What about Sid?

This year’s Emmy Awards show expectedly (and rightfully) commemorated the life and career Robin Williams.

Williams’ passing was so unexpected–and his career still so fresh, so recent–that it’s no surprise his passing occupied the largest slice of the “In Memoriam” segment of the show.

But Sid Caesar died this year, too. And reflective of the way the television industry is so poorly aware of its own history, his death is easy to miss in tonight’s broadcast. It’s no exaggeration to say that Sid practically invented television as we know it. While his passing was not unexpected (he lived to be 91), and a lot of time has passed since the height of his career, Sid deserved a little more than just a head shot.

Monday Blues (8.18.14)

In the more than 40 years since they released their first album, a variety of line-ups have played as The Allman Brothers Band. Playing their classic “Whipping Post” at one of their 1970 shows at the Fillmore East (before the March 1971 shows that would make up their third album, Live at the Fillmore East), the line-up featured here is the strongest of their career: Greg Allman on organ; the late-great Duane Allman on lead guitar; Dickey Betts on lead guitar; the late Berry Oakley on bass; Butch Trucks on drums; and Jaimoe on drums.

Friday Five: Elvis ’72

This weekend marks the 37th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley.

Elvis was 37 years old in 1972, a year that falls within my favorite Elvis period (1968-72). His live shows in that period were as good as it gets for the King. While you can see hints of his tendency to impersonation himself–something that would become the norm as he went into serious physical decline–you also get some real hints of the greatness that was Elvis.

Here are five live performances from 1972.

5. “Proud Mary” @ Madison Square Garden
My favorite live Elvis album is of his legendary Madison Square Garden shows from 1972. He played two shows on the day of recording, an afternoon and an evening one, with the evening one supplying almost all of the tracks for the album.

4. “Polk Salad Annie”
This is a video from the 1972 documentary Elvis on Tour, a collection of his performances from this period.

3. “Burning Love” @ Greensboro Coliseum
This is from his Greensboro show (April 14, 1972) where he premiered “Burning Love” to a live audience.

2. “Bridge Over Troubled Waters”
Another from Elvis on Tour.

1. “Suspicious Minds” @ Madison Square Garden
This is a low-quality video from the afternoon show. One of my favorite Elvis songs, and his last to top the Billboard charts.

 

Mork and I go way back…

The death of Robin Williams has inspired an outpouring of love and sadness, not just by those who knew him personally but also by people like us, his fans.

It’s an odd thing, celebrity. A man most of us have never met feels as familiar as a friend, even though we remain completely unknown and unrecognizable to him.

As everyday people share their favorite memories from his long and varied career, I’m struck by the way these memories can be simultaneously personal and yet shared. Still, in all the clips and old photos I have seen over the past two days, the one thing I haven’t seen is mention of one of my favorite Robin Williams memories. It was something that provided me and my family with hours of fun.

It’s the “Mork & Mindy Card Game.”

The interwebs tells me there were two games. Mine was released in 1978 and the other, a more traditional board game, came out in 1979.

Our game worked kind of like “Uno” where you get rid of cards based on color or kind, except the cards were of various space creatures.

There were also “special” cards that let you penalize your opponent. Each represented a character from the show. There was a “Cora” card (“Aah Aah!”); a “Fredzo” card (“Zabah!”); and an “Orson” card (called “Zzzzzt”).

There was also a wild card.

And, of course, there was…

The unique part of the game was that you had to pronounce the names of all these strange space creatures as you played the cards. If you threw down a Mork card, you shouted “Na-no Na-no” (the game used that spelling over “Na-nu Na-nu”) and then grabbed one of these styrofoam eggs.

There was always one less egg than player at the table. The loser had to draw more cards. Every time you had to draw, you had to say “Shazzbot!”

The game was a blast. Whether I was playing it with my whole family or just one-on-one with my sister, it inspired this kind of energetic verbal lunacy that just made you laugh out loud. It was something kind of like the comedic genius of Robin Williams.

Robin Williams will be missed. I’m grateful for his creativity, and for getting the chance to grow up with it. And I am most grateful for the laughter. Thanks for the memories.

Monday Blues (8.11.14)

Paul McCartney (Liverpool, 1942- ) wrote “Oh Darling!” and recorded it in 1969 for what would become The Beatles last recorded studio album, Abbey Road. It’s a standard blues tune, reflective of the foundation of a lot of popular music of the 1950s and 1960s. This video features the vocals of the song with the music stripped away.

Friday Five: Paul McCartney (sort of…)

I’m going to the Paul McCartney concert this weekend at Dodger Stadium. It’s my first time seeing him in concert, and my first time seeing any Beatle perform live.

Paul McCartney is responsible for more than a few of my favorite songs of all-time. I’m sure the same could be said for just about any fan of rock and roll.

Instead of offering a typical list of some of those songs, I thought I’d celebrate the occasion by offering some amazing covers of songs written by Sir Paul. In many ways it’s a perfect reflection of his talent and legacy.

5. “Maybe I’m Amazed” (1970): performed by The Faces
A love song written to his wife, Linda, this song was released on McCartney’s 1970 album McCartney.

4. “Yesterday” (1965): performed by Frank Sinatra
A contender for the most popular song written by a Beatle, it also competes for the most covered song in popular music.

3. “Let It Be” (1970): performed by Aretha Franklin
I’m not sure any version of this song can beat the original, with the scruffy Paul playing with John, George, Ringo, and Billy Preston. But Aretha!

2. “Golden Slumbers” (1969): performed by K.D. Lang
Part of the medley that closes my favorite Beatles album of all-time.

1. “Hey Jude” (1968): performed by everyone
I suspect this would top most people’s lists of “Best Beatles Songs.” There’s a reason he closes out so many of his own performances with it–it’s a classic that also captures so much of the phenomenon that was the Beatles. The most famous cover of it might be by the great Wilson Picket, but I’ve always thought it’s one of those songs that’s always going to be impossible to cover well. So here’s Paul playing with some of his friends, closing out the “Music for Montserrat” benefit in 1997.

Monday Blues (8.4.14)

Samuel Maghett, more famously known as “Magic Sam,” was born (1937) and raised in Mississippi. He moved to Chicago at the age of 19 and, even though his career was cut short by a heart attack at age 32, he is considered one of the master’s of the Chicago blues sound.

Here’s his “I Don’t Want No Woman” from his 1967 debut album, West Side Soul.