Today is the 80th anniversary of V-J Day, or Victory Over Japan Day. After the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early August of 1945, Japan announced its surrender, leading to widespread celebrations globally. This led to the official end of World War II.
Many of the images that Americans associate with the end of the war were taken on this day (8/14). In the United Kingdom, however, the following day—August 15—was formally declared as V-J Day and remains so to the present day. Japan commemorates August 15 as the end of the war as well.
While the initial announcement of surrender led to immediate celebrations, but the formal signing of the surrender documents happened on September 2, 1945. That is what solidified the end of the war and is officially recognized by the US as V-J Day.
One of the most famous photos taken on August 14th was of a sailor kissing a woman in the middle of Time Square.
The sailor in the iconic “V-J Day in Times Square” photo was George Mendosa, and the woman he kissed was Greta Zimmer Friedman. The photograph captures the moment of jubilation in Times Square after the announcement of Japan’s surrender.
Many people think that the photo depicts a “nurse,” Friedman was actually a dental assistant, and the white uniform she wore was standard attire for dental assistants at the time. Mendonsa, who was on leave from the Navy, got caught up in the celebratory atmosphere of the day. He later stated he acted on instinct, grabbing and kissing the woman in the white uniform. A truly iconic moment captured on film forever.
Just to be clarify, the identities of the two in the photo has been a topic of controversy for some time. Carl Muscarello (a retired NY policeman) said the soldier was him in 1995. In 2007, Glenn McDuffie made the claim that it was him. A woman named Edith Shain claimed to be the woman claiming to be kissed by Muscarello.
Whoever is in the photo, it remains one of the most famous photos of World War II. It inspired a bronze statue of the moment called “Unconditional Surrender.” Copies of the statue have appeared all over the country. On June 18, 2016 a copy was installed in my home state of Michigan in the city of Royal Oak. It went on display in the city’s Memorial Park on June 20. The city manager expected that the statue would increase tourism and help raise money for the Michigan WWII Legacy Memorial, a permanent World War II memorial in the park. It remained there until December of 2016.
The statue was located on Woodward Ave, which I drove daily to get to work. It was an amazing sight to see up close. I was sad when they moved it to its next destination.
Medical insurance companies must have a lot of fun messing with people. They always seem to have a legitimate reason for why something isn’t covered. I always hang up wondering, “Well, just what IS covered then? With all the money I am paying, I’d assume something like this would be covered!”
I was completely prepared to have my angiogram Tuesday morning. We’d arranged for a baby sitter for the kids, I had work on standby in case I wouldn’t make it in, and I had filled out the questionnaire they needed. Then the phone rang ….
Monday at 3pm, I got a call from the hospital saying that my procedure had been cancelled. The reason? My insurance company would not authorize it. The hospital told me that the ordering doctor was not available to talk with the insurance company, so it was cancelled. (My doc is out for a couple weeks for a medical procedure.)
I called my doctor’s office, knowing that another doctor was filling in for mine. I explained that I needed the doctor to do a “peer to peer” with the insurance company to get the authorization. I was scurrying around making calls to insurance, to the hospital and my doctor’s office. In the end, the doctor was able to get ahold of the insurance company, however, they said they would not authorize the angiogram until I did the stress test.
The stress test is tomorrow. I have no idea what it is going to show, but I got an email today saying that I could schedule (REschedule) the angiogram, and if they felt like I didn’t need it, they’d cancel it. Well, obviously, my doctor seemed to think that I needed it. Since when do they get to decide what tests I need and don’t need? It’s ridiculous!
Happy Heavenly Birthday to Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. who was born on this day in 1929. You probably know him as “Buck.”
I was introduced to Buck when I saw him on Hee Haw with Roy Clark.
They co-hosted the show together from 1969-1986! Had quite a run full of hillbilly humor and corny jokes.
Buck taught himself how to play guitar, horns, mandolin, and drums. He was the frontman for The Buckaroos and together they chocked up 21 number one hits. He is best known for his Bakersfield sound, named in honor of Bakersfield, California.
