GLEN CAMPBELL - SUPERSTAR

Watching One of My Favorites Battle Alzheimer's

By Steve Ludwig

While I was growing up in the Ludwig household, the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour TV show was a favorite for my family to watch. In the summer of 1968, the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour replaced the Smothers until they returned in September with a new season of shows. So successful was the Goodtime Hour, that Glen was given his own regular show beginning mid-season of the next year. The show ran for four years.

Well, because of the Goodtime Hour, my mom became a huge fan. 

"Glen's on tonight," she would remind me as I scrambled to get out of the house and to first period class on time at North Bergen High School.

That first year, my mom bought Glen Campbell's Wichita Lineman album, and it was played in regular rotation in our home, along with the original Broadway cast album of Oliver. (The Andy Williams Christmas Album completed the trifecta of favorite Mickey Ludwig records, although Andy's was more of a seasonal listen.)

I grew to love the  Wichita Lineman album as much as my mother. I better  have liked it; it was gonna be played whether my dad, my brothers Bill and Tom and I liked it or not!

                                                   

I loved just about every song on it. Glen's cover of the Bee Gees' "Words" was a cool one, and so were "Reason To Believe" and "If You Go Away."  Of course, his big hit at the time, "Wichita Lineman" was great, but my favorite tune on the album was "Dreams of the Everyday Housewife." I don't know, there was something about its wistfulness, the thought of a young woman whose future may have been brighter if she'd have married that other guy, but true love won out, and she married a less successful, yet more loving, man.

In the years since Wichita Lineman, I've sort of kept up with Glen's career. If I knew he was to appear on TV, I'd tape it and check it out sooner or later. I felt bad for him during the late 70's and early 80's, when he made some poor decisions and developed a drug and alcohol problem, and had a tumultuous relationship with Tanya Tucker (that tart!). And, of course, that mug shot from a few years ago, when he was picked up for drunk driving.

The recent news that Glen now suffers from Alzheimer's disease really saddened me. Do you feel, as I do, that musicians are kind of like a part of the family? Heck, Glen was as much a part of the family during the Wichita Lineman period as our beagle, Snoopy, was. (Well, what else would you have named a beagle during the 60's?)

When I read that Glen was going to be giving a "Goodbye Tour" because his Alzheimer's is progressing, and that he was going to be playing close to home, at the Bergen PAC Theater in Englewood, NJ, well I knew I had to be in that audience to show love and support for my "friend."

        

So last Tuesday, Sue and I sat down in our seats and waited for Glen Campbell. Now, I have to admit to you that I was prepared to see a very sub-par performance, with Glen probably stopping mid-song, tripping over his own feet while onstage...silly ignorant thoughts like that. But I had to be there.

Well, was I pleasantly surprised! From the little bit of research on Alzheimer's that I did before this week's blog, I learned that Alzheimer's, early on, is more of a short-term memory loss condition than long-term. Alzheimer's victims can often sing entire songs from their past, yet not remember something they were told a minute ago. And sure enough, that pretty much defined Glen's performance. He did some truly incredible guitar pickin', and his voice was still strong, and he was able to still hit the high notes. He did, however, require word prompters (I noticed at least three screens on various parts of the stage) for him to read the words to his songs. Of course, I've been to concerts where perfectly healthy performers used prompters, too, but Glen pretty much read the entire song that he was singing. 

He would tell a joke before a song, then tell the same joke right before the very next song. But he had three of his loving grown children in his band to help him over the rough spots: his two sons, Shannon and Cal play guitar and drums, and his daughter Ashley plays banjo and electric piano. When he told the same joke for the second time, Ashley gently said, "Daddy, you already told us that one." And Glen good-humoredly said something to the effect, "Oh, well, they just heard it again!" 

When Glen needed a piece of gum because, as he explained, he couldn't drink water because then he'd have to go to the "toidy", Ashley came out from behind her piano to unwrap the gum for him. "Thank ya, darlin'," he'd say to her.

