There are several weeks remaining
As I begin this yearly rhyming task
Covid’s still a thing
I still, occasionally, wear a mask
Chaos is a constant
We could all do so much better
Yes, I’m well aware that my ranting
On my Blog or in a letter
To some editor at The Times
Or to Santa or the Pope
Is me, grasping at elusive straws
For any ray of hope
Like the surprising midterm elections
Where Americans actually voted
Even oft-abstaining youngsters
Stepped up…duly noted
Might this forebode an end to Trump?
May he finally get his due?
Perhaps that venal, fucking asshole
Will be sentenced to a chain gang crew
Do they still have those?
I’m not certain
But if there’s an all-powerful Wizard
Hiding behind the curtain
He should send that heartless, brainless coward
“Off to Leavenworth…time to go!”
Which fittingly, if memory serves
Is in Kansas, don’t you know?
Maybe the Wiz could deal with Putin too
Ted Cruz, Xi and Kim Jung-un
And send every amoral despot
Into exile on the moon
That would be a start
And with the worst guys in detention
Maybe Kum-bah-yah could flourish
Over hatred, dare I mention
How much bad behavior flourishes
In every corner of the Earth
Passed down through generations
Because no one’s hateful at their birth?
Perhaps a daydream, but why not?
It’s what kind-hearted people do
Though it may seem a daunting ask
After looking back at ’22
The News
Elizabeth Holmes was sentenced to 11 years
Theranos was out for blood
Elon Musk makes rockets and electric cars
But otherwise, he’s a tweetering dud
Ahmaud Arbery’s killers got life in prison
With no chance of parole
Sirhan Sirhan will likewise not go free
Newsome kept him in his hole
A Bronx apartment fire killed 17
A Pittsburgh bridge fell down
While Biden pushed his infrastructure bill
On the other side of town
A Belgian teen flew solo ‘round the world
Prince Andrew is a creep
Much of Tonga was totally decimated
By a volcano from the deep
They genetically altered a pig heart
And transplanted it into a man
Both jury and judge rejected Sarah Palin’s libel suit against the NY Times
And she lost the Congressional seat for which she ran
Puerto Rico got $33B in bankruptcy relief
The US debt topped $30T
Your share is $100K
Now, that’s democracy
Sandy Hook families settled with Remington for $73M
And got a $1B judgement against Alex Jones
Biden wants to forgive thousands
Of usurious student loans
A third person was cured of HIV
That’s science at its best
Putin invaded Ukraine
This is not a test
Well, maybe of courage and determination
Ukraine’s been kicking Russian ass
But isn’t it time for James Bond to metaphorically remove
Vladimir’s lead foot from the gas?
The British Museum erased the Sackler name
From every wall and every cranny
Salman Rushdie was stabbed by a lunatic before a lecture about hate
Horrific and uncanny
Lynching is now a federal crime
Why did that take so long?
The accomplice cops who killed George Floyd were found guilty
Of being criminally wrong
Ketanji Brown Jackson became a Supreme Court Justice
We should celebrate
Except the court is controlled by un-Solomonic assholes
So, a happy dance will have to wait
You can be assisted to die in Oregon
No residency requirement needed
Attempting to kidnap and murder the Governor of Michigan
Is OK, the state court conceded
Joseph Kahn was named Executive Director of the NY Times
Emmanuel Macron was reelected President of France
Marie Le Pen and her neo-Nazi friends
Will not be wearing the French President’s pants
Divers located Ernest Shackleton’s ship, The Endurance
Which sank in the Antarctic in 1915
DOJ seized $3.6B in stolen Bitcoin
Whatever that might mean?
The US COVID toll surpassed 1M
Domestic violence is on the rise
And Republicans, (for the most part)
Can’t see what’s right before their eyes
A measly gun safety law got passed
But there are no real teeth in it
Lives continue to be needlessly lost
Minute by minute by minute
Boris Johnson was forced to resign
Liz Truss was a 44-day Prime Minister
Now, Rishi Sunak will give it a go
It’s British, so it all seems sinister
Queen Elizabeth celebrated 70 years on the throne
Then she died…goodbye, Liz
Now Charles will finally get his chance
Because successively, the crown is his
Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard for $70B
Many January 6th perps were sent to jail
Ahmaud Arbery’s killers were convicted of a “Hate Crime”
For actions far beyond the pale
NY’s Lt. Governor resigned in disgrace
John Hinckley is out on the street
Bibi’s back in charge of Israel
What? It’s gotta be the heat
19 elementary school kids were shot in Uvalde, Texas
While worthless cops stood by
The Webb Telescope is sending back jaw-dropping images
From way, way, way up in the sky
The National Spelling Bee had a twenty-two-word run-off
14-year-old Harini Logan was the winner
He stroked his chin and spelled “m-o-o-r-h-e-n”
Got his prize and went to dinner
The former dictator’s son, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
Is now the Philippine Prez
Sheryl Sandberg has had it with FaceBook, uhhhhh, Meta
At least, that’s what she says
Gustavo Petro was elected the first lefty President of Columbia
Ghislaine Maxwell got 20 years
She’s a disgusting, amoral ‘C’ word
And I won’t be shedding any tears
Juul settled their teen marketing scheme suit
For a $440M fine
Bolsanaro’s out in old Brazil
Lula’s back, (what?), and feeling fine
The founder of Patagonia transferred a billion dollars
To help the global warming fight succeed
147 South Koreans went to a Halloween party
And died in a stampede
NASA crashed a rocket into an asteroid 450 million miles away
Just in case there’s an imminent threat
Hurricane Ian pummeled Cuba and Florida
And everything got wet
Biden pardoned thousands charged with federal marijuana possession
Elon Musk is the new king of all tweets
Xi was reelected President of China…what a surprise
I wonder if he cheats
“No death sentence for the Parkland murderer”
Said the jury after deliberating for a minute
Seems to me the world would be much better
Without that hateful, asshole in it
The Nobel Peace Prize went to Belarus and Ukraine
And yet, there is no peace
It’s 2023 for fuck’s sake
And time for war to cease
A Q-Anon devotee broke into the Pelosi’s house
And took a hammer to Paul P’s head
Karen Bass was elected LA ‘s first female mayor
The other guy was probably better…she got picked instead
Trump is under investigation in Georgia
The Apple and DC
He’s guilty, of course, but now there’s a Special Prosecutor
So, we’ll have to wait and see
He incited an insurrection
He hid top secret documents in his sock drawer
The FBI raided Mar-a-Lago and found them
And many, many more
Naturally, he’s running again
MAGAGA is his new hat
Starting now I will be ignoring him
Because he’s dead to me and that
Should be his end
We should ignore the creep away
It will be like tossing water on the wicked witch
Ding dong, hip hip hooray!
Stewart Rhodes, the Oath Keepers leader
Was convicted of sedition…that’s like treason
Mauna Loa is erupting on the Big Island
It must be volcano season
Capital police were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal
For their bravery on January 6th
The Trump Organization was found guilty on all 14 counts
Of years of tax evasion tricks
25 Q-Anon-influenced German whackos
Were arrested for plotting a coup
Half the world has lost its mind
What are we going to do?
Brittney Griner was released from a Russian prison
They got an arms dealer in return
J. Robert Oppenheimer got his security clearance posthumously restored
Because the HUAC ruling was too stern
Dina Boluarte became Peru’s first female President
After a failed military coup
Claudine Gay was appointed the first black President of Harvard
In 2022
Oh
And the Michigan court that wouldn’t convict Whitmer’s kidnappers
Well, a Federal court said, “Wait!”