In 1963, Johnny Russell pitched his song “Act Naturally” to Buck. Buck really didn’t care for it at first. His guitarist and longtime collaborator Don Rich, however, enjoyed it and convinced Owens to record it with the Buckaroos. Laid down on February 12, 1963, it was released on March 11 and entered the charts of April 13. By June 15 the single began its first of four non-consecutive weeks at the No. 1 position, Owens’s first top hit.
The song made an impact on four guys from Liverpool known as The Beatles. They covered the song in 1965 and Ringo Starr handled the lead vocals.
23 years later, Ringo and Buck would get together and perform the song as a duet.
Owens was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996. He passed away in March of 2006.
1973’s American Graffiti is a classic film known for showcasing many young actors and actresses who who go on to very big things. Featured in the cast were Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, McKenzie Phillips, Cindy Williams, Harrison Ford, and Suzanne Somers. The film is also known for its phenomenal soundtrack.
In the film, these tunes are often presented on the by the DJ, played by the legendary Wolfman Jack. On the soundtrack, there are actually some clips of Wolfman talking up some of the songs.
The soundtrack features 41 songs that were heard in the film. Sadly, they neglected to put Gee by The Crows on the album. It did show up, however, on a second soundtrack album. George Lucas said that each song was important to the scene of the movie it appears. His idea was that the characters are hearing the songs along with you and the music becomes part of the story.
Wiki states that “Lucas had to be realistic about the complexities of copyright clearances, though, and suggested a number of alternative tracks. Universal wanted Lucas and producer Gary Kurtz to hire an orchestra for sound-alikes. The studio eventually proposed a flat deal that offered every music publisher the same amount of money. This was acceptable to most of the companies representing Lucas’s first choices, but not to RCA—with the consequence that Elvis Presley is conspicuously absent from the soundtrack. Clearing the music licensing rights had cost approximately $90,000, and as a result, no money was left for a traditional film score.”
One of the songs that is featured on the soundtrack was first introduced to my by my dad. He and my Godfather loved some of the old blues songs and this was one of them – Fannie Mae by Buster Brown.
When my dad told me his name, all I could think about was Buster Brown shoes! He got his start in the 30’s and 40’s playing the harmonica in clubs and even made a few recordings. He moved from Georgia to New York in 1956. It was there that he was discovered by Fire Records.
Three years later (at 50 years old), he recorded Fannie Mae. He played the harmonica and “whooped” it up on the song. It became his first hit as it went to #38 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 on the Billboard R&B chart.
Brown didn’t have a lot of success after this song. He did enjoy the renewed interest in his music in 1973 thanks to the American Graffiti soundtrack.
The song has been covered by The Rolling Stones, Jr. Walker & the All Stars, The Steve Miller Band, Canned Heat, Gary US Bonds, and Elvin Bishop. To me, no one can touch the original. I’ve been wanting to share this one for a while and Movie Music Monday gave me the perfect excuse. Give this gritty blues song a listen.
A number of years ago, the Seattle Symphony was doing Beethoven’s Ninth under the baton of Milton Katims.
At this point, you must understand two things:
There’s a long segment in this symphony where the bass violins don’t have a thing to do. Not a single note for page after page.
There used to be a tavern called Dez’s 400, right across the street from the Seattle Opera House, rather favored by local musicians.
It had been decided that during this performance, after the bass players had played their parts in the opening of the Ninth, they were to quietly lay down their instruments and leave the stage rather than sit on their stools looking and feeling dumb for twenty minutes.
Once they got backstage, someone suggested that they trot across the street and quaff a few brews. After they had downed the first couple rounds, one said, “Shouldn’t we be getting back? It’d be awfully embarrassing if we were late.”
Another, presumably the one who suggested this excursion in the first place, replied, “Oh, I anticipated we could use a little more time, so I tied a string around the last pages of the conductor’s score. When he gets down to there, Milton’s going to have to slow the tempo way down while he waves the baton with one hand and fumbles with the string with the other.”
So they had another round and finally returned to the Opera House, a little tipsy by now. However, as they came back on stage, one look at their conductor’s face told them they were in serious trouble. Katims was furious! And why not? After all…
It was the bottom of the Ninth, the score was tied, and the basses were loaded.
