Thursday With the Boys

 

It's National Pizza Day.

Oh, wait. That can be any day for me.

I couldn't tell how this day was going to play out. I haven't felt 100% for a few days and, of course, didn't sleep great last night, so I was content to go easy today.

Ha. 

Best laid plans.

The phone rang as I was having coffee. 

"Oh? OK. When? Now? Sure. Talk to you later."

That's basically how it went.

I was on a deposition from literally that moment until 3:30. That didn't leave much room for running out to get food, though Sean would have jumped in or we could have ordered to have something delivered.

But the with the case done in enough time, I was able to pull things together to do "Doubleheader." Sean and I decided we'd grab dinner after the show.

Given the information that it was, indeed, National Pizza Day, Sean announced it felt like it was the right night for him to finally try to the gold standard.

Sal's. Mamaroneck, NY.

A lot of times I'll take people to a place and will feel some nervous. I felt none of that.

I knew. 

Even as I glanced at the pie of slices, I pondered how it didn't look like their best work but I didn't say anything. I ordered for both of us and sat down, hot goodness in hand.

Sean took a bite.

He nodded.

"Yup. I get it," he said.

"Welcome to the Sal's club," I said.

Out in the street, I told him how, as great as the slices were, I could tell they weren't their best.

"Wait. It gets even better?" he asked.

We agreed a full fresh pie was needed on out next visit.

We walked back out to Mamaroneck Ave towards where we parked when he asked me how long he's wanted to bring him there. Given I've been going to Sal's since 1988, my answer was, basically, Sean's entire life.

We also both acknowledged that we could have had more than we ordered so we opted to grab some dessert and groceries and go home.

The simplest of things made for a nice evening.

*****

It's February 9 and that, in my mind, is Beatles Day.

Oh, every day is Beatles Day, but Feb 9 is the day that pop culture changed when the lads appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" for the first time.

One can certainly say The Beatles are overrated, etc. That's an opinion though not a popular one.

There's no point in rehashing the myriad reasons they're great (in my opinion). 

They simply changed the game.

They were helped by a culture that was reeling from the death of John F. Kennedy barely three months earlier.

There was plenty of good music. There was nothing like this.

They brought a revolution.

Carole King

Feb 9 is also the birthdate of Carole King, among the greatest of American songwriters and the artist behind the brilliant album Tapestry in 1971, which got frequent play on my sister's turntable.

Burt Bacharach

Lastly, staying in music, Burt Bacharach died today. He, along with Hal David and later with Carole Bayer Sager, created pop standards beginning in the late 1950s. While there were so many hits that he helped pen, his greatest successes were vocalized by Dionne Warwick. 

Listen to "Walk on By" for the jazz influence that Bacharach brought in. It's a masterpiece.

Of course, The Beatles also did a Bacharach song ("Baby It's You").

Throw some great music on and remember each of these pioneers.