Way OT....just discovered reason for a cruise next year

[BobT-47P15]

Have found out that our buddy, Duke Mason, plus another friend, Terry Mike Jeffrey, (seated at keyboard) are going to entertain on the Carnival lines ship "Conquest" in Oct of '08. A Caribbean cruise leaving from Galveston. Duke is about 4 feet tall, and does really good on Elvis songs. Terry is also well known for his Elvis material.

Pictured here with the Jordanaires, who used to do backup vocals for the king.

Duke's website: http://www.dukemason.com/

Terry Mike's website: http://www.terrymike.com/dates.html

Duke lives in Joplin, and entertains some at our Elks Lodge.

Duke and our grandson Aaron with the Plym at the Elks last summer.

Terry Mike is originally from Paducah, played for about 12 years off and on at our local Holiday Inn. They made this album in 1986....yours truly did the

harmonica part on one song.

Hmmmm......guess I better start saving those nickles and dimes now.

[Johnny S]

Bob....wanna sell your convertible?

[BobT-47P15]

Nah....Johnny......guess I better not.

The son-in-law would be unhappy if I sold his inheritance.

[Normspeed]

Bob, do you ever play "Jug Band" music? There was an interesting segment on a recent Antiques Roadshow about it. Apparently the washboard is one of the key instruments.

[Norm's Coupe]

Nah....Johnny......guess I better not.

The son-in-law would be unhappy if I sold his inheritance.

Bob,

We keep telling our kids, "We're spending your inheritance and having fun doing it.":D

[BobT-47P15]

Normspeed......have never tried the jug band music. No one around here that I know of is doing it. Seems like it would be do-able though.

I use the board on "Old Mountain Dew" which we do as a break song.

Also works for polkas and some cajun/blues music.

The harmonica is for certain older rock-n-roll songs and blues stuff.

I just use a couple of table spoons (along with a sometimes silly look) to play it......this board has pretty good volume that way. Sometimes I leave the bandstand and walk around the room playing.....the people get a kick out of that. Last week a guy I know accompanied me on a pair of plastic ashtrays from the table. Had pretty good rhythm. Gotta put a new string of the battery operated miniature wheat lights on it.....that's always good for comments as well. They either burn steady or flash.

[randroid]

I love them! They'd look just like the wash board if you could duct tape a couple of cans to them, too. What sort of bet does a man need to lose to wear shoes like those? Have you ever tried playing those brogans? Up on stage, in the middle of a clog dance, suddenly a heel comes up and cutlery gets dragged across the toe, emitting little tinkles reminiscent of a children's choir. What a billing: "The Tablespoon Toe-Tapping Trio"! Hell, I'd bet you wouldn't be the only person in the house tinkling.

Don't ever lose those shoes!

-Randy

(Sorry, Bob, but I just got up this morning and the first thing I saw struck me as funny. Actually, they were the second thing I saw; my Lady Wife ordered Maine lobsters for our sixth anniversary and the UPS guy dropped them off just before I went on line, so anything might strike me as funny. Hope I didn't offend.)

[BobT-47P15]

Randy......those shoes were purchased in downtown Kansas City......they had several similar styles and colors to choose from. I call 'em "blues shoes".

They sort of go with my 1959 model amplifier, mikes and harmonicas.

The only ones wilder and more colorful were in a mens wear store in Clarksdale, Miss. They had purple and orange and pink and more to choose from. I did not purchase any of those shoes. Nor any red, pink or yellow suits. (hmmm....maybe some taps on the heels.....)

[Young Ed]

Bob is there a story behind the peace sign?

[BobT-47P15]

No, Ed.....no story I know about. It was already painted on there when I purchased the amp from a customer here at the office. He had had it sitting in his shed for some time. His story was he owned a different amp and also a guitar of some type.....loaned them to a brother-in-law.....and when he brought stuff back, it was totally different stuff than he borrowed.

The amp is a 1959 model Fender 4x10 Bassman.......supposed to have a tweed covering on the outside with an oxblood color grille cloth over speakers. It appears someone had this amp re-covered, probably in the 70s or 80s, and the peace sign was probably painted on back then. I have tried to cover it over with paint......but it still shows thru some. I view it as a

period item......but others still take offense at that sign.

Here is a pic of the original covering........

They are, of course, a tube amp......kind of the holy grail of old amps due to the sound created by their circuitry. Although originally a bass amp, they are now used by guitar and harmonica players. Am thinking of sending mine to someone to re-cover. Since it's not tweed, many players do not realize what the amp is.......if it were tweed, they'd be all over it.

