John Lennon with George Harrison (1971)

I love the process involved in making records. It's "magic", mixed in with a bit of technology, and a ton of emotions. In this clip from You Tube, John Lennon records "Oh, My Love" for his second solo album, "Imagine", with a little help from George Harrison on guitar, and Nicky Hopkins on electric piano. John played the acoustic piano on the recording. Phil Spector is also present, although he seems to contribute nothing of value to the session. This was a few years before he got mad and fired a pistol into the studio ceiling, which caused John Lennon to ban him forever as his producer.

The real meat of this video is in the transformation which the song takes; from a discussion about the meaning of love, to the first; and unorganized, version of the recording; and then through a bit of anger, before emerging, beginning at 2 minutes and 55 seconds into the film, as the wonderfully sensitive ballad which it is. Especially of interest to me is watching George Harrison effortlessly move about the neck of his guitar, totally at peace with himself, as well as his instrument. I'm still trying, on both accounts.

Happy Leap Year! See you tomorrow with an actual review of something....

Leap Year, George Washington and the Jewish Calendar

Imagine having your summer vacation in January, or Christmas in June. Seems unlikely, doesn’t it? But that’s exactly where we would be at today if Caesar had not adopted the changes to the “Julian” calendar when he added one day every fourth year to keep everything in order. Of course, we know it as leap year, and it is an accepted part of living, engendering such witticisms as, “If you’re born on February 29th then you don’t get to vote until you’re 72 years old!” Or, “If you marry on February 29th then you only have to buy the wife a gift every 4th year.” Right; you try it, and let me know how that works out for you.

I have always been fascinated by numbers, even when failing math in grammar school.(I was fascinated at how low my grades were.) Still later, while working as a grocery clerk, before the advent of the modern day cash register, I was further enamored of the precision of numbers in general. And, still later, as a Quartermaster in the Navy, and then as a qualified 3rd Mate aboard oil tankers, the absolute nature of the stars in their movements, hooked me on math forever. In that spirit I offer the following, and accepted, mathematical reasons for the need of a leap year.

In 46 BC, Julius Caesar was faced with the problem that the Roman calendar then in use had slipped 81 days. This was especially noticeable at the spring equinox, which was an agricultural benchmark affecting the planting of crops. Something needed to be done to correct the error. Caesar simply added 81 days to the calendar, and instituted the leap year, bringing all things back to their proper order; for a time.

The Julian calendar, which is the one in use from 46 BC until 1582 AD, was based upon 365.25 days for one journey around the sun. Now, this was pretty good shooting for 46 BC, but by the 16th Century advances in science, and navigation, had revealed the actual length of time to orbit the sun as being a bit shorter; 365.2422 days, which meant that we were now out of whack by 10 days, which was fouling up the date on which to observe Easter. In preparation for Easter of 1582, Pope Gregory XIII deleted 10 days for that year, which reset the clock, so to speak. That became known as the Gregorian calendar, which is what we still use today.

As time has gone by, even the Gregorian calendar has come up for correction. George Washington, the father of our country, was actually born on the 11th of February in 1732. His birthday was advanced by 11 days in 1752 when the colonies switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. I have never really been sure of why the colonies were using the older Julian calendar, so I will have to look into that. But poor George Washington, he seems destined to never have a permanent birthday, as we now celebrate his special day as a three day weekend, or President's Day, which gives him a “leap” in his birthday every year, rather than one in every four.

There are many different calendars in use around the world, each with its own version of Leap Year. My own religion, Judaism, makes use of the older Lunar calendar which requires a correction of almost 20 days, or so, making it a 13 month year. That month is named Adar I, or, the "lucky" month. It is neatly slipped in between the months of Shevat and Adar, giving the leap year a total of 385 days. The Jewish Leap Year is also known as the "Pregnant" year; "Shanah Me'uberet" in Hebrew; as it bulges with extra days. These leap years are distributed 7 times over a 19 year period, and occur during the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th years of the cycle. This is known as the Metonic cycle and marks the moons return to the exact place, at the same longitude, with the same constellation in the sky. Moreover this occurs at the time when the moon is in the exact same phase as it was at the beginning of the cycle.

I don't know whether I'll post tomorrow, or not, what with it being Leap Year. It seems like a lot of trouble; that's why I'm posting this today. But knowing me, I'll probably post something anyway. Being compulsive kind of becomes a habit.

"Blessings In Disguise" by Sir Alec Guinness

It would be hard to argue that Alec Guinness, often referred to as "the man with no face", is one of the finest actors ever. He has triumphed in every arena he has performed in. From stage to screen, from Shakespeare's "Hamlet", to George Lucas' "Star Wars", few actors can really claim to have managed such diverse roles, pulling them all off with perfection, and then some.

Who can forget Mr. Guinness as the indomitable Colonel Nicholson in Pierre Boulle's "The Bridge Over the River Kwai", or the crafty Fagin in David Lean's film version of "Oliver Twist." I can go on, but why?

