Particiapatory Journalism and George Plimpton (1927.03.18)
An author known for his “participatory journalism” including sports and theatre, George Plimpton was born on this day in 1927. Our playlist of music covers celebrates Plimpton who covered professions on Crosscurrents, 3/18 at 8 am. You are invited to engage in some “paticipatory radio” by tuning into the show on live on-air stream through the wehsite at http://www.krnn.org
GEORGE PLIMPTON QUOTES and LIFE
“I have never been convinced there’s anything inherently wrong in having fun. ”
“Well, I have to write. A lot of people forget that. They think I’m sort of crazy baffoon who can’t make up his mind what to do in life.”
“I never understood people who don’t have bookshelves.”
“At the base of it was the urge, if you wanted to play football, to knock someone down, that was what the sport was all about, the will to win closely linked with contact.”
++++++++++++++
NYT OBIT edit 27 Sept 2003
George Ames Plimpton was born on March 18, 1927, in New York.
Many of Mr. Plimpton’s books dealt with his adventures, most notably ”Out of My League” (1961), on baseball; ”Paper Lion” (1966), on football; and ”The Bogey Man” (1968), on golf.
As a ”participatory journalist,” Mr. Plimpton believed that it was not enough for writers of nonfiction simply to observe; they needed to immerse themselves in whatever they were covering. For example, football huddles and conversations on the bench constituted a ”secret world,” he said, ”and if you’re a voyeur, you want to be down there, getting it firsthand.”
All of this contributed to the charm of reading about Mr. Plimpton’s career as dilettante par excellence — ”professional” athlete, stand-up comedian, movie bad guy, circus performer and many other trades — which he described elegantly in nearly three dozen books.
As a boxer, he had his nose bloodied by Archie Moore at Stillman’s Gym in 1959. As a major league pitcher, he became utterly exhausted and couldn’t finish the inning at an exhibition game between National and American League all-stars in 1959 (though he managed to get Willie Mays to pop up). And as a ”professional” third-string quarterback with the Detroit Lions, he lost roughly 30 yards during a scrimmage in 1963. On Sunday Mr. Plimpton was in Detroit for a 40th-anniversary reunion with the players who once lined up with ”a 36-year-old free-agent quarterback from Harvard.”
He also tried his hand at tennis (Pancho Gonzalez beat him easily), bridge (Oswald Jacoby outmaneuvered him) and golf. With his handicap of 18, he lost badly to Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.
In a brief stint as a goal tender for the Boston Bruins, he made the mistake of using his gloved hand to catch a flying puck, which caused a nasty gash in his pinky. He failed as an aerialist when he tried out for the Clyde Beatty-Cole Brothers Circus. As a symphonist, he wangled a temporary percussionist’s job with the New York Philharmonic. He was assigned to play sleigh bells, triangle, bass drum and gong; he struck the last so hard during a Tchaikovsky chestnut that Leonard Bernstein, who was trying to conduct the piece, burst into applause.
And he didn’t always fall on his face. One night in 1997 (too old by then to engage in strenuous contact sports), he showed up at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, which was then having its amateur night. He announced that he was an amateur, and when asked what he was going to play, replied, ”the piano.” He knew only ”Tea for Two” and a few other tunes, but played his own composition, a rambling improvisation he called ”Opus No. 1.” The audience adored him, and the charmed judges gave him second prize.
In 1983 he scored another success when he volunteered to help the members of the Grucci family plan and execute a fireworks display to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge. They accepted his kind offer, and he did his job without destroying himself or any of the Gruccis. For a time, he was regarded as New York City’s fireworks commissioner, the bearer of a highly unofficial title with no connection to the city government. In 1984 he wrote a book on his love of the rockets’ red glare, called ”Fireworks: A History and Celebration.”
Perhaps his career was best summarized by a New Yorker cartoon in which a patient looks at the surgeon preparing to operate on him and demands, ”How do I know you’re not George Plimpton?’