It was an averageday in Brooklyn. I was approached by a man who said he was from BowlingGreen. He asked me if I could spare a few bucks and told me his sad story. He was a mess and there was oil all over him. He looked like he’d just crawled out of agutter or something.
This may strike you as odd, but I really felt bad for this guy. I knew if I didn’t help him, I’d feel like a real turkey. I gave him $20, which he put in his pocketbefore he splitdown an alley. I heard him laughing as he ran away, and I knew I had been taken hook, line, and sinker. This really put me in a foul mood.
Angrily I decided to take a stroll down the lane. I wanted to find a place where I could really have a ball. I was in luck. I saw a big sign with arrows pointing me to a shady looking bar across the street. I dodged a few car bumpers as I ran toward a sleeper of a place called The Anchor.
I won’t lie, it was a very weird place. I walked in and saw a huge, framed picture of Earl Anthonyhanging on the back wall. He was sitting on a buck with a large rack. I couldn’t help but stare at it, until I saw her.
Seated at a table in the middle of the room was a beautiful woman. She had long blonde hair with blue eyes. She wore a pin on her blouse that said, “I’m on a roll.” I took a chance and decided to slideonto the chair next to her. She stared at me as a waitress took my order. I barely got “Hello” out of my mouth when she tossed her drink in my face. She quietly got up and left.
Everyone in the place was staring at me as the waitress brought me my order. I realized that the night would not get any better, so I decided to call it a night. But first, I wanted to finish my beer (frame).
Every summer I think back to our summer trips up to Caseville. My grandparents had a mobile home up there. As we made the two hour drive up there, my brother and I always looked for the familiar landmarks along the way. Romeo had an old country store with penny candy. Almont had the Almont Saddlery. Imlay City had an A&W, as did Marlette. Marlette was the halfway point. As we continued north, we’d pass Cass City. The next stop was Owendale, which had a small market where we’d stop and get Faygo pop. We then would look for the grain towers in Pigeon. Once we passed them, we were in the home stretch.
When we arrived at my grandparent’s place, we’d pull into the driveway, which was all gravel. Trips were usually on the weekends and never long enough. This picture was taken in the kitchen.
My dad is at the stove, my brother is in the middle and I am on the right. Looking at this picture, I can smell the bacon and sausage, which were breakfast staples up north. If my grandparents were there with us, my dad would share the cooking with my grandpa. We always looked forward to those big breakfasts!
It’s amazing how I can picture the things that are not in the picture. Directly to my left in the picture was the fridge. Behind me was dining room table. There was an air conditioner in the middle window. In the top right of the photo, you can see what is sort of like a hutch. There were two cupboards at the bottom and a “counter” on top of those. Above those were two shelves where they had a ceramic mallard duck, a candy dish, and a few of my grandma’s Erma Bombeck books. There was a mirror at the back of the shelves.
The raised counter that is behind the sink was where we usually ate. There were barstools there and the kids ate there while the adults were at the table. The living room was in front of the barstools. That was where we’d watch the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon every year. I can remember there was always a big, loud lady on there that sang songs. She was probably someone famous, but for the life of me, I cannot think of who it could be.
The bedrooms, bathroom, and laundry area were down the hall. We almost always slept in my aunt’s bedroom. She is four years older than me, so she was probably 13 or so. She had Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books in her room and plenty of cat posters on her wall. If I remember correctly, she had a deck of Uno cards and I played it for the first time up north. Coincidentally, today is her birthday. Happy Birthday, Jodi.
I am sure that I have written about Caseville in other blogs. I probably have posted pictures, too, but not this one. This was one of those surprise finds on a hard drive. It is a reminder of some amazing family trips with family members who have since passed away. Those were some wonderful times. My pipe dream is to one day be in a position to get a place up there.
You may recall that I had a little trip to the ER recently. Well, after my week off I had a visit with my primary care doctor to follow up.
I was cleared to go back to work and I really have not had any issues. She ordered two tests for me – an angiogram and a stress test. Those will happen next week.
While at the hospital they ran the enzyme tests to see if I had a heart attack, but they were negative. However, the baby aspirin and nitro that the EMS crew gave me may have stopped something according to doctors.
