Classic Rant #369 (November 5, 2010): A Partridge In a Jail Cell

I am sure that you have heard that former Partridge Family lead singer David Cassidy was picked up by Florida police for driving under the influence the other day. He has since denied being drunk, but his mug shot is all over the Web, but I won’t provide the site(s), you will have to look for it yourself.

Cassidy was the main teenybopper heartthrob of the early 1970s, competing with Bobby Sherman, Donny Osmond, Michael Jackson, and a slew of wannabes for the affection of pre-teen and young teenage girls. These guys were preceded by another slew of teen idols from the mid to late 1960s, including the Beatles, the Monkees, Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders, Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits, and another group of wannabes. Cassidy and his contemporaries preceded 1980s faves like Rick Springfield and Duran Duran.

Anyway, teen idols from earlier periods are in the news lately, but lucky for them, it isn’t as negative as Cassidy’s news is. Word is that the Backstreet Boys and New Kids On the Block are joining up for what they hope to be a blockbuster tour, and Davy Jones wants to reform the Monkees for their 45th anniversary in 2011.

Oprah just had a show with some teenybopper idols from days past, including Peter Frampton and Jackie Jackson.

It must be somewhat difficult to be a teen idol … I guess we have to ask Justin Bieber about being one. But when your time is over, what do you do?

If you are like some of the luckier ones, you move on with your career, and take it to another level. Michael Jackson certainly did it when he was alive, and others have learned to cope with life out of the spotlight.

Then you have others who can’t move on even if they try, and they end of getting in trouble. Look at Leif Garrett’s life since his heyday, and to a certain extent, look at what happened to Michael Jackson; his career was on high but his personal life was a major mess.

Then you have others who simply go with the flow. They will be teen idols forever. Davy Jones has certainly had a pretty good career since the Monkees, but let’s face it, he continues to be idolized by many as if he were 20 again.

Others just leave it all behind and move on. That’s what Bobby Sherman did, becoming an EMT. He performs occasionally, but he has basically left show biz behind to do something that he wanted to do.

Cassidy has had an interesting career since The Partridge Family—he has been on Broadway, he has headlined in Las Vegas—but I think he falls in the Davy Jones category. No matter what he does, he will still be Keith Partridge to millions of people.

And I know Jones has had his own ups and downs over the years, but he seems to embrace this type of stardom that he has. Cassidy has never done that. Not that this links up with what he just did, but he has never seemed to be man at peace with himself—unlike his fellow former teenybopper idol and half-brother Shaun, who has moved well away from his days of stardom and appears to know where he is going in life.

Even during his heyday, Cassidy reportedly hated the music that made him the idol of millions. He had a more rock and roll solo career, but those records pale in comparison to his Partridge Family output.

If, in fact, he was drunk behind the wheel, Cassidy made a major mistake, and the hope is that he can find the inner peace that I think he has been desperately searching for since the 1970s.

Rick Nelson, another former teen idol who did stupid things and paid for these things with his life, sang about being a teen idol:

Some people call me a teenage idol


Some people say they envy me


I guess they got no way of knowing


How lonesome I can be


I need somebody to be my baby


Someone to tell my troubles to


I've got no time to ever find her


Cause I'm just passing through



I travel around from town to lonely town


I guess I'll always be just a rolling stone


If I find fortune and fame and lots of people know my name


That won't mean a thing if I'm all alone



I get no rest when I'm feeling weary


I got to pack my bags and go


I got to be somewhere tomorrow


To smile and do my show



I travel around from town to lonely town


I guess I'll always be just a rolling stone


If I find fortune and fame and lots of people know my name


That won't mean a thing if I'm all alone



Some people call me a teenage idol


Some people say they envy me


I guess they got no way of knowing


How lonesome I can be


How lonesome I can be

It is a shame that Nelson succumbed to his own vices, but it isn’t too late for Cassidy. Here’s hoping that he learns from this experience, and tackles his own demons head on.

Rant #1,724: Shooting Blanks

Writing a five-day-a-week column can be a grind sometimes.