Saw Doctors’ N17, Irish Proverbs, and St.Patrick Day (2019.03.17)
And I wish I was on the n17
Stone walls and the grass is green
And I wish I was on the n17
Stone walls and the grass is Greenland
Travelling with just my thoughts and dreams
~~~ The Saw Doctors
The stone walls and the grasses green of the N17 in County Mayo inspire Irish Blues for a St. Patrick’s Day show. You are invited to the blues tunes for green leprechans on WTBA 3/16 at 5 pm.
This image was captured from our drive along the N17 as we listened to tunes from the Saw Doctors. It was a brilliant day and full of smashing memories.
* May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been, the foresight to know where you are going, and the insight to know when you have gone too far.
• You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your father was.
• It is often that a person’s mouth broke his nose.
• May the roof above you never fall in and those gathered beneath it never fall out.
• Lose an hour in the morning, and you’ll be looking for it all day.
• (When a friend can’t change a stubborn person’s mind) You might as well be whistling jigs to a milestone.
• Honey is sweet, but don’t lick it off a briar.
• If you buy what you don’t need, you might have to sell what you do.
• Forgetting a debt doesn’t mean it’s paid.
• It is better to spend money like there’s no tomorrow than to spend tonight like there’s no money.
• (To be said of someone who is unhelpful) She’s fit to mind mice at a crossroads.
• It’s easy to halve the potato where there’s love.
• Where the tongue slips, it speaks the truth.
• A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures.
• You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.
• (To be said of someone who outstays their welcome) If that man went to a wedding, he’d stay for the christening.
• Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you fight with your neighbor. It makes you shoot at your landlord—and it makes you miss him.
• If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at who He gives it to!
• No man ever wore a scarf as warm as his daughter’s arm around his neck.
• A family of Irish birth will argue and fight, but let a shout come from without, and see them all unite.
• (To be said of an unfortunate friend) She is always in the field when luck is on the road.
• There is no luck except where there is discipline.
• In every land, hardness is in the north of it, softness in the south, industry in the east, and fire and inspiration in the west.
• (To be said of someone who is very organized) If he’s not fishing, he’s mending his nets.
• Here’s to a long life and a merry one. A quick death and an easy one. A handsome partner and an honest one. A cold pint and another one!
++++++++++++++++-
Women’s History Month, Quotations, and Dorothy Gish (1898.03.11)
A matinee star in the golden age of American film and theatre, Dorothy Gish was born on this date in 1898. Gish was known for her ability to play inwardly strong roles and serves as inspiration to celebrate Women’s History Month on Crosscurrents, 3/11 at 8 am.
One might ask why we selected Dorthy Gish to mark Women’s History Month? The fact is that it is her birthdaty on Monday the 11th which is the day of our radio show. The less obvious reason is that Dorothy Gish is often overlook which sadly is the case for many women’s history and their civil rights. We hope to add our voice toward prositive change.
Wisdom From An Eclectic Group of Women
“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” ~ Rosa Parks
“There are still many causes worth sacrificing for, so much history yet to be made.” ~ Michelle Obama
“I raise up my voice — not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. We cannot succeed when half of us are held back.” ~ Malala Yousafzai
” Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got. ~ Janis Joplin
“Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputations can never effect a reform.” ~ Susan B. Anthony
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” ~ Amelia Earhart
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” ~ Jane Goodall
“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
“A surplus of effort could overcome a deficit of confidence.” ~ Sonia Sotomayor
“There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.” ~ Indira Gandhi
“We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.” ~ J.K. Rowling
“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” ~ Katharine Hepburn
“Everyone has inside of her a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be, how much you can love, what you can accomplish, and what your potential is.” ~ Anne Frank
“Aging is not ‘lost youth,’ but a new stage of opportunity and strength.”” ~ Betty Friedan
“No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens.” -~ Michelle Obama
Rules Of Evidence, Hearsay, and John Henry Wigmore (1863.03.04)
The scholar whose book Wigmore On Evidence is an often cited legal treatise, John Henry Wigmore was born on this date in 1863. Our playlist of evidentiary rules of hearsay tunes will be offered for your consideration on Crosscurrents, 3/04 at 8 am.
