Whirlwind Days
It’s been hopping around here the past few days. A cousin and his family have been visiting us from Minnesota, giving us the chance to do some sightseeing in Chicago while ostensibly serving as guides. Sunday we headed down to the Chicago Blues Festival to see Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings deliver the goods as headliners on the final night. It was an energetic set, including a nice guest spot by Chicago legend Syl Johnson. We were so far back on the grass in Grant Park that we mostly watched the show on the giant videoscreen they’d set up.
On Monday, I finally got to take the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s boat tour, which everyone says is the best thing to do in Chicago. Everyone is right, and the weather was perfect for a change in this cold and damp summer. We then whooshed up to the top of the Sears Tower–well, to the 99th floor, anyhow, since the 103rd floor observatory is currently being remodeled. It was supper at Medici Restaurant (“Obama Eats Here”) later that night.
Last night, we saw “Fiddler on the Roof” at the old Ford Oriental Theater downtown, with Topol playing Tevye on his farewell tour. The role fits him like an old, comfortable sweater now, and the rest of the cast was strong, as well. The songs from the show are pretty much engraved into my DNA. We had the original cast recording album when I was a kid, and my sister and I listened to it pretty much constantly (that and Jesus Christ Superstar: it was an ecumenical household).
Today we’re heading up to Wisconsin on a little family trip, including a weekend in the Twin Cities visiting family and friends.
In the midst of all this comes the sad news that Don Bogle, leader of The Ventures, has passed away. Bogle and his bandmates played a crucial role in the history of Japanese rock and roll. The Ventures first appeared in Japan in 1962 as opening act for Bobby Vee in a tour mainly of U.S. military bases, but their two 1965 tours aimed at Japanese fans caused a sensation, setting off the “ereki boom” of rock-and-roll combos playing instrumental numbers. They also made the Mosrite guitar an object of fetishistic desire for Japanese teenagers.
Even after their popularity faded in the States, the Ventures continued to tour Japan annually. The concerts became something of a celebratory ritual for their fan base, as grandparents brought their children and grandchildren out every year to hear those definitive tremolo glissando runs, for which an onomatopoetic name was even invented in Japanese: “dendekedekedeke.” Say it real fast ten times in a row and you’ll start to hear “Walk, Don’t Run” in your head. Rest in peace, Mr. Bogle.