And Adam Fox got 16 years
In confusing Michigan state
George Santos is a fucking liar
Yet, he won a NY Congressional seat
Ummm, not so fast, George, there will be an investigation
As the DOJ turns up the heat
The January 6th Committee released “The Report”
There were criminal referrals for Trump and friends
752 pages of irrefutable evidence
But
Let’s see where this story ends
Entertaining?
All pre-1923 recordings
Became PD on Jan. 1
If I only knew how to sample shit
I could really have some fun
The Golden Globes went to Succession
And Power of the Dog
I liked them both, but I don’t like prizes
So, that’s barely mentioned in my Blog
Succession also won the Emmy
White Lotus won one too
Kanye loves everybody
Except if they’re a Jew
Oh, and it costs $200 to hear Ye’s new record
I think I’ll take a pass
I’m glad he lost a $1B in endorsements
He can kiss my semitic ass
Neil Young and Joni Mitchell
Removed their songs from Spotify
Because Spotify’s the music devil
I want Spotify to die
New owners demolished Marcel Breuer’s iconic Geller House
I wonder why they bought it
Kevin Spacey was found innocent of diddling Anthony Rapp
He was #MeToo-ed, but somehow fought it
Coda won the Best Picture Oscar
Will Smith crazily slapped Chris Rock
The Fresh Prince is now persona non grata
On every Bel-Air block
And in case you’d like a heads up
Here’s this year’s movie news on
The absolutely best of the batch
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Here are the Library of Congress inductees
To the National Registry for ’22:
Harlem Strut, FDR’s Complete Presidential Speeches
Walking the Floor Over You
Ellington at Newport, Jesus Gave Me Water
We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite
Robin Williams on WTF with Marc Maron
Which is cool, yet bittersweet
Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song
Moon River, Tonight’s the Night
Terry Riley’s In C
Yeah, you got that right
It’s a Small World, Bohemian Rhapsody
Hank Aaron’s 715th Career Home Run
Don’t Stop Believin’
Journey’s biggest number one
Reach Out, I’ll Be There
Bonnie’s Nick of Time
Canciones de Mi Padre
Simply Ronstadtically sublime
Alicia’s Songs in A Minor, Livin’ La Vida Loca
The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest
Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Buena Vista Social Club
Arguably, among the best
And…WNYC Broadcasts for 9/11
Ariana DeBose was an amazing Tony host
They should have given her a prize
A Strange Loop and The Lehman Trilogy
Were the BEST shows in the voters’ eyes
The R & R Hall of Fame inductees were:
Dolly Parton, Eminem
Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo
You’ve gotta love the both of them
Duran Duran, Eurythmics
Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, Judas Priest
And the amazing Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
At last, but not the least
I like the Kennedy Center Honors
They choose a yearly five
Of those who particularly stand out
For keeping humanities and arts alive
This year they honored George Clooney
Gladys Knight, Tania León
Amy Grant and U2
Who all stand out on their own
Andy Warhol’s Portrait of Marilyn Monroe auctioned for $195M
Becoming the most expensive work of American art
Bob Iger is Disney’s Chief Operating Mouse…again
A somewhat cartoonish restart
R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years
For sexual and child abuse
Jay Leno set himself on fire while fixing his car
At least that was his excuse
The National Book Award for fiction went to Tess Gunty
For writing The Rabbit Hutch
The non-fiction nod went to Imani Perry’ South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation
Which I liked very much
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, won Venice’s Golden Lion
Annie Ernaux won the literature Nobel
Harvey Weinstein was convicted of rape…again
He can go to hell
Sports
Novak Djokovic wouldn’t get the COVID vaccine
The Australian Open wouldn’t let him play
Antonio Brown quit mid-game and walked off the field
Perhaps, to play another day
Tom Brady retired from football
Then he didn’t, did, didn’t…he did?
But Gisele Bündchen definitely left him
About that, I wouldn’t kid
David Ortiz was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were not
Rafa Nadal won the Australian Open
For an old pro, he’s still hot
Other MLB Hall inductees were
Minnie Miñoso, Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat
Buck O’Neil, a star in the Negro League
And Gil Hodges, for his baat
The Rams won the Superbowl, Scotty Scheffler won The Masters
The Warriors beat the Celtics in six
The Winter Olympics featured faulty toilets and doping Russians
Which no one seemed able to fix
Ashleigh Barty won the Australian Open
The first Australian woman in 44 years
Rory McIlroy won the FedEx Cup in spectacular come-back fashion
And couldn’t hold back his Irish tears
Carlos Alcaraz won the US Open at 19
The youngest ATP #1
Federer retired
His competitive tennis playing days are done
South Carolina women and Kansas men
Won the NCAA March, (April?), Madness tourney
Serena lost in the 3rd round of the US Open
To end her tennis journey
Iga Swiatek and Rafa won French Open titles
Djokovich and Rybakina were Wimbledon’s best
Cameron Smith came from behind to win the Open Championship
And passed the Old St. Andrew’s test
Iga won again at the US Open
To become #1 in the women’s ranking
The Las Vegas Aces were the WNBA champs
Giving Connecticut a mere seven-point spanking
The Astros won the World Series
Aaron Judge belted a legitimate 62
The US won the President’s Cup
I wouldn’t lie…it’s true!
Caleb Williams won the Heisman
Another standout from USC
Georgia beat Alabama for the college football title
Being the best that they could be
Messi and Argentina won the World Cup
They are gods in soccer fans’ eyes
But their victory was in Qatar
Where FIFA won the biggest prize
Personal
Zu went off to college
To see what she could find
Grif started high school and he’s over 6 feet tall
That kinda blows my mind
In Passing
Richard Leakey was an anthropological fossil hunter
He discovered the oldest remains of humankind
Robert Durst was a self-confessed murderer
Who was clearly out of his mind…COVID-19
Lisa Brodyaga was a crusading immigration lawyer
Lawrence N. Brooks was the oldest WWII vet
Dr. Ronald Weinstein pioneered telemedicine
To telecure you on your TV set?
Mary Alice Thatch published the Wilmington Journal
And won a pardon for the Wilmington 10
Dr. Alan Scott used Botox
On people pretending to be young again
Lani Guinier was a legal scholar and voting rights advocate
Clinton threw her under the bus
Sheldon Silver was the NY State Democratic leader convicted of corruption
Corrupt politician…what’s all the fuss?
David Sassoli was the President of the European Parliament
Carl Bennett founded the Caldor discount store
Clyde Bellecourt co-founded the American Indian Movement
To protect their languages and their lore
Shirley McGreal tried to save primates
Threatened by poachers and researchers alike
Ed Schoenfeld was NYC’s impresario of Chinese food
Often delivered on a bike
Majid Al Futtaim was a developer who transformed Dubai
Deborah Nickerson researched the genome
Frank Dutton investigated Apartheid crimes
In South Africa, his home
Michael Parks was a Pulitzer-winning reporter
Then, Chief Editor of the LA Times
Yale Kamisar was the father of the Miranda Rule
For perps suspected of crime
Lisa Goddard created climate change models
As predictively accurate as they could get
David Boggs was the co-inventor
Of the Internet
Olavo de Carvalho was a Brazilian far-right nut job…COVID-19
Jerome Chazen was a partner of the Liz Claiborne empire
Adriana Hoffmann was a botanist who fought for Chile’s rain forests
That opportunists kept setting on fire
Edgar S. Kahn was a legal reformer
He founded the Antioch School of Law
John Vinocur was an intrepid foreign correspondent
Who reported on the things he saw
Israel Dresner was a rabbi and Civil Rights champion
Jeremiah Stamler researched ways to curb heart disease
Martine Colette rescued exotic animals
From poachers and pesky fleas
Phyllis Oakley was a female pioneer in the State Department
Cheslie Kryst, Miss USA 2019, committed suicide
Trude Feldman was a relentlessly probing White House reporter
From whom pols could run but could not hide
John Rice Irwin built museums to preserve Appalachian culture
Luc Montagnier won the Nobel for co-discovering H.I.V.
