We would like to take this opportunity to thank those who took the time to respond to our survey. Your input was greatly appreciated. There was not a huge response so we will continue to do what we’ve been doing in spite of ourselves. I would like to respond to a few of the suggestions that were made.
1) “I would like to see credit given to where the used news articles come from.” Unlike most things in my life, I actually gave some thought to this issue before the first newsletter was printed. My original reason for not including the contributor’s name was the desire to encourage as much “original” material as possible (see below). We wanted our “bylines” to be something one had to earn. I remember when I was first starting in journalism how proud I felt when my name appeared above an article. That pride was matched only by the fear of my writing would make me look stupid. The thrill of the byline along with the fear of a public display of stupidity is long behind me, but I think it is natural for people to enjoy seeing their own name in print. Also, my original policy decision on “used news” items was based on our breaking of all the copyright laws and I might as well be the one responsible. I don’t’ have a problem with giving people credit for anything they contribute- I hope if you see an article which would be of interest to other employees, you will send it to me (and receive credit).
2) “I would staple the newsletter on the left side like normal people.” Nobody has ever accused me of being “normal” but I will compromise on this one. I’ll staple fifty percent on the conventional although inconvenient side and 50 percent on the margin saving “right” side.
3) “Can we start a personals section?” You give me your personals, I’ll print them. – S.A.M.
4) “I don’t think we should make up ‘fun facts.’ There is something unethical about combining reality and fiction.” – your “estranged friend.” Some of us don’t see much difference between the two.
Last week was the first time we printed an issue of all original articles. Someday I would like to do a few “theme” issues where several people write about the same topic but at the moment it’s beyond me what topics we could devote such attention. Last week Daryl asked for story ideas and I get the impression other people don’t know exactly what to write about. So, the following are a few suggestions (feel free to join me, just don’t touch me…)
-The Nordgaard Route: Write about something you favor, double LPs, box sets, LP artwork, cassette singles, guys or gals named Lou. A list with explanations is an excellent approach.
-The Maeda Way: Find a topic (i.e. Dylan) beat the living tar out of it.
-Reviews: We’re a music store, write about a group, an album you’ve heard that others should pay attention to. Melodye has done this very nicely.
-Comparisons: Monk vs Cecil Taylor, Evie vs Sandi Patti, AC/DC vs Black Sabbath, rubber bands vs paper clips, solar vs wind power… which are better?
-Tori Ryder: Our favorite Applause spokeswoman?
-Lecy Goranson: What’s her future after Roseanne?
-Co-workers: what makes someone easy to work with and what annoys you? Are hands or shoes better first indicators of a person’s true identity?
-Dinner breaks (Jennifer’s idea): What is the best thing and where is the best place to eat in 30 minutes?
-Recipes: Every newsletter runs them.
-Kitchen counters: How do you keep yours clean
Monday, September 21, 1992
Monday, September 14, 1992
Notes
Well I don't know about anyone else (literally) but I for one am a bit "Dylaned" out . (Those astute enough might have noticed last week I said Dylan played 49 different songs but I only listed 48. I forgot his cover version of the Dead’s "Friend of the Devil" and upon further review found a 50th song he did: Night 4's “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue.") It was fun while it lasted (just like Gandhi when. he fasted) but it's time to move on. Next we focus our attention on Wynona Judd; Wynnie and I go a1l the way back to those wonder years- ah yes , I remember them still…
Being the editor of this newsletter, I don't get the comment to comment on things we print , It's not like I can write a letter to the editor without coming across as even more of a goofball. In last week’s issue however there were a couple of items that need further examination.
I have enjoyed Daryl Lanz’s columns as much for their content as their dependability. One week he woke up early Sunday morning to wrie and fax to me his effort. Such dedication is greatly appreciated. As always, last week’s column brough up several good points but I did take exception to one observation. How can anyone use the word “horrendous” and the movie Satisfaction in the same sentence? For me the movie lived up to its title; it was very satisfying. It had a lot going for it especially its cast: TV’s Justine Bateman (or Justine Bratman as the trade experts call her), Julia Roberts (before she was the Pretty Woman or had slept with the enemy), and even an appearance by an incredibly old looking Debbie Harry who looked as if she beamed in from a Star Trek movie for no apparent reason. I actually saw the movie twice in theaters, the second time was the very last showing in the Twin Cities area. I bought the soundtrack (both LP and CD) and video. Yes, I’ll admit those were the days when I used to ask all our new employees who their favorite Bangle was but still…
Speaking of the Bangles, another fine “rock” movie Daryl overlooked was Susannah Hoff’s The Allnighter. OK, the story was a bit weak (could Susannah sleep with someone before she graduated from college or would time run out?), she didn’t sing, and the directing “credit” was given to her mother but my future wife to be did give us that “look” (the thing she does with her eyes) several tmies making the movie a must see. I guess it depends, Daryl, on what you want from a movie.
