As I awoke to face this last (hopefully) wintry Sunday of the year, I was inspired to haul out my favorite recipe for a cold Sunday: lamb shanks.  Now this is no ordinary lamb shanks recipe, as the little lamb legs rest in a pot with 2 full cups of peeled garlic cloves.  The recipe is out of my favorite slim cookbook, The Stinking Cookbook (1), out of that marvelous San Francisco restaurant “The Stinking Rose”, which features all things allium sativa. 

We picked up the cookbook when we ate there sometime in the 90s.  Our hotel room the next morning stunk so much of allium emissions, we were sure they were going to have to fumigate and stick us with the bill.  Didn’t happen, but we’ve left many rooms in a similar fashion since.  Probably going to happen after tonight’s shanks.

The recipe will gladden my wife’s heart, not just because of the wondrous meal she will face, but because of the many emptyings of our refrigeration systems it would represent.  Of course, out come the shanks: 2 monstrous one and a half pound numbers, courtesy of farmer Mark and wife Michelle, an ace rheumatology researcher and former colleague of mine.  Their joint enterprise, “EMMA acres” keeps us supplied with some pretty good food.

I also thawed out the heart, which came from the last lamb of theirs I bought.  The recipe calls for 4 shanks, but these 2 I had take up the pot.  Then there’s that fennel I had frozen away, plus of course the 2 cups of peeled garlic gloves I had in the jar from Bombay Grocers. Some of those garlic mashed potatoes, frozen away since the Spei’s Christmas, will make a side, as will the green beans/peppers dish leftovers from last week.  Our freezer still requires a paver block to hold down the lid, but after today there’s a little less.

The recipe is not fussy, especially if you got someone else to peel the garlic, but it has to cook for 3 hours in a 350⁰ oven.   So, it can make for a late dinner if you don’t get on the stick early in the afternoon.  Kathy is always after me to get dinner on the table before 7, which doesn’t always happen.  She doesn’t share my admiration for the Spanish, who eat their dinners around 10.  With nothing on the Monday AM plate for either of us this week, and our wonderful Sunday evening radio shows to accompany us, we’ll be fine when this comes out of the oven at 8.  We might even take that second bottle of shiraz.  Life is good.

Here’s the recipe.  I adapted it for lamb necks but throw in 2-4 lamb shanks instead and you’ll be there.  Bon Appetit!

Reference

1. Dal Bozzo J. The Stinking Cookbook. Berkeley CA: Celestial Arts, 1994. https://www.amazon.com/Stinking-Cookbook-Rose-Garlic-Restaurant/dp/0890877300/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2ZD9APRT54SQ2&keywords=the+stinking+rose+restaurant+cookbook&qid=1648426152&sprefix=the+stinking+%2Caps%2C114&sr=8-2

Admit it.  We non-essentials locked into our homes didn’t spend all that secluded time reading the classics.  With the grocery store and the liquor store among the few allowed outings, we of course bought a few things for home use.  I thoroughly enjoyed refining my cooking skills and to this day Kathy and I rarely bother to go out to eat.  And the cook needs a nip at hand while tending the stove, and that good food calls for an equivalent wine to wash it down.  And a glass at hand helps all those other idle activities – computer, reading, organizing the house, laundry, etc. – go better.   We were told from the get-go how important alcohol was to fighting Mr. Corona – all that hand sanitizer, dontcha know – and I told people many times, while dousing your hands with alcohol, don’t forget your insides!

Clearly, that advice was heeded by many, although I doubt I had much to do with it, aside from my own personal consumption.  Serious people examined this, and a meta-analysis published last July found plenty of evidence that drinking went way up during the pandemic, with a concomitant rise in medical complications, and even an increased risk of contracting COVID (1).  My friend Fred runs the liver service at U Hospital and told me his business skyrocketed.

That stay-at-home lockdown stuff was supposed to protect us.  As it turns out, it didn’t protect us from ourselves.  Published this week in JAMA were results from an examination of US mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics which were used to compare numbers and rates of alcohol-related and all-cause deaths among all individuals 16 years or older in 2019 and 2020 (2).  74,408 Americans ages 16 to 64 died from alcohol-related causes, whereas only 67,991 under 65 died with COVID-19 as an underlying cause.  And those were “with” numbers, so often the actual cause of death was something else.

Of course, we’re not satisfied just with the 2 carbon intoxicants.  Americans’ ever-increasing taste for opioids produced nearly 92,000 deaths from drug-involved overdoses in 2020, including illicit drugs and prescription opioids (3).  This number of opioid overdose deaths increased 38% in 2020 compared with 2019, with a 55% increase in deaths involving synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

So, was the cure worse than the disease?  Sure looks like it.  Mr. Corona did a number on us, but much of it wasn’t the virus’s fault.

