After I published my last post about meeting Walt Frazier, I got to thinking about how uncool I have acted when I've met some of my "heros" over the years.
My friends and I waited over an hour at the rear entrance to Maple Leaf Gardens for jeff beck to emerge after his Wired concert in '77. We then chased his limo for 15 minutes while it circled the neighbourhood traying to loose us (finally stopping only a block away from the Gardens at the original Four seasons Hotel). Once he stepped out of the car he autographed my ticket stub. As I sat on the subway going home, I stared at the ticket and realized I had nothing to say to him.
I met Muhammad Ali at the corner of 53rd and madison, my last week of living in New York. I crossed the street, and stuck out my hand and said "Champ, you're the greatest." He thanked me and shook my hand with his giant maw. When he walked away I had a story to tell people who only smiled kindly and acted like they cared.
A few years ago I met Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page in short succession. I figured that as a guitarist I'd have something profound to say or ask. Wrong.
Same thing with Stevei Ray Vaughan. I met him in the elevator at the Mayflower Hotel in New York shortly before he became a superstar. Everyone was already talking about him though because of his guitar playing on Bowie Let's Dance album. I'll spare you the boring details one our one way conversation. Needless to say, I'm sure I didn't make an impact.
Nor did I make an impact on Zenon Andrusyshyn. The Argo kicker mocked me and my chubbiness as I chawed on an ice cream bar and vowed to be a better football player then he ever was.
Glamour, glamour, glamour. That's all my life has been.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
I Met Walt Frazier
Forget all the rock stars! This is Walt-Freakin-Frazier! I was at the Park Hyatt to pick up Miss Thang and there he was - resplendant in a bight blue suit with a pink cotton shirt festooned with pink satin flames. Clyde still dresses super fly!
You see, Walt's the reason I'm a basketball nut. When I was a kid I watched him lead the Knicks to a waold championship. The games were on tape delay in Toronto and my folks let me stay up late to watch the post-11:30pm broadcasts. I drove my mom crazy, anxiously bouncing my basketball against the wall making little black marks that I spent most of the next morning cleaning. When I played hoops, I was always Walt Frazier dishing off a hot pass or driving (my version of driving) down the lane.
I took this once in a lifetime opportunity to tell Walt the story. He thanked me with a big smile on his face and then folded himself into a cab to head of to the ACC for his gig as a color analyst with the Knicks. Walt Freaking Frazier. Sweet!
You see, Walt's the reason I'm a basketball nut. When I was a kid I watched him lead the Knicks to a waold championship. The games were on tape delay in Toronto and my folks let me stay up late to watch the post-11:30pm broadcasts. I drove my mom crazy, anxiously bouncing my basketball against the wall making little black marks that I spent most of the next morning cleaning. When I played hoops, I was always Walt Frazier dishing off a hot pass or driving (my version of driving) down the lane.
I took this once in a lifetime opportunity to tell Walt the story. He thanked me with a big smile on his face and then folded himself into a cab to head of to the ACC for his gig as a color analyst with the Knicks. Walt Freaking Frazier. Sweet!
Friday, October 3, 2008
More AC/DC
There's a new album coming out in a couple of weeks, Black Ice. There has been a lot of anticipation among those of us who have longed for their return to form. Advance word was overwhelming that this new record was going to be a nugget.
Well, with the arrival of the first single, Rock N Roll train, came disappointment. This is B level AC/DC at best. XM radio channel 53 is programming all AC/DC all of the time and it not only revs up the engines for one of the world's greatest rock bands but it also shines the klieg lights on some of their duller moments. Certainly RNR Train cannot stand up to anything previous to For Those about To Rock. And then yesterday I heard, for the first time, War Machine and it was aweful. A second listen a few hours later confirmed the worst. And yet, as a diehard fan I STILL hold out hope against hope that the new album will rock.
My favourite AC/DC album remains Powerage. maybe it's because it was the first AC/DC album I ever bought (certainly not the first I ever heard) or maybe it's because of all of the records the band ever recorded, it sounds to me like their most diverse without sacrificing the quality of the material.
Bob Lefsetz pointed out that the band hasn't had a consistent album since the death of Bon Scott - with rumours of Scott's involvement with Back In Black before his death. Sadly, that seems to be the case. Half of For Those about to Rock is great and after that every album has had one, maybe two, shining lights.
AC/DC's coming back on tour and I'll be there. I hope that Black Ice is better than the first two songs suggest.
Well, with the arrival of the first single, Rock N Roll train, came disappointment. This is B level AC/DC at best. XM radio channel 53 is programming all AC/DC all of the time and it not only revs up the engines for one of the world's greatest rock bands but it also shines the klieg lights on some of their duller moments. Certainly RNR Train cannot stand up to anything previous to For Those about To Rock. And then yesterday I heard, for the first time, War Machine and it was aweful. A second listen a few hours later confirmed the worst. And yet, as a diehard fan I STILL hold out hope against hope that the new album will rock.
My favourite AC/DC album remains Powerage. maybe it's because it was the first AC/DC album I ever bought (certainly not the first I ever heard) or maybe it's because of all of the records the band ever recorded, it sounds to me like their most diverse without sacrificing the quality of the material.
Bob Lefsetz pointed out that the band hasn't had a consistent album since the death of Bon Scott - with rumours of Scott's involvement with Back In Black before his death. Sadly, that seems to be the case. Half of For Those about to Rock is great and after that every album has had one, maybe two, shining lights.
AC/DC's coming back on tour and I'll be there. I hope that Black Ice is better than the first two songs suggest.
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