My choice for the best rock movie (excluding the entire Elvis cinema catalog) is the Beatles A Hard Day’s Night. The movie is full of such energy, style and humor, and it reflects the “Beatlemania” period effectively. They never topped the music in the movie and if they had done nothing else, A Hard Day’s Night would have assured them their place in rock history. To see John sing “I Should Have Known Better” and Paul sing “And I Love Her” explains what some of the screaming was about.
The other item from last week worth a mention was the letter Mark Lethert contributed from the president of Harmonia Mundi, Rene Goiffon. If the price of CDs was determined by their musical value, our stores would be giving away a lot of free music. An Aerosmith disc would have to be priced higher than your average classical disc because I’m sure Aerosmith spends over $60,000 just keeping Steven Tyler’s lips moist. The whole idea classical CDs should be more expensive smacks of what our dopey but loveable Vice President dubbed to be the problem of the “cultural elite.” It’s not as though the person most responsible for the classical music, the composer, can benefit from the increased revenue, because as we all know, all the important ones are dead. I don’t think we should be in a hurry to fill the pockets of some snobby Frenchman either. I did get my own personal revenge on the audacity of Goiffon’s remarks. Last week at the state, our big charitable campaign kick off was held where we decide which charities we wish to donate our money. One of the organizations represented was the Untied Arts which Harmoni Mundi is a part. I told the United Arts representative I would contribute to all the other organizations other than Harmoni Mundi- “let them get their money from overpriced CDs.” Boy did I show that Goiffon guy a thing or two.
Je suis le canard gigantique.
Being the editor of this newsletter, I don't get the comment to comment on things we print , It's not like I can write a letter to the editor without coming across as even more of a goofball. In last week’s issue however there were a couple of items that need further examination.
I have enjoyed Daryl Lanz’s columns as much for their content as their dependability. One week he woke up early Sunday morning to wrie and fax to me his effort. Such dedication is greatly appreciated. As always, last week’s column brough up several good points but I did take exception to one observation. How can anyone use the word “horrendous” and the movie Satisfaction in the same sentence? For me the movie lived up to its title; it was very satisfying. It had a lot going for it especially its cast: TV’s Justine Bateman (or Justine Bratman as the trade experts call her), Julia Roberts (before she was the Pretty Woman or had slept with the enemy), and even an appearance by an incredibly old looking Debbie Harry who looked as if she beamed in from a Star Trek movie for no apparent reason. I actually saw the movie twice in theaters, the second time was the very last showing in the Twin Cities area. I bought the soundtrack (both LP and CD) and video. Yes, I’ll admit those were the days when I used to ask all our new employees who their favorite Bangle was but still…
Speaking of the Bangles, another fine “rock” movie Daryl overlooked was Susannah Hoff’s The Allnighter. OK, the story was a bit weak (could Susannah sleep with someone before she graduated from college or would time run out?), she didn’t sing, and the directing “credit” was given to her mother but my future wife to be did give us that “look” (the thing she does with her eyes) several tmies making the movie a must see. I guess it depends, Daryl, on what you want from a movie.
My choice for the best rock movie (excluding the entire Elvis cinema catalog) is the Beatles A Hard Day’s Night. The movie is full of such energy, style and humor, and it reflects the “Beatlemania” period effectively. They never topped the music in the movie and if they had done nothing else, A Hard Day’s Night would have assured them their place in rock history. To see John sing “I Should Have Known Better” and Paul sing “And I Love Her” explains what some of the screaming was about.