References

1.         Murthy P, Narasimha VL. Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on alcohol use disorders and complications. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2021;34(4):376-385. doi:10.1097/YCO.0000000000000720.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8183243/

2.         White AM, Castle IP, Powell PA, Hingson RW, Koob GF. Alcohol-Related Deaths During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA. Published online March 18, 2022. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.4308.  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2790491

3.         National Institute on Drug Abuse.  Overdose death rates.  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2790491

Dontcha just love records?  Not those little CDs in their precious plastic jewel boxes that play on forever and surely not the mp4s you can buy for cheap (it seems) on iTunes, but those black (usually) 12 inch slabs of vinyl you scraped to get for $3.25 back in the day.  I’ve kept all of mine, except for those Kathy and I both had, and they sit downstairs in my cube system.  I haven’t counted ‘em or catalogued ’em although I suppose that’s a future retirement project.  I hear they have apps for that.

On this idyl afternoon, I tired of what Spotify was dishing up and went straight to the source.  I’ve got a fine Linn Sondak turntable, bought on line at the recommendation of my crazy Barnes buddy Neff.  I recently replaced the cartridge as it was turning my records into scratchy messes.

So, here’s what I’ve been listening to:

Hot out of Niles, Michigan, this was their first album.  They had a hit with “Hanky Panky” but filled the album with all manner of stuff, including Motown classics.

Blasting out of Akron (those are Akron scenes on the cover), Joe Walsh and friends exploded with an ear blasting disc of innovation.  Joe could also play keyboard, ya know, and it’s all over this record.  If Joe and the boys never ever recorded another record, this one would remain legendary.  Thank goodness they did, and Joe did, and we have everything from “Life’s been good to me so far” to “Analog Man” to enjoy.

Can there be a livelier time than one with Royal Oak’s Marshall Crenshaw? The little dude has been around since the early 80s and produced perhaps the most romantic song I’ve ever heard (“Whenever you’re on my mind” (1)). I heard this before I had a girlfriend to fit, but plugged away till I found one. Here’s a recent release, Marshall and his pals bopping around NYC shortly after they burst on the scene. Wonderful energetic stuff.

I can’t get through a day without my Cody fix.  This is the infamous “orange album”, endorsed heartily by the Commander himself when I asked him to autograph it, as he said the band was in peak form at the time.  This is the same year they played Hill and I caught them for the first time.  A rip roaring time through a live show, which was always the best way to hear them.

Who was the genius behind Traffic?  Sure, Stevie had the pipes, but the best songs came from this guy, who quit and reentered Traffic at least twice.  This was his first solo album after finally quitting, and what a tour de force.  That they were inscribed on a piece of marbleized vinyl just adds to the wonder.  Not on here is his meal ticket “Feelin’ Alright”.  He’s still cashin’ checks from that.

Well, the night is young. Perhaps I’ll impose a vinyl-only injunction. Well, we’ve already proceeded onto this young ‘un.

Sweet voice. Great songs

Then, let’s spend some time with the master. How I miss this guy. Thank God he left behind so many recordings. This one, his first, might be his best. Barely 25 when he cut it in ’71 and still carrying mail for a living – which gave him all that time to compose these songs in his head – he got to put down the bag but he never stopped deliverin’ messages.

The dive into vinyl is ever encountered with treasures. Listen past the scratches.

reference

1. “Whenever You’re On My Mind” (1983) Marshall Crenshaw (HQ).  YouTube 9/20/14. 

Just what do those old, retired couples do with all that time?  For me, in the 3 years that I haven’t answered an alarm clock or a clinic schedule, stuff to do just emerges.  Often, it’s stuff I’d never thought of.  But now there’s not enough time in the day to do all the things I want.  My wife Kathy, having jealously observed my new life of freedom, will finally be joining me among the elderly unemployed in June.  As she’s only working half time this term, her foot is already partway out the door.  She’s seeing that what emerges aren’t single activities, but projects.  And what project most consumes this doddering old couple?  Our house!  We’ve loved it since we bought it in ’85, but not so much that we haven’t renovated it twice, including a redo that had us move out completely for a year in ‘04-5 (1).  For the past 3 years, with all that time to stare at these 4 walls and ponder how to make them better, I’ve suggested many improvements and Kathy has approved some of them.  Now that she has some more idle time, the pace is picking up.  While most of our time this past month or two has been devoted to figuring out how to plaster as many of our posters and certificates up on our walls, we’ve also been paying attention to our books.  The dozen and a half or so bookcases of various shapes and sizes we already had up didn’t seem quite adequate, so we erected 3 more.  That got us looking more closely at the books there on the shelves.  I couldn’t help but notice the books I’d acquired fully intending to read them, but seldom got past the first few pages if I cracked them at all.  I found a long time ago that, for me, action was more likely to happen if first I created a list of the items to be acted upon.  So, to make it more likely that I might actually gain the joys, insights, and knowledge in these unread books, I made me a little list, and here it is.  Books listed alphabetically by author.  With comments.  Book covers are not to scale.