He mentioned to the audience that he'd hurt his knee recently and would be sitting for some of his songs. Sue whispered to me, "I wonder if the knee is because of an Alzheimer's fall." That idea started to make sense because in one part of the show, the band left the stage, leaving Glen to sing a song on his own. Before she left, Ashley said, "Daddy, you have to sit down for this one," and she brought his stool to the microphone. His son, Cal, however, did remain on stage, not playing an instrument, just sitting off to the left, I suppose, just in case his dad became disoriented alone out there.

If this sounds like a sad show, it was anything but! Surely, bittersweet could describe it; as I looked around at certain points in the show, people were wiping tears from their eyes. But what I saw more than anything were three loving children now taking care of a dad who had taken care of them for so many years. During the show, as he sang, Glen would walk over to each of his kids and put an arm around their shoulder. More than once, he'd tell us, in his southern drawl, "Ah love mah kids!"

Standing ovation after standing ovation, the audience thanked Glen for not only this particular great performance, for not only giving us so much wonderful music over the years, but also for showing us what COURAGE looks like.

This picture was taken at the Grammy Awards just a few months ago. Ashley's on the left, and Glen's wife Kim is on the right.

     

                  

So if you haven't listened to a Glen Campbell song in a while, or if you've never heard a Campbell song, why not take a minute and check one out on YouTube?

Knowing what we now know about him, I hope you'll enjoy him just a little more.

He truly is GLEN CAMPBELL - SUPERSTAR!

If you'd like to view a bit of what I videoed of Glen's concert, here's the YouTube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUFqzZN9YvQ&feature=g-all-u 

Hey, why not check out my radio show? It's STEVE LUDWIG'S CLASSIC POP CULTURE at www.PlanetLudwig.com. Thanks! 

                                                                 

 

If you enjoyed reading this blog, would you be so kind as to consider buying my first book: SEE YOU IN CCU-A LIGHTHEARTED TALE OF MY OPEN-HEART SURGERY ?

You'll find all the info about it at ccubook.com.

                            

As always, thanks for everything!

Steve

HUH? WHAT?? ME? ON TV??

Behind the Scenes of My First TV Appearance

By Steve Ludwig

As I mentioned a couple blogs ago, the publisher of my book, SEE YOU IN CCU: A LIGHTHEARTED TALE OF MY OPEN-HEART SURGERY, convinced me to engage in some publicity to promote the book.

This past Friday, I checked my email for the first time that day, at 5:00 PM. Evan Ginzburg (whom I had met a couple months earlier and am now proud to call a buddy) shot me an email. Evan is the associate producer of the movie The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke. Evan let me know that a producer/director friend of his, Solomon Chertok (whom I've also had the pleasure of meeting), wanted to know if I could be in Staten Island at 2:00PM the next day to appear on his friend's cable TV show, Home Invaders Variety Show, to promote my book. Me? Wow! Evan and Solomon are two very busy guys, and for them to take the time to even contact me about this is a testament as to how nice these two are.

I was to call Hector Bosa, the show's host, as soon as possible to make arrangements for the following day. 

"Hello?" Hector almost yelled through the phone when he answered. It sounded like he was outside, on a busy street.

"Hi, Hector, my name is Steve Ludwig. Through Solomon Chertok, Evan Ginzburg suggested I call you to see if I could possibly appear on your show tomorrow."

"What?!" Hector hadn't been able to make out a single word I'd said.

I tried again: "Evan Ginzburg told me to..."

"Oh, Evan told you to call? Hold on..."

I held, as Hector apparently retreated into a store where it was quieter.