My angiogram was scheduled on a day that I was supposed to speak in front of a class of EEG students. When I called the director to see if we could reschedule the talk, I explained what happened.
Her background is in cardiology. She told me that based on what happened, it could be something ischemic. If you are unfamiliar with that:
Ischemic heart disease (IHD), also known as coronary artery disease (CAD) or coronary heart disease (CHD), is a condition where the heart muscle doesn’t receive enough blood and oxygen. This typically happens due to plaque buildup (atherosclerosis) in the coronary arteries, which narrows them and restricts blood flow to the heart.
Dizziness and sweating are symptoms. I experienced both before going to the ER. Lightheadedness is also a symptom and I get that on occasion. So it makes sense.
From all I have read on an angiogram, if there is any type of blockage they will place a stent in during the same procedure. I have a feeling this may happen.
There is some cardiac history in my family. My maternal grandfather died of a heart attack and my father has a stent. During that procedure we found out he had actually had a couple small heart attacks and he didn’t even know he had them.
Either way, my stress test will happen a couple days after the angiogram. One way or another, they should be able to tell if there is an issue with my ticker.
To say that the incident was a wake up call is an understatement. The day after, I rejoined Weight Watchers. Something I should have done a while ago. I’m two weeks in and down 11 pounds. I really hope to stay focused and have better success this time around.
(This blog originally appeared on the A Sound Day blog as part of the Turntable Talk Series)
It is time once again for my monthly contribution to Turntable Talk for Dave at A Sound Day. The feature is in its 40th round this month! In the span of over three years Dave has presented us each month with a musically themed topic. Some of them have been easy to write about, while others were more difficult.
This month’s topic, however, is only difficult because there are hundreds of songs to choose from! As we are smack dab in the middle of the Dog Days of Summer, Dave’s instructions were:
“Pick your favorite ‘animal song’ and tell us about it. A song with an animal in the title. Could even be ‘Dog Days are Here Again’! Might be the ‘Year of the Cat’. ‘Eye of the Tiger’?that drowsy lion? Spiders , snakes, affectionate muskrats, ant music… possibilities seem endless as a ‘Hummingbird’ wingbeats.“
He couldn’t be more right! As soon as I read the topic, about 50 songs popped into my head. Along with those songs, I could guess which of the other contributors might pick for their piece.
There are Beatles fans among our group, so I Am The Walrus, Black Bird, Octopus’ Garden and Rocky Racoon are all possible choices for them. Then there are “rockers” and “metal heads” who might choose Black Dog, Cat Scratch Fever, Freebird or War Pigs. The 80’s fans could pick Hungry Like The Wolf, When Doves Cry, or Eye of the Tiger. Then there are the ones that every one I asked answered with – The Lion Sleeps Tonight, Cats in the Cradle, White Rabbit, and Brass Monkey.
Many of those were on my list of possible choices. I decided on one that I always loved to play on the oldies stations. I chose it because it is a snapshot of the early 60’s social scene.
Union Hall Dances were big back then. They would usually have a large gym or dance floor where people would come to “let loose.” These dances were attended mostly by teenagers and young adults and mainly happened on Friday nights. They were a place to dance, socialize or just listen to music. Many of these dances had live bands that played music. The Union Hall Dances are mentioned in the first line of my animal song.
The 1960s was a decade known for various dance crazes, including “The Mashed Potato,” “The Frug,” “The Jerk,” “The Hully Gully” and “The Watusi”. Many of those songs would go straight to the top of the charts and were the inspiration for dance contests all over the country. There were many other dance crazes during that time including The Twist which was a massive phenomenon thanks to Chubby Checker.
Chubby had great success providing songs – and dance crazes – that people could dance to. The Twist, Let’s Twist Again and other incarnations of the “twist” dance were his bread and butter. He also sang songs about other dance crazes like the Limbo (Limbo Rock), the Hucklebuck, and my animal song – the Pony.
I was surprised to find out that this was actually a cover song. According to songfacts.com: The soul singer Don Covay recorded the original version of “Pony Time” and released it as the first single with his group The Goodtimers in 1960. Checker’s version came out soon after and became the hit, as he was the big name. The Goodtimers’ rendition made it to #60 in March 1961, a month after Checker’s topped the chart.
