ASK ROD |
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A
Thought for Today
To be original, be yourself.
The weather in Southern California still
bounces between awful and sorta awful. Grim, might be the operative word. It isn't spring,
summer or any season I'm familiar with. It wants to rain, but doesn't. The sun threatens
to shine but always ends up crying "wolf." It's gloomy and cool every morning,
but the nights make up for it by hovering just above freezing. Complain? Who me? It could
be worse or maybe it couldn't.
Still, I whistle while I work and it's nice to be working. Had a lot of mail and phone
calls over the holiday about a show I didn't see, though a tape of it is on its way to me.
SEASONS IN THE SUN STROKE
Rod, Please clear up a bit of confusion for me. I saw a VH1 show
where Terry Jacks said he wrote Seasons in the Sun. I have always been under the
impression that you and Jacques Brel wrote this song. What is correct? Thanks, Tom
Dieudonne.
Dear Tom. Ann, on the message board thinks Terry may have spent too many seasons in the
sun without a hat. .For the record, Jacques wrote "Le Moribond" in 1962. I
adapted it to "Seasons In The Sun" three years later. It was an international
standard in both French and English thanks to recordings by The Kingston Trio, Nana
Mouskouri, Bud & Travis and even Pearls Before Swine before Terry Jacks recorded it in
1974 for Poppy Family Productions. He had a big hit with it and I've always appreciated
the royalties his recording brought me, they helped pay for a new roof on my house. Oddly
enough his follow-up single was "If You Go Away," another Brel-McKuen
collaboration. Alas, Lightning did not strike twice.
I'm not sure what Terry's been up to lately. I know he once wrote a song called "The
Concrete Sea," it's on his "Seasons In The Sun" LP. I've always thought he
was a terrific talent. Thanks for the query, Tom. Rod
Dear Rod, If Terry Jacks wrote "Seasons In The Sun" in the
seventies, as he clamed on VH1's One Hit Wonders, how come it's the title of your 1963
album and it's also on your 1969 Carnegie Hall Birthday Concert record? Funny thing, when
the camera showed the label it said (McKuen-Brel) under the title. Sherilee.
Dear Sherilee, Er, eh, mmm, we backdated the albums? Alas Jacques isn't able to defend
himself, but I think VH1 owes me some equal time. Anybody know if they have a website?
Thanks, Rod
OLD BOOT
I saw this item for sale at eBay, the world's largest personal
trading community, and thought that you might be interested.
Item Description:
Title of item: OLD BOOTS PRIVATE PAPER --ROD McKUEN
Seller: sapp@gru.net
Starts: 04/30/99, 21:10:00 PDT
Ends: 05/07/99, 21:10:00 PDT
Price: Currently $8.27
SMALL HUMOR COMIC DRAWINGS IN BOOK, BY GREAT AUTHOR/POET ROD McKUEN--CARTOON FORMAT ABOUT
A SHEEPDOG. MINT CONDITION, NO MARKS, BUYER PAYS SHIPING/INSURANCE IF WANTED.
Rod, Does this item ring
a bell for you? Don't see it listed by Jay. Thinking about bidding. Thanks. Wes
Dear Wes, Based on the auction dates listed above I'm a little late in answering this. Old
Boot is one in a series of Stanyan Books that were marketed through Random House. I found
"Old Boot" in an English comic strip called "The Perishers" It is a
wonderful series drawn by Dennis Collins and written by Maurice Dodd. I brought it to the
U. S. in hopes of making Boot, the Old English Sheepdog, a success in our daily and Sunday
papers. I didn't have much luck, but "Boot" became a Stanyan mascot and appeared
on our calendars and in issues of The Stanyan News. We still love him around here. Check
with Dwight, I think he's selling whatever stock we have left of "Old Boot's Private
Papers" at around $5,00 a copy, Rod
STUFF
I've been thinking of "Melinda" lately because she's written several times about
the availability of videos, hope to have some positive news concerning them soon, .
Meanwhile I've printed one of her favorite poems to end today's flight plan . . . .
Interesting thought, today Chuck Barris and The Marquis de Sade share the same birthday. .
. . Best current Y2K story; Consumer Reports tells about the new Sanyo iron that is
"Y2K Compliant" and comments 'so are pencils and paper.' As The 2000 Scare
continues, send me any of the absurd Y2K stories you come across, maybe we can get a
feature going here . . . . New recordings I like: Moisture's "Bastard" CD;
Intelligent rock, reasonable roll. I'm really enjoying the series of soundtracks that the
enterprising Ryko Records have rescued from the MGM/UA vaults Johnny Mandel's "I Want
To Live," Henry Mancini's "The Pink Panther Strikes Again." Andre Previn's
wonderful "Elmer Gantry" and "Irma La Duce." Most of these packages
include music never released on the original LP's and have been enhanced for CD-ROM with
original trailers and scenes from the films. Others in this series include Burt Bachrach's
legendary "What's New Pussycat," Alex North's "The Misfits" and of
particular interest Billy May's driving score for "Johnny Cool," which came out
for about five minutes when MGM Records was going down the tubes. It includes two Sammy
Davis Jr. vocals. I'll be reviewing several of the series in a new flight plan called
Words About Music later in the month. . . . Mail is stacking up again so I'll get to some
more of it tomorrow, meanwhile have an easy evening.
- RM 5/2/99 Previously unpublished. |