The other item from last week worth a mention was the letter Mark Lethert contributed from the president of Harmonia Mundi, Rene Goiffon. If the price of CDs was determined by their musical value, our stores would be giving away a lot of free music. An Aerosmith disc would have to be priced higher than your average classical disc because I’m sure Aerosmith spends over $60,000 just keeping Steven Tyler’s lips moist. The whole idea classical CDs should be more expensive smacks of what our dopey but loveable Vice President dubbed to be the problem of the “cultural elite.” It’s not as though the person most responsible for the classical music, the composer, can benefit from the increased revenue, because as we all know, all the important ones are dead. I don’t think we should be in a hurry to fill the pockets of some snobby Frenchman either. I did get my own personal revenge on the audacity of Goiffon’s remarks. Last week at the state, our big charitable campaign kick off was held where we decide which charities we wish to donate our money. One of the organizations represented was the Untied Arts which Harmoni Mundi is a part. I told the United Arts representative I would contribute to all the other organizations other than Harmoni Mundi- “let them get their money from overpriced CDs.” Boy did I show that Goiffon guy a thing or two.
Je suis le canard gigantique.
Monday, September 7, 1992
Too Much of Nothing
Oh me oh my, oh mercy. Elvis has left the building! The final totals are in and it was a good week for Minnesota born singer/songwriters. Prince signed his record breaking deal and Bob Dylan sang 49 different songs in five nights to over 14,000 people (number of different people not available at press time).
HIGHLIGHTS: (and there were almost too many for one grinning fool to remember) Night 2's "Idiot Wind"- He sang the line "I couldn't believe after all this time, you didn’t know me any betttterrr than that..." with so much venom he drew blood. Night 5's "Every Grain of Sand”- that the following "Times are a Changin" got more applause than his inspired reading of this song means people are more into nostalgia than that which is eternal. Night 5's "Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll”- this is still his best “protest" song and when he delivered the punchline "...now-is the time for your tears" it nearly brought down the house. Night 4's "I Don’t Believe You" and Night 5's "I Believe in You" shows the range of emotion, depth, growth and amount of ground covered by one writer over thirty years. Nights 1,3,4,5's '"Boots of Spanish Leather”-this is one of my favorite songs of his he was so mesmerizing in each performance It brought me back to one who is now far away. Night 5's "Visions of Johanna- who would have thunk it? He sang the line which rhymes "freeze" "geez" and "knees” with phrasing which proves there may be more than one reason why Mona Lisa is smiling. Night 2 and Night 4's "Cats in the Well" and "Under the Red Sky"- two songs which belong in his rotating repertoire.
LOWLIGHTS: Night 1’s "Silvio”- sung with such indifference I was left to believe there is nothing "only dead men know." Night 2's "Stuck Inside a Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again”- rambled, the band wasn’t together, and it all but fell apart, at the end. Night 3's "Gates cf Eden”- he skipped several verses and made an already monotone melody even more monotonous. Night 4's "All Along the Watchtower”- he performed this all five nights and it was pretty clear people respond more to the Hendrix version than the original. On this night be didn't even "howl" or "growl." Night 5's "Union Sundown”- it was nice to hear the song no matter how politically incorrect but he left out the best line, "I can see the day when even a home garden will be against the law."
IRONY: Each night the song that got the masses on their feet and dancing was “Unbelievable”- which contains the best line he has written in the 90’s: “It don’t matter no more what you've got to say, it's unbelievable it go down that way." If I understand the meaning of "irony" right, (and like another I may not) it seemed a bit ironic that people began bopping around on the song where Dylan was singing that, no one was listening to what he has to say anymore.
SEMI-AMUSING QUOTE HEARD FROM AN AUDIENCE MEMBER: "Hey, isn't that Donovan? (cleaning up the stage)"
MISC. NOTE: By the last night I vowed if I saw one more person doing the "funky chicken down the aisles of the Orpheum, I would go lodge an official protest at Macalester Colleqe- the place bad dancing is taught for credit.
