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I was John.

My sister Leslie was Paul. Paul is left-handed. And he was CUTE. (Say that last word with four syllables.)

Our neighbor Mary Jane was Ringo because he LOVED Ringo (three sylables on LOVED.)

Baby sister Marcia was George, because, frankly we needed someone to be George. Leslie and I pretty much told her she would be George. She wasn’t happy because George didn’t have many lead vocals.

And I was John, because he was the leader, the smart one, the clever one.

Now that I think of it, our relationship with Marcia in this context was not unlike John and Paul’s with George. And MJ was like Ringo in that she was the final piece, and she pretty much stayed out of the squabbling.

We got our broomsticks and MJ got a Quaker oatmeal box. We charged the neighbor kids two or five cents each to watch us lip-synch to Beatles VI, the playlist of which is here. You’ll see that George got only one lead vocal, thus the source of Marcia’s contentiousness. Being lead guitarist didn’t seem quite as impressive to her.

We did this gig two or three times, at least.

So when Paul McCartney was on Oprah’s show promoting “Flaming Pie” back in 1997, and Oprah proclaimed that she was the Beatles’ biggest black fan when she was a child, she did not have any idea what she was talking about.

Did Oprah perform Beatles’ songs in public? Did Ms. Harpo commit to memory the songwriter credits for all of the Beatles’ albums and singles? Did she know the catalog numbers of the albums?

I think NOT.

So, move over, lady, ’cause I’m claiming the throne.

Of course, I’m doing all of this Beatle musing because it’s Sean Ono Lennon’s 30th birthday today. Does THAT make me feel old! I remember when he was born.

And, yes, it would have been John Lennon’s 65th birthday today as well.

I have pictures of my family on my desk, but the only photo on the wall of my office is of John Lennon, circa 1972. It was given to me some years ago by my old FantaCo compatriot, Beatleologist and FOH (Friend of Hembeck), Rocco Nigro. Still one of my favorite presents, ever.

1. What is your favorite book (non-comic)?

The World Almanac. Really. When I got engaged to Carol, there was an engagement party thrown by some folks in my office. One of the games was for each of us to pick out each other’s favorite colors, TV shows, books, etc. She did far better than I, which I took to mean that I was more Out There and she more mysterious. (Of course, most everyone else thought that she paid more attention to me than I did to her.) She picked the World Almanac as my favorite book, everyone pooh poohed this answer, then I revealed my answer and they were flabbergasted; I don’t know why. I’d been getting the book since I was 10. I can’t remember what I thought hers was, but 100 Years of Solitude, which I had NEVER heard her mention before, was NOT my guess.
I’m also fond of those Billboard Charts Books.

Oh, you mean a book one reads! Ah, that would probably be The Sweeter the Juice: A Family Memoir in Black and White by Shirlee Taylor Haizlip. It’s about this interracial couple from just after the Civil War, and their descendants, some who live as black, some who live as white, and the author’s attempt to hook up some of these 20th century relatives.

2. What is your fondest childhood memory?

Why is this a hard question? Sometimes, the mind goes to the less pleasant.
Then there are good things, like walking home with my friends, singing with my father and sister Leslie, but there’s not single specific (positive) recollection.

But I’m going to pick a time when my father and I took a trip, just the two of us, from Binghamton to Lake George. I was 9 or 10 and was supposed to be the navigator, but we got off course, and we ran out of gas somewhere called Speculator, in the middle of nowhere. I thought Dad would get mad, but he took it all in stride. We walked along the road, and the stars in the sky were huge, as he pointed out. He stopped at someone’s house, got us enough gas to get to a gas station, and we went on to Lake George. Truth is, I don’t remember that much about Lake George, but I do remember the night before quite well.