But I have chosen this path, so if it is a grind, it is on my shoulders to come up with something new and exciting to write about Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of each week.

Sometimes, it is difficult to do.

There are times when I have written about what I have wanted to write about in previous columns, so I don't feel the need to write about them again.

And other times, I simply draw a blank. I don't know what to write about.

Today is one of those days.

What usually happens with me is that something sparks my imagination--both good and bad and in between, too--and I go with it, for better or worse.

Today, I simply can't find a thing to write about that I haven't already written about.

I could go on and on about the recent Donald Trump incident, but I did that yesterday, and whether you agree or disagree with what I had to say, I think I said enough about it.

I could go on and on about my beloved New York Yankees, who have tanked the season with all of their deals that they have made prior to the trade deadline, but other than saying that they actually beat their cross-town rivals yesterday, the New York Mets, in the start of the annual Subway Series, there really isn't much else to add to it.

Yes, our refrigerator was fixed, and it appears to be working fine now. It had a couple of parts replaced, but otherwise, it is running as if nothing happened, so there really is little to write about that subject the day after it supposedly went down for the count, and we were living like the Kramdens and had an ice box rather than a refrigerator.

I could also talk about my teeth, but that is a subject that is too sensitive for me to talk about right now.

So today is just one of those days that I don't have anything new to actually talk about with you.

Heck, it is getting to the dog days of summer, and maybe my brain isn't as sharp as it normally is at 4:51 a.m. in the morning.

And remember, at my place of business, I write about various topics all day, and I guess that I am worn out, or all written out, to a certain degree.

Happily, these days are few and far between, and the brain cramps won't last forever.

I usually can find something to talk about, and I know I won't go two days speaking about little or nothing.

But again, after more than 1,700 columns, I guess it would be expected that there would be a few days like this, and today is one of those days.

And I thank you for coming here each and every day, expecting a fresh, new column, with a fresh, new perspective each and every day,.

Today, I admit, you are not going to get that.

And before I go, before I forget, let me wish a happy birthday to Butch Patrick, also known as Eddie Munster, who celebrates his birthday today.

Oh, yes, I wrote about that too, back in 2012 I think it was, or something like that.

Yup, not an original thought in my head to write about today, but I promise tomorrow will be better.

Just give me a bye for today, and come back tomorrow.

Thanks!

Classic Rant #368 (November 4, 2010): Tea Burn Idiot

Now that the Garden has re-opened, we can move on to more important matters ...

An elderly New Yorker (not the woman in the picture) has failed to persuade a U.S. appeals court that Starbucks Corp. should be held liable for severe burns she suffered after spilling tea served in a double cup.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld on Tuesday a lower court's dismissal of a $3 million lawsuit brought by Rachel Moltner against the world's largest coffee chain.

In February 2008, the woman, then 76, burned herself at a Starbucks coffee shop on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

She spilled tea onto her left leg and foot when she tried to remove the lid from a "venti"-sized cup of tea, causing burns that required a skin graft. Her hospital stay later resulted in other injuries, including bed sores as well as herniated discs caused by a fall out of bed.

I always knew coffee and tea weren't really good for you!

The plaintiff accused Starbucks of serving tea that was too hot in a double cup--one cup placed inside another--and that the cup wasn't designed correctly.

The appeals court rejected her case, saying "double-cupping is a method well known in the industry as a way of preventing a cup of hot tea from burning one's hand."

Once again, people are blaming others for their misfortunes. Blame McDonald's for making your kids fat! Blame Starbucks because you dumped hot tea on yourself!

It seems no one takes responsibility for their own actions anymore.

Will candy companies be liable when a kid has rotten teeth? Will clothing manufacturers be liable when a woman wears clothes that are too tight, or shoes with heels that are too high, and they either cut off their own circulation or fall on their faces?

People need to take responsibility when they make poor choices, whether it has to do with what we eat or what we wear.

The woman in this case simply spilled the cup's contents on herself. Haven't we all done this at one time or another?