We talked; Hector was very receptive. He asked me to be at the studio at around 2:30PM. They shoot till 6:00PM. 
Now at my first public reading on April 27 at Gizzi's in NYC, I needed my "Linus security blanket," Lloyd Gold, to be onstage with me. Lloyd played his ukulele and generally kept things light and fun. So for my first TV appearance ever, I wanted Lloyd with me. I owed him big time for appearing at Gizzi's, and maybe Lloyd would be able to sing a few songs. Should I dare even ask Hector, who was nice enough to allow me on his show in the first place?
"I have a buddy of mine, and we kind of work together. He plays the ukulele really well and backs me up while I read."
"Sure, man, bring him along!"
Hector was very cool, I could tell already. I immediately contacted Lloyd. Little did I know that he was, at that moment, receiving his Masters' Degree diploma at Montclair State University (Congratulations, Lloyd!!).
Lloyd said he was in.
To familiarize myself a bit with the show, I checked out the website (www.rarobertsonproductions.com/HI/HomeInvaders/index.html) and found that Hector calls himself the "Hardest, Baddest, Sexiest Man on Basic Access Cable." His show was delightfully offbeat. It was neat. I couldn't wait to be on it.

Lloyd and I met the next day at 12:30. I drove us to the NJ Turnpike, over the Goethals Bridge, and before we knew it we were turning down the street to the TV studio in Staten Island. It was only about 1:15 by this time, we had some time before having to report, and we were both hungry. So once we found the studio, we backtracked a couple blocks and found ourselves at the order pickup window of Checkers...That's Checkers as in FRIED FOOD Checkers. The irony of a guy who was about to go on a TV show to talk about surviving quintuple open-heart bypass surgery, eating at Checkers, wasn't lost on Lloyd and me. We laughed as we sat at our outdoor table, overlooking Forest Avenue in Staten Island, amidst the fumes of the passing traffic and our very fried French fries and our very fried fried food. (Please don't tell my cardiologist, Dr. Welish...) With this lunch, gee, could I have been subconsciously preparing to write a sequel to my first book? Nope, I was just hungry...
After surviving lunch, Lloyd and I drove back to the studio, had our names checked on the security guard's list as we entered the parking lot...and proceeded to go to the wrong door. We stood like numbskulls, looking in the locked glass doors, ringing a bell that went unanswered. When it finally got through our heads that, hey, ya think this might be the wrong door?, we walked around the back and found the studio door.
In we went. I felt like some cool guy, doin' a TV gig, Daddy-O. 
We were early. It was about 1:50. We had no clue where to go, but we made a left and walked straight down a hall into a studio with cameras, lights, and a TV set with chairs.
"This must be the studio," I intelligently surmised.
Lloyd gave me a look like, "Ya think?? Durrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr."
There was nobody there. I snapped a quick picture or two before we both decided we better not be in here.
We found one of the technicians, and he told us no one from the show was here yet, but make ourselves comfortable in the small cafeteria a few doors away.
We put our stuff on the lone table in the room; Lloyd started tuning and strumming his ukulele while I took one of my books out of my bag and placed it on the table. As Lloyd started loosening up his vocal cords, I looked dumbly down at the cover of my book. Well, I guess I'm all ready, I figured. Nothin' else to do but go to the bathroom. Lloyd stayed behind and practiced.
Shortly after I returned, a woman, younger than Lloyd and I, came into the room. We all nodded at each other, and she sat down and placed a book on the table. 
"Are you here for the show?" I asked her. 
"Yes, you guys also?"
A thought went through my head: Shoot, she's an author, too, and her book is a HARD COVER. Nobody's gonna like my book, I whined secretly.
But Kirsi Paalanen (her name) was not an author; she was a health specialist who had appeared on The Dr. Oz Show. But she offered this Oz information in a very humble manner: "My five minutes of fame," she said almost apologetically. 
Lloyd and I could tell right away she was a good person. The three of us were in this together, and we almost immediately started leaning on each other until the taping.
Let me take this opportunity to tell you about Kirsi's website. It's www.myorangevilla.com. 
As a certified passion test facilitator, Ms. Paalanen will help you find that focus you may have lost and help you recharge your passion for life and work. As you'll see when I share the show with you in a couple weeks, Kirsi knows her stuff. Please also visit her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/myorangevilla.
Soon a few people joined us in the room. One of them, Ro, asked if we could kindly move our things off the table so she could display the food. Food? Lunch for the crew, I figured.
Before long, a very laid-back man with slightly unkempt hair sauntered into the food room. It was Hector Bosa, the show's host.
Not yet quite in "uniform" for the show, he was definitely a cool guy. He sat down with us as a couple cameramen drifted in.
We each asked Hector a question or two about our upcoming taping.
"Hey, man, whatever you wanna do is fine. We just have a good time here."
And he sat down with us and talked and made us feel like part of the crew. We talked about Saturday Night Live, about Joe Franklin, about our pets, about scars on our bodies...Hector really put us at ease.
"C'mon, eat...Eat!" Hector insisted we help ourselves to the food.
He brought us into the control room and introduced us to the crew in there. One of them, Mitch, asked me for a copy of my book so he could scan the cover and show it onscreen during my interview.
There wasn't a single member of the whole outfit who wasn't pleasant to us. I mean, everybody welcomed us into their "world" with open arms, as if we had always been a part.
I asked Hector, "May I take pictures for my Facebook page and my blog?"
"Yeah, man, take pictures of whatever you want."
I almost felt like just hanging out with everybody and not even going on the show!
He eventually brought us into the studio and told us what to expect. He said that the show was taped as if it were live. There would be "roll-ins" between segments. Thankfully, Kirsi asked what a roll-in was, because I certainly had no clue. A roll-in was when Hector would come to the end of an interview segment and say something like, "And now let's check out this video," and they'd cut to a humorous video while the cameras were off us. During these roll-ins, we were free to talk to each other about the past segment or the segment coming up.
The atmosphere was consistently laid-back, but as the taping time approached, everyone on the crew went about their business professionally.
We were asked to sit in the chair we'd be in during the show (Hector had already told us where we'd be sitting) and to speak into our microphone so the sound levels could be checked. 
When I spoke into mine, "Hello, I'm Steve Ludwig, I'm happy to be on the show," one of the control room guys said, "OK, Steve's fine." He didn't say "He's fine," but he said, "Steve's fine." Just another example how everybody made us feel like part of the family.