Fun Fact: The Twist was a cover song, too. It was originally recorded by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters.
So what exactly is the Pony? This shouldn’t surprise you as the dancer tries to look as if they are riding a horse. According to one source, the dance is described this way: “In the dance the feet are kept comfortably together, while various arm and hand motions are possible. Movement around the dance floor may occur, but there is no line-of-dance. Couples generally face each other and do not touch.” You’ll get to see it before I am done.
Two things grab you as the song begins. First, that simple chord and Chubby’s announcement “It’s Pony Time! Get up!” It’s a call to attention. This is followed by that little drum kick and the “Boogety Boogety Shoos” which are a constant throughout the song. Ok, Chubby, you have my attention and I am ready to dance.
Fun Fact: The Boogety Shoo line was so popular, it is featured in Barry Mann’s Who Put the Bomp.
Chubby then sings, “Hey now everybody in the Union Hall ….” There is no doubt that this song was catered to be played at these venues. Much like the Twist, Checker calls out instructions on how to do that dance as the song plays. The calls are truly commands that were used by horsemen, but they are actually incorrect. The lyrics reverse the Gee and Haw commands. In use by horsemen for centuries, Gee was right and Haw was left.
So “let’s get it,” and give the hit version a listen:
The Dan Covay version with the Goodtimers is not too different from Chubby’s cover. Instead of yelling “It’s Pony Time,” the group actually harmonizes the line before the “Get Up!” Honestly, when I heard the original, I really liked it. It has more of an R&B feel to it. Chubby’s is truly all Rock and Roll. Give it a listen, it’s a shame this never gets airplay anymore…
Before wrapping up, there is a video on YouTube that shows Chubby illustrating how to do the dance. For me, it is hard to watch, as the dancers just look ridiculous. Watching them, it doesn’t look like they are riding a horse at all…. The only saving grace of this video is they tend to focus on Chubby more than the dancers – which may or may not be intentional. Thankfully, the video is cut off early….
I cannot help by watch that and wonder “What in the world are they doing?” I am grateful that whenever I played the song on the radio or heard it in the car, it is just the audio!
I want to thank Dave for hosting this feature each month. As many of the other contributors have said in the past, it really is something I look forward to writing each month. The topics continue to be worth writing about. I cannot wait to see what the others write about and will wait for topic #41 soon.
I have always loved her music. I’ve had the chance to meet her on a couple occasions as well as interview her on the air. She is witty and has a great sense of humor. She was a lot of fun to talk to.
I decided to go with a song that would probably be familiar to you. One of Terri’s early hits was a remake of “Poor Poor Pitiful Me”
Written and originally recorded by Warren Zevon, it first appeared on his self-titled album in 1976. It became a hit when Linda Ronstadt covered it the next year.
Ronstadt shared her thoughts on this song in a 1978 interview with Sounds: “To me that song seemed like the purest expression of male vanity. Step on you, be insensitive, be unkind and give you a hard time, saying can’t ya take it, can’t ya take it. Then if you tease men in the slightest bit, they’ll just walk off with their feelings hurt, stomp off in a corner and pout. I mean that’s the way men are, I swear. I thought the verse turned around to a female point of view was just perfect. The gender change works perfectly.”
Terri’s version was released in September 1996 as the lead single from her second album, 1996’s Just the Same. Clark told Billboard magazine that she heard Linda Ronstadt’s version of the song in a local gymnasium while she was exercising. She said “and I thought, what a cool song. What a great country record that could make. I started doing it live, and it worked.”
“Poor Poor Pitiful Me” debuted at number 47 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of October 12, 1996. Clark’s version was a number one hit on the Canadian RPM country charts, and a number five hit on the country charts in the U.S.
The video comprises black-and-white tour footage interspersed with Clark being approached by a series of men while her car is being fixed at a full service gas station. Eventually, she realizes the man fixing her car is the one for her. She starts to drive off, before calling him over to get in. The two drive off together, leaving the other two co-workers at the shop surprised.
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 