fasstrack

It's Olive Oyl's mom! Why did they all have needle noses in Archie comics? Also, did anyone see Mad Magazine's parody of many years ago, "Starchie"? His gal pals, 'Biddy' and 'Salonica', had acne; 'Wedgie' shook down the weak at the cafeteria for lunch money; Starchie's dad was a drunken gypsy in a t-shirt who screamed 'who makes noise in mine teenage house?'

It's Olive Oyl's mom! Don't mess with Superteach. That is one scary-looking cartoon, chief.

Dan, thanks for the link to the old Percy France thread - this was before I joined the board, and I enjoyed the reminiscences and the enthusiasm for an all-but-forgotten player. I bought the CD from Allen when it first came out, and it's a real winner! Also enjoyed your additional comments, fasstrack. FYI, Percy did work and record with Bill Doggett, but the famous tenor solo on "Honky Tonk" is Clifford Scott. Are you sure about that? He used to play that solo and even milk the fact that he was on it---unless senility is setting in here---a distinct possibility.

Not too funny. It was his girlfriend's. The place was crowded and whoever did it was a maggot.

Yep. It was his '15 minutes' and he kicked ass and took names.

Lazaro, did you ever hear John? He's a world-class cat. He can do anything on a bass in the 'legit' world and plays the fattest time in jazz. Sean is a great musician too and a real friend.

And "I kissed the Toes of madame Rose" bondage t-shirt

I've seen much worse. He sounds like a moron, actually. It's the ones with half a brain, e.g. enough gray matter to get under your skin who are dangerous.

You know who you are, don't act so holy. Screw holy. The worst sin: his grammar and spelling suck the big one. Where's Miss Grundy when we need her?

This first part is very true. I've had a few SOBs decide they cyber-hated me and they attached themselves to me like barnicles. I made the mistake of answering them, though, which of course made their dumbass day. I used an 'ignore' button on one particularly venomous dickwad after I cleaned his clock in a PM and he was so ripping he posted it like the 9-year-old he is. The site is kind of lame anyway, so it's sort of moot. (No, I won't say which one but it's not My Damn Forum). The thing that fascinates me is here is human behavior and what can be learned from these 'loose lips' situations. I found out I can be one mean SOB myself if pushed far enough. I've also baited people at times if I thought they were bullies because I truly despise bullies. It's a waste of time, though, as you will never win and will get nothing but grief and hurt feelings. The real question is why even engage these people? Who gives a fuck? They're pixels, not real people you likely will ever deal with. It takes a bigger person to back away from a fight than join one, if a gun is not pointed at one's head or the head(s) of loved ones. If and when you respond angrily and rip someone to shreds anyway perhaps the question ought to be why is all that residual anger floating around your conciousness?

at Blu in Hastings Aug. 2,4, and 9. For those in the NY/Westchester area Me (Joel Fass) on guitar W/Sean Smith Aug. 2nd, TBA the 4th, John Beal, bass, the 9th. 7-10 PM A very nice (but pricey) restaurant on the Hudson. directions: http://www.bluonhudson.com/

Yeah, Charlie! It was you that got me in all this trouble! Long may you reign!

A couple of Harrell's solos from NY Jazz have been out in a book for some time, Solar and Au Privave. My own favorite, though, is Fifty-Six (basically The Masquerade is Over), where he quotes My Reverie at the end of his solo. Ronnie plays his ass off, too. No surprise there.

Playing the dozens is cool and can be fun, as can be good-natured ball-busting. The line to cross is as thin as the skin on the people on the other side. BTW: bitchin' vampire pic. Was that Willem Dafoe in Nosterafu? That was quite a meal before him.