Another crew member led us into the "green" room (it wasn't really green) to sign our "Talent Release" forms. 

Here's the green room above. In the mirror you can see Kirsi on the left kicking back before the taping, and a woman knitting. (Hmmm, this scene isn't unlike a David Lynch movie.)

As we signed our "Talent Release" forms, I couldn't help but feel like I should've crossed the word "Talent" off of mine. But I didn't; I followed suit with Lloyd and Kirsi.

As Lloyd and Kirsi sign their Talent Releases (above), Lloyd's uke checks for spelling.

At 4:30PM, it was finally time for taping. Kirsi was to have the first segment alone with Hector. As you'll see when you watch the show in a week or two, she is an expert in her field. Be sure to check out both her website and Facebook pages when you get a few minutes.

After Kirsi, Lloyd and I would join her on the panel for the rest of the show.

I'll let you all watch the show itself when I get a copy. All I'll say is that Hector is hilarious, and we all managed to get a little goofy as the show went on.

Here's what we saw from our seats:

And here's where Lloyd and I put our junk while on camera:

And finally, here we are, after the taping, having lived to blog the story...

Lloyd, Kirsi, Hector, and yours truly

So there ya go! Hopefully when I post the show in a bit, you'll be able to find some time to check it out!

-Steve

Do you love pop culture as much as I do? You might get a kick out of my radio show, STEVE LUDWIG'S CLASSIC POP CULTURE at www.PlanetLudwig.com. Thanks!

                          

IF YOU ENJOYED READING THIS BLOG, WOULD YOU BE SO KIND AS TO CONSIDER BUYING MY BOOK, SEE YOU IN CCU: A LIGHTHEARTED TALE OF MY OPEN-HEART SURGERY ? JUST VISIT WWW.CCUBOOK.COM.