Bacon, John U.  The Great Halifax Explosion.  New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2017.  374pp. A Christmas present from Kathy a few years back.  John is a local guy whom Kathy and I know a little bit, and hands down my favorite sportswriter.  This ain’t a sporting event, but John’s such an excellent writer, I’m sure it’s a gripping tale.

Beatty, Paul.  The Sellout.  A Novel.  New York: Farrer, Straus and Giroux, 2015.  289pp. This one’s out of the local library, sought at the advice of my dear friend and fellow Barnes survivor Rajiv, who said with my warped sense of humor I’d appreciate it.  I didn’t know there was a racial angle.  But Rajiv’s my best African American friend (born and raised in Kenya by Indian parents), so I’ll trust his judgment.

Bierley, Paul E.  John Philip Sousa, American Phenomenon.  Miami FL: Warner Bros. Productions, 1973.  231pp. Every morning at 7:15, Dave Wagner of WRCJ 90.9 plays the “SousaAlarm”, and if up, we are roused by something by the March King. Gitcha goin’. The little piece I wrote on the 90^th anniversary of Sousa’s death got me interested in his ties to Michigan (2).  I have folks at the Bentley Historical Library digging up stuff.  I thought I’d familiarize myself with this remarkable man by reading this biography.

Crowell, Rodney.  Chinaberry Sidewalks.  A Memoir.  New York: Vintage Books, 2011.  259pp.  Purchased from the author’s wife at his merch table after his concert at the historic Capitol Theater in Clearwater Friday of our spring break week.  Rodney’s a successful country singer-songwriter who’s been around since the 70s.  Once Johnny Cash’s son-in-law, I hadn’t heard about him till I stumbled across his inspiring anthem for boomers everywhere, “It Ain’t Over Yet” (3), sung with his ex-wife, Rosanne. We first saw him in concert on Veteran’s Day in Chicago last year (4). My wife and I are still working through his amazing oeuvre finding good advice (5) and inspiration (6).

Harrison, Jim.  Brown Dog.  New York: Grove Press, 2013.  525pp. I was very into Harrison in the 90s.  “Michigan’s Hemmingway”, only a much better cook.  This is his 3^rd to last book, and a whopper.  He died in 2016.

Kennedy, Robert F. Jr.  The Real Anthony Fauci.  Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health.  New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2021.  449pp. I can manage about 3-5 pages at a time.  So dense.  So frightening.

Kryk, John.  Stagg vs. Yost.  The Birth of Cutthroat Football.  Lanham MD: Rowan and Littlefield, 2015.  287pp. Having spent time in both Hyde Park and Ann Arbor, I find it thrilling that the contests between these two schools were the pinnacle of college football once upon a time.  Plus, I can never know enough about Fielding H. Yost (7,8).

London, Jack.  Complete and Unabridged.  Six Novels.  The Call of the Wild.  The Sea-Wolf.  White Fang.  Martin Eden.  The Valley of the Moon.  The Star Rover.  New York, Barnes and Noble, 2006.  1038pp. The motivation was to read The Valley of the Moon, which is a real place in Marin County where my good friend and favorite guitar player Bill Kirchen wed Louise.  Plus, I love Jack London, having read White Fang and The Call of the Wild in high school.

Markson, Sharri.  What really happened in Wuhan.  New York: HarperCollins, 2021.  392pp. I’d sure like to know.  I’ve spent some time in virology labs, though never handling biohazards.  I’ve started the book, but it’s slow going with all the Chinese names.

Metaxas, Eric.  Is Atheism Dead?  Washington DC: Salem Books, 2021.  403pp. I submit that atheists are just lazy and not paying attention. I’m counting on Mr. Metaxas for examples and arguments.

Schembechler, Bo and Bacon John U.  Bo’s Lasting Lessons.  New York: Hachette Book Group, 2008.  313pp. The more the U tries to wash away the memory of Bo (9), the more I cling to what I already know and seek to learn more.

Schembechler, Bo; Seyferth, Fritz; Eagle, Kim.  The Heart of a Champion.  My 37-Year War Against Heart Disease.  Ann Arbor: Ann Arbor Media Group, 2008.  125pp. This is Bo’s medical story, and an inspiring one.  I worked with or at least know most of the docs in here. The pacemaker company Medtronics was giving this book away when it first came out.  I gave what turned out to be my only copy to a protégée who is a big U of M fan.  High time I read it.