A LIST OF SONGS PERFORMED (* In parentheses is the number of nights the song was played ) : Peggy-O (2), Don't Think Twice (1), Hard Rain(1) Blowin in the Wind (1), Girl from the North Country (1), Times are a Changin (4), Hollis Brown (1), Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (1) John Brown (1) , Boots of Spanish Leather (4), Little Moses (5), To Ramona (1), I Don't Believe You (1), It Ain’t Me Babe (4) , Mr . Tambourine Man (1), Maggie’s Farm (5), She Belongs to Me (1), Gates of Eden (1), Positively 4th Street (1),Ballad of the Thin Man (1), Highway 61 Revisited (5), It Takes a lot to Laugh It Takes a Train to Cry (1), Rainy Day Woman (2), Stuck Inside a Mobile (1), Just Like a Woman (2), Visions of Johanna (1), I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (1), All Along the Watchtower (5), To Be Alone with You (1), Watching the River Flow (1), If Not For You (l), Tangled Up in Blue (2), Idiot Wind (1), Shelter From the Storm (1), Simple Twist of Fate (3) I Believe in You (1), Lenny Bruce (1), Every Grain of Sand (1), I and I (1), Union Sundown (1), I'll Remember You (1), Silvio (3), Man in the Long Black Coat (3), What Good Am I? (2), Everything is Broken (2), Under the Red Sky (1), Cats in the Well (1), Unbelievable (4)
HIGHLIGHTS: (and there were almost too many for one grinning fool to remember) Night 2's "Idiot Wind"- He sang the line "I couldn't believe after all this time, you didn’t know me any betttterrr than that..." with so much venom he drew blood. Night 5's "Every Grain of Sand”- that the following "Times are a Changin" got more applause than his inspired reading of this song means people are more into nostalgia than that which is eternal. Night 5's "Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll”- this is still his best “protest" song and when he delivered the punchline "...now-is the time for your tears" it nearly brought down the house. Night 4's "I Don’t Believe You" and Night 5's "I Believe in You" shows the range of emotion, depth, growth and amount of ground covered by one writer over thirty years. Nights 1,3,4,5's '"Boots of Spanish Leather”-this is one of my favorite songs of his he was so mesmerizing in each performance It brought me back to one who is now far away. Night 5's "Visions of Johanna- who would have thunk it? He sang the line which rhymes "freeze" "geez" and "knees” with phrasing which proves there may be more than one reason why Mona Lisa is smiling. Night 2 and Night 4's "Cats in the Well" and "Under the Red Sky"- two songs which belong in his rotating repertoire.
LOWLIGHTS: Night 1’s "Silvio”- sung with such indifference I was left to believe there is nothing "only dead men know." Night 2's "Stuck Inside a Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again”- rambled, the band wasn’t together, and it all but fell apart, at the end. Night 3's "Gates cf Eden”- he skipped several verses and made an already monotone melody even more monotonous. Night 4's "All Along the Watchtower”- he performed this all five nights and it was pretty clear people respond more to the Hendrix version than the original. On this night be didn't even "howl" or "growl." Night 5's "Union Sundown”- it was nice to hear the song no matter how politically incorrect but he left out the best line, "I can see the day when even a home garden will be against the law."
IRONY: Each night the song that got the masses on their feet and dancing was “Unbelievable”- which contains the best line he has written in the 90’s: “It don’t matter no more what you've got to say, it's unbelievable it go down that way." If I understand the meaning of "irony" right, (and like another I may not) it seemed a bit ironic that people began bopping around on the song where Dylan was singing that, no one was listening to what he has to say anymore.
SEMI-AMUSING QUOTE HEARD FROM AN AUDIENCE MEMBER: "Hey, isn't that Donovan? (cleaning up the stage)"
MISC. NOTE: By the last night I vowed if I saw one more person doing the "funky chicken down the aisles of the Orpheum, I would go lodge an official protest at Macalester Colleqe- the place bad dancing is taught for credit.
A LIST OF SONGS PERFORMED (* In parentheses is the number of nights the song was played ) : Peggy-O (2), Don't Think Twice (1), Hard Rain(1) Blowin in the Wind (1), Girl from the North Country (1), Times are a Changin (4), Hollis Brown (1), Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (1) John Brown (1) , Boots of Spanish Leather (4), Little Moses (5), To Ramona (1), I Don't Believe You (1), It Ain’t Me Babe (4) , Mr . Tambourine Man (1), Maggie’s Farm (5), She Belongs to Me (1), Gates of Eden (1), Positively 4th Street (1),Ballad of the Thin Man (1), Highway 61 Revisited (5), It Takes a lot to Laugh It Takes a Train to Cry (1), Rainy Day Woman (2), Stuck Inside a Mobile (1), Just Like a Woman (2), Visions of Johanna (1), I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (1), All Along the Watchtower (5), To Be Alone with You (1), Watching the River Flow (1), If Not For You (l), Tangled Up in Blue (2), Idiot Wind (1), Shelter From the Storm (1), Simple Twist of Fate (3) I Believe in You (1), Lenny Bruce (1), Every Grain of Sand (1), I and I (1), Union Sundown (1), I'll Remember You (1), Silvio (3), Man in the Long Black Coat (3), What Good Am I? (2), Everything is Broken (2), Under the Red Sky (1), Cats in the Well (1), Unbelievable (4)
Monday, August 31, 1992
A Review (Don't Look Back)
In answer to the question Daryl Lanz asked in last week's newsletter, for the record my favorite local band is Tina and the B-Sides (Movement). As the man would say, she's a close personal friend of mine plus she was kind enough to offer some encouraging words about my great unpublished novel. And the band sounds good too. Off the record, and I don't know if he qualifies as a local band because he's from the Iron Range, the only person I "Have" to see if he's in town, strangely enough is in town.