                                            

As always, thanks so much for everything,

Steve Ludwig

ALICE COOPER: SHARING THE NIGHTMARE,
BY STEVE LUDWIG

College graduations. Pretty soon, inhabitants of high schools and elementary schools will be singing the song that's been sung since 1972: "SCHOOL'S OUT" !!!
It's almost certainly Alice Cooper's best-known song, and I've been a die-hard fan of his ever since the SCHOOL'S OUT album came out during my senior year at North Bergen High School, in New Jersey.
I've followed "The Coop" fervently ever since. He had released a few albums before that (which I've since gotten into), but for me, Alice Cooper started with SCHOOL'S OUT.
I would guess that the non-fan who's heard of Cooper, but isn't familiar with much more than "School's Out" and perhaps "(I'm) Eighteen," thinks of Alice as merely a novelty act, whose stage show consists of a pet boa constrictor, a lot of blood (some of it even fake---muahahaha!!!!!!!), and either a guillotine or a noose, depending on which method of death the "bad Alice" succumbs to in that particular show.
But Alice offers so much more to those who can find the time to listen.
His lyrics are among the most clever in all of music. Bob Dylan referred to Alice as "...an underrated songwriter." You can say that again, Bob-O.
Aside from a couple stints in rehab for alcohol abuse, Cooper hasn't stopped making music. In September of last year, he released a follow-up (albeit over 35 years later) to his 1975 masterpiece WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE (featuring special guest, Vincent Price) with WELCOME 2 MY NIGHTMARE.
I'd like to share with you some of my favorite Coop lyrics...
Never heavy-handed about his born-again Christianity, Alice nonetheless allows this part of his life to seep into a few of his songs. Feeling that it may be time for the Big G's son to return to save us from the continuing brutality of our planet, Cooper sings:

                                   Here's where we keep the armies
                                   Here's where we write their names
                                   Here's where the money god is
                                   Here's our famous hall of shame
                                   Here's where we starve the hungry
                                   Here's where we cheat the poor
                                   Here's where we beat the children
                                   Here is where we pay the whore

                                   Why don't you come down to...
                                    It's such a brutal planet!
                                    It's such an ugly world
                                   Why don't you come down to...
                                                                                    ["Brutal Planet"]

After his first trip to rehab for his overindulgence in alcohol (some reports place him, at his worst, drinking 2 cases of beer and a bottle of whiskey each day),
Alice recorded the FROM THE INSIDE album, a semi-autobiographical tale of his experiences in rehab. One of more beautiful ballads (and you may be surprised at all the ballads that Alice has sung throughout his career) comes from the album. Cooper's character, just before being released from rehab, writes a letter to his loved one, who waits at home. Will she still love him? Will he be able to deal with her in his new sobriety?

                                       Dear darlin', surprised to hear from me?
                                       Bet you're sittin' drinkin' coffee, 
                                       Yawning sleepily
                                       Just to let you know 
                                       I'm gonna be home soon
                                       I'm kinda awkward and afraid
                                       Time has changed your point of view

                                       How you gonna see me now?
                                       Please don't see me ugly, babe
                                       'Cause I know I've let you down
                                       In, oh, so many ways
                                       How you gonna see me now
                                       Since we've been on our own?
                                       Are you gonna love the man
                                       When the man gets home?
                                                                               ["How You Gonna See Me Now?"]


One of Alice's biggest strengths, for me, is his humor. He uses it to make clever observations about our sometimes wacky society. Does he feel that some of today's youth may occasionally take it too easy, and expect too much for nothing? See what you think, as he sings the voice of a teenager:

                                      I can't get a girl 'cause I ain't got a car
                                      I can't get a car 'cause I ain't got a job
                                      I can't get a job 'cause I ain't got a car
                                      So I'm looking for a girl with a job and a car

                                      Don't you know where you are?
                                      You're lost in America
                                                                               ["Lost in America"]


Ever wonder if Elvis made it to heaven? Well, Alice did. He sings this song as the late, great Presley might have:

                                      I had a lot of girls
                                      I had a lot of guns
                                     When they found me dead
                                     The whole world was stunned
                                     Went to the pearly gates
                                     Said, "I'm the hippest thing."
                                     And Peter said, "Well, son,
                                     We already got ourselves a King."
                                                                                          ["Disgraceland"]