Shepherd, Jean.  Shep’s Army.  Bummers, Blisters, & Boondoggles.  New York: Opus, 2013.  225pp. Jean Shepherd was a witty, sarcastic guy out of Illinois who wowed ‘em with a nighttime radio show out of NYC spanning 3 decades.  I have 12 CDs containing 756 of his shows from ’57-’77.  Comedians from Jerry Seinfeld to Harry Shearer to David Letterman to Andy Kaufman cite him as an influence.  His time in the peacetime Army Signal Corps was a rich source of material.  Oh, yeah, he wrote “The Christmas Story” and he was Ralphie.

Wells, H.G.  The Croquet Player.  Lincoln NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2004 (originally published 1937).  108pp. I believe I bought this slender book to impress my mother, who loves croquet.  I should have realized that HG Wells wasn’t a sportswriter.

So here they all sit, that baker’s dozen plus one of unread knowledge, at the head of my bed, just ‘a waitin’ to be read. Wish me luck as I dive in.

References

1.         Ike B.  on Harbal.  WordPress 9/21/20.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2020/09/21/on-harbal/

2.         Ike B.  Hail Sousa!  Hail Elbel?  WordPress 3/6/22.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2022/03/06/hail-sousa-hail-elbel/

3. Crowell R. It Ain’t Over Yet (feat. Rosanne Cash & John Paul White)” [Official Video]. YouTube 1/5/17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFrpzPR6TLY

4. Ike B. taste of joy. WordPress 11/12/21. https://theviewfromharbal.com/2021/11/12/taste-of-joy/

5. Crowell R. Let The Picture Paint Itself. YouTube 11/17/20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiHYOiY4dB4

6. Crowell R. The Flyboy & the Kid. YouTube 11/27/18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38HavG75j7c

7.         Ike B.  deathless loyalty.  WordPress 5/29/21.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2021/05/29/deathless-loyalty/

8.         Ike B.  more Fielding Yost.  WordPress 6/4/21.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2021/06/04/more-fielding-yost/

9.         down the hole, Bo.  WordPress 9/12/21.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2021/09/12/down-the-hole-bo/

I ran out of shallots again tonight.  They went in to accompany the onions in Chicken Yakhni Pulao, an epic venture as Indian recipes often are.  Began yesterday with a lamb leg bone to make the spicy stock yaknhi shorba and continued today as I searched all over town to find cassis bark, a relative of cinnamon.  All eventually came together and the product was pretty tasty.  Here’s the instructions if you want to try it.

I’m very fond of shallots.  The little bulbs have a delicate, slightly sweet, but rich flavor that complements the simple bold taste of onions. 

Perhaps my first encounter with them was years ago as I was trying to duplicate “Five Lilly Soup”.  It was a staple at the Lord Fox, our favorite restaurant where we had our wedding reception and always went to celebrate special occasions. The white house, built in 1880, sustained a restaurant since 1920. Operating as “Farmhouse Cupboard”, and operating as a “blind pig” before the repeal of prohibition, it was a favored spot for Sunday dinner for Henry Ford and henchman Harry Bennet, who rode their horses there over from Dearborn.   It finally closed down in 2010 after 90 years of operation as a roadhouse destination. 

Other iterations – with different names – have followed, but the jury is still out whether the latest operation will succeed.  The charm of the old Lord Fox has been washed clean from the last 2 attempts at resurrection and we no longer bother going there.  Please don’t confuse the place with Machus Red Fox, in Bloomfield Hills, still in operation, which was the last place Jimmy Hoffa was seen alive.  But back to the lilies: the five members of the allium family – technically lilies – are all our friends: onions, garlic, green onions, leeks, and shallots.  Makes a nice creamy rich soup, very tasty.

My recollection was that Babe Ruth expressed his fondness for one of the lillies – I think it was scallions (green onions) – which he said were good for a hangover.  Maybe it was shallots.  I’ve been unable to find the quote.  Regardless, all these alliums are very, very good for you and “Five Lilly Soup” is true health food.  Here’s how you make it.

Allium consumption has stupendous health benefits, well documented (1).  So, as you’re laying in the onions, garlic, green onions, and leeks, don’t forget the lowly shallot.  Your taste buds will be glad you didn’t.

reference

1.         Wan Q, Li N, Du L, Zhao R, Yi M, Xu Q, Zhou Y. Allium vegetable consumption and health: An umbrella review of meta-analyses of multiple health outcomes. Food Sci Nutr. 2019 Jul 10;7(8):2451-2470. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.1117. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6694434/

It just seemed a bit much this year.  It’s not the high cost of beef.  I’ve got a 4 pound brisket in the freezer.  We’re nearing our limits again on available refrigerator space for leftovers.  I was drawn to another of my favorites.  Didn’t have any pie for pi day yesterday, so maybe this dish can count for that, too.  It’s fine Irish fare and perfectly suited for St. Paddy’s day.  Plus it’ll use up some of the garlic mashed potatoes left over from the Speis’ Christmas party at Cowboy Creek Lodge 3 1/2 weeks ago.  If you want a break from beer -whatever color – you can wash this pie down with a nice Syrah.   Can you get more sophisticated than that?

