Well, it’s that time of year. Welcome to my 15th, yes 15th, Holiday Spectacular. To celebrate, I kind of broke a rule this year, but, it’s my blog, so there are no consequences. Actually, I’m breaking another rule. I’ve always wrote these Holiday Spectaculars in one straight shot without thinking beforehand what I would write about. But, this year I had some stuff I never posted left over, seeing how I spent most of the last few months writing about politics and social issues, and I threw in some other stuff. I’d rather not have written all that political stuff, to tell the truth, but felt I should. I am sure more people probably read a single tweet from the least famous Kardashian than all the people who have ever read my long-ass blog posts by a multiple, but, still, it probably was, for a few weeks, the most visits to my blog I’ve ever had. Then again, so what? If I did it for fame I’d be sorely disappointed. The other rule I’m breaking is I’m posting early in December, because I really have a lot of Xmas shopping to do.
Another rule I’ll be breaking this year. I won’t be making everything red and green (not sure if I’ve always done that) because, I’m aware that it makes it harder to read, and, I just don’t feel like it. Last, no top 20 Xmas songs this year because I don’t think they’ve changed much or at all since last year. So . . .
Let’s start with something Chrissmassy. A nice Xmas Eve murder, because you might enjoy it, but also because many have actually have heard a version of it and didn’t know it:
Stack
It was the night before Xmas, 1895, and in St. Louis, Missouri, Lee Preston (whose nickname was “Stack” or maybe it was “Stag” – it was a long time ago) and his friend, Billy Lyons, went out for a drink. They were not good guys, being notorious underworld characters. Stag was a pimp and a gambler. He was also a carriage driver, which sounds incongruous, but, so it was. It’s not clear why they called him Stag or Stack – maybe because he went “stag, that is, without friends, maybe he took it from a well-known riverboat captain, maybe from a riverboat itself, a floating brothel. No one really knows and it doesn’t really matter much. He was 30 years old that year. He was also captain of a group known as The 400 Hundred Club (which, at least outwardly, was a moral society for young black men), although I’m not really sure what the “captain” of a club is. He also was one among a group of pimps known as the Macks, who were famous for their outlandish dress habits, not that different from nowadays. It is said that on this Xmas Eve, Stack was wearing a black dress coat, gray striped pants, an embroidered yellow shirt with a high collar and an elaborate red vest, not to mention shoes with mirrors on them so they’d flash when he walked. Gold rings, a cane . . . and a Stetson, which is the important part.
Stack and Billy went to a bar at a brothel appropriately nick-named “The Bucket of Blood,” although I have a feeling that wasn’t the only bar to bear that name. Anyway, Stack (a Democrat) and Billy (a Republican) got to drinking and then arguing over politics. Apparently, Stack smashed Billy’s bowler hat. Billy, who, naturally, was displeased, grabbed Stack’s Stetson off his head and demanded satisfaction. So, Stack clobbered him on the head with his gun, and on top of that, shot him in the stomach. He was not a nice man, but, to be fair, it was a Stetson, and you know it just brings the gunfighter out in some people.
Sure enough, Billy dies, one of five men in St. Louis that Christmas Eve, and Stack, who got his Stetson back, fled, but was later arrested. He was tried twice. In the first trial, in 1896, his lawyer was Nat Dryden, a white lawyer who was famous as the first lawyer to get a conviction of a white man for murdering a black man. And he did well for Stack. He claimed self-defense and the jury was hung. Seven said it was murder, two said it was manslaughter and three wanted to acquit him. The next year, 1897, he was tried again. Unfortunately, Dryden is unavailable, having died from drinking too much.
This time the jury quickly came to a verdict of murder. Stack gets 25 years. But, then . . . he is pardoned by the governor in 1909. But then . . . he gets in trouble a couple of years later – just another murder, but this one during a robbery, and goes back to jail. In 1912, he dies there of tuberculosis.
So,
what’s this all got to do with Xmas? Well, the shooting was on Christmas Eve
and it’s just an excuse to tell the story. But, I did say some of you probably
heard a version of this story without knowing the back story, and that’s true.