Dr. Herbert Benson was a cardiologist
Who championed meditative tranquility
Gloria Rojas was a trailblazing Latina TV journalist
Martin Tolchin founded The Hill
Paul Farmer founded the global Partners in Health
So fewer people would get ill
Gail Halvorsen was the Cold War Candy Bomber
He bombarded Berlin with sweets
Frank Gilbert fought to keep NYC landmarks
Where they belong, on NY streets
Rosalie Kunoth-Monks championed Australia’s native people
Arthur Feuerstein was an American chess master
Maggy Hurchalla was a formidable environmentalist
Who warned Florida of imminent disaster
Art Cooley founded the Environmental Defense Fund
Dennis Cunningham was a crusader for civil rights
Sally Schmitt was the Grand Dame of Napa Valley’s, French Laundry
Where I dined on countless nights
Autherine Lucy Foster was the first black student at U of Alabama
Walter R. Mears chronicled the Boys on the Bus
Elsa Klensch was a CNN reporter
Who discussed fashion with some of us
Monique Hanotte guided dozens of downed allies to safety
In Belgium, during the Second World War
Régine was the Impresario of discotheques
So, we could get down on the floor
Evgeny Maslin was a Russian general
He helped reduce nukes all around
Eugene N. Parker predicted the existence of Solar Wind
Which doesn’t make a sound
Charles E. Entenmann was the last of the baking family
Alain Graillot was a maker of Rhône wine
Brent Renaud was a photojournalist who went to Ukraine
And put it all out on the line
David Pinkel developed a cure for childhood Lukemia
Av Westin produced 20/20’s news
Jeanette Wagner globalized the Estée Lauder brand
Which women chose or chose not to use
Lauro Cavazos became the first Hispanic Cabinet member
When she took the Secretary of Education post
When it came to longevity as a Republican Congressman
Don Young served the most
Sumy Sadurni turned her photo-journalistic camera on East Africa
John Roach was a personal computer pioneer
Stephen Wilhite created the animated GIF
For us to see and sometimes hear…COVID-19
Madeleine Albright was the first woman US Secretary of State
She wore lots of fancy pins
She seemed to know where undue power stops
And diplomacy begins
Dirck Halstead was an intrepid Time Magazine photojournalist
Martin Pope’s research led to the OLED
Ursula Bellugi was a sign language pioneer
For speech that we could see
Terry Wallis awoke from a 19-year coma and began talking
I’m sure he had a lot to say
Orrin Hatch, from Utah, was a 7-term Senator
Then, he died one day
Arthur D. Riggs invented artificial insulin
Mimi Reinhard typed Schindler’s list
When it came to pickle making
Robert J. Vlasic had the gist
Gerda Weissmann Klein won a documentary Oscar
About surviving the Holocaust
Donald K. Ross rallied students for social change in the ‘70s
When it seemed that all was lost
William G. Hamilton was the dance doctor
Sidney Altman shared a Nobel for researching RNA
Mikhail Vasenkov was a Russian spy who inspired The Amerikans
Before he came in from the cold one day
Philip J. Hilts exposed Big Tobacco’s cover-up
Of the addictiveness of nicotine
Dr. Morton Mower invented the implantable defibrillator
That fit between your kidneys and your spleen
Norman Mineta was the first Japanese-American Cabinet member
Maria Marcus was an advocate for the hood
Alfred Baldwin was the lookout for the Watergate break-in
But he wasn’t very good
Randy Weaver was the crackpot behind Ruby Ridge
Richard C. Wald ran the news at ABC
Kathy Boudin was a member of the Weather Underground
Got convicted and served 23
Jack Cakebread was a Napa winemaker
Ken Bode hosted PBS’s Washington Week
The U.A.E. leader died
He was Khalifa, an Arab sheik
Carrie White was a Beverly Hills stylist
Known for doing celebrity hair
Julie Beckett lobbied for disabled children
To get medically approved home care
Ron Rice created Hawaiian Tropic Lotion
Kristine Gebbie was the first US AIDS czar
Ann Turner Cook was the original Gerber baby
Who set a very high cute babyface bar
Hazel Henderson was all about the environment
Amanda Claridge studied the ruins of ancient Rome
Andrée Geulen hid hundreds of Jewish children from the Nazis
Many in her own Belgian home
Val Broeksmit blew the Whistle on Deutsche Bank’s and Trump’s
Deal after shady deal
Ivana Trump, the mother of evil spawn
Fell down the stairs and died…for real
Charles Kernaghan exposed brands that used sweat shop labor
Gloria Allen was a transgender activist who ran a charm school
Valery Ryumin spent 362 days in space
A clear winner of the space flight endurance pool
Mark Shields was a sharp-witted PBS Newshour pundit
Bernard Stolar sold video games
Clifford L. Alexander was an advisor to several Presidents
But I don’t remember their names
Paul Gunther helped rescue NYC landmarks
Willie Lee Morrow popularized the Afro Pick
Raymond Damadian invented the MRI scanner
So, docs could see if you were sick
Dr. Paul M. Ellwood, Jr. was the “Father of the H.M.O.”
Sonny Barger was the Hells Angels’ face
James Bardeen was an expert at unravelling Einstein’s equations
Relative to time and space
Johnnie A. Jones litigated Civil Rights
Barry Sussman edited Watergate reports
Mohammad Barkindo was OPEC’s Secretary General
In charge of oil exports
Shinzo Abe was a former Japanese Prime Minister
Then somebody shot him
John R. Froines was a member of the Chicago Seven
Who caused chaos ‘til they got him
Francis X. Clines was a lyrical writer for the NY Times
Gerald Shargel was an attorney for the Mob
On Luis Echeverria Alvarez’s resume
Mexican President was his old job
Lily Safra was a socialite/philanthropist
Robert F. Curl, Jr. won the Nobel for discovering Bucky Balls
Albert Woodfox spent 42 years in solitary confinement
I imagine, climbing the walls
Eugenio Scalfari founded La Republica
Judith Schiff was the chief research archivist at Yale
Andrew J. Maloney was the prosecutor who took John Gotti down
And lived to tell the tale
David Trimble was from Northern Ireland
And a Nobel Peace Prize winner
James Lovelock was a pioneer in understanding ecology
As the ozone layer got thinner
Richard Tait co-invented Cranium
For the smarty pants in the room
Ayman al-Zawahiri was the Al Qaeda leader
Kaboom…Kaboom…Kaboom!