Of course, this affair calls for a soundtrack.  There are a couple discs we always pull out for this day.

The late Danny Doyle always leads off, with sometimes soaring sometimes tear-jerking old Irish songs.  Try to make it through “Kilkenny”(1), about the correspondence between an aging Irishman and his son in America, without blubberin’.

Next, we get a little more formal and ask the Irish Tenors to take a turn.  Their songs are so classic they’re enumerated on the CD with Roman numerals.

I can’t find a link to the whole album, but here’s an hour plus performance by them live in Belfast (2).  

Then, if we want to go deep Irish, I’ve got my record of Brendan Behan singing Irish Folksongs and Ballads.  Picked it up used back in med school.  Was inspired by one of my professors, an English cardiologist named Rory Childers who used to do a one man show as Brendan Behan.

Brendan for sure has the singing voice of a poet, but he puts his soul into it.  The whole album is on YouTube!(3)

If those discs are all spun and we’re hungry for more, there’s always Spotify.  They have several Irish music stations and I’m sure will have at least one made-up special for St. Patrick’s Day.

Less than two days to go.  I’m sure Beidh dea-am ag gach duine!

References

1.         Maire McSorley.  Kilkelly with Lyrics.  YouTube 11/24/08. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N76kAivCb20

2.         The Irish Tenors. Live from Belfast.  YouTube 12/22/21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETfPKnaN0I0

3.         Brendan Behan.  Sings Irish Folksongs and Ballads.  YouTube 11/13/11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx-3iVp4Fa8

Today, March 10^th, marks the second anniversary of the report of the first 2 COVID cases in Michigan (1).  In response, our Gov. Bimbo – a.k.a. “That Woman from Michigan” (2), Gretchen (half) Whitmer of the plastic face and the 40Cs – declared a State of Emergency.  Within a week, she urged social distancing and community mitigation strategies, closed all K-12 schools, banned gatherings of 250 or more (reduced to 50 three days later), imposed price controls, restricted visiting hospitals, nursing homes, and jails, and closed all bars, restaurants, coffee houses, and gyms (3).  In another week, she closed all hair, nail, tanning, massage, spa, tattoo, body art and piercing services and issued infamous Executive Order 2020-21 (4), keeping all but “essential” workers at home and also restricting all manner of shopping transactions.  Boy, with that roping off flags and gardening supplies, keeping our empties at home, and staying away from restaurants, that ol’ curve didn’t know what hit it, did it?

In honor of the occasion, I have gathered up all the non-essential face diapers in our house and cars (38 in there, including 6 N95s).

And cast them into the fire, for they certainly have not borne good fruit (5)

These chain-link fences have stopped their last mosquito.  We had scallops and champagne as we watched this, this joyous conflagration.  Yes, we engaged the Harry Nilsson soundtrack.

Such events are always better with a soundtrack.  The late great Harry Nilsson had one for this (6).

Of course, I kept a few, like the cute ones and ones with a message

Neither did we cast in the first masks we bought, as they had borne the fruit of laughter when we wore them to the grocery store that one time (7 8).

And of course, we saved those wonderful “unMasks” that Kathy found, which look like legit masks – even having a midline seam to look like an N95 – but have pores large enough to let you breathe comfortably and not fog up your glasses (9).

With mask and vaxx mandates falling left and right all over the country, the U and local AA businesses are holding fast to theirs, although the U buckled a bit Wednesday.  So Kathy and I will continue to spit into a tiny funnel weekly and will never leave the house without an UnMask in our pocket.

The fun folks at Babylon Bee have offered up some alternative uses for those old masks. (10)

This ain’t over yet.  Eric’s gotta keep singing his song (11)

PS.  Before masks became a hysteric controversy, I reviewed the features of various ones and how they may or may not work against coronavirus.  (12), if you’re at all interested.

PPS.  If you want to dive deep, check out the accumulated tweets from Ian Miller on masks  (13).

