The Daily News

1  Monday. Missiles instantly flying at you from everywhere in the sky. Got it. You need to dig down and find a way to goof off at work this week. By Wednesday everyone, including bosses, will be doing that. That's why we have Thanksgiving. It has nothing to do with Pilgrims, thank God. That story needs to go away. People and companies who stick to that story need to re-examine reality. I went on a diatribe already about that on Columbus Day. 

2  But Thanksgiving is all over us with Fall leaves and wet mud and stuff. It  scares the heck out of everybody who works, because everything that annoys you must be done by the end of Tuesday, except for the annoying people who feel they must work seven days a week, including holidays. Otherwise, it's a two-day week in most parts of the country. 

3   Thanksgiving has to do more with the world pulling itself to a halt. It should be called a lot of other things, but I'm beginning to like this one:  Stop-the-Psycho Madness Day. 

4  I do keep the concept of giving thanks and counting blessings. Oh, and eating astoundingly fattening meals. In that, it is purely and surely 'Murica. 

5  Moving On, Part One: Last week I wrote about the Rolling Stones Tattoo You tour that happened at Candlestick Park in San Francisco all those years ago.

6  After I wrote it, I got emails from lots of friends and family, and I thank you all for those responses. One of the emails was from Ponch. Actually two. 

7  For the uninitiated, "Ponch" is a grand nickname for my musical partner in crime and friend for what seems like a thousand natural years, my musical partner and Master of Mischief and Reveling, Ken Ponticelli.

8  He read the Stones' DN and sent me an email. 

9  I need to preface this by saying he isn't a social media guy. Interestingly, some of my favorite people shy away from Facebook, or as the inimitable Christine Choi once labeled it, "Wastebook," which I stole and used last week without acknowledging Christine as the first I ever heard use it.

10  Anyway, I wrote of what an amazing concert that was, and how it made me a ton of money at the time, and about how one of the greatest rock bands in the world worked on stage, and blah, blah, blah. 

11  Deadlines, I ask you.

12  Kenny-the-P wrote back. I loved what he wrote, and I asked if I could throw this out there to the public.

13  He answered with a huge, "Yes." And later on, he wrote that Vickie is close to having a baby boy. I have both communiques below. 

14 Off-the-Rails, Dept: I'm just weathering the laptop storm. 

15  Last night my laptop kept "buffering" right in the middle of my sentences. At first it was a gadfly, but soon it became ridiculous. My laptop soon started blinking to other pages, and then back again. 

16  I love writing this stuff, but that storm continued on into this morning. 

17  I think it's because I went off on some diatribe about The Man controlling thought, and all sorts of other Orwellian nonsense only a lunatic would want to read. 

18  I decided to nuke all that and begin over with Ponch. He's much more interesting than Orwell anyway. So here is his email regarding that Stones concert. I here include both his commentary as well as his announcement to me. Pardon me while I put my helmet back on, and re-light my cigar. Incoming: 

  I remember that concert, though I did not attend. It was my senior year of high school and we had a marching band competition on Saturday and a parade in the City on Sunday (Columbus Day). As our bus was passing Candlestick on the way to the City I just stared off to the side wishing I could be there. Everyone I know who went to that concert said it was positively the best ever. I did see the movie of the tout "H"

mentioned here in the News. I had to wait until the Steel Wheels tour to see the Stones, which was eight years later!

Here's a story about that concert..I was unable to get tickets to it. Back in those days you could call Ticketmaster (or Bass) for seats, or go to one of their outlets, or go stand in line at the venue. Typically tickets would go on sale at 10 am Sunday morning. I chose to call but the two shows sold out

before I got to an operator. I was trying to get four tickets for my brother and I plus friends, none of whom had seen the Band.  The two shows in the Oakland Coliseum sold out in fifteen minutes, which was crazy fast, but not unexpected because it was their first tour in nearly a decade. I was depressed.

The next part is a bit fuzzy after all these years, but I remember telling "H" that I could not get tickets. I don't recall if that conversation was on Sunday or the next day at YB. What I do remember was that the very next day, as I walked outside my condo, there was a Ticket envelope under my doormat. Inside were four tickets to the concert and a note that said, "Enjoy the show!....'H' " To this day I don't know where he got the tix, he never fessed up.

That guy, I tell you. Just one of the many reasons why we became thick as thieves. Love you man!

Ponch

19 And right back atcha, my bruthuh.

20  And THEN I got this from his Android. The font was tiny. I love its understated sentiment:

Feel free to cut and paste. Boy will be here any day now. Sent from T-Mobile Android Device.

21  That small and that succinct. "Feel free to cut and paste" was a reference to the Stones' piece. "Boy will be here any day now" was an announcement that he is about to have a son.

22  Oh, sometimes I think I must go mad.

23  Anybody lookin'?

24  Gottago. Stuff is falling from the sky.

25  Don't live in fear; it's a waste of tears. Sigh and cry some tears, and quaff some root beers. I consider myself the worst poet walking around.

26  Here's one I've had in my back pocket all week. I share it with you now:

You're an old hack,

And you're an old snore.

And if I were a ghost,

I'd show you the door.

           

                                                         ---Bounty Hunter

27  Some alien overtook me and wrote that gem. Bounty Hunter, by the way, is one of my aliases, of which both Ponch and I have many. His bro alias to mine is Redemption.

Love ya man; nice hearing from you. God, or Whoever-the-Creator-of-the-Universe-Is bless you and your family. We all raise a glass to a healthy and happy baby. 

28  Live life.

29  Love life.

30  Peace.

~H~

fin.