me to a game in 1984. The resurgent Mets with new ownership and great young ballplayers were contending again. I saw Dwight Gooden out duel Rick Sutcliffe in an amazing 1 hit performance. Shea Stadium was rocking again just like 1969!

In 1985, I took my son Dave to his first baseball game at Shea Stadium. I watched his excitement as though I was looking at myself through my father's eyes. In 1986, I took my daughter Jessica to her first game at Shea. Dave, Jessica, my wife Magge, and I were preparing to go. The Mets and Dwight Gooden were facing The Dodgers and their ace Fernando Valenzuela. Shea was sold out! Magge was afraid that Jessica (age 6) might be scared by the huge crowd. Magge told Jess to stay close to us and if you get lost, go to a policeman. When she asked Jessica "what will you do if you get lost?" Jessica said "I'll go home with Mookie Wilson!" We laugh about that story to this day!

I have taken all 5 of my children to their first baseball game at Shea Stadium. To us, it is the field of dreams. We went for the last time a few weeks ago. The Mets won that day. I tried to take it all in and savor it for all time. In my mind are the sights, smells, sounds, colors, and the memories. The planes taking off from La Guardia, the little blue pencils, running down the ramps, telling my kids to stop running down the ramps, Tom Terrific's dirt stained right knee, Keith Hernandez stretching in the outfield, Mike Piazza's mighty blasts, The magic, Jane Jarvis on her Thomas organ, Kiner's Korner, the mexican hat dance, the Curly Shuffle, Doc, Dar-ryl, Gil, Casey, Yogi, Davey, The Koos, Buddy, Tug, Rusty, Maz, The Kid, Wally, Fonsie, Reyes, Endy, Santana, Murph, Mookie, AND... The chants of "Lets Go Mets" that were never provoked by a message board but instead by a crowd lead by cherubic voices.

In a few weeks Shea will be dust. Tonight I shed a tear at the passing of another old friend. I have been to many other ballparks. To me, The only one that has real magic is Shea Stadium!

Remember to watch the outfielders!

RIP Shea Stadium 1964-2008

Suspend This, Senator!

2008-09-25T22:13:00.000-07:00

The economy is crashing so the great John McCain has suspended his campaign to "save the country" by going to Washington and bail out the BAIL OUT!!! Plus, he bailed out on his appearence on Letterman, but showed up for Katie Couric! Now he is possibly bailing out on his promise to debate Senator Obama on Friday Night!

First... He is not the president! He is running for president. He is a Senator that has proclaimed publicly, his poor understanding of the economy! All he can do is screw up whatever solution the Congress (now working together!!!) will come up with.

Even if he knows the solution (like he knows how to find Osama Bin Laden), WHY hasn't he put his running mate in charge of the campaign instead of SUSPENDING it?????

What will he do as president when he is unable to multitask? SUSPEND the COUNTRY???
His VP is apparently unable to take over an election campaign! How can we expect her to take charge of the country when another inevitable crisis occurs???

Bad choices, bad decisions, bad running mate, and old ideas, create a hopeless future. Am I the only one who can see an old man acting like a child and a young man acting presidential? Senator Obama did not "suspend his campaign" although he also went to Washington. Senator Biden is helping in Washington and is still vigorously campaigning! Where is Sarah Palin???

Here is a link to Letterman's reaction to Senator McCain's last minute cancellation. This is priceless!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjkCrfylq-E

The truth is that John McCain was a "war hero". He bombed and paved the way for others to bomb an innocent populace in Viet Nam. VIET NAM??!!!!! Does anyone remember the travesty of that undeclared, unjust, and illegal war??? His father was a conspiritor in starting and escalating that "police action" (it was never a declared war) that took the lives of 60,000 American soldiers and brutaly wounded another 500,000 Americans! Not to mention the millions who died in South East Asia as a direct result of our "conflict". We are still suffering the consequences of one of the lowest points in American history.

Some people doubt my patriotism because I actually know the history of our beloved country. Well, like it or not boys and girls, The good old US of A has been the perpetrators of some of the worst crimes toward humanity.

People like lists, so read this one!

1. SLAVERY
The majority of our founding fathers either owned slaves or profited from the slave trade. They formed a new country based on the premise that "all men are created equal" except if you are black, Indian, or a woman! This was followed by a bloody civil war and an era that still exists that included segregation, lynchings, murder, and blatant terrorism.

2. GENOCIDE
In our westward expansion, we nearly destroyed an entire race of human beings. The estimates range up to 2 MILLION killed. We were the first ones to use use chemical weapons in the 1800s by circulating blankets infested with smallpox on people with no immunity.

