We look expectantly for what we assume will be a regular string of op-eds in the BeloJo. Perhaps the jurist might periodically contribute to this mighty organ, where lefties unabashedly roam. We welcome Hizzoner’s input at any time, and congratulate him for a very principled and brave tenure in Superior Court. Fortunato has served the public well.
American spoken here
The Correction of the Month comes from the January 4 issue of the august New York Times:
“An article in The Arts on Tuesday about the most popular movies 0f 2006 and others that did not do as well at the box office referred incorrectly to two languages spoken in ‘Babel,’ one of the films with subtitles that did not draw big crowds. They are Spanish and Berber, not ‘Mexican’ and ‘Moroccan.’ ”
We would hazard a guess that Dubya Bush, the worldly man of the global village, wrote the piece in question
Old time rock 'n' roll
A sad note for veteran Vo Dilun music fans: Al Manfredi, who was Albi of Albi and the Spellbinders, died last week. Albi and the Spellbinders were one of the great local club bands in the ’60s and ’70s, one of the Biggest Little’s best-known bands. The group continues to this day (although Albi left in 1978). So raise a glass to Albi Manfredi, a real Vo Dilun rock legend.
Speaking of rock ’n’ roll, you may recall how the Bush 2004 reelection campaign’s theme song was “Still the One,” a ’70s hit for the band Orleans. As it turns out, John Hall, the leader of Orleans, is one of the newly elected members of Congress, representing a New York district near the Connecticut border. Last week, the New York Times ran an article on Hall and his ascendant political career in its Sunday Styles section.
Hall, a contemporary and pal of Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne, was a key figure in the anti-nuclear movement spearheaded by musicians in the late ’70s. Needless to say, he is a committed liberal. When apprised of how the Bush campaign was using his song as a marketing tool in ’04, he looked into suing, but didn’t get too far.
We congratulate Hall and wish him the best, but we have a minor issue with how the Times noted that most entertainment figures who enter politics do so as Republicans (Reagan, Schwarzenegger, etc.), and went on to claim that Hall was the “first real rock musician” elected to national office. This was because his rock predecessor, Sonny Bono, (yes, another Republican) “didn’t play an instrument.”
This is not credible. Yes, John Hall and Orleans had some hits, and he was a fine songwriter and an exceptionally fluid guitarist. But Sonny Bono was a true rock pioneer, working studio sessions on some of the great Phil Spector hits (tambourine, hand claps, backup vocals, etc.), writing a number of hits, producing, and singing on the Sonny & Cher records. Check out Sonny’s background and you will find key associations with all sorts of heavyweights, from Ike & Tina Turner to Sam Cooke. We might not have cared for Sonny Bono’s politics, but his rock ’n’ roll pedigree is absolutely top-flight.