Continuing my series of musicians that not only made a difference in my musical and personal life and generally must not be forgotten I'd like to talk about a guy named Percy France. I think perhaps he is best known to the public for being the tenor man on Bill Doggett's Honky Tonk and some Jimmy Smith records. Percy was a great swinging tenor out of Gene Ammons, Don Byas and others. He put it together to become and remain Percy France. Michael Howell, a guitarist who played guitar and elecric bass with Dizzy in the 70s and is still on the scene sounding very well, told me an illustrative story: He walked into a place and it was a dance. The dancers were dancing and it was swinging. He looked over to see who the band was, thinking this is happening, but it can't be too many cats up there. The 'band' was Percy France---swinging those happy feet by his lonesome. When I first started coming out to the 'big tent' to hang, learn, and try to make my bones Percy was on the scene at the West End. We already had something in common: both of us were fired from Big Joe Turner's gig at Tramps in '81---Percy for (typically) defending one of the cats in the band, and me because Doc Pomus didn't like my blues playing (Turner did, but wasn't calling the shots). After I ran into Percy in the flesh I starting sitting in a lot with him at the West End. Another guitar player, Joel Perry, was on the gig. (I haven't seen him in years). Sometimnes Percy had us both up there together. One night after playing Percy said "you sounded nice tonight, man' and gave me $5 for coming. He probably made maybe $50 himself and was hurting. The best compliment he gave was a recommendation to George Kelly, the only time I actually worked a week at the West End. George was a great guy too and played ands wrote his ass off. Tenor man from Floida. I'll never forget one night when Percy MC'd a benefit there for WKCR. There was some estimablr talent there, and some damned fine tenor players. They all played and percy announced everyone. It was party time, and the only drag he alluded to was that someone stole his old lady's purse. I remember his exact words: "whoever would do a thing like this when we're all having such a good time, I don't think much of them". When it came his time to play after waiting in the wings all night he got up and called Sugar. He tore the roof off that fucking joint, I'm here to tell you. The other tenor players were afterthoughts. r

Rein was in NY in '98. I played a few tunes with him at a little session my old and dear friend Bob Mover was running. He can really play and is a 'bebopper to his socks' (to steal a phrase from Phil Woods). He worked a lot with Johnny Griffin all over Europe and recorded with him as well. I heard Ineke in Holland, ther Hague to be precise. There's a popular musician's hangout called Murphy's Law. Dave Liebman came in to do a clinic at the Royal Conservatory and a night at Murphy's. Ineke was on drums sounding great.

Some other the more quality people from Bran's forum moved to a private board run by a nice man named Max Wendt: www.mydamnforum.org (PS: Why can I not get the above to appear as a link?) It was conceived originally primarily as a way to post music one was working on for discussion either there or on Bran's forum and many from the Bran days have tracks up there, myself included (look on the 'our music' page for what people have submitted). There were also the inevitable discussion pages. Almost everyone there is nice, but some of the instigators/masochists also followed and a lot of the warring continued. One particularly irksome individual was banned by the easy-going Max, resurfaced and was eventually banned again. I myself am not very popular there and considered by some alternately an instigator, long-winded, self-absorbed, and even mean. Others really like me, the music I posted, and my humor and general musings. Most people I have little trouble with and the ones I do get into it with everyone. The one guy it got really ugly with had been baiting me online (following me around the web like a stalker) and in my personal email box almost daily for a time---as he took personally thing I said about some of his heroes/friends--- and, try though I did to ignore him, I finally let go full force. To be fair I was hardly nice to him either. The result was that both of us felt like absolute shit afterwards. He's a good musician too, and building a little name for himself, despite this stupidity. The other thing that strikes me as interesting is every time I would try to discuss the bickering or reflect on or analyze it a fight almost always ensued and a lot of finger-pointing. I often joined the fracas. Like I said, I'm no angel. Me and Mae West.... I guess the real question should be: whatever the media, Internet, up close, mail, phone, rickshaw travel, etc. why do people get off on getting under other people's skin? Why do those whose skin they are under and whose heads they are inside so attracted to this and cannot let go any more than their torturers? I mean, shit, at least Cole Porter got a tune out of the phenomenon.... I hope this discussion goes on for a while and people relate their web and non-web experiences so we can all learn something here.

I'm also not sure whether it's amusing or sad that on that Crouch thread Chris brought up here after Stanley cut out the people remaining had such unsatisfied bloodlust they turned on each other and started bickering and getting on each other's case. Some people are just either cruising for a bruising or addicted to the rush of stirring the pots (or having theirs stirred). Maybe some (the instigators) can bedescribed as 'emotional daredevils'. The rest are like open wounds to me because when you go looking to put someone down in essence you are looking to put yourself down. There is a strong element of masochism here.