Bob Dylan wandered on to the Orpheum's stage Saturday looking every bit as confused and old as he did on David Letterman's Anniversary Show last February. He stumbled through two songs from Oh Mercy, "Everything is Broken" and "Man in the Long Black Coat" uttering some unitelligable rhyme to the word "trip." but the band kicked it up a notch with "All Along the Watchtower" and Dylan sang "Just Like a Woman" with so much authority, one had to believe someone was on his mind.
The highlight of the show was the acoustic portion where his performances on "Boots of Spanish Leather" and "John Brown" were spellbinding. "Boots..." of course is one of his better love songs full of self pitying lines like "I know your mind is a-roamin, I know you're thoughts are not with me but to the country to where you're going" which he milked for every ounce of feeling he could. "Joh Brown" is a still unreleased song (it appears on several bootlegs, Ten of Swords among them) about a mother proudly sending her "soldier son" off to war. It is every bit as powerful song as "Masters of War" and the embelishments from the band (three acoustic guitars and a non-electric bass) made the song sound as relevant today as it did back in the 60's. Dylan's vocals were inspired.
Although as his custom, he didn't say anything to the audience during the entire show, he was more animated than his last appearance here (at the 1990 State F word) and at times was downright playful. (He rapped a verse of "Tangled Up in Blue.") the band was gith, the arrangement of the songs and the song selection was comparable to other concerts on the Never Ending Tour. "Simple Twist of Fate" was given a countryish, Hawaiian style reading complete with a slide guitar.
Dylan closed the show with a three song encore which will give the people who analyze everything he does, some ammunition. Two of the songs, "What Good Am I?" and "It Ain't Me Babe" were among those that can be interpreted as written both to a woman friend and to his audience and critics. One has to wonder if there was a message he meant to deliver to the authors of the articles which appeared in the Twin Cities press last week bemoaning his "continuous decline" into self parody. "What good am I if I'm like all the rest?" "You say you're looking for someone who promises never to fall..." Dylan proved Saturday night he may not be the legend anymore, a title he never wanted in the first place, but he can still put on a meaningful show.
Bob Dylan wandered on to the Orpheum's stage Saturday looking every bit as confused and old as he did on David Letterman's Anniversary Show last February. He stumbled through two songs from Oh Mercy, "Everything is Broken" and "Man in the Long Black Coat" uttering some unitelligable rhyme to the word "trip." but the band kicked it up a notch with "All Along the Watchtower" and Dylan sang "Just Like a Woman" with so much authority, one had to believe someone was on his mind.
The highlight of the show was the acoustic portion where his performances on "Boots of Spanish Leather" and "John Brown" were spellbinding. "Boots..." of course is one of his better love songs full of self pitying lines like "I know your mind is a-roamin, I know you're thoughts are not with me but to the country to where you're going" which he milked for every ounce of feeling he could. "Joh Brown" is a still unreleased song (it appears on several bootlegs, Ten of Swords among them) about a mother proudly sending her "soldier son" off to war. It is every bit as powerful song as "Masters of War" and the embelishments from the band (three acoustic guitars and a non-electric bass) made the song sound as relevant today as it did back in the 60's. Dylan's vocals were inspired.
Although as his custom, he didn't say anything to the audience during the entire show, he was more animated than his last appearance here (at the 1990 State F word) and at times was downright playful. (He rapped a verse of "Tangled Up in Blue.") the band was gith, the arrangement of the songs and the song selection was comparable to other concerts on the Never Ending Tour. "Simple Twist of Fate" was given a countryish, Hawaiian style reading complete with a slide guitar.