References

1.         Haddad K.  Michigan confirms first 2 cases of coronavirus, both in Metro Detroit.  Cases confirmed in Wayne and Oakland counties.  CLICK ON DETROIT 3/11/21.  https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2020/03/11/michigan-confirms-first-2-cases-of-coronavirus-both-in-metro-detroit/

2.         Smith A.  ‘That Woman from Michigan’: Gov. Whitmer stands out in the pandemic.  Just ask Trump.  nbcnews.com 4/8/20. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/woman-michigan-gov-whitmer-stands-out-pandemic-just-ask-trump-n1170506

3.         Haddad K.  Michigan coronavirus timeline: Key dates, COVID-19 case tracking, state orders.  Tracking coronavirus in Michigan.  CLICK ON DETROIT 4/27/20.  https://www.clickondetroit.com/health/2020/03/24/michigan-coronavirus-timeline-key-dates-covid-19-case-tracking-state-orders/

4.         Read Michigan Gov. Whitmer’s entire coronavirus stay-at-home order.  MLive.com  3/23/21,  https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2020/03/read-michigan-gov-whitmers-entire-coronavirus-stay-at-home-order.html

5.         Matthew 3:10.  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%203%3A10&version=KJV

6.         #HarryNilsson #JumpintotheFire #OfficialAudio.  YouTube 7/14/16.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfjNpgZ4C5Q

7.         Ike B.  masks.  WordPress 4/30/20.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2020/04/30/masks/

8.         Ike B.  masks II.  WordPress 5/1/20.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2020/05/01/mask-2/

9.         the UnMask.  breathe with us.  https://getun

10.       8 Fun Uses For Your Masks Now That Mandates are Lifted.  The Babylon Bee 3/8/22.  https://babylonbee.com/news/8-fun-uses-for-your-masks-now-that-mandates-are-lifted

11.       Eric Clapton – This Has Gotta Stop (Official Music Video).  YouTube.  8/27/21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNt4NIQ7FTA

12.       Ike B.  Who was that masked man?  WordPress 4/16/20.  https://theviewfromharbal.com/2020/04/16/who-was-that-masked-man/

13.       Harambe.  If you’re still on the fence about masks, consider this fellow who’s been using government data to savagely debunk mask myths every day for nearly 2 years straight.  Not the Bee 3/8/22.   https://notthebee.com/article/if-youre-still-on-the-fence-about-masks-consider-this-fellow-whos-been-using-government-data-to-savagely-debunk-mask-myths-every-day-for-nearly-2-years-straight

This is about a family event that happened 2 and a half weeks ago. Since the event was a Christmas celebration occurring 8 weeks after Christmas, what’s a little further delay?

Dateline Onstead, MI (pop’n 1,132): Cowboy Creek Lodge

40 or so of the spawn of my late bio–Dad Dick Spei plus their spouses have gathered here and as of this morning (Sunday 2/21/22) are dissipating back to their homes.  The gathering – our first in 2 years – was joyful as always, maybe more so this year.  And what was the biggest hit?  You’d think among descendants of a gourmet who taught them all to approach each meal as if it was their last, the spread would win the prize.  Indeed, there was the usual dazzling delicious variety.  Beasts of all stripes were slaughtered, broiled, smoked, grilled, braised, fried, and baked so no one seeking protein felt deprived.  Perhaps the winner in this category was my brother Nick’s deer heart chili, a mere side dish, but always a hit.  Nick never misses a year without bagging a few carriers.  The plant kingdom offered up stuffed grape leaves, out-of-season tomatoes of many varieties, and even my lowly mashed garlic spuds plus oh such more, including all those products of fermentation.

But all attention was pretty much decentralized among the eaters and drinkers, that is until my sister Suzanne stepped up to the front table beside two big boxes and clapped her hands.  Everyone knew what time it was – Chimney time! – and snapped to.  The Christmas Chimney is a Spei family tradition started by my Suzanne’s maternal grandmother more years ago than anyone can remember.  Suzanne took it over from her mother maybe 20 years ago and has it down to both art and science.  Before I tell you how it works, see the main box.  There’s a smaller box for the kiddos, added as Suzanne and her sibs became grandparents.

Those white vertical strands on the side of the box are ribbons, tied at one end to a gift and on the other end to a card.  The gifts tend to follow a different theme each year.  This year, the girls all got bags of some sort while the guys all got some multifunctional implement that usually could open beer bottles.  Each gift has some specific significance to the identified recipient.  Retrieval of the loot comes through a very organized process.  Family members approach the Chimney based on age, oldest first in each category.  Children and adults alternate.  Once at the Chimney the potential recipient must scrutinize the cards to find the one with the cryptic message that syncs with him/her.  Mine was “professional blogger”, Kathy’s was “52^nd anniversary the women made it happen”, and Nick’s was “2^nd amendment”, for example.  The ribbon on my card pulled up a 2” button bearing my phrase backed with an opening clearly meant to pop a top. 