3. SEXISM
It was 130 years after the ratification of the constitution before women (52% of the population) had the right to vote!

4. NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION
America is still the only country to use nuclear weapons on other human beings. We started the arms race and the cold war. Our threat is what caused and still causes other nations to construct these weapons. They do it not because they hate us, but because they fear us.

5. TERRORISM
Near the end of World War II in Europe, the war was all but won. Berlin was about be overrun. Hitler was contemplating suicide. They were out of supplies and retreating fast. So what did we do? We FIREBOMBED Dresden. This was an old city with absolutely no military significance. With Berlin in ruins, we sent every bomb imaginable to this peaceful city and killed over 40,000 civilians. There were more people killed in Dresden than in Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined.

DIS-HONARABLE MENTION
Child labor, pollution, global warming, exploitation of immigrants, torture, executions, assasinations, depressions, recessions, Nixon, intolerance to gays, imperialism, war for oil, Viet Nam, Korea, The Spanish American War, IRAQ, G. W. Bush, communist witch hunts, Blue laws, censorship, unionbusters, glass ceilings, disco, drug traffic, american idol, commercialism, anti semitism, Watergate, the KKK, white supremism, street crime, school shootings, Wall Street.

I'm sure you think I hate America. Well I don't. That is because, I believe that the true greatness is yet to come. Now can be the turning point to the promise of true freedom. I am hopeful that real change will occur, even if the stock market collapses, and possibly because the stock market collapses. Tear it all down and begin again might be the way to go.

-DD

The Long Island Music Scene

2008-09-24T22:39:00.000-07:00

There was a time on Long Island when the local live music scene was vibrant and a breeding ground for some of the most successful, talented, and groundbreaking musicians of the past 40 years or more! In the 1960s, 70s, and into the early 80s, there were literaly thousands of venues to hear live local music! Long Island had the largest concentrated percentage of "baby boomers" than any other region in the country. Everywhere, in every town, on nearly every street, there was a bar, tavern, restaurant, cafe, that presented live music! You could go into nearly every town and walk from bar to cafe, etc, and hear different performers on any given night! In fact, the various places would hold audition nights on a weekly basis and award paying gigs on the spot! The bars were packed 7 nights a week and the music was everywhere!

The knock against the LI Music scene was that it was the land of cover bands. It was, and still remains to be on a much smaller scale. The many great musicians who came from LI got their stage legs and first experiences as cover artists, playing nightly all over The Island. You all know them: Billy Joel, The Ramones, Pat Benetar, Simon and Garfunkel, The Stray Cats, Lou Reed, Harry Chapin, Vanilla Fudge, Twisted Sister, Eddie Money, Zebra, Chuck D, Mariah Carey,The Good Rats, Debbie Gibson, Busta Rhymes, and many more. They all had to go to the city or elsewhere to get famous.

So, what happened? Where did the music go? Where are the places I cherished in my youth?
Sadly, the taverns, and the music are all but gone. We got older, got married, had kids, and stopped going out. They changed the drinking age from 18 to 19 and then to 21. You can thank Ronnie Reagan and his religious friends for that. They held back federal highway funds from any state that didn't comply.
D.J.s contributed as well. The boomers stopped going out and were replaced by the Gen Xrs who were raised on Sesame Street and other lame, soft TV to the point where they couldn't tell live music from TV jingles! (I Wish I Was an Oscar Meyer Wiener)! Your wish came true!

I have 2 sad stories about those days (about 1983) when I put my guitar down indefinitely. I started playing out live in 1976 and played at a bunch of local venues several times a week for about 5 years. These were paying gigs! In those days, I made anywhere from $45 to $150 per night as a solo performer!! That was fine cash back then! Remember, the baby boomers packed the bars every night! The first time I was turned down at an audition was 1982. The owner suggested I should get a drum machine. The second was shortly after when McHebe's Depot (a little college bar in Hempstead) where I had a regular gig for years suddenly dismantled the stage and installed a DJ booth! Times had changed. I put my guitar away.

Sometime, between then and now, a new phenominon has occured on Long Island, bringing out both old and new performers. It is the Open Mic Night. Some of the few remaining local taverns open up on weekdays and give the stage to independant local musicians for a chance to play live and recreate the glory days of the Long Island music scene! I host the longest running and (IMHO) best Open Mic Night on LI!!!! This is at a little tavern called Bartini Bar. We will continue to keep the spirit alive, rock the night away, and as my Irish Dad used to say "Talk a Little Treason"!!!!

Rock and Roll will never die!!!
www.bartinibar.com
www.davedrewrocks.com

Change is Coming!!!