Tim Giago founded the first Native American newspaper
Mario Fiorentini fought in Italy’s resistance
The Soviet Union sort of ended
Due to Mikhail Gorbachev’s insistence
Fidel Ramos was a Philippine President
Ann McGuiness fought for women’s health issues
Kamoya Kimeu dug up fossils in Kenya
Then wrapped them all in tissues
Leon E. Rosenberg studied inherited mental illness
Vadim Bakatin was the last chairman of the KGB
Roland Mesnier baked pastries for five Presidents
But he never baked any for me
Nafis Sadik was a UN official
And a champion of women’s rights
Frank Drake founded SETI
In his search for extra-terrestrial lights
Esther Cooper Jackson was a civil rights pioneer
Marilyn Loden coined The Glass Ceiling
Dr. Audrey Evans founded the first Ronald McDonald House
To help with cancer care and healing
Barbara Ehrenreich wrote of underpaid workers in Nickel and Dimed
Anne Garrels was a fearless correspondent for NPR
Stanley Turkel was a NYC hotel manager/historian
Thomas Carney tended Elaine’s bar
Queen Elizabeth II had a 70-year reign
How is royalty still a thing?
I guess, she wasn’t so bad in the scheme of things
But
Now her weird son is the king
Earl J. Silbert led the Watergate prosecution
Ken Starr was a flaming asshole
Robert D. Kern invented the Generac home back-up generator
Keeping the lights on, was his goal
Bernard Shaw was the 20-year lead anchor on CNN
Saul Kripke was a purveyor of semantic truth
Robert Ferante produced the news
From the CBS and NPR control booth
Moon Landrieu was a New Orleans mayor
Who championed equity for all races
Dr. Vincent DiMaio’s pathology concluded Van Gogh was murdered
One of those mysteriously contentious cases
Joseph Hazelwood was captain of the Exxon Valdez
That sullied Alaskan waters
Beryl Benacerraf was a pioneer in the use of pre-natal ultrasound
So, we could pre-see our sons and daughters
Herbert Kohler was a plumbing magnate
Who also built champion golf courses
Maximilian Lerner was one of WWII’s Ritchie Boys
Who spied on Axis forces
John Train co-founded the Paris Review
Valery Polyakov spent 437 days in space
Dietrich Mateschitz created the Red Bull empire
Which you can get, well…everyplace
Allan M. Siegal was a NY Times editor
The arbiter of language, tone, ethics and taste
Daniel Smith was the last known child of an enslaved person in the US
When his lineage was traced
Maarten Schmidt first identified a quasar
Bill Plante was the CBS News ’White House voice
David Gottesman was Warren Buffet’s partner
Either by happenstance or choice
Maurice Kanbar invented the sweater de-fuzzing comb
He invented Skyy Vodka, too
Nick Holonyak, Jr. developed LEDs for CDs and DVDs
Which I kinda remember…do you?
Dan Wieden created Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign
James A. McDivitt led the first walk in space
John Y. Brown, Jr. was a KFC exec
Who won the Kentucky Governor’s race
Benjamin Civiletti was AG during the Iran hostage crisis
Ashton B. Carter was Obama’s Secretary of Defense
Mehran Karimi Nasseri slept in Charles De Gaulle Airport for 18 years
Which made a movie, but didn’t make sense
Samuel L. Katz developed the Measles vaccine
Tony Isidore was the “bold statement” ad man
Marion Smith was the world’s most prolific cave explorer
He was truly a spelunking madman
Ela Bhatt advocated for India’s women workers
Dr. Mitchell Rosenthal founded Phoenix House
Abigail Kawãnanakoa was the last Hawaiian princess
To wear the royal aloha blouse
Herman Daly warned of rampant growth v. ecology
Ellen Levine helped create Oprah’s O
Evelyn de Rothschild was the scion of that banking dynasty
Who had piles and piles of dough
Frederick P. Brooks designed an early IBM home computer
Michael Pertschuk crusaded for auto safety and no smoking
Frances Hesselbein was a progressive Girl Scout leader
I love the Thin Mints…I’m not joking
“Cadillac” Frank Salemme led the New England mob
Don Luce helped turn the public against the Viet Nam War
Charlene Mitchell was the first black woman to run for President
But she never heard a victory roar
Dorothy Pitman Hughes brought black issues to feminism
Don Christopher was The Garlic King
Alberto Zamperla was an amusement park impresario
Roller coasters were his thing
Jose Maria Sison founded the Philippine Communist Party
Seldom an electoral winner
Ali Ahmed Aslam invented Chicken Tikka Masala
For mild Indian food lovers to have for dinner
Pope Benedict XVI
The Arts
April Ashley was a London socialite
And a transgender pioneer
Stephen Lawrence composed Free to Be…You and Me
Which kids and parents everywhere should hear
Sabine Weiss photographed war-ravaged faces
In post WWII Paris streets
Harry Colomby managed Michael Keaton and Monk
Don Wilson led The Ventures’ beats
Judith Davidoff was a master of ancient stringed instruments
Max Julien was a Blaxploitation star
Marilyn Bergman wrote memorable lyrics
To put words to the way we are
Peter Bogdanovich directed What’s Up Doc?, Paper Moon
And the brilliant Last Picture Show
Bob Saget was a comic’s comic
So very sad to see him go
Dwayne Hickman was TV’s Dobie Gillis
Ronnie Spector sang Da Doo Run Run
Steve Jenkins wrote enlightening books for kids
To make learning science fun
Michael Lang co-created Woodstock
The music festival for the ages
Terry Teachout was a respected critic
On many NYC arts pages
James Mtume was a percussionist/writer/producer
Who most notably played with Miles
Nino Cerruti was a revolutionary
When it came to menswear styles
Rosa Lee Hawkins was one of the Dixie Cups
Whose Chapel of Love knocked Love Me Do off the top of the Charts
Lucy Rowan Mann was the doyenne of the Naumburg Foundation Awards
A lover and patron of the arts
Dale Clevenger was a French Horn master
Andrew Vachs wrote novels and litigated against child abuse
Marvin Lee “Meat Loaf “Aday’s Bat Out of Hell
Set the Rock n Roll Kraken loose…COVID-19
Sidney Poitier
Maria Ewing was an opera singer
John Bowman wrote comedic black-centric TV
Dallas Frazier wrote Alley Oop, Elvira, Beneath Still Waters
As good as Country songs can be
Ralph Emery was a Country Hall of Fame radio and TV host
Ali Mitgutsch illustrated beloved German children’s books
Ricardo Bofill designed otherworldly buildings
Which prompted 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th looks…COVID-19
André Leon Talley was a rare black fashion designer/editor
Beegie Adair was Nashville’s Jazz piano queen
Yvette Mimieux starred in Where the Boys Are
And the timeless Time Machine
Elza Soares was an outrageous Brazilian singer
Badal Roy fused traditional Indian percussion with jazz…COVID-19
Jana Bennett transformed TV science on the BBC
More than anyone ever has
Everett Lee was the first black Broadway conductor
Fred Harris arranged the Five Satins’, In the Still of the Night
Ron Goulart wrote 180 novels
Crap, that guy could write
Louie Anderson was a hilarious comic
An actor/actress and TV host
Ivan Reitman directed Animal House, Ghostbusters and Stripes
And was simply funnier than most
Ann Arensberg wrote Sister Wolf and Group Sex…COVID-19
Peter Robbins originally voiced Charley Brown
John Koss invented stereo headphones
And changed how studio overdub tracks get laid down
Dan Einstein elevated the careers of John Prine and Steve Goodman
George Crumb composed whacky, challenging works
Jon Zazula was an early promoter of “Heavy Metal”
Swag T-shirts was one of the perks
Steve Schapiro was an intrepid photojournalist
Howard Hesseman was WKRP’s Dr. Johnny Fever
Douglas Trumbull created visual effects for 2001 and Close Encounters
Making every viewer a true believer
Tito Matos was a Puerto Rican percussionist and master of plena
Carol Speed was a Blaxploitation film star
Richard Christiansen wrote influential theater criticism for The Chicago Tribune
From a booth in a Chicago bar
Hargus “Pig” Robbins was a top Nashville studio piano player
Monica Vitti was an Italian movie queen
Birju Maharaj choreographed wild dance numbers
In scene after Bollywood scene
Jason Epstein edited the NYT Review of Books
John Wesley made minimalist, erotic, pop art
Sam Lay played for Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and Dylan
Drumming was his part
Ashley Bryan wrote diverse books for kids
Syl Johnson was a local Chicago legend of soul
Barry Battman would take damaged works of art
And magically make them whole
Irwin Young helped independent filmmakers
Get their movies on a screen
Lata Mangeshkar was a beloved Bollywood voice
