Jamie Malanowski's Blog, page 2

BABY LET ME FOLLOW YOU DOWN

Dave Jensen and I went to the Complete Last Waltz concert at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester on Wednesday night. I wish the organizers had issued a program, because I do not know the names of the many excellent musicians who performed. Here is a partial list: Joe Russo, Sam Cohen, Scott Metzger, Dave Dreiwitz, Marco Benevento, Jeff Chimenti, Jon Shaw, Josh Kaufman, Nels Cline, Toby Leaman, Delicate Steve, Nicole Atkins, Jocie Adams, Binky Griptite, John Roderick, Jeremy Black, Eric D. Johnson, Ryan Miller, The Antibalas Horns, Elvis Perkins, and The Parkington Sisters. Top: A calisthenic “Who Do You Love?”. Below: “Dry Your Eyes”; “Furry Sings the Blues”; “Such a Night”; “Baby, Let Me Follow You Down”;

ALONZO CUSHING GETS HIS MEDAL OF HONOR

HOW ROBERT FRIPP MADE A MUSICIAN OUT OF ME

“All my life, I have loved music, and never in my life have I been the tiniest bit musical. Not only can I not sing in tune, I cause others to fall off key. Not only can I not dance, my dancing has often caused injury to others, most memorably on a St. Patrick’s Day in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, when at the conclusion of a dance I exuberantly dipped my wife-to-be and smashed her head into a door frame. I took guitar lessons for two years, giving up only when my teacher noted that inasmuch I had never been able to tune my instrument, or even tell if it was in tune, I would probably always—his word—stink. Clap in time? Forget it.

And yet, when I saw that the legendary progressive rock band King Crimson, in its eighth incarnation, was on tour again, I was reminded that there was one night, nearly thirty years ago, when I did play an instrument, in a band, before an audience, capably. And we were great. As much as anyone, the man responsible was Robert Fripp, King Crimson’s cerebral, brilliant, exacting, intimidating lead guitarist.”

To read the rest on newyorker.com, click here.

ASKED AND ANSWERED

The journalist Deborah Kalb was kind enough to asak me about writing, Coammander Will Cushing, books, and other subject. You can read the results right here.

Thanks, Deborah!

HEY SAILOR!

Commander Will Cushing, hanging around the Village Bookstore in Pleasantville NY, making eyes at Lena Dunham.

BEN BRADLEE, 1921-2014

LUST OBJECT

In its current auction, Ray Haradin Toys of Yesteryear, a Pittsburgh outfit, is offering a 60-piece toy set depicting the Sack of Troy. The set was made by Heyde, the German toy maker that was based in Dresden. Founded in 1872, Heyde was destroyed during the firebombing of 1945. I don’t know when this set was made. Heyde was highly admired for its theme sets, which included the “Buffalo Bill Wild West Show,”, “North Pole Expedition”, and “Tiger Hunting in India”. Bidding on this amazing set will start at $16,500

WE’RE OFF!

Thanks very much to Civil War Forum of Metropolitan New York for inviting me to speak on Monday night about my man Commander Will Cushing, and getting the book launched off to a great start. We met at Draughts restaurant on 55th street at Second Avenue. It was great to see friends like Paul Windells (below), Charlie Schwartz and Bob Rowen. This marked my third appearance before the group, which means I earned my third plaque. I must say, it’s pretty cool to see them altogether. Afterwards, we danced the night away under the lights (just kidding about that part!)

COMEDY VERITE

Last week I had the pleasure of going to the theater with one half of my Loose Lips co-writers, the gemultlict Lisa Birnbach. What fun! We had dinner on Bond Street in a brick-walled basement level restaurant called The Smile, which had the atmosphere and trappings of the kind of archetypal Greenwich Village that Edna St. Vincent Millay might have known, except for the absence of candles in chianti bottles. After that we went around the corner to the Lynn Redgrave Theater to see a play called `Tail! Spin!’ The play, which featured terrific acting, was about the sexual shenanigans of former senator Larry Craig, ex-governor Mark Sanford, and ex-congressmen Mark Foley and Anthony Weiner. The text was cleverly assembled by Mario Correa out of bits of speeches, comments, texts,emails, statements and interview answers actually uttered by the actual parties. No wonder it caught the eye of former Lippers. Anyway, it was a lot of fun; we’ll have to see if something evolves out of it,

THE SECRET IS OUT

“A workshop of a new musical about late talk-show host Johnny Carson, simply titled Carson — The Musical, will be held in Manhattan in December. Rehearsals, according to an Equity casting notice, will begin Nov. 3; presentations are scheduled for Dec. 9-12. Carson has a book by Jamie Malanowski and Henry Bushkin with music by Doug Katsaros and lyrics by Katsaros and Malanowski. Tricia Brouk is directing and choreographing; Joe Baker is the music director. Characters in the new musical include Johnny Carson, Joan Rivers, Rick Carson, Ed McMahon, Ruth Carson, Joanne Carson, Alexis Carson, Fred Silverman and more.Casting is by Cindi Rush Casting; the general manager is Gindi Theatrical Management.” –Playbill, September 30, 2014