Issuu

Scotty Moore

Rob Wasserman

Garry Marshall

December 27, 1931-June 28, 2016

April 1, 1952-June 29, 2016

November 13, 1934-July 19, 2016

Dan: Wasserman literally played with just about everybody. You can find his bass on albums from Jerry Garcia to Neil Young to Ani di Franco to Jackson Browne and Brian Wilson. Check the linear notes to a couple of albums in your collection. I bet you will find his name on some of them.

Rich: It’s because of Garry Marshall that my generation grew up thinking that New York accents were common in Milwaukee. Marshall created, among other hit TV shows, Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley. Why Arthur Fonzarelli and Laverne DeFazio sounded like they grew up in Queens instead of on the shores of Lake Michigan, I will never know, but they were two iconic characters of 1970’s television. Marshall (whose sister Penny played Laverne) had an incredible knack for creating situation comedies without a lot of situation. Yes, both Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley were both set in the 50’s, but both shows were so much more about solid, well created characters and great scripts. That is Marshall’s great legacy.

Dan: Truly an indispensible part of the origins of Rock & Roll, it was Moore’s Gibson ES-295 guitar that kick started Elvis Presley’s take of Arthur Crudup’s “That’s Alright Mama” the evening of July 5, 1954. If this was Moore’s only recording his place in music history would be secure, but he went on to introduce the concept of the simple “Power Chord” (using only the root note and the 5th note in a musical scale) to music through his playing on “Jailhouse Rock.” This chord style is part of any Guitarist very first lesson and is more than just a musical shortcut; it is THE defining sound of Rock Music. Rich: When you can point to one guy and say “Elvis Presley, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris all owe their career, in some form or another, to him” that’s huge in and of itself. But this is the guy who is one of the main architects of rock ‘n’ roll. If you’re just hearing of him for the first time, go look him up.

James David “Buddy” Ryan February 17, 1931-June 28, 2016 Rich: Let’s be honest, he wasn’t the most charming fellow there ever was, but nobody could coach a defensive football team better than Buddy Ryan. He was the defensive coordinator for the 1985 Chicago Bears, considered the greatest defense in the history of the NFL, and he unleashed William “The Refrigerator” Perry on the world. Ryan could take some credit for the development of players like Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Alan Page, Carl Eller (yes, he was defensive coordinator for the Vikings in 1976 and ’77), and passed enough of his acumen down to his sons Rex and Rob to have influence on the fearsome Baltimore Ravens defense of years past as well. Ryan was a cantankerous crank who publicly called Mike Ditka an asshole as soon as he became head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and once, while coaching the defense for the Houston Oilers, tried to punch the team’s offensive coordinator on the sideline during a game. My favorite Buddy Ryan story, though is the telegram he sent to Jerry Burns the day Burns was named head coach of the Vikings. It read simply, “Congratulations, you little raisin.” Dan: I am just gonna say this. It is a good thing Ryan wasn’t involved in the song “The Superbowl Shuffle” in 1985. The song was actually nominated for a Grammy in the best R&B performance by a duo or group. Prince and the Revolution, thankfully won that award for “Kiss.” If Ryan was involved, he may have gone over and kicked the Purple One’s ass. There could have been frills and lavender everywhere.

Rich: I’m a hippie at heart, and I love the jammy bluegrass music he played on with Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. But he also played with Lou Reed, contributing mightily to the heavy sound of Reed’s career re-energizing New York album. He was just one of those guys that really talented people want to have around them.

Elie Wiesel September 30, 1928-July 2, 2016 Dan: Everyone dies. That is just a simple, sad fact. I always knew that Wiesel, who died at the age of 87 would one day pass but having the brilliant author of Night about his experience in Nazi concentration camps during the height of the Holocaust during this particular year is chilling. His is an honest voice that will highlight the importance of peace and social justice forever. “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” Thanks, Ellie. I will remember that one… Rich: I read Night while on vacation in Florida during my freshman year in college for a religion class. I bumped into my professor when we came back and he asked how my spring break had been. “Great,” I said, “except for the day I spent reading Night.” I don’t think there is a more compelling (and concise) portrayal of the Holocaust than Night. The way he describes the ride in that boxcar will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Fred Tomlinson December 18, 1927-July 17, 2016 Dan: Not just the leader of the singers who performed on Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Tomlinson was the author of “The Lumberjack Song.” I literally owe giant chunks of my College era prank phone call career to this man’s work. Rich: I hail this man for writing one of the greatest lyrics in the history of music: “I wish I was a girlie, just like my dear Papa!”