Heard but seldom seen
P. J. O’Rourke was a conservative, satirical writer
Parliament of Whores was among his best
Paul Herman was a character actor
Whose characters were often under arrest
Norma Waterson was a traditional English folk artist
Betty Davis was an innovative singer/songwriter of funk
Franz Mohr tuned the pianos in Carnegie Hall
So, they wouldn’t sound like junk
Lars Eighner tackled homelessness in Travels With Lizbeth
Beverly Ross wrote Lollipop
Shirley Hughes wrote and illustrated dozens of children’s books
But she died, and had to stop
Stephanie Selby was a kid in City Ballet
Chronicled in A Very Young Dancer
Kirstie Alley was delightful as Rebecca on Cheers
Then, sadly, she died of cancer
Ian McDonald was a guitarist/songwriter
For King Crimson and Foreigner too
John “The Amazing Jonathan” Szeles was a comedian/magician
Who made you laugh while fucking with you
Leslie Parnas was a celebrated cellist and teacher
Gary Brooker wrote and sang Whiter Shade of Pale
Bruce Duffy wrote the acclaimed The World as I Found It
I guess, the world had left a trail
Leonard Kessler was a colorful children’s author
Mr Pine’s Purple House, The Big Red Bus
Richard Howard was a Pulitzer-winning poet
Who translated poetry for all of us
Sandy Nelson was an LA studio drummer
Duvall Hecht founded Books on Tape
Dan Graham was a conceptual artist
Of mind-bending textures, color and shape
Sally Kellerman played M*A*S*H’s Hot Lips Houlihan
It was among her most endearing parts
Joni James was a 50’s chanteuse
Lovingly called The Queen of Hearts
Michele McNally directed NY Times photography
Carlos Barbosa-Lima was a virtuoso of classical guitar
Andrei Belgrader was an influential director who guided young careers
From unknown to future star
Sharon Wohlmuth photographed Carol Saline’s essays
Sisters, Mothers and Daughters and Best Friends
Bobbie Nelson was Willie’s piano-playing brother
But this is where his playing ends
Alan Ladd, Jr. was a Hollywood golden boy producer
Star Wars, Young Frankenstein, Chariots of Fire
Emilio Delgado was the beloved Luis on Sesame Street
For forty years before he’d retire
Tim Considine was the eldest on My Three Sons
And Spin in Spin and Marty
Barbara Morrison was a beloved west coast jazz singer
And the life of every party
Tony Walton was a Tony and Oscar-winning stage and screen designer
A true artist and my friend
Yuriko was a choreographer who carried Martha Graham’s torch
Until the very end
Conrad Janis played trombone, owned a gallery
And was the father on Mork & Mindy
Annie Flanders founded Details magazine
One day when it was windy
Leo Marx explored the clash between nature and culture
In his The Machine in the Garden book
John Korty directed the Diary of Miss Jane Pittman
If you missed it, take a look
William Hurt starred in The Big Chill, Altered States
Kiss of the Spider Woman and Body Heat
Taylor Hawkins was a rock steady drummer
Who kept the Foo Fighters beat
Timmy Thomas’s Why Can’t We Live Together?
Was his one and only hit
Nancy Milford wrote a biography of Zelda Fitzgerald
And then, repeated it
Hiram Maristany was Spanish Harlem’s “Peoples Photographer”
Patrick Demarchelier was a shooter of fashion
Estelle Harris played George’s mom on Seinfeld
With comedically preposterous passion
Bill Fries sang the trucker ballad, Convoy
Bobby Rydell was a teen idol of note
Wild One was his biggest hit
Which he sang but someone else wrote
William Kraft composed for overlooked instruments
June Brown was Britain’s EastEnders soap star
Jack Higgins wrote The Eagle Has Landed
And some of the best adventure novels, by far
Tabby and Bunny Diamond were reggae’s Mighty Diamonds
Roland White was a Bluegrass mandolin playing master
Rae Allen was a Tony-winner and TV actress
Who excelled in every part in which they cast her
Michelle Materre championed black, independent film
Liz Sheridan played Jerry Seinfeld’s mom
Gilbert Gottfried was a caustic, brilliant comedian
Who no one described as calm
Alan J. Hruska was a poet/novelist/filmmaker
Who founded the Soho Press
Nan Melville had a photographic love affair with dance
The hands, the feet, the dress
Doris Derby was a Civil Rights Era photographer
Patricia MacLachlan wrote Sarah, Plain and Tall
Marvin Chomsky directed Holocaust and Roots
He was among the best of all
Nehemiah Persoff acted on Gunsmoke, Columbo
Mission Impossible, The Twilight Zone
Jerry Uelsmann was a unique photographer
With a surrealistic outlook, all his own
Michel Bouquet was a premiere character actor of France
Cynthia Albritton was the Plaster Caster
Paul Siebel was a singer songwriter racked by stage fright
Which was a stultifying disaster
Ann Hutchinson Guest was an expert of dance notation
David Birney was the Bridget Loves Bernie guy
John Zaritsky made Oscar-winning documentaries of difficult subjects
With a probing documentarian’s eye
Art Rupe ran Specialty Records
The genesis of Rock n Roll
He discovered the amazing Lloyd Price and Little Richard
If there’s a god, god bless his soul
Kevin Lippert published architectural books
Catherine Spaak was a darling of the Italian screen
Barbara Maier Gustern taught NYC actors to be singers
If you know what I mean
Harrison Bristwistle was a modernist British composer
The lead singer of the Saints name was Chris Bailey
Kathryn Hays starred on As the World Turns for 38 years
And she did it almost daily
Letizia Battaglia photographed victims of mafia brutality in Sicily
Jimmy Wang Yu choreographed Kung Fu fights
Sid Mark spun mostly Sinatra records
On the radio for thousands of nights
Robert Morse broke out in How to Succeed…
He was the complicated Bert Cooper on Mad Men
He played many roles, like Capote in Dru
Which were seldom, if ever, bad men
Rolando Hinojosa-Smith wrote vividly of Chicano life
Neal Adams drew comic superheroes
George Pérez revitalized Wonder Woman
Digitally, with ones and zeroes
José Luis Cortés was a Timba Cuban bandleader
Jacques Perrin was in Cinema Paradiso and Z
Ron Galella relentlessly dogged Jackie O
Hiding with his cameras in a bush or a tree
Irving Rosenthal published Ginsberg, Kerouac and Burroughs
Gloria Parker played musical glasses in Broadway Danny Rose
If you think of larger-than-life, important folk singers
Judy Henske would have been one of those
Justin Green was the “Father of Autobiographical Comics”
Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary
The first angry man in morning radio was named Josephson
But all of his friends just called him Larry
Klaus Schulze was the drummer for Tangerine Dream
In Depeche Mode, Andy Fletcher played keys
Vangelis composed the scores for Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner
Electronically, if you please
Naomi Judd sang with Winona
Mining gold in session after country session
But fell victim to the terrible, world-wide epidemic
Of debilitating depression
Marcus Leatherdale shot portraits of famous NYC characters
Morton L. Janklow repped best-selling books
Joanna Barnes acted in both versions of The Parent Trap
With distinctly generational looks
Mickey Gilley was a singer and owned a country bar
Urban Cowboy was inspired by it
When they needed a 21st century Batman illustrator
Tim Sale said he would try it
Ric Parnell played drummer, Mick Shrimpton, in This is Spinal Tap
Fred Ward played tough guys in The Right Stuff and Henry and June
Colin Cantwell designed Star Wars, Close Encounters and 2001 spacecraft
For encounters far beyond the moon
Teresa Berganza was a charismatic mezzo-soprano
Rosmarie Trapp was the last Sound of Music kid
George Shapiro managed Seinfeld, Carl Reiner, Eddie Murphy…
It’s just what he did
Bob Neuwirth played guitar for Dylan and Janis
Jim Seals played and sang with partner, Dash
Elspeth Barker wrote, O Caledonia
For fifty dollars, cash
Ronnie Hawkins was a Rockabilly road warrior
Marvin Josephson was the ICM boss
Baxter Black was the quintessential cowboy poet
Who once poetically called me, Hoss
Kenneth Welsh was a quirky Canadian character actor
Philip Baker Hall was in Seinfeld and Boogie Nights
Harry Gesner designed bold architectural projects
On many California sites
Alan White played with Lennon and Harrison
And was most notably the drummer in Yes
Bill Walker was an arranger and Johnny Cash’s MD
For almost thirty years, I guess
Martha Myers ran the fabled American Dance Festival
As a teacher and a dancer
Who wrote the lyric to Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini?