2008-09-22T22:57:00.000-07:00

What exactly is change? Well it's certainly not more of the same. It is definitely not an old republican and his clueless partner spouting "change" as though they invented it.
Change, my friends, is a way to make our little green planet safer, healthier, and without fear.
The liars (you know who they are) don't really care about change, they care for themselves and their sickeningly, obsenely, rich cronies. They are about to bail out the Wall Street criminals who gave out loans, sold them to small banks, and are crashing because they over extended themselves to the point of no return. Now Bush, McCain, and the rest are going to hand them 700 BILLION dollars of OUR money because they were inept and greedy beyond comprehension.

Hey! Believe the liars! Country first!!! Except if you happen to work for a living, Or have 2 incomes to pay your 2 mortgages. Country first! People Last!

These are the same Liars who said they would find Osama Bin Laden after 9/11/01 and proceeded to profit from our fears and patriotism. This country was united in a way I have never seen. Instead of rallying the country and the WORLD to make a better place, we were used and exploited by an administration with John McCain in step to make themselves a whole lot richer. Does this make you angry? Apparently, it doesn't for most Americans. Most of you are quite satisfied with watching "Dancing with The Stars" on your new HDTV.

Change is essential. Change is vital. Change is needed now. Crawl out of your little boxes on November 4 and vote for Obama. Don't get fooled again!

Make That a Bud Luddite!

2008-09-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

My daughter Jessica has outed me as a closet Luddite and my friend Robin has defined it for those who are unfamiliar with the term. Although it's been years since I destroyed any looms, I still harbor a disdain and probably a little fear of new technology. I got my first cell phone last year and I still can't figure out how to text. I'm trying to update my way of thinking and as Jess pointed out, I've still only advanced as far as 1998. It may be because we were a lot more innocent then. We were at peace. The country was prospering. I just started a new career, and the biggest problem in the news was whether or not Bill Clinton got his joint waxed! Oh the good old days!!! As I try to advance from the bloodiest century in human history to this brave new world, I offer this small piece of advise. Guard your looms carefully because.... I'm Back!!!!

September 20 is my fathers birthday. He would have been 89! He died July 30, 2007 and not a day goes by that I don't think of him. I did the eulogy at his wake and rather than do the religious or somber thing, I wrote an essay that I read for the assembly. Here is most of it.

David Patrick Drew
Sept 20 1919 – July 30 2007

This is not really a speech or a eulogy. Its an essay about My Dad

My Dad was the youngest of 13 children in a traditional Irish Catholic family. His favorite sibling was his sister Julia. His least favorite was his brother Jerry. He said he was mean to him. 8 of his brothers and sisters died of various childhood diseases or accidents. The most notable being Jerry who died on Christmas eve after falling while jumping on his parents bed. Although terribly tragic at the time, this incident became a valuable teaching tool for my 5 kids (DON’T JUMP ON THE BED OR YOU’LL END UP LIKE GREAT UNCLE JERRY)
My Dad was always a baseball fan. His favorite team was the NY Giants. He used to tell me about his favorite players like Bill Terry (the last National League player to hit 400), Mel Ott (who hit 511 home runs on the traditional training regimen of beer, cigars, and hot dogs) and his favorite of all, pitcher Carl Hubbell. My Dad was there at the 1934 all star game at the Polo Grounds when Hubbell struck out 5 future Hall of famers in succession (Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, Simmons, Cronin). My Dad hated the Yankees but he still idolized Babe Ruth. One of his favorite stories was about the time his father called him one summer day in 1929 and said borrow a nickel from your mother, take the subway and meet me at the players entrance to Yankee Stadium. When he got there he asked a ticket vendor where the player’s entrance was. The vendor quipped “they’re signing them young these days”. He always laughed when he told that part.

My Dad’s father knew a guy who arranged them to meet the Yankees. He got a baseball autographed by the entire team (Ruth, Gehrig, Lazzeri , Dickey, Ruffing etc). When he first told me this story I excitedly said “Where’s the ball??”
In those days the kids rarely had a real baseball to play with so he took it down to the field and he and his friends played with it until the cover wore off! That was my Dad.

Much later I asked him who the guy was that got them in to meet the Yankees. It was the megaphone guy. He was the dude who announced the lineups before they had a PA system. I said ”how did your father know him?” He said his dad met him in some bar. That was my Grandfather, and that was my Dad too.

