The Crane Pool Forum

re: Randy Meisner, another musician with a troubled life.

Dang!

Paul Reubens, who played Pee-wee Heman, 70, from cancer.

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/paul ... 235683504/

oh shit

Weird to lose two people who burned down meteroric careers around the same time but trundled through the decades making whatever meaning they could despite their pariah status.

It's like they both had a personality that couldn't help self-saboutaging, and felt they were most authentic having undermined themselves. It's a little crazy, but there's also no small amount of dignity there.

I didn't know until today that the PWPH theme song was by Mark Motherbaugh and vocal was Cyndi Lauper in a performance credited to Ellen Shaw.

Pee Wee was just never on my radar.
Don't think I saw more than a few minutes of the show back when it was part of the culture ... subculture is probably more accurate.

He wasn't on my radar either, but I thought his act was very funny. Like laugh out loud funny. Didn't much watch his Playhouse, though. I remember discovering him on the late night talk show circuit -- Carson or Letterman, maybe. The Rupert Pupkin character, played by Robert de Niro in The King of Comedy was based on or inspired by Pee Wee Herman's act.

The man was a genius. Also allegedly creepy.

But tremendous imagination and originality.

William Friedkin - Director of the Exorcist, and French Connection - 87

Director William Friedkin, best known for his Oscar-winning “The French Connection” and blockbuster “The Exorcist,” died Monday in Los Angeles. He was 87.

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/will ... 235689676/

Later

Former Kinks keyboardist John Gosling.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/musi ... 234801492/

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: ↑Mon Jul 31, 2023 9:26 pm The man was a genius. Also allegedly creepy.

But tremendous imagination and originality.

Pee Wee's best, funniest work was the stage version (turned HBO special) that spawned the movies and kids' show to follow. It was a spoof of a kids show but written to be funny to adults.

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is my second favorite Tim Burton Movie after Beetlejuice.

Robbie Robertson, 80.

https://variety.com/2023/music/news/rob ... 235692172/

He was the heart and soul of The Daily Bugle.

G-Fafif wrote: ↑Wed Aug 09, 2023 4:11 pm Robbie Robertson, 80.

Ouch!


So whoever took Garth Hudson in the pool all those years ago to be the last surviving member can now step up and collect your winnings.
G.H., who turned 86 just last week, was older than each of the other Band members by three to six years so his wouldn't have been the most common choice. On the other hand he was reportedly the most clean and sober of the bunch so that probably attracted some money.

G-Fafif wrote: ↑Wed Aug 09, 2023 4:11 pm Robbie Robertson, 80.

https://variety.com/2023/music/news/rob ... 235692172/

We were just watching the news and heard the report of his death. My wife said, "Who did he play with?" I said, "The band". She said, "What band?". I said, "THE Band". Then I noticed a puzzled look on her face. So, to avoid an Abbott and Costello moment I said, "That was the name of the band".

Later

Very sad, I mean, he lived 80 years, but still. Really brilliant songwriter, in my estimation, and the guitar player in my all time favorite rock and roll outfit.

And he's joined on the musical bus to the afterlife by legendary mysterious troubadour Sixto "Sugar Man" Rodriguez.

Early 90s driving back from Cork City to Tipperary after a Prince concert, probably 3 to 4am in the morning and Somewhere Down That Crazy River comes on the radio , I'll always remember that drive abs that song in particular at that moment , heard that song on the radio the other day and thought of that moment

That track has about the maximum amount of Tom Waitsiness as you can legally have without actual Tom Waits involvement.

James Buckley - 100

Older brother to writer William F., he won election to the U.S. Senate from NYS as a non-incumbent third party (Conservative) candidate in 1970. His opponents were Roger Goodell's father who had been appointed by Gov Nelson Rockefeller to fill the seat of the late RFK, and Democrat Richard Ottinger. Buckley won with 38% if the vote before losing his bid for re-election as the R/C candidate to D. P. Moynihan

Yevgeny Prigozhin, dead in a plane crash about two months after challenging Putin, which is about two months longer than I thought he would last.

Nothing at all suspicious about this one, is there?

Bob Barker, 99.