If she did this at home, it would have simply been an accident. But because she did this at Starbucks, when she looked at her burns, she saw dollar signs.

Sorry lady, you didn't have a case, and I am glad that the court felt the same way.

In fact, the woman should have been fined for bringing such a frivolous case to court.

And I'll bet she's drinking something cooler now, maybe iced tea.

If she drops that, will she claim that she got ice burns?

Rant #1,723: Bits and Pieces

I am back to my usual spot today, and here are a few musings at what is going on in the world. None of them deserve full Rant coverage, so their spotlights will be short and sweet.

Trump Rankles People With His Replies to Military Family: OK, some people are not going to like what I have to say here, but it has to be said.

Donald Trump was set up here, he fell for the bait, and now, what should be a tempest in a teapot has been blown way, way out of proportion by the media.

The whole thing started when a Gold Star family, a family that has lost a child who served in the U.S. armed forces, appeared at the Democratic National Convention, and challenged Trump to a comparison of sacrifices that he has made versus the ultimate sacrifice that they made, which was losing their child while he was in combat.

Nobody is minimizing what this family has gone through, but to add to the potent mix that the Democrats came up with, the family is a Muslim family, a Muslim American family to boot.

When the father voiced his views, Trump should have simply shut up.

Rather, he opened up his mouth, and talked about the sacrifices he has made, and, of course, he spoke about business sacrifices, which, again of course, cannot compare to the sacrifices a family makes when they lose a child.

What was Trump supposed to say? He should have said nothing, and let the whole thing pass.

But he opened up his mouth, and further rankled people by saying that the Gold Star mother wasn't allowed to talk, because that is how it is in Muslim families.

Let's put the shoe on the other foot, or even other feet.

What would Hillary Clinton say if the same question were put to her?

She would answer in roughly the same way that Trump replied, talking about the "sacrifices" she has made via her professional career, which again, does not compare with what the Gold Star family has gone through.

And what would you say? Unless you have had a child go through the same circumstances, you would give roughly the same answer based on your background.

Nobody, including Trump, is minimizing the family's loss.

But basically, the family is saying that since they lost a child who was in service, they are better Americans than everyone else, because they made the ultimate sacrifice.

My job is covering military stores, exchanges and commissaries, which are the department stores and supermarkets of the military, and let me tell you, this is the attitude that some military families have, that they are better than other families because of the sacrifices that they make.

This is balderdash, but this is what they believe.

They believe that because they or their son or daughter is in the military, that they deserve more than you or I, who cannot possibly make such a great sacrifice in their time and effort as they have.

This is utter nonsense, and while this has been a well-hidden aspect of military life--only spoken up in the open when these families are talking about losing or lessening their benefits due to legislation in Washington--it is all out in the open now.

And it is wrong, bad thinking, stupid thinking.

We all sacrifice. Hasn't the teacher sacrificed, hasn't the cab driver sacrificed, hasn't the health care worker sacrificed, hasn't the stay at home mom sacrificed, to make things better for our world?

We respect the sacrifices military families make each and every day, but don't shove those sacrifices in our faces.

Are we any less "American" than military families because what we choose to do with our lives has nothing to do with war?

The bottom line is that Trump fell for the bait, and the media is jumping all over him for it.

He should have said nothing. Now the tempest in a teapot is simmering over, fueled by the media.

There should be more important things to focus on than this utter nonsense.

Yankees Wave White Flag: The New York Yankees have won 27 championships during their illustrious history, and have been to the World Series more than any team in Major League Baseball history.

During the years that George Steinbrenner ran the team, while the team was not always a good team, it was an organization that never waved the white flag during the season, never gave up, and with Steinbrenner at the helm, was always a bank check or a good trade away from contending for the championship.

My, how things have changed in 2016.

With penny pinching son Hal Steinbrenner at the helm, the Yankees aren't what they once were. They are a franchise that won't spend a dime to improve itself, even when success is in reach.

This weekend typified that thinking.

They got rid of the best reliever in baseball, Andrew Miller, for a bunch of prospects, basically saying "surrender" for this season, and probably for next season too.