Not so incidentally, there’s a tragic story about Lake George making the national news this week. It’s very sad, of course, but it’s also curious to watch how the local and national news cover the same story. The very early local reports had 21 (instead of 20) and the folks were from Canada (rather than Michigan; that had to do with the boat registry, apparently.) ABC News has had a few details that were missing from the local reporting. But this is a HUGE local story, as you can tell from their websites here and here, for example.
***
Now, Gordon was the one I stole this Ask Me a Question idea from. He notes: “Actually, Mike at Progressive Ruin did it once before I did. Gotta give props, you know.” Gordon is so thorough that he’s still reviewing the Mixed Bag 2 CDs. I had peppered Gordon with about a half dozen question, but he had just one for me:

Since you’re a dad (and I’m a godfather), here’s a very thought-provoking question:

If there was one value or set of values you wanted to teach your offspring, what would it be?

Oh, GOOD question!

I want her to be confident without being arrogant.
Self-sufficient without being selfish.
Compassionate without being compromised.

In other words, I want her to know that she’s a REALLY important part of this world, but she’s not the ONLY person in this world.

1. It is Dan’s theory that one only has time to devote to 10 outside-of-work pursuits. What makes your list? This can be an idealized version of your life (e.g. pursuits in which you are interested but just haven’t found the time or ambition to start).

a. parenting
b. spousing
c. church choir
d. blogging
e. racquetball
f. church Missions Committee
g. Friends of Albany Public Library
h. church Membership Committee
i .music collecting
j. being an informed citizen

2. What are the last five albums you bought? Are you just kind of buying albums on a whim these days or following any kind of overarching plan-such as exploring a genre or working your way through a backlog of albums you’ve wanted to buy for some time?

a. Like an Atom Bomb- similar to, but not exactly, the tracks of an LP I have, the soundtrack to “Atomic Cafe”
b. Red Hot & Rhapsody- continuation of the Red Hot & Blue AIDS awareness discs I have; also because it’s Gershwin
c. Rutles-Archaeology – another Beatle parody
d. Judy Collins-Who Knows Where the Time Goes – I have it on vinyl and it’s wearing out

I should also note that I’ve been getting discs in…other ways, notably the Rolling Stones, much of which I owned on vinyl, the source of which is one associate. I’ve also been burning CDs of LPs that I own. I’ve gotten them from the library: Dark Side of the Moon, Tumbleweed Connection, Eat a Peach, Layla.

3. Everyone has an issue (at least one)-political or philosophical-that is kind of their personal baby. One on which they feel they have an enlightened view in a greater world that just either doesn’t get it or doesn’t care. Tell us about it-and attempt to be brief.

We would all get along better if we followed some simple rules:
Respect the queue. Keep right (unless you’re in the UK), so you can avoid doing that little dance on a narrow sidewalk when someone approaches. Respect other people’s personal space. You DON’T have to express an opinion when you don’t have one.

4. Prairie, mountains, woods, desert, lake, the sea. Which calls to you the most? Where would you most choose to reside? RANK THEM!

Lake, sea, mountains, woods, prairie, desert.

5. Guilty pleasure TV. Is there a show that would be condemned by your peers, but yet you find yourself watching it on a regular basis? Let’s hear it.
{I’ve asked a variation on this myself recently.)

1. A long time ago I had a 7th grade teacher appear on Tic Tac Dough, and didn’t win but came away with a case of Rice or something or other. Did you get any consolation prizes for your time on Jeopardy?

Lefty, didn’t you commit everything I wrote in my epic JEOPARDY! saga to memory? I’m shocked, SHOCKED! From my August 6 post:
“Oh, I can’t forget the parting gifts I received, over a two-month period: a case (12 large cans) of sweet potatoes (they were quite good, actually), OTC vitamins and other products including Centrum, a rather lovely lap blanket, a US Search coupon to try to find anyone in the United States, Pop Secret popcorn, and TWO hair curlers (!), which I didn’t need and gave away. I also got a home version of…Wheel of Fortune, not JEOPARDY!”
That J saga, BTW, I wrote every Saturday, starting on May 28.

