Me and Ron Howard
I WISH I could say it was due to my collaboration with this Oscar-winning director
Sadly, it is about a chance encounter I had with him when I was in Boston to do research for a book. Years later the Boston Globe began a feature called "50 Words" and I couldn't resist the opportunity to share my brush with greatness.
And if he has somehow found this page, let me say "Ron, I am really sorry..." but also "I have these two published novels which would make for a great movie...."
.jpg/:/cr=t:0%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:100%25/rs=w:600,cg:true)
The liner notes are a howl
The time: 12:45 AM - - the date: June 14, 1962 - - the temperature: 12 degrees above zero - - the place: The 1st Annual Moosylvania Jazz Festival. Wee Bonnie Baker had just left the stand after a three-hour stint that had left the audience of 18 hardy jazz buffs limp, bur still screaming for more. Backstage, impresario Jay Ward, promoter of the event, had just received a phone call from Albert White and the Morris Plan Masters of Melody, who were to appear next on the program in a musical pageant saluting the announcement of Moosylvania's application for state-hood. Entitled "A Musical Pageant Saluting the Announcement of Moosylvania's Application For Statehood'', this was to be the highlight of the entire festival. It seems that their chartered bus had encountered a midsummer blizzard about seven mites from the Bullwinkle Bowl, where the festival was being held, and they were trapped in an eight foot snowdrift. Undismayed by this unlucky turn of events , the nimble-minded Ward quickly recruited a ''pick-up" band and glee club from the audience, including three comb-and-tissue paper players, a musical bottle virtuoso, and a Samoan conch-shell blower. With only five minutes rehearsal backstage, the makeshift ensemble took their places before the skeptical audience. Before the closing notes of their first number were completed, cheers and shouts of "go man, go!'' and ''Lynch 'em!" rocked the famous old amphitheatre. A new jazz legend was born! Choked with emotion, Ward was moved to make a feeling-packed 6 hour speech, none of which, luckily, is contained herein. I feel that the electricity and excitement of this magic night is captured magnificently on this recording, which, due to lack of sales, is destined to become a collector's item.
--- Notes by
Horace Gene Dingle
Jazz and Woodcraft Editor
"Boys' Life"
Thanks for visiting!
Bobby Baccalla gets whacked
Trainland - a special place growing up
Trainland - a special place growing up
Trainland - a special place growing up
Near the town on Long Island where I grew up was this amazing store called Trainland, in Valley Stream, which was filled from floor to ceiling with model trains (from "N" to "L" gauge) model cars, Estes rockets and stuff for many other hobbies. Many years ago my family and I went to visit my parents in Merrick. When I saw Trainland was still there, I said "dad, we HAVE to go in." (Yea, like he needed convincing.)
We go inside....
Trainland - a special place growing up
Trainland - a special place growing up
It was like stepping back in time. It was exactly as I remembered, with displays of hundreds of model trains and accessories lining the walls. Nearby, I heard my wife calling out to me. She just HAD to show me something in a display. Okay, here's come the Sopranos connection. Remember in the last episode of the series, when Bobby Bacala, who was a model train hobbyist, got "whacked" at a model train store? THIS WAS THE STORE!
Did I mention the sign outside the store?
YES! THIS was the place where Bobby Baccalla got whacked in the last season of The Sopranos.
They even have the bullet shells
Circled in the lower left corner I've marked two bullet shells used in the scene. Those are the trains that "Bobby" was looking at when he was shot. Another employee, who got a kick out of my TWO reactions (one, for the beloved store of my youth still being around and TWO for that store being a scene in one of my favorite TV shows) called my family over to watch a video of the scene as it was broadcast.
The video of Bobby's demise...
The video of Bobby's demise...
The video of Bobby's demise...
A VERY Meta moment, watching the scene while IN THE STORE!
A surprise
The video of Bobby's demise...
The video of Bobby's demise...
The employees said actor Steve Schirripa (who played Bobby) was extremely gracious and kind to the store's employees.
Ted Slampyak and The American Journal
One of the joys of writing is meeting creative, talented people, like author, storyboard artist, and freelance illustrator Ted Slampyak. His work includes the very wry books Art of Manliness and Toddler Survival Guide. He also has the distinction of being chosen to write and illustrate a classic American comic strips of all time, Little Orphan Annie. His website, storytellersworkshop.com has samples of these and and other works.
Some years ago Ted reached out to me while researching for a graphic novel series he was writing about a detective whose office was in Scollay Square at the time of the Boston Police Strike in 1919. We later collaborated on a proposed weekly comic strip on American history. Some samples are below. And yes, if you are an agent or publisher we would love to chat!
The American Journal (sample #1)
The American Journal (sample #2)