Paul Vance, would be your answer
Dave Smith co-invented MIDI
How did music previously work without it?
If you needed to know anything about ‘charted’ music
You could have asked Joel Whitburn about it
Ranan Lurie drew political cartoons
Ken Knowlton was the “Father of Computer Animation and Art”
Singing Falling on Twin Peaks
Was Julee Cruise’s part
Paula Rego painted women’s experiences
Margaret Keane painted sad waifs with big eyes
Donald Pippin was one of those beloved
Broadway musical directoring guys
Peter Lamborn Wilson’s anarchic Temporary Autonomous Zone
Spawned Burning Man and Occupy Wall St.
Arnold Skolnick designed the Woodstock poster
I think that’s pretty neat
James Rado co-wrote Hair
By any measure, great
Then he lived off of it for fifty years
In a clearly altered state
Duncan Hannah was a critic of NYC art
Then became a painter of some note
Monty Norman was not a very well know composer
Except for the James Bond theme he wrote
Jean-Louis Trigntignant was brilliant in A Man and a Woman
The iconic, tortured everyman
Betty Rowland was an old school burlesque queen
Who stripped with feathers and a fan
Artie Kane was a loved LA pianist
Patrick Adamas composed disco hits
Nichelle Nichols’s portrayal of Lieutenant Uhuru
Was one of her most remembered bits
Sam Gilliam was an abstract drape painter
Kurt Markus photographed Cowboys and such
Tommy Morgan was an LA session harmonica master
Who I liked very, very much
Mary Fuller Chesney was a California sculptor
Of Aztec-inspired goddesses and bears
Joe Turkel played the spectral bartender in The Shining
If anybody cares
Peter Brook was an ambitious, creative stage director
Spider Webb sketched artistic tattoos
Harvey Dinnerstein painted scenes of everyday life
With reds and yellows and blues
James Caan was Sonny Corleone
In Elf he played the dad
Ni Kuang was one of the most prolific novelist/screenwriters
That Hong Kong ever had
Kazuki Takahashi created Yu-Gi-Oh!
Some Japanese manga thing
Paul Sorvino was a mild-mannered Godfellas thug
Who also loved to sing
Mark Fleischman was the last impresario of Studio 54
At the end of the disco age
Larry Storch played Corporal Agarn
When F Troop was all the rage
Tony Sirico was Paulie Walnuts on The Sopranos
Taurean Blacque was in Hill Street Blues
David Dalton was an early Rolling Stone rock writer
Who gave us music news
Adam Wade was a singer and actor
The first black TV game show emcee
Stuart Woods wrote best-selling thrillers
To entertain you and me
L. Q. Jones played movie bad guys for 50 years
Ronni Solbert illustrated children’s tales
William Hart led the Delfonics
When there were still some R&B sales
Claus Oldenburg sculpted bigger-than-life versions
Of things you might see every day
When Stevie and Miles needed a bass man
The called Michael Henderson to play
Sean Kelly wrote lyrics for Lemmings
He also wrote for the National Lampoon
Shonka Dukureh sang Hound Dog as Big Mama Thornton in Elvis
Then left us way too soon
Bob Rafelson directed Five Easy Pieces
Tony Dow was Beaver’s big bro
The decades-long president of Warner Bros. Records was Mr. Ostin
But most everybody called him Mo
David Warner liked playing movie villains
Like The Omen, Titanic and Tron
Olivia Newton-John’s music and smile
Will live on and on and on
Charlotte Pomerantz was an inventive children’s book writer
Bernard Cribbins was in Doctor Who
George Booth won well-deserved accolades
For the zany New Yorker cartoons he drew
Mary Alice won a Tony for Fences
Pat Carroll was a beloved TV and stage star
Mick Moloney was a champion of Irish culture and music
Who played banjo and guitar
Burt Metcalfe was the last showrunner of M*A*S*H
David McCullough wrote about America’s past
Virginia Patton Moss played Ruth Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life
Of the cast, she was the last
Clu Gulager was a rugged TV and film actor
The Virginian, The Killers, The Last Picture Show
Melissa Bank wrote The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing
For any girls who wanted to go
Mary Ellin Barrett was Irving Berlin’s daughter
Issey Miyake designed Japanese clothes
Bert Fields represented celebrities
Whenever legal matters arose
Judith Durham sang the Seekers’, Georgie Girl
Roger E. Mosley was on Magnum, P.I.