After twenty-five studio albums (as well as seven live albums), Alice has written some truly imaginative lyrics; I hardly scraped the surface with the four songs I excerpted here.
A couple of years ago, I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Alice Cooper at a convention. It was a thrill; it really was.
As I waited on the long line to have my picture taken with him, I noticed how Alice would "play up" his image with those fans that expected him to be "Alice Cooper," providing an occasional choke hold on his victims. To others like me who approached him calmly, he was simply "Alice." He read his fans well.
"Hi, Alice, I'm Steve."
"Hi, Steve."
We shook hands. I had planned to tell Alice how I had visited his sports bar, "CoopersTown" (cool name, huh?), while in Arizona a few years ago, and how I especially got a kick out of how all the waiters and waitresses wore the famous Alice Cooper eye makeup.
But seeing I was pressed for time, with no end in sight to that long line of people behind me, we posed for the picture; I wanted to be sure to mention one thing to him. I mentioned to Alice that I haven't had a drop of alcohol since 1985, and that his FROM THE INSIDE album held a special musical place in my heart.
"Since '82 for me, " Alice said of his sobriety.
"Yup, I know," I told him. "Well, good health to you, Alice."
"You, too," he said, and then finished with, "We've never felt so good, right?"
"Yup."
And with that, the next person in line was making her way up to Alice.
I left with a good feeling; one of my favorite musical artists was a regular guy, and a pretty darn nice one at that.

No nightmares for me!

Did you know I have a radio show? It's called STEVE LUDWIG'S CLASSIC POP CULTURE at www.PlanetLudwig.com. Thanks!

                                         

SO, HEY, IF YOU ENJOYED READING MY BLOG, WOULD YOU KINDLY CONSIDER BUYING MY BOOK? IT'S CALLED SEE YOU IN CCU: A LIGHTHEARTED TALE OF MY OPEN-HEART SURGERY.

YOU CAN READ ABOUT IT, CHECK OUT SOME OF THE REVIEWS, AND PURCHASE IT IF YOU'D LIKE, AT CCUBOOK.COM. 

                                                                    

As always, thanks so much for reading!

Steve

                                        

                                      
         





                                    

DIZZY AT GIZZI'S

MY FIRST PUBLIC READING OF

SEE YOU IN CCU

By Steve Ludwig

Don't you feel we all have a book in us, just waiting to get out?

Well, while I was on a sabbatical from teaching last year, I wrote mine!

In 2006, I had quintuple open-heart bypass surgery. When I got home from the hospital, I decided to keep a journal of the oh-so-many fun things that happened to me while I was in the hospital, as well as recording the hilarity of my recovery at home.

While sitting at the kitchen table, trying to turn these notes into some sort of semblance of a book, I remember telling myself, I don't care if I sell a single copy of my book. I just want to be able to say I got a book published, and that I am in the Library of Congress [2011918490 is my Library of Congress Control Number. Yeah, that's right, I have an LCCN. So does J.K. Rowlings. There is something seriously wrong with this picture...].

Please believe me when I tell you, I was quite content to return to teaching and simply stare like a dumbbell at the author's copy of my book that was sitting on my bookshelf next to my favorite Beatles books, and do nothing else with the book.

Soon, however, I was receiving phone calls and emails from my publisher: Why not enjoy the whole experience of having a book published? Have you considered advertising? Why not start a Facebook page devoted to your book? Try that Twitter thing. And blog! How about doing a book signing? Better yet, how about doing a book READING?

Hey, Mr. Publisher, how about just letting me continue to stare at my bookshelf?

Then I began to see my book for sale on the Barnes & Noble and Amazon websites. It began to spring up in select bookstores. I saw positive reviews for my little story.

I found myself googling my name; googling my book's title. I was falling under the spell.

Through Facebook, a fantastic parent (her name is Mare Russell) of an equally fantastic former student (his name is Rye Joseph, now a successful director of documentaries) told me that she had a really nice friend named Evan Ginsburg. Evan is, among other things, the Associate Producer of the movie, The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke. Evan is also the host of an internet radio show, Legends Radio (www.legendsradio.net), that reaches a world-wide audience. Through the goodness of his heart, Evan invited me to be interviewed on his show a couple weeks ago. (If you go to the show's website, click on the April 18 show on the homepage, then download the episode. My interview can be heard at the 1 hour, 37 minute mark if you'd like to fast forward. If you have the time to listen, Evan's whole show is wonderful.)