[Young Ed]

Peace sign doesn't bother me. I was just curious. I don't think I'd have it recovered. Its got a cooler story this way. Besides if you fix it and people realize what it is they might decide they need it more then you do!

[Tony_Urwin]

I'm curious, too. Why would anyone take offense at a peace sign?

[Tony_Urwin]

P.S. Love the sound of those old tube amps. I only wish I could play.

[Young Ed]

I could perhaps see some Vietnam vets as the peace sign was a hippy thing.

[Don Coatney]

I could perhaps see some Vietnam vets as the peace sign was a hippy thing.

I did not turn hippy until I returned from Vietnam. Or was that turn on. I forget.

[Norm's Coupe]

Ed, the peace sign is a symbol of the hippy protesters, anti work, anti establishment and pot smoking anti war draft dodgers of those days. It's also associated with "Hanoi Jane" (aka, Jane Fonda) who fraternized with the then enemy during the Vietnam War. Those same people who waved that peace symbol also spat on our service people when they returned home from the war. All their protesting did for the most part was get more US servicemen killed.

That's why some take offense with that symbol.

Bob, I would rip it out and if it's the wood behind it showing through, I'd get a heavier piece of cloth that you can't see through.

[Young Ed]

Thanks Norm that's what I was thinking in my head. I know lots of younger people have adopted the peace sign for themselves too but I can see why certain groups wouldn't like it.

[Normspeed]

C'mon Norm, tell us how you really feel.

[BobT-47P15]

Norm......the symbol is painted on the grille cloth, not the wood.

For the most part, that amp sits in my garage doing nothing.

It only gets used occasionally at a jam session or something.

[Norm's Coupe]

Norm......the symbol is painted on the grille cloth, not the wood.

For the most part, that amp sits in my garage doing nothing.

It only gets used occasionally at a jam session or something.

Bob, in that case I would replace the cloth. There is a place out in California that makes the old patterns reproduction speaker cloth, so you could keep it looking original. I may have their address and phone number around someplace because I ordered the cloth from them for my 37 Philco Radio.

[Tony_Urwin]

Peace should not be confused with sloth, drug use, or misguided actresses.

To characterize legitimate dissenters as hippy protesters demeans those patriotic Americans who care deeply about their country.

I opposed the war in Vietnam, and I never spat on anyone, especially not on the brave servicemen and women who served at the whim of idiots in Washington.

Dissent keeps our government honest. Without it, Democracy cannot exist.

Whether I agree with your opinion or not, Norm, at least you feel deeply about your country. That I CAN respect.

Besides, you are a gentleman and a friend.

Tony

[Norm's Coupe]

Tony,

I agree, everyone is entitled to their opinion on what goes on in the country. That's what makes this country great.

No one likes war, even the people running one. However, if we're in one we should show a united front to the then enemy. When they see us fighting among ourselves it only encourages them to keep fighting. Then in return more of our service people die or are wounded because of it. If we all show a united front in the effort in public, the war/wars would probably be shorter and we'd have less service people hurt or killed at the same time. At least that's in theory.

I'm not saying that anyone who is or was against a particular war effort should not speak up though. If they firmly believe it shouldn't be fought, they should speak up. Just not in public so the enemy hears it. If enough people write to their congressional representatives, then they can put pressure on to end whatever war we're talking about (hopefully quietly) in private meetings amongst other federal officials. This would help keep the enemy or potential enemy off balance and not knowing which way we think. As far as they're concerned, we're all together in our thinking, and that's to our advantage.

Lets face it. We don't see people protesting in the streets when they have personal family problems. Why? They don't want everyone else to know they are fighting amongst their selves. So........here in the US we are all like family and should keep our dirty linen amongst the family. Thats why I disagree with public protesting. Not saying you should not do it, just do it in private.

There was one President who use to use the term "The Silent Majority" will speak at election time. Myself, I only complain directly to the people who represent my district when I don't like something. I never discuss it with others simply because it's what I think, and don't really care what others think about the subject. Plus, the other people aren't in a position to change anything anyway, or even attempt to. I get lots of calls just before each election from people running opinion polls. I give them all the same answer. I don't do polls, I speak my answer in the voting booth only. And, I don't vote for one party or the other, I vote for people.

Speaking of voting for people. I'm in trouble this time around if no one new steps forward. I don't care that much for any of them in either party.

Again though, no problem Tony. My own wife doesn't always agree with me either. So.....just because someone doesn't agree with me doesn't mean I can't be friends with them.

[Normspeed]

I'm leaning towards a write in compaign for this one.

http://www.votehamsandwich.com/