Chase Mishkin was the Tony-winning producer of Memphis and Dame Edna
A hilarious, cross-dressing guy
Sid Jacobson wrote songs and comic books
Richie Rich, The 9/11 Report
Peter Straub wrote novels
Of the supernatural sort
Lamont Dozier wrote songs with the Hollands
14 that made number one
He helped define the sound of Motown
The grooves, the funk, the fun
Jean-Jacques Sempé drew more than 100 New Yorker covers
Bill Pitman played the Wrecking Crew’s guitar
Anne Heche was a very troubled actress
Who was killed when she crashed her car
Nicholas Evans wrote The Horse Whisperer
John Eastman repped McCartney at the Beatles break-up
Norah Vincent passed as a man to write Self-Made Man
By wearing wigs and suits and makeup
Wolfgang Petersen directed The Never-Ending Story
The Perfect Storm and Das Boot
Just Jaeckin wrote and directed Emmanuelle
Who was often filmed in her birthday suit
Paul Coker drew Mad’s “Horrifying Cliches”
And TV’s Frosty the Snowman
Joey DeFrancesco was a master jazz organist
And a consummate musical showman
Creed Taylor produced hours and hours of jazz
Tim Page photographed the Viet Nam War
Ned Rorem was a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and author
Who literally knew the score
Raymond Briggs was a children’s author and illustrator
Snowman was his most well known
Joanne Koch led the Film Society at Lincoln Center
Occasionally, all alone
Jerry Allison was a good guy
He died, and that’s a bummer
When Buddy Holly was leading the Crickets
Jerry was the drummer
Robert LuPone was in The Sopranos and Law & Order
And, of course, A Chorus Line
Tina Ramirez founded Ballet Hispánico
So, Hispanic dancers had a place to shine
Sy Johnson collaborated with Mingus
As a photographer/composer/arranger…COVID-19
Billy Bengston was a painter and a stuntman
Who lived for color, speed and danger
Amy Stechler was a documentarian and Ken Burns’ ex
Who helped create their unique style
Marsha Hunt was a blacklisted actress
Then became a social activist after while
Richard Roat was a popular extra on Seinfeld
As well as Cheers and Friends
Javier Marías was a Nobel-nominated Spanish novelist
Who was known for bucking trends
Mable John was among the first singers signed to Motown
Archie Roach was an aboriginal man of blues
Rommy Hunt Revson was a nightclub singer who invented the Scrunchy
Something worthwhile to use
Ramsey Lewis was a grooving jazz master
Irene Pappas was in Zorba, the Greek
You should Google Kitten Natividad
If it’s gigantic-boobed porn stars that you seek
Jorja Fleezanis was concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra
Henry Silva played menacing bad guys
Paul T. Kwami directed the Fisk Jubilee Singers
To let their spirits rise
Sterling Lord was the literary agent for Kerouac, Breslin
Buchwald, Ferlinghetti and more
Jack Brogan was a master art fabricator
At his art fabrication store
Charlie Finch was a caustic New York art critic
Art Rosenbaum collected American Traditional Music for years
Pharoah Sanders was a saxophone-playing force of nature
And a favorite of his peers
Lily Renée Phillips drew powerful, glamorous ladies
As the heroines of comic book art
Irwin Glusker designed the look and covers of American Heritage Magazine
Which set it stunningly apart
As studio guitarists go, in Nashville
Ray Edenton was among the best
Louise Fletcher was Nurse Ratched
In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Rita Gardner was the original “the Girl” in the Fantasticks
Coolio gave us Gangsta’s Paradise
Sacheen Littlefeather rejected Brando’s Oscar at the ‘73 ceremony
And wasn’t treated very nice
Joe Bussard collected 15,000 78rpm records
Judy Tenuta was the accordion-playing Love Goddess, you see
Sue Mingus kept husband Charlie’s music alive
An act of synchronicity
Lowry Mays built the media giant, Clear Channel
Charles Fuller won a Pulitzer for A Soldier’s Play
Alain Tanner directed Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000
In the future, then, but not today
Jack Charles was the Grandfather of Aboriginal Theater
Günter Lamprecht was a German actor of note
Angela Landsbury starred on stage and on screen
And TV, in Murder, She Wrote
Loretta Lynn was the Coal Miner’s Daughter
She sang her heart out on her sleeve
Roger Welsch was known on CBS Sunday Morning
For telling stories we could believe
Sonia Handelman Meyer photographed ordinary people
Robbie Coltrane was a comedic-acting Scot
If you needed great background singers for your Country songs
Anita Kerr was who you got
Brooks Arthur was a legendary music producer
He was also a longtime friend
Seymore “Red” Press was still contracting Broadway shows
Until the very end
Art Laboe was a So Cal DJ
Oldies But Goodies were his thing
Mary McCaslin was a West coast folky
I loved to hear her sing
Grace Glueck was a NYT writer
Who fought for gender equality in art
Carly Simon’s sisters, Lucy and Joanna
Both, sadly, died one day apart
Robert Kalfin directed the Chelsea Theater Center
Bernard McGuirk produced the Imus Show
Douglas Kirkland shot celebrity portraits
In case you needed to know
Nikki Finke was a caustic Hollywood reporter
Peter Schjeldahl was the art critic for The Village Voice
When Margo Feiden hung up art in her gallery
Hirschfeld was her choice
Jerry Lee Lewis was a wild man
Goodness gracious, Great Balls of Fire
There was a whole lotta shakin’ when he married his cousin
Out of questionable familial desire
Stephanie Dabney was an electrifying prima ballerina
As a Dance Theater of Harlem dancer
Which 3-D film pioneer wrote the lyrics to Puff the Magic Dragon?
Lenny Lipton would be the answer
Eileen Ryan was a beloved NY actress
And the mother of Sean and Chris Penn
John Jay Osborn, Jr. wrote The Paper Chase
About law-practicing women and men
Geoff Nuttall led the Spoleto Music Festival
Also, the St. Lawrence Quartet
If you needed a Fire Island house designed
Harry Bates was the guy you would get
Ray Liotta played creepy parts
Like in Goodfellas and Field of Dreams
Pierre Soulages was the Master of Black
Who claimed black was much more than it seems
Colin Forbes was the Pentagram co-founder
Whose designs used iconic text
Mike Davis wrote City of Quartz
To foretell which cultural catastrophe was next
Jules Bass was the creative producer
Of TV’s Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer show
Gene ‘Cip’ Cipriano was a beloved LA studio saxophonist
Man, that guy could blow
Leslie Jordan was in Will & Grace
Then became an Instagram star
Joe Tarsia was The Sound of Philadelphia recording engineer
On heavy rotation in my car
I think Gallagher hated watermelons
He was called, The Wizard of Odd
Gal Costa was an angelic Brazilian singer
My atheistic hand to god
Julie Powell had a food blog
That inspired the Julie & Julia movie
Christine Farnon created the first Grammy Awards ceremony, May 4, 1959
Before that was even groovy
Douglas McGrath was a humorist, playwright, and actor
Jeff Cook was a member of the Alabama band
Michael Butler financed Hair on Broadway
Which fared slightly better than he planned
Kevin Conroy was the animated voice of Batman
For nearly thirty years
Kevin O’Neill drew the comic, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
And was respected by his peers
David Davis produced Mary Tyler Moore
And created the Bob Newhart and Taxi shows
Dominique Lapierre wrote Is Paris Burning?
An exemplary work of prose
Dan McCafferty sang Love Hurts in Nazareth
George Lois designed visionary art
Robert Clary was one of Hogan’s Heroes
Corporal Louis LeBeau, was his part
John Aniston was Jennifer’s dad
And a Days of Our Lives co-star
If I had any say in naming music business execs
I would have named Charles Koppelman, Czar
Budd and Silver Friedman were comedy legends
The Improv was their epicenter
The Philly Soul Sound gave us the Stylistics and the Spinners
And Thom Bell was their mentor
Alice Davis designed the costumes for It’s A Small World
And the Pirates of the Caribbean rides
Pablo Milanés was the troubadour of the Cuban Revolution
When Cubans were taking sides
Iren Cara did not live forever
But she sang Fame and What a Feeling
When Freddie Roman rifted in the Catskills or Friar’s Club
He was the doctor of comedic healing
Ed Rudy chronicled the Beatles first American tour
Danny Kalb played Blues Project guitar
Christine Perfect McVie was the heart and soul of Fleetwood Mack
And sang of who we love and are
Michael Feingold was the drama critic for the Village Voice
George Newall was the last of the creators of Schoolhouse Rock
Bob McGrath was an original member of the Sesame Street cast
Who spent years upon that block
Jim Stewart co-founded Stax Records with his sister
A mecca of soul and blues
Art Brewer photographed surfers
Riding waves without their shoes
Allen Kay coined, If You See Something, Say Something
Stuart Margolin acted on and directed The Rockford Files
Alice Teirstein taught thousands of New Yorkers to dance
In many, many styles
Lee Lorenz was the cartoon editor of the New Yorker
Beryl Grey was an acclaimed British ballet dancer
Who wrote the music for Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive and Twin Peaks?
