Reunion Trilogy Episode Two - It’s Something to Read!

                                    It was a night of…
                      #SpecialMemories

Tell me, WHat do YOU remember about the Town Club Party?

Me?? Well I’ll tell ‘ya...

What I remember the most about that night was when the DJ played, ‘Race With The Wind’, by Milwaukee’s own…The Robbs. It’s a good song, but it brings back painful memories of a certain 1968 St. Monica’s CYO dance my psychologist doesn’t approve of me reliving. So I fled the dance floor and rushed into the bar. I got there just in time to grab the last stool and see Bill Crowley and school president, Leanne Giese walk in. They were just hanging around at the end of the bar without a drink in their hands. I looked over at the bartender and gave her the universal “high-sign” - an unspoken language among us food service alums that says; Oh miss! A round of Old Fashioneds for my friends please!  

It was nice that the school VIP’s came out for our party first instead of other classes’ who had booked the hipper places down in the Third Ward. But isn’t the Third Ward becoming just a little too tedious?  Just sayin’.

Just then, the Club brought out its signature appetizer; a huge patter laden with fresh ground sirloin, sliced Vidalia onions, crusty seeded rye bread and of course…a pile of golden brown, deep fried cheese curds. Damn it’s great to be back in Milwaukee!  Unfortunately, I lost most of my food tokens to my friend Bob playing bar dice.  Good news was I had just enough left for a Cannibal Sandwich, and maybe a trip later on to the dessert trough. I dashed over to the card table and quickly loaded up a plate just before my other friend Bob could get there and snag all the tastiest curds.

Getting back to my stool, I heard raucous laughter coming from the end of the bar. What did I see but Mr. Dominican doing a stand-up comedy routine for all my classmates with his, (apparently), hysterical story of how in 1967, he gave me a C in Biology and Phys. Ed!  Can you even imagine??

 Then, while still nursing the drinks I bought them, Bill & Leanne launched into a string of one-liners about my Extra Curricular's that had the room in stitches!  Another friend named Bob said it reminded him of the wild night in Thailand when he was backstage at the Bob Hope & Ann-Margret USO show.

After dinner, while enjoying heaping bowlfuls of the Club’s famous Lime Jell-O & Miracle Whip Compote, Bill apologized for the incident in the bar, admitting that maybe some of the clubs listed on my official transcript really did exist, but since he never paid any attention to the PA announcements I made, he never knew for sure either way!  But seriously... The Ushers Club??

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Leanne give Bill the high sign - which in this case translated to; It’s time to go to the Class of ’79 party at the Earl Scheib Banquet Hall on North Teutonia.

As I walked them to the door, Bill said,

“You know Murph, MATC would’ve accepted you without padding your transcript.”

“True, but not UWM. And wasn’t that your alma mater?”, I said with a grin.

"You realize no UWM alum has ever received the Dominican High School Distinguished Alumni Award.”

“Haha! Gotcha Bill! I gra—"

“—I know.  Nor will any graduate of the SEC!”

“Well played sir…well played.”

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You too will have an unforgettable evening of 

#Special Memories, all for the small price of an Old Fashioned. 

Have you registered yet?

OMG it's totally EASY!  Just go here:

https://dominicanhighschool.ejoinme.org/50yearreunion

Use your credit card and you're DONE!

It’s going to be a great party.

See you there!

Moon River, Yogi the Bear and me

What's that man movin' cross the stage?
It looks a lot like the one used by Jimmy Page
Its like a relic from a different age
Could be . . . . . Ooo-Ee . . . . 

"Rock Show"
Paul McCartney & Wings

Jimmy Page turned 75 today. Wow!

That got me to thinking about music and some idle thoughts and musical memories stashed away, just looking for a good excuse to come out…Like this example here…
I can remember the first time I ever heard the classic orchestral version of the Henry Mancini song, “Moon River”.  Thing is I didn’t know the song was named Moon River until I heard Andy Williams singing it on TV.

But to the point: The day I first heard Moon River was a Saturday. I was maybe 11-12 years old and I was dressed in a Yogi Bear costume - giant Yogi head and all!  I was a Boy Scout and there was some giant Scouting event down at the old Milwaukee Auditorium. I think I was picked to be Yogi because I fit into the costume less badly than other kids. Someone was Booboo Bear and there were lots of other kids in cartoon costumes. 