My Dad was a great ballplayer. He played for a semi pro team in the late 1930s and was scouted by several Major League teams. At the end of the 1939 season at the age of 19, he was invited to spring training the following year with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He put his dream on hold for a year because that fall, he was drafted into the army. We were still at peace and the service was for only 1 year but shortly after, with the winds of war blowing, President Roosevelt extended the service to 2 years. My Dad said that 1940 was the only year he ever voted for a Republican (Wendell Wilkie). In December 1941, with less than a month to go in the army, WWII began and the president declared that all servicemen would be in for the duration of the war. He was discharged after 6 years in the army. He fought in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. He was part of the allied force at the battle of Anzio Beach, his dream of playing pro ball was over.

When I was a kid, when we would have a catch, My Dad would take the glove off his left hand, put it on his right and throw lefty. He had a wicked curve ball lefty and he could hit better lefty than righty.
He was not naturally ambidextrous. He told me that when he was about 16, he broke his right wrist. A serious injury meant he would lose his spot on the team so he spent that winter teaching himself to throw and hit left handed. Amazing!
That was my Dad.

My Dad was a construction worker but for a time in the late 1960s he was a real estate salesman, selling new homes on weekends. He saved the money he earned (he never said he made money, that would be illegal) and took my Mom and me on a month long trip to Europe. That was my Dad.

My Dad was a social guy. He was a happy person and he was well liked by all. His friends called him Davey. When we visited relatives or attended some event, he would always find an excuse to leave for a while and visit some local tavern. He usually took me with him. No matter where we went, everybody knew him! It was uncanny. From Manhattan to Rockaway to Elmhurst to Westbury to Port Jeff to Riverhead to Babylon, everybody knew him! It was amazing! EVEN in Europe, within minutes, everyone was shaking his hand as if he was their long lost brother! That was my Dad.

My Dad loved Abbott and Costello, Bing Crosby, Harry Truman, and Jack Kennedy. His favorite movies were The Sound of Music and Going My Way. His favorite song was Saloon. He loved Track Meets, especially the Millrose Games. He liked fishing, horseracing, gambling, and shooting pool. (He was good). He liked cigars, meat and potatoes, butter pecan ice cream, egg fu young, and wintergreen life savers.
He liked beer. A lot. That was my Dad.

(At that point, I walked over to his casket, grabbed out a beer I had planted there earlier, cracked it open and took a swig!) I continued:

When I was 19, Magge (my girlfriend at the time) and I discovered we were going to have a baby. We were very nervous when the time came to tell my parents. When we told them, my Dad winked at Magge and said “so, you killed the rabbit”. He then reached across the table, shook my hand and said “congratulations, I didn’t think you had it in you”. He gave Magge a hug and said “welcome to the family”! That was definitely my Dad.

That was 30 years and 5 kids ago.

My Dad had a tradition that on Christmas Eve, he would burn a candle for his brother Jerry who died on Christmas Eve so many years ago. That tradition has continued with my family and hopefully with my children’s families. 3 years ago we added a second candle for my Mom. This year and every year it will be 3.

Good Night Sweet Prince.

Happy Birthday Dad.

3, 2, 1, BLAST OFF!!!

2008-09-18T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hey All! Welcome to my BLOG! My children, especially my daughter Jessica, thought it would be nice for me to have a place to rant. She created this blog so I can let it out and stop bothering her!
What exactly is a blog? Is it an anagram for something? Does anyone read blogs? Can anybody read? When did I turn into Andy Rooney?
I have a website
http://www.davedrewrocks.com/
and an e-mail list that goes out to about 200 people (mostly stoner musicians) who never respond anyway! However, blogs are something everyone apparantly needs so I am thankful to Jessica. This should cover the next 5 years of birthday and Christmas gifts so Jess, you can forget about that new wallet.
Anyway, welcome to my blog. I guess I'll be playing with this thing for a while, just like I played with the motorific speedway I got for Christmas when I was 7. That fucker broke after one week!
In the days, weeks, and months to come, I will be spouting about music, sports, politics, religion, my insane family, and pretty much anything else that comes to mind. I will also answer your posts with my clever although somewhat inane comments.
Thus begins my new journey into cyberspace! Our 3 year mission is to seek out new life and new civilizations and boldly go where no blogger has gone before!!!!

Dave

My Dad's new Blog

2008-09-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

Hello blogosphere! Welcome to the official Blog for Dave Drew, music and politics. I am his beautiful daughter Jessica and because I am such a wonderful person I created this blog for him because he is a self proclaimed "Luddite." Honestly, I don't even know what that means, I had to look it up on wikipedia.

In case you can't already tell I am quite sarcastic and I get that from my Mom. So subscribe to read straight forward weldings of political insight and updates from the Long Island music scene authored by Dave Drew ... my Dad. :-)