Angelo Badalamenti, is the answer
Herbert Deutsch co-created the Moog synthesizer
Dino Danelli was the Rascals’ drummer
Stanley Drucker was a NY Philharmonic clarinetist for 60 years
Then he died, and that’s a bummer
Mike Hodges directed Get Carter, Croupier and Flash Gordon
Kim Simmonds led Savoy Brown
Adrienne Mancia curated films for MOMA
On 53rd St. in midtown
Elayne Jones was a classical percussionist
Who took a gender and racial stand
Terry Hall was the frontman for the Specials
A fantastic ska revival band
Nélida Piñon was the first woman President of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
Oh…and did you hear the news?
Maya Ruiz-Picasso…his daughter, died
He often claimed she was his muse
Arata Isozaki was a global Japanese architect
He designed MOCA, in LA
Ian Tyson was a Canadian folk legend of Ian and Sylvia fame
He could sing and write and play
Jean-Luc Goddard was a masterful director
At the heart of French New Wave
Tony Vaccaro’s WWII photographs from the soldiers’ perspective
Were mementos that he gave
Barbara Walters broke through barriers
As a TV host and prime time news anchor
She opened doors for countless women
I hope they had a chance to thank her
Sports
Sam Jones was a Celtics All-Star
Dan Reilly was the original Mr. Met
Bob Wall was a martial arts sensei
With belts as black as they could get
Dan Reeves was a Superbowl-winning coach
Billy Turner trained Seattle Slew
Don Maynard was a Hall-of-Fame receiver
To whom Joe Namath often threw
Chris Dickerson was the first black, openly gay Mr. America
Joe B. Hall coached Kentucky B-ball
Lusia Harris was the only woman drafted by the NBA
But they never played her, after all
Clark Gillies won four consecutive Stanley Cups
When the Islanders dominated
Jim Drake photographed sports celebs
Some he liked, some he hated
Bill Fitch coached the Celtics
Emile Francis rebuilt the Rangers
Dottie Frazier was a pioneering deep-sea diver
A job fraught with deep sea dangers
Charley Taylor was a HoF receiver
John Landy was the second to break the 4-minute mile
Joan Joyce was a dominant softball pitcher
With a hard-to-hit screwball style
Kent Waldrep was an injured college football player
Who helped get the Americans with Disabilities Act to pass
Dave Butz was an All-Pro defensive lineman
Who knocked players on their ass
Johnny Grier was the first black NFL referee
Shane Warne was an Australian cricket great
Scott Hall was Razor Ramon, a Pro Wrestling villain
That wrestling fans loved to hate
Gene Shue was an NBA all-star player and coach
Rayfield Wright played on the Cowboys’ line
Bob Lanier played Center for the Pistons and Bucks
And rarely rode the pine
Shirley Spork was a teaching pro and founder of the LPGA
Guy LaFleur was a Canadiens star
Lester Piggott was a winning British jockey
Who rode a horse more than a car
Daryle Lamonica was the Mad Bomber quarterback of the Raiders
Kenny Moore was a marathoner and SI track writer
Ernie Shavers went the distance with Ali
Though he was a pretty mediocre fighter
Peter Moore was a Nike exec
He started the “Sneaker Revolution”
Lance Mackey figured out how to win the Iditarod four times
Fast dogs, was his solution
Hank Goldberg was a sports betting handicapper
Maury Wills was the Dodger’s base-stealing king
Hilaree Nelson was a world-famous skier
Known best for mountaineering
Tom Weiskopf was a much-loved golfer
Mike Brito was a Dodger Mexican scout
Gary Gaines was the Friday Night Lights football coach
Until the lights went out
Bill Russell was a legendary NBA player and coach
And a lifelong activist for civil rights
Mills Lane was a colorful referee
For many historic, championship fights
Vin Scully was the Voice of the Dodgers
For over 67 years
Jule Campbell created the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition
To stimulate athletic leers
Marion “The Barbarian” Barber III was a tenacious Cowboy running back
Uwe Seeler was a German soccer star
When it came to coaching diving champs
Hobie Billingsley raised the bar
Bruce Katz co-founded Rockport
He championed walking as a sport
Princeton basketball was always better
When coach, Pete Carril, was on the court
Len Dawson was a HoF quarterback for the Chiefs
John Stearns was a feisty catcher for the Mets
Bruce Sutter was a Cy Young/HoF relief pitcher
That’s about as good as it gets
Hector Lopez was a Yankee and MLB’s first black coach
Tiffany Jackson was an all-star in the WNBA
Jane Gross opened doors to female sports reporters
When she walked into the locker room one day
Roz Wyman convinced Walter O’Malley to bring the Dodgers to LA
From her city council seat
Kathy Whitworth held the record for the most US golf wins
I think that’s pretty neat
Joseph Kittinger was a gonzo sky diver
Who survived a16-mile free fall
Gaylord Perry was a Hall of Fame pitcher
With an unapologetic spitball
Nick Bolletieri nurtured tennis champs
Mike Leach won 8 bowl games with his “Air Raid” offense
Grant Wahl was a sports writer who died covering the World Cup
Some things just don’t make sense
Paul Silas was a Celtic all-star defensive guard
He was the first pro to coach LeBron
Billie Moore won women’s basketball titles with two different schools
Right on, right on, right on
Franco Harris caught the Immaculate Reception
Pelé
What more can you say?
Family/Friends
Mike Lang was an epic artist
He was equally epic as a friend
Thankfully I have hours and hours of his music
So, Mike’s gifts will never end
Anne Parsons saved my life
Of course,
She would make that throat-clearing laugh
Or give you the look-away grin
If presented with such an idea
But
Anne’s propensity for rescue
Both quiet and boisterous
Calm and intense
Was her superpower
Any wrong that could be righted
Or diva, (more likely, divo), in need of cuddle
Or chaos, crying out for taming
Took a grateful knee
Before her un-fuzzy logic
And precise measure
Of hug and heart
Denouement
And so, the ball has dropped
It’s the dawn of ‘23
The road ahead seems less than smooth
And the possibility
Of charity and grace
Rescuing the day
Is a long shot if you look around
For the price we have to pay
For peace
Seems too rich for planet Earth
What a heartbreaking notion
That fairness and empathy and respect for one another
Stirs a contrary emotion
In so many errant souls
Choosing frivolously valued ends
Whose means require inhumanity
And like-minded misled friends
Who keep rising all around us
In our neighborhoods and schools
And from the podia of government
Suffering like fools
Yet
I still trust there is a force
And that Yoda might be real
And the majority of the human race
Who genuinely feel
That everybody counts
No one stands above
That everything is better
When we believe in love
That
Perhaps a bit more diligence
A more assertive, louder voice
Refusing to give in to nincompoops
To exercise the choice
We have to not concede
To do better than we’ve done
To stem fascist momentum
For the good of everyone
Because
The alternative is hellish
Not what I’d resolve to see
Unlike my perennial, hippy candle wish
For 2023
•••
I still count myself among the luckiest
And to show my gratitude
Again, this year, I’ve made a lovable donation, in all of your names to
Project Angel Food