Kathy got a bag depicting those NASA mathematicians as depicted in the movie “Hidden Figure”.  Nick got a keychain with a large bullet on which the text of the 2^nd amendment was inscribed.  All the rest were similarly apt, including the tag.  Suzanne sure does her background work.  Delight of the chimney goers is palpable. See here some examples.

a.  brother Nick admiring his bullet

b.  Kathy loving her “52^nd anniversary of the NASA women mathematicians” bag

c.  Suzanne gets a bag with a flamingo on it! (she has a thing for flamingos)

d.  Suzanne marshalling the kids

e.  kid loving his bag with the big tiger on it

The Chimney is followed by inspired spontaneous gift giving, exchanges ranging from little art works from Marty’s daughter, and many food items – spices, jams & jellies, infused oils, and our garlic paste among others – getting passed about.  Dan’s many pies follow, which usually send the endorphins and CCK levels high enough to leave folks no choice but to roll off to bed.  And I believe it truly is those brain chemicals – not the alcohol – that are responsible.

It’s a wonderful affair, and one of the main things that make me happy to be part of this family I didn’t even know I had 11 years ago.  Can’t wait till next year.  I’m making less potatoes.

John Phillip Sousa – the March King – died 90 years ago Sunday March 6^th in Reading Pennsylvania.  He was 77. 

His prodigious output – 134 marches, 690 total recordings in an era spanning a time when placing a needle on a wax cylinder was considered an advance (1)  – included some songs about Michigan.  “The Wolverine March”, written in 1881 and premiered that same year by the U. S. Marine Band at a reception given by the Michigan State Association in Washington DC, was dedicated to “His Excellency Hon. David H. Jerome, Governor of Michigan, and Staff” (2).  In 1926, at the request of Detroit mayor John W. Smith, he wrote “The Pride of the Wolverines” (3).  A year later, he penned a lovely waltz for U of M “The Coeds of Michigan” (4).  He had other interactions with U of M and Ann Arbor.  He was an inspiration to our own legendary bandleader William D. Revelli, who dedicated himself to becoming a conductor upon hearing Sousa’s band at the Illinois State Fair at age 10 (5).  Both began their musical careers on violin.

While researching how these came to be, I came across an interesting story about our own Sousa-like fight song “The Victors” that Sousa himself called one of the four greatest fight songs he had ever conducted.  Sousa conducted the first public band performance of the Victors right in Ann Arbor (6). 

The story of how University of Michigan student Louis Elbel came to write The Victors is lovely, stirring, and true (7), but maybe just a bit controversial? (8).  Thanksgiving Day 1898, he was in the visitors cheering section at Marshall Field (really, that’s who gave the money for it, and it later became Stagg Field and was the site of the first controlled nuclear reaction (9)), home of those fearsome Monsters of the Midway, Amos Alonzo Stagg’s University of Chicago Maroons, who had won the previous two contests.  Fielding H. Yost was 4 years away, coaching Nebraska.  Gustave Ferbert, in his second season, brought an undefeated team into the contest.  The game on that cold blustery day was described as a literal slugfest and at the final whistle, the scoreboard found the Wolverines had one more point than the Maroons, 12-11.  With the victory, they secured not only their first-ever conference title (then the Western Conference) but a share of their first National Championship as well.  The Michigan faithful went understandably crazy.  Once they tired of slapping backs and shaking hands in the stands, they formed a snake line to course through the Hyde Park campus of the University of Chicago, accompanied by the year-old Michigan Marching Band.  On the mile and a half walk to his sister’s in Englewood after for Thanksgiving dinner, a song began to form in Elbel’s head.  At his sister’s, he wrote a few things down.  At home in South Bend at his piano the next day, he wrote the score, and on the train back to Ann Arbor finished the piece as a march to be played by 23 instruments.  He also composed the lyrics.  Everyone knows the chorus, but the first 2 verses are pretty complicated (6).

The Elbel family businesses included publishing, so he published The Victors as sheet music for a piano solo shortly after he returned to campus.

Elbel also took his march to E. R. Schremser, conductor of the City Band of Detroit, and paid him to orchestrate it for band.  A U of M professor from the DuPont family helped finance the transaction.

The song was performed in parlors around campus and by spring was popular enough to go public.  On April 5, 1899, Elbel conducted a 7-piece pit orchestra to play The Victors at the Athens Theater in downtown Ann Arbor as the curtain was being raised on the opening night performance of “A Night Off” by the University Comedy Club.  John Phillip Sousa was in town as he and his band had been invited to perform at U of M’s University Hall in a benefit concert for the University Band (10).  On April 8, shortly after Elbel had handed him copies of the sheet music for the march, Sousa conducted The Victors as part of that concert.  So the first band to perform The Victors was John Phillip Sousa’s.  How about that.

“The Victors” is known round-the-world.  I sang it in Stockholm in ’96 along with fellow U of M alum Steve after a dinner for the faculty of an arthroscopy course held at the Karolinska.  The only U of M alum President (so far), Gerald Ford (’35), often had the Naval Band play it in place of “Hail to the Chief” at state occasions and asked that it be played at his 2006 funeral.  It was.  His wasn’t and won’t be the only dead Wolverine’s funeral that includes a playing of “The Victors”.