The same year – before Stack was even tried the second time - one Prof. Charlie
Lee played variations of a song called Stack-a-Lee at the Kansas City Negro
Press Association. And it took off like wildfire. The lyrics change a lot and
even the song title – Ballad of Stackerlee, Ballad of Stagalee, Stack O’Lee
Blues, Stack-a-Lee and
Stacker Lee, Stagolee, etc., also became common. In 1931 Woody Guthrie records two
different version – one he calls by the name you know – Stagger Lee. Too many
artists have recorded it to list on a Holiday Special (one website lists I believe
426 versions), but just of people you might know of other than Guthrie - Cab
Calloway, Duke Ellington, Pat Boone, The Isley Brothers (their guitarist was
Jimmy Hendrix), Ike and Tina Turner, James Brown, Elvis!!! (not released, but
on bootleg), The Grateful Dead, the Clash, Neal Diamond and Tom Jones. Not to
mention Louis Armstrong, who I you heard of, played coronet on a recording by
an early successful female blues singer named Ma Rainey, who I doubt you’ve
heard of. Oh, and as a side project while he was with the Stones, Bill Wyman
and the Bootleg Kings. And even Bob Dylan. Done? No. Huey Lewis & the News.
And many more, of course. Maybe the most famous version is by the otherwise
unknown Lloyd Price (now unknown - he's actually in the RnR HOF) who went number one with it in the year of my birth, 1959. If you watch professional wrestling you might
remember two wrestlers, Junkyard Dog and Koko B. Ware, both of whom did a turn
as masked wrestlers named Stagger Lee. He’s mentioned in books and movies.
Really, for a hoodlum who died over a hundred years ago who has no claim to
fame except murder - he’s all over the place.
I’m done with fun facts about
Stagger Lee. I just remembered he has an historical marker on his grave. Unless
I kill someone, I won’t. Rot in hell you murderous bastard!!! But Merry Xmas.
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That’s it for Xmas stories. I had another ready, but I
know your ADHD tendencies. So, just going to go for two top ten movie lists,
because who doesn’t like them.
First list is the greatest movie
themes (or kind of themes) in my lifetime. As usual, it is an official
list, which means you may not differ with it. If I just say the name of the
movie, it’s the theme song. I’ll try to mention if it’s another song from the
film.
1.
The Good The Bad
and The Ugly
- The Ecstasy of Gold – Enrico
Morricone. I don’t know if he is the greatest film composer ever – but he’s got
to be top three. The Ecstasy . . . is
so good, I have it two spaces above the actual theme.
2.
The Pink Panther – Henry Mancini.
It’s best listened to while watching the animated openings for the movies.
3.
The Good The Bad
and The Ugly
– Main theme – More, iconic original break through music by Enrico Morricone
4.
Jaws – John Williams.
I love Williams too. I have a feeling most people would say he was the greatest
ever, and could be. Some claim he rips off classical music, but I have heard
the similarities and I’m not bothered by them. He’s a classical composer. This
was not among my favorite movies nor my favorite music. But, it deserves its
spot.
5.
Rocky – Gonna Fly Now. Bill Conti. On my workout
list. I don’t know if there is any movie with music that makes you want to
fight as much. Or run up stairs.
6.
Star Wars– John Williams. Unforgettable.
7.
James Bond Theme - Monty Norman
(although John Barry, who did most of the soundtracks, says it was him). This
is the theme music that runs through the films, or many of them anyway.
8.
Chariots of Fire – Vangelis
(although I have to agree with Stavros
Logaridis, another Greek composer, who unsuccessfully sued Vangelis for
plagiarism, that it does sound a lot like the Logaridis' piece "City of Violets," composed the same
year).
9.
The Exorcist - Tubular
Bells
– Mike Oldfield. This had to be on the list. Absolutely Iconic.
10. Raiders of the Lost Ark – John Williams. Yes, on my workout list.
Runners up
Dr. Zhivago – Lara’s Theme – Maurice Jarre
Goldfinger – John Barry, who
wrote a lot of the Bond and other music.
The Magnificent
Seven
- Elmer Bernstein.
Superman– John Williams.
Also, really inspiring and . . . on my workout lift. If the Theme to Superman doesn’t make you lift
more, you are lost.
Close Encounters
of the Third Kind
– John Williams.
The Mission – Enrico
Morricone.
Beverly Hills Cop - The Heat is On – I thought it was
written by Glen Frey, but it’s not. He just performed. Harold Faltermeyer (Top Gun also) and Keith Forsey, a
musician, both more successful than you’d imagine, composed it. It’s not your
typical theme music.
Footloose – Kenny Loggins.
Ghostbusters – Ray Parker, Jr.