In this very theatrically toned memoir, Mr. Guinness recounts his early years as the child of a mother and stepfather; who fell in and out of fortune at regular intervals; which left him to his own devices when not confined to boarding school. His childhood straddled the years between the two World Wars, which were amongst some of the most politically interesting decades of the 20th Century. The different characters whom he meets during these years are a fascinating, though odd, assortment of talented people.

He recounts his introduction to the theater, and then acting, naming long forgotten performers; who's names I am unfamiliar with; but through his remarkable style of writing, still manages to convey their wit, and importance, in the theatrical circles of their time.

One of the more amazing things, to me at least, about this book is the way the authors words convey his personality so well. He translates on paper just as well as he did on the screen. I cannot say how his films, or this book, compare to his stage appearances, never having had the honor of seeing him in person. As close as I've gotten to his level of performance is seeing Richard Burton in "Camelot" when I was about 7; I really did think that he was King Arthur; and then seeing Claire Bloom in Ibsen's "Doll's House" when I was 14. Jason Robards co-starred in that, it was a Sunday afternoon matinee in a loft somewhere in Manhattan for $4 a ticket. One of my friends mother's took us there, and I fell in love with Ms. Bloom that day, though she has still never answered my letter.

That's another thing which makes this book so readable. For all his accomplishments, and title, Sir Alec was very much like you and I. For instance, when he was 7 he saw Nellie Wallace in a music hall performance and sent her flowers, just as I had sent a note to Claire Bloom. In Mr. Guinness' case, Ms. Wallace returned the gesture with a note and some flowers of her own. (Ms. Bloom, please take note.)

Through all of his years in the theater; where people are sometimes apt to take themselves too seriously; and in all of his performances as Kings, Colonels, Princes, etc., he never ceased to be Alec Guinness. He even begins the book by stating that he was born out of wedlock. No excuses offered, just the unabashed fact. And that's the way the entire 200 pages, or so, reads, as a collection of facts, presented almost in vignettes that define the author’s life.

At the beginning to the final paragraph Mr. Guinness writes, "At the risk of pretension I have to say that, for me, the great adventure could be yet to come, had I only the courage and strength of will to embark on it: a spiritual journey, all foibles, silliness and ill-will mastered and thrown overboard and a genuine attempt made at achieving total simplicity. A day dream only, I fear. I lack sufficient humility and it is so warm and cozy on shore." That's quite a statement from a very unique and humble man.

"Brooklyn" with James Cagney from "The West Point Story"

This is a scene from the 1950 film "The West Point Story" with James Cagney, Virginia Mayo and Doris Day. At 2 minutes 26 seconds in this clip, Cagney sings about walking down Kings Highway. The movie is a bit dated, but still captures the spirit of the city. And Mr. Cagney's tribute to B,K,L,Y,N really does make me want to go back and walk down Kings Highway again.

The plot involves Broadway director Bix Bixby, played by James Cagney, who is down on his luck due to a gambling problem. He is persuaded to go to West Point military academy with Eve, his secretary and sometimes lover, to help put on a show. A cute story with plenty of singing and dancing, this one was a surprise for me, as I had not seen it before. But of course the best part was this when Cagney is lined up with the other cadets, still in civilian clothes, and tells them about Brooklyn.

"14 Karat Rabbit" with Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam (1951)

This is one of the classic Mel Blanc cartoons. Mel Blanc did all of the voices in the Looney Tones Cartoons back in the late 1940's and the 1950's. Some people have commented on You Tube that this is an anti Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender cartoon. The overwhelming objection seems to be the opening scene, which says "The Klondike - Where Men are Men, and Women are Women - A Darn Good arrangement." I think they are reading way too much into it. This is just a funny cartoon from 1951. Enjoy it!

"LBJ" by Phillip F. Nelson

This is the latest in the myriad of books about the assassination of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, in Dallas, Texas, on November 22nd, 1963. I am an avid fan of the genre, both pro, and anti-conspiracy. It is, for me, the parlor game to end all parlor games. Who killed JFK, and more importantly, why?

Mr. Nelson has made a splendid effort, according to the author's bio on the cover he retired early to pursue writing this book. His premise is that the assassination was the sole brainchild of Lyndon Johnson, and further that the whole episode was caused by Johnson's lifelong desire to be President. He has even included the oft told story of LBJ declaring, at age eleven, that he would someday be President. Truth be told, many an American boy, and now girls, have harbored that same dream.

To set the record straight concerning my own feelings about the murder of JFK; I say murder rather than assassination simply because assassination usually involves a political goal, whereas the murder of JFK was more of a business decision by a wide group of influential people and organizations; I believe that Kennedy was killed by a group which included the CIA, Cuban exiles, the Mafia and Military Intelligence Units. Their motivation was a confluence of events, which, when taken collectively into consideration, affected all of these groups in such a way that it was deemed necessary to take action.