Dylan closed the show with a three song encore which will give the people who analyze everything he does, some ammunition. Two of the songs, "What Good Am I?" and "It Ain't Me Babe" were among those that can be interpreted as written both to a woman friend and to his audience and critics. One has to wonder if there was a message he meant to deliver to the authors of the articles which appeared in the Twin Cities press last week bemoaning his "continuous decline" into self parody. "What good am I if I'm like all the rest?" "You say you're looking for someone who promises never to fall..." Dylan proved Saturday night he may not be the legend anymore, a title he never wanted in the first place, but he can still put on a meaningful show.
Monday, August 24, 1992
Conventionally Speaking
I'm not one who usually aligns himself with either one of the two major political parties (like there is a major difference between either one) but after witnessing this past weak's (too easy to pass up) convention, I was just about ready to sign up for a lifetime membership in the Michael Dukakis fan club. ("Yes honey, I've been Dukakarized.") In face of some serious economic troubles, I wonder how one party can attempt to frame itself as "pro-family" while labeling the other party as "anti-family." Even my even keeled ethical balance was exasperated by the repetitive mention of the words "family values." How can the party that through the years stated it is the party which wishes to keep the government out of the lives of the people put in its platform such sweeping language on its moralistic religious beliefs especially when it comes to the issue of abortion? Even the wishy washiest members of the audience could see a bit of hypocrisy in the Republican's words.
One having proclaimed Pat Buchanan as my favorite member of the McGlaughlin Group, I would now have to say Pat's speech at the convention almost single handedly (with a little help from his friends Ronald Reagan and Marily Quayle-yikes!) spurred me to want to vote for the other side; a protest vote I will call it. Buchanan proved he doesn't just play a lunatic on TV, he actually is one. No Pat, we shouldn't be proud of how "our" patriotic young "white" military force of men clubbed back that unruly, angry, "black" mob in L.A.- that sort of misses the point altogether.
Our alternative of course is putting Tipper Gore in the White House which doesn't seem like much of an option. That it is probably the better choice says a lot about our current state of affairs.
FUN FACTS
If Rush's Alex Lifeson would have been a member of Styx, the 70's would have been an entirely different decade.
In a poll of elementary school girls, the professions of "nurse" and "teacher" remained the most popular choices for possible careers. Surprisingly, in third place was the dream to be the tambourine player for the Fall.
Nowhere on any Bachman Turner Overdrive records will you hear the words "deep thought" spoken or sung.
One having proclaimed Pat Buchanan as my favorite member of the McGlaughlin Group, I would now have to say Pat's speech at the convention almost single handedly (with a little help from his friends Ronald Reagan and Marily Quayle-yikes!) spurred me to want to vote for the other side; a protest vote I will call it. Buchanan proved he doesn't just play a lunatic on TV, he actually is one. No Pat, we shouldn't be proud of how "our" patriotic young "white" military force of men clubbed back that unruly, angry, "black" mob in L.A.- that sort of misses the point altogether.
Our alternative of course is putting Tipper Gore in the White House which doesn't seem like much of an option. That it is probably the better choice says a lot about our current state of affairs.
FUN FACTS
If Rush's Alex Lifeson would have been a member of Styx, the 70's would have been an entirely different decade.
In a poll of elementary school girls, the professions of "nurse" and "teacher" remained the most popular choices for possible careers. Surprisingly, in third place was the dream to be the tambourine player for the Fall.
Nowhere on any Bachman Turner Overdrive records will you hear the words "deep thought" spoken or sung.
Monday, August 17, 1992
Notes
JOB OPENING: Last week Melodye wondered if 280 was going to be open by Fair time. As a resident of that area I have wondered the same thing all summer. As a person who works near downtown St. Paul (the city construction has made it all but impossible to get into and out of), the various detours and one lane roads caused by construction is getting a wee bit frustrating. I'll also have to admit I've never been to the Minnetonka Cheapo becaues the last time I tried to get to Ridgedale the construction on the freeway was so bad I just gave up. thus we here at the newsletter decided what we rally need is a traffic reporter. The job includes giving us updates on the various road projects MNDOT has started and finished or started and not finished. You don't get a helicopter but you do get free paper and a pen to use. Anyone interested should contact David immediately.