2. Who have you seen the most in concert? What was your favorite concert? When & who was your first concert?

In the ’80s, I saw this group called the Ulstafarians a number of times, thanks in large part to the fact that the late, lamented Raoul Vezina of FantaCo’s Smilin’ Ed fame got me into the late, lamented J.B. Scott’s. It seems that there was a time more recently that I was always seeing Alex Torres y Los Reyes Latinos.
Oh, someone you’ve actually heard of?
I can’t think of anyone I’ve seen more than twice: Joan Armatrading, Pete Droge, the Temptations, Lucinda Williams

Favorite concerts:
1981: the Temptations at the Coliseum around Albany; there were 7 of them, including a returning Kendrick and Ruffin
1983: the Talking Heads at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center- it sttarted with Byrne alone on stage (doing Psycho Killer), then the trio, then the quartet (with Harrison), then full strength band. It was, how do you say…organic.
2000 or 2001: Newport folk Festival at SPAC: Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams, Marc Coh, Joan Baez, Bruce Cockburn, many others.

First concert that I recall, Nov. 12, 1971- Seals & Crofts in NYC. The opening act, which I BELIEVE was J. Geils, was booed, but I liked them better than the headliners, which was a favorite group of my girlfriend at the time. The date I remember, BTW, because it was the birthday of Bahá’u’lláh, a leading light of the Baha’i faith, which she eventually embraced, and which turned out to be a major source of tension in our relationship. (Seals & Crofts were well-known Baha’is.)

3. What music do you fear your daughter may take a liking to?

Polka music. And it’s in her genes. I heard it a LOT in Binghamton. You know how your parents think that everything you listened to all sounded the same? That’s how I feel about polka.

4. Let’s play favorites: favorite comic book series, character, artist, and writer. Were you a DC fanboy or Marvel Zombie growing up?

First off, I don’t remember reading ANY Marvels growing up. I read the DCs and the kids’ comics (Richie Rich, Archie, and the like). It was the dumbness of the DCs that cured me of comics. This would be 1964-66.

Then, when I went to college when I was 18 (1971), my new best friend Mark Klonfas turned me onto comics, mostly Marvels.

Favorite series: Warlock (Starlin), Warlord (Grell), American Flagg (Chaykin), the original Elfquest (the Pinis), X-Men (Claremont/Byrne), Hero for Hire before he shows up mixing it up with Dr. Doom and the FF, Hembeck (Hembeck). I had a soft spot for the Defenders. I’m sure there are others.

Favorite character: Spider-Man, hands down. Which is why I HATED the Spider-Man book that came out in the early 1990s. It wasn’t Peter Parker under the costume, it was…Spawn or something.

Favorite artists: Starlin, Grell, Howard Cruse, Byrne, Gil Kane, George Perez, probably others. If I had to pick one, it would probably be Starlin. I also have an abiding respect for those “workmanlike” competent guys (I do NOT mean that pejoratively AT ALL) who were never fan favorites, but did the job. Examples: the John Romitas, and Joe Staton, who is probably the sweetest guy I ever met in the comic book world.

Favorite writers: Before I answer that, I should note that, for me, good or great writing and OK art beats great art and lousy storytelling. OK, then.
The Steves Englehart and Gerber, Claremont, Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Denny O’Neil, Hembeck, undoubtedly others. One pick: Englehart.

But ONE of the functions is that I can record ALL episodes of a show on a station. So, if the listing people know that a show’s going to be on at a different time, it’ll catch it (60 Minutes at 7 or at 7:30, depending on whether there’s a late game on CBS; of course, it’s almost always on later than that.)

I have programmed a new show called My Name is Earl, which generally is on at 9 p.m. on NBC. But I looked at my future recordings mode, I discovered episodes of Earl at 8:30, 9, and 9:30 p.m. to be recorded this coming Saturday night. Sure enough, I look at the electronic guide, and there is some “Most Outrageous” something or other at 8, followed by THREE episodes of Earl! (The print TV guide has two episodes of a show called Surface in that slot.)