Mr. Ginsburg also books the talent for Gizzi's Cafe (16 West 8th St., NYC), a super club smack in the heart of Greenwich Village; which is just where I found myself last Friday night, on stage, reading from my book to an audience of friends and family, as well as diners who must have been wondering, Who the hell is this guy who's talking about having a catheter stuck up his penis??

Although my book itself is a lighthearted account of my open-heart surgery, I wasn't convinced that my words could hold an audience's interest for my 45- to 60-minute set on stage.

Now, I knew that I would be showing some of the tremendous illustrations that my brother Tom did for the book, such as this one:

I also knew that I'd be telling the backstory of how we chose this author's picture, taken by my professional photographer nephew, Billy:

And I knew I'd be waiting until people were eating their dinner before sharing this photo of me in all my SCARRY SPLENDOR, taken by my friend, Carol Toomey, of me in the hospital:

Yet I still wasn't confident enough that I could pull off the "holding their interest" part of the deal.

I love music (who among us doesn't?); I toyed with the idea of playing pre-recorded music in the background as I read selections from my book.

Then I had my "Eureka!" moment...or should I say, I had my "Ukulele!" moment. My friend, Lloyd Gold, fellow teacher and leader for over ten years of his own band, Lloyd United, could join me onstage as my musical accompanist! Would he be interested? Lloyd came through! He would, indeed, bring his ukulele and tiptoe through the Gizzi's with me. As Evan Ginsburg said on his radio show, after I mentioned that I would be bringing a ukulele master with me to Gizzi's: "Nothing says a good time better than quintuple bypass surgery and ukuleles." Well said, my good man!

And, boy, did Lloyd deliver...From serenading my wife, Sue, to a chorus of Susie Q, to singing a beautiful rendition of In My Life during my "thank you" section, Gold the Magnificent added even more than I could ever have hoped for. That's not to mention Lloyd's unprovoked tissue-drying of my sweating slightly-receding hair-lined head. 

Here's a picture of us taken by my friend, Anna Pantoliano:

And in this picture above, also taken by Anna, I was explaining to the audience why Lloyd had to make so many "pit stops" during the evening. I wonder if it had anything to do with that beer he was drinkin'?

That was pretty much the tone of our set; pretty light, hopefully a lot of fun. 

There's no way I can ever thank all the friends and family members that came to Gizzi's to give me their support.

In a few days, I'll be posting video of our, um, "performance." I wouldn't have been able to post any video had it not been for going-on-five-month-old Joseph Cabrera's dad, Jeff, acting as my videographer. I must also thank Jeff's two lovely and talented assistant videographers, Professor Jenn Strobel and the equally professorial Jessica Schaaf.

I wouldn't have had the courage to get up on that stage without the presence of these beautiful people: Gary & Nancy, Jay & Paulette, Marie, Jill, Larry, Stephanie & Bob, Bonnie, Billy, Matthew, Frank, Rachel, Emily & Sharon and their husbands, Tom & Liz, Jeff, Jenn, Jessica, Anna, Deb, Lynn, Julie & Matt, Carol, Cathy & Dan, Mare and her pals, Evan, and my honey-pie wife, Sue.

As I said at the end of my reading at Gizzi's, Thank you all from the bottom of my healthy heart!

If you like pop culture, you may very well enjoy my radio show, STEVE LUDWIG'S CLASSIC POP CULTURE at www.PlanetLudwig.com. Thanks!

                                      

IF YOU ENJOYED READING THIS BLOG, WOULD YOU BE SO KIND AS TO CONSIDER BUYING A COPY OF MY BOOK, SEE YOU IN CCU: A LIGHTHEARTED TALE OF MY OPEN-HEART SURGERY  ? You can find all the info at www.ccubook.com.

                                 

Thanks for everything! Steve