Blog Readership is down as everyone turns their gaze toward the replacement for the Ringling Bros. Circus in Washington DC. So that meant I have some time to think, which is always a bad, bad thing. Well, my cerebral wanderings took me all over the place, but coalesced around a report I saw on the news this morning.
Sam Moore (of the great R&B/Soul group Sam and Dave) was telling of the scorn he has received for daring to perform for inaugural concerts. He related he is "getting more attention now than when he was famous"!
Sam and Dave performed one of the greatest hits of all time with "Soul Man".
Most of us know about Soul Man because of the hijinks of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd first performed on SNL in 1978.
But I also remember one of my favorite Track trips while at PSU in 1979. This was the same meet that John Zeigler missed the bus and had to hitchhike to Pittsburgh just in time for the 10,000M race we were in!
Later that night, some field eventers (jumpers I think) took me out to a bar near campus right near one of my favorite hot dog places (the Dirty O). There was a "special" that night on $1 beers, which were given in clear 12 oz plastic cups. Maybe it was 2 for $1 even! Everyone had a high stack of the used cups next to them and were having a definitely overall wonderful time.
But then, things were just getting started. And they were about to get waaaay better too.
In filed a man wearing a hat, dark sunglasses and a black suit. He had a briefcase chained to his wrist. Soon another black-suited gentleman with hat and glasses entered. In an elaborate display, they opened the briefcase to reveal a single harmonica. A few more people entered and stood or took seats on a cramped stage. The horns, guitars, drums and who knows what else just kept coming, until abruptly they all started in on the music. It was wonderful, and the clear cups of yellow nectar kept coming!
They played the entire album of the Blues Brothers, and it was joyous to the extreme. They were mostly members of the Pitt Band, but there were a few older people amongst them. They were having just as much fun as the stacked-cup rabble surrounding them.
Eventually, the yellow concoction caught up with me and I didn't remember how it ended or who I was rooming with or anything. If anyone remembers this event, please chime in!
I think Brian Laird got thrown down the steps of the Dirty O by a bouncer. Brian, care to comment?
ReplyDeleteI think being thrown down the steps at the Dirty O earns you a pink heart medal!
ReplyDelete