You are invited to tune in at 8 am Alaska Time Monday the 4th of March on air or through the net http://www.krnn.org
Here is a show for anybody who is studying for the Bar Exam, or who has in the past done so. Yes, the Rules of Evidence meet the craziness of our radio show. As an “offer of proof” and in an effort to avoid any “objections”… we submit a play list to include:
Rule 803. Exceptions to the Rule Against Hearsay
The following are not excluded by the rule against hearsay, regardless of whether the declarant is available as a witness:
(1) Present Sense Impression. I FEEL GOOD. SAD AND LONELY FEELING .
(2) Excited Utterance. I GET SO EXCITED. IM SO EXCITED.
(3) Then-Existing Mental, Emotional, or Physical Condition. COUNTRY STATE OF MIND. THIS STATE OF MIND
(4) Statement Made for Medical Diagnosis or Treatment. DONT CALL NO AMBULANCE. EMERGENCY CALL.
(5) Recorded Recollection. AMNESIA. ROCK AND ROLL NEVER FORGETS
(6) Records of a Regularly Conducted Activity. DO IT AGAIN. HERE IT GOES AGAIN
As the expression goes in legal circles:
…may it please the court????
Impressionism, Colorist, and Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841.02.25)
French impressionist painter known for images of life in sparkling color and light, Pierre Auguste Renoir, was born on this date in 1841. You can form your own “impression” of our “colorist” playlist celebrating Renoir on Crosscurrents, 2/25 at 8 am.
Our playlist will commenorate his love of primary (and related) colors. We will celebrate his love for his wife and family and his painter thereor. We will honor his strained relationahiip with hus fellow Impresssionists. We will deal with discredited reports of his role as a spy against the French government.
RENOiR ON KRNN, 2/25 at 8 am Alaska Time live on air link: http://www.krnn.org
Unplugged Music, Electic Battery, and Alessandro Volta (1745.02.18)
The physicist who pioneered work in electrical science, inventing the “voltaic pile” battery, Alessandro Volta was born on this date in 1745. If it was not for Volta’s battery and electric current, we would only have “unplugged music.” Our playlist includes some favorite unplugged rock tunes to celebrate. You can use Volta’s electrical current to tune in his playlist on Crosscurrents, 2/18 at 8 am. or…listen to the live on air web stream: http://www.ktoo.org/krnn
You might notice that Gavin and Wyatt are hiding behind Alessandro Volta. It appears that they have joined the inventor in his electric lab. Apparently nobody told the dogs that Volta is know for his battery, and not his biscuit.
Heartbreak, Three Cords and the Truth, Lies and Leaving before Valentine’s Day.
It has been said that country music is the best because at its essence is…. three cords and the truth. If that is so, then we have lots of truth tomorrow. It is hoped that the show will recognize those folks who have seen the difficult side of social partnership. Many of have been there as we suffer through another Valentine’s Day.
You are invited to join us on the day before Valentine’s Day as we recognize that roses and romance can turn into lies and leaving. It will be time for reparation and redress with country tunes on Crosscurrents, 2/13 at 8 am. (Alaska time)
HEARTBREAK COUNTRY ON KRNN, 2/13: on air link: http://www.ktoo.org/krnn
Phonograph, Record Sock Hop, and Thomas Edison (1847.02.11)
With over 1000 patents for his innovations, Thomas Edison was born on this date in 1847. You are invited to a record rock hop honoring Thomas Edison inventor of the phonograph (and thereby all record hop dances) on Crosscurrents, 2/11 at 8 am.
THOMAS EDISON ON KRNN, 2/11 at 8 am (Alaska Time)
live on air stream link: https://www.ktoo.org/listen/krnn/
If you fancy 1950’s and 1960’s sock hop music and enjoy reflecting on the innovations of Thomas Edison on his birthday, then we have a show for you. Among the craziness will include:
Telephone – Hello Baby, LaBamba, That’ll Be The Day
Motion Picture – SiIhoettes, I Only Have Eyes For You
Car Battery – Rocket 88, Speedo
Microphone – Wall Of Sound
Phonograph – At The Hop, Land Of 1,000 Dances, Let’s Dance
Wizard of Menlo Park – Duke Of Earl
World of Innovations – What A Wonderful World
Montgomery Bus Boycott, N.A.A.C.P., and Rosa Parks (1913.02.04)