Wendell Anderson February 1, 1933-July 17, 2016 Rich: Minnesota landed on the map of America’s tourist attractions when Time Magazine put Governor Wendy Anderson on their cover holding a freshly caught Northern. Growing up, I was taught that Wendy was a bad guy for essentially having appointed himself to the United States Senate from the governor’s office to fill Walter Mondale’s seat when Mondale became Vice-President (I grew up in a very Republican household, and Wendy was pure DFL). Turns out he was a good guy with a ton of charisma who did great things for education in this state.

Dan: I also have a deep appreciation for the man’s work as a film director. This is the guy who not only gave us Beaches, Pretty Woman, and Frankie and Johnny, but probably one of my all time favourite movies, the sadly overlooked Nothing In Common that starred a young Tom Hanks and the great Jackie Gleason in his last role. Seriously, people don’t have New York accents in Milwaukee?

Dennis Green February 17, 1949-July 21, 2016 Rich: I don’t know. I might be the wrong guy to write about Dennis Green. His ascendancy to the Vikings’ head coaching job coincided with my graduation from college and subsequent immersion in the Purple Kool-Aid. I lived and died with Denny’s teams in the 1990’s. Every win was the greatest thing that ever happened. Every loss was an assault on my own self-esteem. I’ve never really gotten over the 1998 season and the dashed dreams of a 15-1 football team with the highest scoring offense in NFL history (to that point) crumbling before my eyes in the second half of the NFC Championship Game. Regardless, Dennis Green was easily the most charismatic sports personality we’ve ever had in the Twin Cities who didn’t play baseball. He was the drum playing, jazz loving offensive guru who showed Vikings fans that a coach could have personality and still win. Say what you will about Denny, and I have a lot of opinions, he was one-of-a-kind. Dan: I was at that NFC Championship loss against the Atlanta Falcons (who then went on to get it handed to them for most of the game in their 34-19 loss to Denver, only scoring 13 points in the last quarter). My chief memory of the event was leaving the Metrodome in complete shocked silence and going to the men’s bathroom and seeing a guy leaning over the trough peeing and loudly crying at the same time. Not a pretty sight. Neither was the abysmal coaching decisions in that game’s second half. I was a HUGE Vikings fan at that time and was mad as hell.

Miss Cleo (Youree Dell Harris) August 12, 1962-July 26, 2016 Dan: I am really surprised that she wasn’t able to see this one coming. A true scam artist of the highest degree. Rich: Did you ever see Reality Bites? There’s a scene in that movie where Winona Ryder calls a Jamaican TV psychic because her life has hit rock bottom and just wants to have a friend. It’s a perfect illustration of how pathetic things had gotten for her, and really all that needs to be said for Miss Cleo.

Kenny Baker August 24, 1934-August 13, 2016 Dan: Star Wars was kind of like Beatlemania for those of us in Generation X. It is the touchstone of our youth. Baker’s work as the irrepressible R2-D2 made him a household name as far as I was concerned. I learned, read, and watched everything I could that possible related to the 1977 classic and when Baker died at the age of 81, it felt like an important link to my childhood had been broken. Rich: When The Force Awakens came out last year, I was incredibly disappointed to learn that Kenny Baker and Anthony Daniels (who plays C3-PO) never liked each other, and in fact, really couldn’t stand to be in the same room with each other. It makes me sad to think that C3-PO wouldn’t be bummed out that R2-D2 died.

Fyvush Finkel October 9, 1922-August 14, 2016 Rich: Um, Fyvush makes this list because his name is fun to say. Yes, he was on moderate hit tv shows like Picket Fences and Boston Public, but he’s most memorable for that awesome name. He was the prototypical New York Jewish actor from a time when guys like Henny Youngman and Milton Berle would regularly play at resorts in the Catskills. Just say the name – Fyvush Finkel. Isn’t that fun? Dan: Fyvush Finkel, Fyvush Finkel, Fyvush Finkel, Fyvush Finkel, Fyvush Finkel. You say that 5 times fast… A pure joy. I am going to name my next dog Fyvush.

John McLaughlin March 29, 1927-August 16, 2016 Rich: John McLaughlin was best known for creating The McLaughlin Group, a syndicated political panel talk show that did not invent the genre (Meet the Press and Face the Nation predated that show by 25 years), but the hard hitting analysis and opinions of The McLaughlin Group created the template for entire networks like FOX News and MSNBC. Dan: He had a gruff and direct approach that was ripe for the picking in Dana Carvey’s impressions of him on Saturday Night Live. He truly did make news and discussions both entertaining and informative.

Dan: Hey dude, I’m from Southern California. I do get a tremendous kick that you refer to him as “Wendy” though.

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