The editorial staff would also like to bid a fond adieu to Kevin O'Connor who is one hell of a human being and a nice guy to boot. We wish you good luck Kevin although we feel some trepidation for your departure. It's merely speculation but we have to wonder if part of your decision to leave was caused by our cow report last week which made you itch to head back out west...
********
The visitor met his second cousin in Seattle. He was given a tour of the city by the 71-year-old woman. She asked him what he wanted to see and he responded in his typcial mono-syllabic manner, "Uh record stores I guess." So she showed him to as many stores as she knew and after having visited a few she asked the visitor a question. "Why do you like records?" she asked. It was a farily straight forward question and the visitor, never one to give straight forward answers scratched his hatless head in utter bewilderment. How do you answer such a question? What is a good explanation for a life long interest?
As a child the visitor called anything round "a record." he even read his first words off the label of a Burl Ives' 45. He looked at the woman in front of him and said, "I like to watch things go round and round." it didn't seem like much of an answer but it did its job. It ended the conversation.
Upon hi sreturn to Minnesota, the visitor's favorite mother of two told him her youngest daughter was spending a lot of time sitting in her room listening to a Randy Travis tape, reading the small lyric sheet insert, while singing along. (Who did this remind him of? the visitor wondered.) That a metropolitan child of eight could relate to and find enjoyment in the music of a multi-millionaire "traditional" country singer provided a little more insight into the question the visitor had skillfully avoided. Music while universal is also individual, bringing together people together in a personal way.
Presumably all of us working here have some type of interest in music on "records." Is there an adequate answer to the question why? "It occupies my time..." It's a diversion... an expression... a release..." "It makes me dance..." "I don't know what it means Mervyn but it sure makes my feet tap." Maybe some things are better left unknown. Do we know why a cat purrs? Why a saw buzzes? Why the mega mall was built?
The visitor spent an hour or so watching the wheels spin round and round and decided his next step was to write an Andy Rooneyish (emphasis on the word "ish") column. He was tired but it was a good kind of tired.
The editorial staff would also like to bid a fond adieu to Kevin O'Connor who is one hell of a human being and a nice guy to boot. We wish you good luck Kevin although we feel some trepidation for your departure. It's merely speculation but we have to wonder if part of your decision to leave was caused by our cow report last week which made you itch to head back out west...
********
The visitor met his second cousin in Seattle. He was given a tour of the city by the 71-year-old woman. She asked him what he wanted to see and he responded in his typcial mono-syllabic manner, "Uh record stores I guess." So she showed him to as many stores as she knew and after having visited a few she asked the visitor a question. "Why do you like records?" she asked. It was a farily straight forward question and the visitor, never one to give straight forward answers scratched his hatless head in utter bewilderment. How do you answer such a question? What is a good explanation for a life long interest?
As a child the visitor called anything round "a record." he even read his first words off the label of a Burl Ives' 45. He looked at the woman in front of him and said, "I like to watch things go round and round." it didn't seem like much of an answer but it did its job. It ended the conversation.
Upon hi sreturn to Minnesota, the visitor's favorite mother of two told him her youngest daughter was spending a lot of time sitting in her room listening to a Randy Travis tape, reading the small lyric sheet insert, while singing along. (Who did this remind him of? the visitor wondered.) That a metropolitan child of eight could relate to and find enjoyment in the music of a multi-millionaire "traditional" country singer provided a little more insight into the question the visitor had skillfully avoided. Music while universal is also individual, bringing together people together in a personal way.
Presumably all of us working here have some type of interest in music on "records." Is there an adequate answer to the question why? "It occupies my time..." It's a diversion... an expression... a release..." "It makes me dance..." "I don't know what it means Mervyn but it sure makes my feet tap." Maybe some things are better left unknown. Do we know why a cat purrs? Why a saw buzzes? Why the mega mall was built?
The visitor spent an hour or so watching the wheels spin round and round and decided his next step was to write an Andy Rooneyish (emphasis on the word "ish") column. He was tired but it was a good kind of tired.
Monday, August 10, 1992
Shooter
DON'T PRINT THAT
Thanks to Al for putting together the newsletter and maintaining the tradition last week during my absence. Last week's issue was far and away the most informative. Good job Al.
All of us here at the newsletter staff also wish to congratulate Denise and her husband on their recent marriage. At the risk of taking a controversial stand on an issue (heaven forbid) the editorial staff has decided to declare we are pro-marriage and beyond that pro-love.