This is just days after getting rid of Aroldis Chapman, he of the 100 mph and faster fastball, for another set of prospects.

They have weakened their once nearly invincible bullpen, weakened the overall team, and weakened the fans' resolve to even care anymore about this season or near future seasons.

Even if the kids they got in return are good, the fruits of these trades probably won't be in Yankee Stadium until 2018 at the earliest.

Yes, the old man is turning in his grave over his son Hal's priorities, and for a team that makes money hand over fist, they sure have become a penny pinching bunch, haven't they?

My Family Continues To Be Hit Hard By Electrical Mishaps: I told you last week about our losing power, and the cataclysm it could have been if we didn't act quickly on it.

Well, this weekend, we have the next potential cataclysm to jump over.

It seems to be never ending.

We noticed that our refrigerator wasn't doing its job, and right now, it is barely, if even that, working.

We called in a repairman, but we couldn't get one on Sunday, so supposedly one is coming here today to try to fix the unit, or tell us we need a new one.

Whatever happens, it is going to cost us more money, you can bet on that.

In the meantime, we have parceled out what we had in the refrigerator to my parents' refrigerator downstairs and to a cooler we have filled with ice.

We have had to throw away a whole lot of stuff in the meantime.

Hopefully, this will be fixed today, as ...

I Have to Go to the Dentist For Another Procedure: Yes, my mouth still is not where it should be, and I was told last week that I need another crown.

The procedure will take at least two hours, and just adds to the woe of my shrinking pocketbook.

I have to go to get this done today, so I am leaving work early to attend to this.

I am just hoping they find nothing else wrong with my teeth, because I simply can't take it anymore!

Pray for me, please.

Speak to you tomorrow, with hopefully better news on all fronts.

Classic Rant #367 (November 3, 2010): Back to the Garden …

Yes, let's go back to Madison Square Garden for a few moments ...

Oh, that's right, we can't.

It was announced yesterday that Madison Square Garden, billed as "The Most Famous Arena In the World," is now the most toxic arena in the world. As workers were doing construction work leading up to a full renovation of the old place, asbestos fell onto the ice below, and the air was deemed dangerous, because asbestos can cause various cancers.

The game between the Knicks and the Orlando Magic was cancelled, and not yet rescheduled. The Garden announced that it would not open again until it was deemed safe.

Later that night, various authorities on this type of hazard said that the air was fine, this was a false alarm, and the arena was safe.

I'm sure that that will pacify anybody going to the next game there, won't it?

The Garden has been a "toxic" place for some time, especially when the Knicks play. They stink up the place, but it isn't really dangerous.

Asbestos was supposed to be the wonder material of our generation (at least in the 1960s). It was used for everything, including keeping pipes cool to the touch. I remember in our bathroom in Rochdale Village, the pipe was encased in an asbestos cover. When my mother wanted to make sure the heat was coming up, she asked my sister and I to touch the pipe. If it felt warm, the heat was coming up.

And I doubt we ever washed our hands after touching it.

In the early 1970s, when it was found that asbestos can cause cancer, it fell out of favor, but older buildings and houses still have it buried in their infrastructures. That's why the Garden still has it, as the building opened in 1968, when asbestos was still in general use.

With the renovation of the Garden that is just starting, they unearthed asbestos in the ceiling, and you just know that will be coming out ASAP now that it has been exposed.

The cancellation of the game received the full approval of the NBA, but the Knicks might have to reimburse the Magic for travel expenses to a game that never happened. It is doubtful if the Knicks will be fined for presenting an unsafe arena for the game, although the NBA has not ruled that out yet.

The Knicks were probably going to get annihilated by the Magic anyway, so yesterday's postponement just put off the inevitable.

But is the Garden now safe?

I don't know, but the next time I go there for a game later this month, you just know I am going to look at the rafters now and again, hoping for both some divine intervention in helping the Knicks to a win and to see if anything is falling from the heavens.

And if something is falling, it better be mannah, because if it is asbestos chips, my son and I are getting the hell out of there!