(Elmer Bernstein wrote the music score for the film).
Flashdance - Giorgio
Moroder (who, hard
to believe, maybe invented both disco
and electric dance music – neither of which I enjoy much; I have to research
that someday), Keith Forsey and Irene Cara (who wrote the
lyrics and performed it).
The Bodyguard - I will always love you – Dolly Parton
wrote it, but, if not for Whitney Houston and this film, how many would know
it? It’s not the theme song, but it epitomizes the movie.
Lord of the Rings:
Return of the King
- Into the West – Howard Shore, Annie
Lennox, Fran Walsh - Played over the credits. Still brings a tear to my eye –
every time.
Stripes - Stripes March. You know, the Bill Murray
and Harold Ramis movie. I think it was the first time I saw John Candy too.
But, great music by Elmer Bernstein, yet again.
Rocky III. Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. Another great song.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Second list – Top ten Tom Hanks films. This is also an official list, though I expect controversial:
1.
You’ve Got Mail. The real stars
were the Ephron sisters, who wrote the screenplay, but Hanks and Ryan were
perfect. I honestly don’t understand why most people I know seem to prefer Sleepless in Seattle, a great romcom,
but one which doesn’t make my list. I actually loved Hank’s performance in You’ve Got Mail. My favorite scene with
him is when he, Joe, and his father, Nelson (Dabney Coleman), are discussing
his elder’s latest break up:
Nelson Fox: “I just have to meet someone
new, that's all. That's the easy part.”
Joe Fox: “Oh right, yeah, a snap to find the one
single person in the world who fills your heart with joy.”
Nelson Fox: “Well, don't be ridiculous. Have I ever been with anyone who fit that description? Have you?”
But, it’s really not the dialogue that got me. It was the perfect look of epiphany on Hank’s face.
2. Forrest Gump. I didn’t really like this the first time I saw it. Then, when I saw it on tv, I realized it was not only full of movie gimmicks, but it was a great love story.
3. Apollo 13. I have a confession. The first time I saw the title on a movie theatre pylon, I thought – Wow, that’s a lot of sequels for a movie. How come I never heard of it? Awesome movie though. Best moment. Hanks play astronaut Jim Lovell, trapped up in a space ship. His wife goes to the nursing home to comfort Hanks’ elderly mother. She doesn’t need it. “Don’t you worry,” she tells her crying grand-daughter. “If they could make a washing machine that flies, my Jimmy could land it.”
4. Bridge of Spies. Based on a true story about a spy exchange, Hanks’ character, a real life lawyer named James B. Donovan, is the man who made it happen. Hanks didn’t even have the best role. But, this is his best movies, not roles.
5. Road to Perdition. Hanks plays a gangster who wants to change. Nothing new here, but great movie and performance.
6. Nothing in Common. Usually not my type of movie – an adult man getting to know his aging father better. But, that aging father was the greatest, Jackie Gleason, and together they were some team.
7. Bachelor Party. A very silly movie with a young Tom, but very funny. Hanks played the straight man, the nice guy.
8. Splash. The one that made him famous. Sought of The Little Mermaid.
9. A League of their Own. Again, I rating the movies, but this was his best performance, I thought, out of a lot of great ones. A baseball burnout who coaches a woman’s team.
10. Captain Phillips. Another true story, this one of a ship’s captain held by Ethiopian pirates and rescued by Navy Seals.
I know you are going to argue about some of these, because I didn’t put Saving Private Ryan on it, Castaway, or other great movies. It’s a top ten list and these are them. Hanks made a lot of great movies and is maybe one of the ten most likeable celebrities in the world.
____________________
Here’s my biggest Xmas surprise. It’s been a long year and a tough one for many people. I don’t have much to complain about personally, but, overall for the country (and many other countries), it was more than rough. Certainly it is the most difficult year for the country in my lifetime and that includes during the Vietnam War, the Watergate years and 9-11, not to mention Iraq and Afghanistan.
So, I’m keeping it short and ending it with a poem I wrote this year. Not really. I can’t write poetry that doesn’t begin with “Roses are red,” or “There once was a man from . . .“ But as inspiration, I will repeat (not the first or last time) my favorite real poem, that is, not including Dr. Seuss. It never gets old. I always tell people I send it to, you don’t have to live up to it (he didn’t), but you can aspire to it. I should probably end it like this every year.
If by Rudyard Kipling