JOTTINGS
Las Vegas, Nevada- Life on the road teaches one how dependent on others one is while away from home. While flying in here from San Francisco, your friendly neighborhood editor had a bit of an anxiety attack. I came upon the realization my life was literally in the hands of complete strangers. What did I know of my pilot Bob and his first officer Dennis? What if they had been drinking? What if one of them held a grudge against the city of Las Vegas for his gambling debts and decided to take it out by driving a large aircraft into a populated casino? What if one of their hearts had been broken in Vegas and the return trip was too much to handle? My heart raced like a little bunny rabbit.
On a more sensible level, when one is in a foreign city, the businesses you rely on are most likely stumbled upon by nothing more than outward appearances. Yet you depend on their services to make your trip more enjoyable. One nice thing I found in Seattle was the general friendliness of the retail personnel. It impressed me that in nearly every store I found myself in, someone would greet me and ask if I needed any assistance. (Most have been my naturally confused look.) I've never been one to get excited about all these "new" retail philosophies where clerks are trained how to treat their customers. I've always been one to stick to simplicity and treat the person across the counter the way i wish to be treated. But you really notice a difference in your perception of a city, or a business when the help you receive is indifferent and lacking in the most basic courteous behavior. For example, in a Berkeley book store while purchasing a book, the salesperson maintained a conversation with another employee the entire time he was ringing me up not even interrupting himself to give me the amount of my purchase. The entire experience left me bitter for days.
While in Renton Washington, my family and I checked into a Motel 6 where we found the sheets in our room full of hair and food crumbs. My sister called the front desk and requested new sheets. The manager came up in a storm, "Those sheets were changed this morning. I was here when they did them. It's only dog hair... if you don't like it here you can stay at the Red Lion..." By the time he was finished changing the sheets he was screaming at my father and even I, usually the last to catch on, realized this probably wasn't the best way to treat a customer. So if you're ever in Renton, I would suggest staying at the Red Lion. It might be a little more expensive but I think clean sheets are probably worth it....
Thanks to Al for putting together the newsletter and maintaining the tradition last week during my absence. Last week's issue was far and away the most informative. Good job Al.
All of us here at the newsletter staff also wish to congratulate Denise and her husband on their recent marriage. At the risk of taking a controversial stand on an issue (heaven forbid) the editorial staff has decided to declare we are pro-marriage and beyond that pro-love.
JOTTINGS
Las Vegas, Nevada- Life on the road teaches one how dependent on others one is while away from home. While flying in here from San Francisco, your friendly neighborhood editor had a bit of an anxiety attack. I came upon the realization my life was literally in the hands of complete strangers. What did I know of my pilot Bob and his first officer Dennis? What if they had been drinking? What if one of them held a grudge against the city of Las Vegas for his gambling debts and decided to take it out by driving a large aircraft into a populated casino? What if one of their hearts had been broken in Vegas and the return trip was too much to handle? My heart raced like a little bunny rabbit.
On a more sensible level, when one is in a foreign city, the businesses you rely on are most likely stumbled upon by nothing more than outward appearances. Yet you depend on their services to make your trip more enjoyable. One nice thing I found in Seattle was the general friendliness of the retail personnel. It impressed me that in nearly every store I found myself in, someone would greet me and ask if I needed any assistance. (Most have been my naturally confused look.) I've never been one to get excited about all these "new" retail philosophies where clerks are trained how to treat their customers. I've always been one to stick to simplicity and treat the person across the counter the way i wish to be treated. But you really notice a difference in your perception of a city, or a business when the help you receive is indifferent and lacking in the most basic courteous behavior. For example, in a Berkeley book store while purchasing a book, the salesperson maintained a conversation with another employee the entire time he was ringing me up not even interrupting himself to give me the amount of my purchase. The entire experience left me bitter for days.
While in Renton Washington, my family and I checked into a Motel 6 where we found the sheets in our room full of hair and food crumbs. My sister called the front desk and requested new sheets. The manager came up in a storm, "Those sheets were changed this morning. I was here when they did them. It's only dog hair... if you don't like it here you can stay at the Red Lion..." By the time he was finished changing the sheets he was screaming at my father and even I, usually the last to catch on, realized this probably wasn't the best way to treat a customer. So if you're ever in Renton, I would suggest staying at the Red Lion. It might be a little more expensive but I think clean sheets are probably worth it....
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