I have both on LP. The second group of players is on a recording by Rein De Graff called "NY Jazz", also w/a Cuber-Harrell front line. They are great albums, both. Great examples of early Tom. His solo on Johnny Griffin's "A Monk's Dream" on NY Jazz is worth studying. Cuber plays his ass off on Tom's "Open Air", playing high up on the horn the 2nd chorus. The rhythm section on the 1st especially is a murderer's row, though it's recorded like shit. I used to hear a lot of these groups around NY in the late 70s. Wonderful.

This is more than interesting to me because some time after Branford Marsalis's forum closed down due to trolls and assholes stealing identities of musicians and posting hateful and racist messages he mentioned elsewhere (sort of publicly or I would ask to repeat it) that as MD on the Leno show he used to get hate mail, and always unsigned. I think a lot of Branford as a person. It's not like we're buddies or anything. Far from it. We met once and my first exposure to these web forums was his. We have emailed each other and that's the extent of our relationship. In terms of this discussion, though, Bran tried a noble experiment in democracy. He let the trolls troll, let the assholes be assholes, the sweethearts be sweethearts, etc.---truly feeling that people reading would be intelligent enough to read and sort it out. he would join or start discussions, argue, play dozens for fun, and even occasionally talk a little shit himself. But he's a hell of a thinker and a good writer and sometimes that board could be really happening, between Bran and the more intellectually curious on there. In the end, sad to say, Bran's noble experiment imploded, done in by malicious haters. The rope that he gave to hang themselves tightened into a noose and it was around everyone's neck. A lot of people came together before that happened though, and Bran did a lot of good. But the point is: anonymous letters; anonymous trolling=cowardice. It's always a shame when cowards win.

Did anyone ever have the following experience: You really think someone on the web is a prick to you but you want to be a gentleman and tell them off in private, then they post your PM like a wounded 9-year-old? This happened to me twice and it felt brutal. I wanted to crawl under something as I was aghast at my own angry words and also how hurt someone could be by a stranger who wrote a private message.

Wow. That's a hell of a neck. I'd kill it.....

I think you might just be on the money. All of us are at least in part jerks---just as we're in part knuckleheads, saints, sinners, angels, devils, etc. The potential for human behavior, even in a single day, can cut a pretty wide swath. For what it's worth I've always posted under my real name, Joel Fass, especially when I said something I was sure I'd get hammered or at least take some heat over. Some of these others haven't been anonymous either, or broke cover when I asked them to, so it's not merely the anonymous thing. But perhaps the distance issue eliminates that veneer you allude to and all the Heironyious Bosch painting figurines in people's heads gush out unafraid.

I think is is all caused by jerks like you. Ask a stupid question....... I weally was sewious guys

OK, the description was dramatic---but it made you look, didn't it? After three years of participating in these forums, this being my favorite of the three I've gotten involved with, a look back and a question posed to others may be in order: What is it that liberates people in their heads to say things they never would in person for fear of being clocked? I've made friends on these boards, got work, and let a couple of people who have gotten viscious get under my skin too. The latter is no fun, lemme tell y'all, especially when you react and get in the dirt as well. And it's not like I've been an angel either, though when it gets out and I answer back and feelings ultimately get hurt I feel like total shit. There was a real mess recently with a person I've met exactly once and we both lived to regret the proceedings. It could have been avoided too, by ignoring on my part. I did for a long while then finally blasted the fucker. I just tried find online articles why psychologists and other wags on the subject and came up empty. (Didn't look very long, but found mostly self-advertising sites about people counseling folks with web addictions. Hey, come to think of it maybe I should have read those as they were the shit. Obviously i'm spending too damn much time on the web to be even posing these questions. ). So, any thoughts? What makes people so bold and so nasty sometimes? Anonymity? Endorphins? Lack of getting laid? Sport? I'm really serious about this and want to know.