I remember that HUGE bear head was hot and it stank and the suit was WAY too big and I was dragging fabric around on the floor.  I had one job to do: “Listen kid, when the music starts, you just start skipping and you skip right out that door over there and skip all the way across the main floor, over to the door on the other side and all the other kids will follow you! Got it? Great!”
And so we waited, and we waited. And then! OMG…It’s Moon River!!  And out the door I skipped and the crowd went wild!!  True story.


FYI:  My iTunes folder has 2,631 items, which they say equals 7.3 days of listening pleasure!  And of those items, a good number of them feature Jimmy Page.

Jimmy Page: Simply a Guitar God

A Les Paul guitar

Marshall stacks

No back-up singers

No extra guitar players under the stage

No changing guitars every song

No hundreds of effect pedals

A far more humble version is me and my Strat.  This Strat is my sixth and probably last ax - though never say never. I did just switch to lighter gauge strings: 07- 38...easier on the old hands!






Led Zeppelin

I’ve got no recollection of when I first heard the Zeppelin tracks, but it had to be listening to Bob Reitman on FM radio. I don’t remember buying the album - though I was probably the first person in school who did.  Likely I picked it up at the “1812 Overture” record store on Brady Street. 





Meet the Beatles

True: there were earlier releases in Britain. But in Milwaukee, this was all we knew. And I know exactly when I heard my first Beatles song:  It was Christmas, 1963. I had just returned home from Florida. We were all in the grand living room, with the huge Christmas tree. The AM/FM table radio was playing, when my brother Denny said, “Have you heard this song?!?!” I hustled over to the radio, raised the volume and we gathered round to listen to, I Want to Hold Your Hand.





The Byrds
I had a grade school friend by the name of Dick Wing.  He invited me over to his house. He played me this album. 
And that was the last I ever saw of the guy. I wonder if he still has that album?
















The DC 5

Growing up, there was a summer Youth Center at Shorewood High School.  Sort of a soda pop and candy shoppe for bored kids - which I was. Example: I’d walk up to the school and hit tennis balls off a big brick wall of one of the buildings.  Then I’d go inside and grab a soda or maybe a popsicle. I’m sorry…do you think a popsicle is “lame"?? SHUT UP... It was summer and I was HOT!  Point is, I distinctly  remember hearing the DC5 pounding out Bits and Pieces.  

California Dreamin’

I had a cheap AM transistor radio, complete with white ear plug. I’d tote that thing around and use it to listen to Braves and Packer games and also music.  I didn’t make the basketball team, but Coach Harwood said I could be the Manager - which meant I could hang out with my friends, but just not suit up. Anyway…there was always a practice, or game on Saturday mornings. I couldn’t drive, so I had to hump it up to school on the city bus: Oakland Ave. to the Hampton Ave layover: then transfer to the next bus up Hampton, then to Marlborough Dr., then left on Silver Spring. It was a long ass ride on Saturday mornings!  PLUS it’s Milwaukee in the winter, so it’s COLD!!  Whenever I hear California Dreamin’ these days, I can smell the cold winter air mixed with diesel and the icy feel of a bus seat rumbling up Oakland Ave. with the ear plug jammed in listening to... 🎶 All the leaves are brown and the sky is grey!

BS & T

I think it was Senior year of high school. There was something of a multi-purpose converted classroom, that had some record players, books, art crap….was it the Library?? I’m not sure I was ever even inside the Library.  I think it was the old Language Lab converted into a hangout for displaced students; which was usually me. 
Anyway…I can vividly remember being in that room one day, sitting with my friend Peggy*.  I have no idea how it came to be that she had this album in her hands. Who knew you could bring records to school?? Regardless, she asked me what I thought of the group.  Being totally engulfed by the music of Guitar God Jimmy Page, I said something to the effect of, “BS&T sucks!”
She put the album on a turntable and together we listened with earphones to side one. Not bad…not bad. I still say "Chicago CTA" was better, but BS&T got a Grammy. 

*Another one of the unlucky girls who didn’t answer the phone the night I worked up the courage to call.

That’s all folks!