Mr. Nelson hits most of the key points, but never really connects the dots. For instance, take the Presidents changed route to the Trade Mart; the question is not so much who changed the route, as much as it is why the Trade Mart was to be the venue in the first place, rather than the larger Convention Center? The President should have been speaking at the Convention Center, which was booked in advance by Pepsi Cola for their annual meeting. LBJ was even a keynote speaker at that event. Their main concern was the spiraling price of sugar, caused in large part by Castro's takeover of Cuba. One of the guests, who flew out of Dallas just hours before the assassination/murder, was then ex-Vice President Nixon. He, ironically, was not involved in the plot.

The Convention Center was booked in order to force the President to utilize the Trade Mart instead. In that way he would have to pass the Texas Book Depository, which had only been purchased 6 months before the President’s visit, and leased, to a private firm only 6 weeks before November 22nd. The name Texas School Book Depository is also an attempt to camouflage the real owners. Most people still think that the Book Depository was a state owned facility at the time, and that it had been in operation for years.

The flight of Air Force One from Dallas is called into question by the author. His conclusion of Johnson wanting to fly aboard Air Force One, rather than Air Force Two, as further proof that LBJ was the "mastermind" of the plot to kill the President is not credible at all. Officially, he was there to accompany the body of the slain President in order to show a continuity of government at the height of the Cold War. But, in reality he was the de-facto "getaway driver."

Under Federal law in 1963 it was not a crime to kill the President. The location of the assassination held the jurisdiction for the murder and any subsequent trial. Indeed the President's security detail clashed violently with the Dallas Police Department when they removed the Presidents body from Parkland Hospital. Weapons were drawn, with the Secret Service the obvious winners.

In addition, both sides wanted the body for different purposes; the doctors at Parkland wanted to conduct an autopsy, which would have fulfilled their obligations under Texas law at the time. Dr. Crenshaw, at Parkland, had already established that JFK was shot from the front, rather than the rear. The Secret Service wanted the body back in Washington to conceal the drugs in Kennedy's system, as well as his STD's. It was at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland where the autopsy was altered to indicate one lone gunman firing from the rear.

Once aboard Air Force One with the body of JFK, and having taken the Oath of Office as the new President, who was to stop the plane from taking off with the body? The autopsy was then performed, with dubious results, at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland, rather than at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, as required by the applicable laws of the time. The assassination of the President would not become a Federal Crime until 1967.

Although Mr. Nelson is correct in that there was a conspiracy to kill President Kennedy, his work has all the earmarks which make one wonder if this book was deliberately written to discredit "Family Of Secrets" by Russ Baker, which manages to tie together all of the principal culprits from the Bay of Pigs affair through the Watergate Burglarly. All of the same players are neatly tied together in a fully researched and believable fashion. That book answers all of the questions which may be lingering in reference to the death of President Kennedy. Zapata Offshore Oil, anyone?

"We and They" by Rudyard Kipling

On October 10th, 1977 Alec Guinness gave a rare interview on Michael Parkinson's BBC show. He reminisced about his life in show business and his fascination with animals. He even donned a cap and in a small boys voice read the following poem by Rudyard Kipling. I recently ran across the video of that performance as a bonus feature with the film "Kind Hearts and Coronets." I have not been able to find a clip of it on You Tube. But I'm still looking! In its absence I have posted a clip from the 1948 David Lean Production of "Oliver Twist", in which Mr. Guinness appears as Fagin. In this short clip he evokes all the necessary emotions imaginable; from kindness to greed and suspicion.

Alec Guinness has often been described as the actor who has no face. You can literally see him in several movies in a row and not recognize him. He is also Colonel Nicholson in Pierre Boulle's "The Bridge Over the River Kwai", as well as Obi-Wan in the iconic "Star Wars" films. Talk about versatility!

The Parkinson's interview was a bit over an hour long, and when it was through, it simply wasn't enough. And to cap off the interview, during which he had impersonated various animals which he had used as inspiration for several parts in his films, he donned a cap and glasses, reading, in a child's voice, this wonderful poem by Rudyard Kipling.

"A Friend of the Family"
From "Debits and Credits"(1919-1923)

Father and Mother, and Me,
Sister and Auntie say
All the people like us are We,
And every one else is They.
And They live over the sea,
While We live over the way,
But-would you believe it? --They look upon We
As only a sort of They!

We eat pork and beef
With cow-horn-handled knives.
They who gobble Their rice off a leaf,
Are horrified out of Their lives;
While they who live up a tree,
And feast on grubs and clay,
(Isn't it scandalous? ) look upon We
As a simply disgusting They!

We shoot birds with a gun.
They stick lions with spears.
Their full-dress is un-.
We dress up to Our ears.
They like Their friends for tea.
We like Our friends to stay;
And, after all that, They look upon We
As an utterly ignorant They!

We eat kitcheny food.
We have doors that latch.
They drink milk or blood,
Under an open thatch.
We have Doctors to fee.
They have Wizards to pay.
And (impudent heathen!) They look upon We
As a quite impossible They!

All good people agree,
And all good people say,
All nice people, like Us, are We
And every one else is They:
But if you cross over the sea,
Instead of over the way,
You may end by (think of it!) looking on We
As only a sort of They!