Could it be possible that this hallowed and much-loved march is perhaps a little bit shrouded in controversy?  I’ll leave the telling of the full tale to the links, but the crux of it is this: on April 11, 1898, Tin Pan Alley composer George Rosenberg (“Rosey”) applied for copyright on a “two-step march” the “Spirit of Liberty “

Everyone knows how “The Victors” goes.  Few have heard the “Spirit of Liberty”.  Now, you can join them.  Here it is played by the US Naval Academic Band conducted by Lt. Commander Allen Beck (11).

I think you’ll agree there’s more to this than Spirit (“Taurus”) vs Led Zeppelin (“Stairway to Heaven”) (12, 13)

There is no record of whether or not “The Spirit of Liberty” was played at the famous Thanksgiving Day ’98 game, but the U of C – having no band of its own – hired the Band of the First Regiment, also known as the Pullman Band, for the game.  The Pullman Band had played the “Spirit of Liberty” at a free concert, less than a month previously, on October 27, the debut of that song in the Midwest.  Might that tune have been in their repertoire at that game?

What to make of this?  Even though my U has been quite generous of late doling out $$$ to the aggrieved, I don’t think much will come of this particular conflict.  Fans of classical music know that the greats “borrowed” from each other all the time.  And it’s hardly new news.  The piece I came across is from 2008 and I subsequently found a piece from 10 years later (7).  In the much more detailed newer one, the author mentions that legendary U of M band director William D. Revelli was well aware of the similarities between the two works and had the sheet music for “Spirit of Liberty” in his desk.

I don’t know much about “Rosey”.  It would be great if he had been born sometime in the fall.*  At halftime of one of the games in Michigan Stadium his name could be commemorated, and the Marching Band could play “Spirit of Liberty”.  “Hail!”

If you’re up for a rousing chorus of The Victors, here’s those marching men and women of Michigan playing it as written (14)

And let’s close with the biggest hit from the rouser himself, played by the U of M Symphony Band, from the stage of Hill Auditorium (15)

*alas, born April 18, 1864 (16)

References

1.         DAHR Directory of American Historical Recordings.  UC Santa Barbara Library.  John Phillip Sousa.   https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/mastertalent/detail/102569/Sousa_John_Philip

2.         Marines.  The Wolverine March.  https://www.marineband.marines.mil/Audio-Resources/The-Complete-Marches-of-John-Philip-Sousa/The-Wolverine-March/

3.         SOUSA “The Pride of the Wolverines” – “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band (1978).  YouTube.   2/15/16.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU7ZQC9kgSk

4.         United States Marine Band presents John Phillip Sousa, The Coeds of Michigan.  YouTube 3/22/13.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEg3Cql3m1g

5.         Clarke K.  Revelli: The Long Note.  M Heritage Project.  The University of Michigan.  https://heritage.umich.edu/stories/revelli-the-long-note/

6.         The Victors.  MGoBlue.  University of Michigan Athletics Official Site. 6/19/00. http://websites.umich.edu/~mgoblue/sounds/lyrics-victors.html

7.         Dubois J.  History of “The Victors”.  Band Alumni Association.  University of Michigan.  M-Fanfare 70 (3), 2018.  https://www.umbaa.org/members/m-fanfares/m-fanfare-volume-70-issue-3/history-of-the-victors

8.         Leslie DL.  Whose Victors? Did Louis Elbel copy part of another march?  MLive.com/Ann Arbor News.  8/31/08.  https://www.mlive.com/annarbornews_opinion/2008/08/whose_victors_did_louis_elbel.html

9.         Stagg Field.  Wikepedia. 10/12/21.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagg_Field

10.       Arwulf A.  Sousa.  A Living Portrait.  Ann Arbor Observer. April, 2016.  https://annarborobserver.com/articles/sousa.html

11.       US Naval Academic Band conducted by Lt. Commander Allen Beck.  Spirit of Liberty.  YouTube.  3/5/14.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQRJmsZ9Mnc

12.       Beaumont-Thomas B.  Plagiarism case over Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven finally ends.  The Guardian.  10/6/20.  https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/oct/06/plagiarism-case-ends-led-zeppelin-stairway-to-heaven-taurus-spirit-us-supreme-court

13.       Stairway to Heaven and Taurus Comparison.  YouTube. 3/6/19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deVNnnuf24w

14.       Michigan Marching Band plays The Victors as written.  YouTube 9/6/16.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFBh2dXykv0

15.       UMich Symphony Band – John Phillip Sousa – The Stars and Stripes Forever (1896).  YouTube 4/12/17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK0OjVKyMZo

16.       DAHR Directory of American Historical Recordings.  UC Santa Barbara Library.  George Rosey.   https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/mastertalent/detail/106537/Rosey_George