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How I got thrown off the Uncle Al Show

I have to admit, it was my first experience in show biz - I was a bit green perhaps. However I was determined to make my mark and being 4 years old wasn't about to stop me. I had heard that George Clooney had gotten on the show 5 times (probably because his dad was an anchor on the local TV news) and I knew I might be competing with him for shows like ER by the mid-1980's (I was a very forward thinking child). So I put on my vest and my bow tie and had my mom drive me down to Cincinnati, the entertainment capital of Southwest Ohio. The year was  - well that's a bit fuzzy.

Uncle Al Lewis was the pied piper of the Tristate region for decades
Every major Television market had their own kids show it seems back in the day. We even had one in Dayton - something about a guy named Malcolm and Duffy the Dog. It seemed all too New Age to us though. Cincinnati was where it was at - Uncle Al was like the Ed Sullivan of kid's shows - at least if you didn't count Captain Kangaroo (whose show was inspired by Uncle Al) and Mr. Rogers just seemed creepy or drugged or both. Anyway, Uncle Al had some interesting characters on his show (like captain Windy); he was dressed as 1/4 of a barber shop quartet. We always wondered if Dick Van Dyke had borrowed from Al for some of his musicals during the 1960's - we wouldn't be surprised. The Uncle Al show ran from 1950 to 1985 and as far as I know, I was the only kid ever kicked off of the set and banned for life from returning.


Kids were thrown into the mosh pit with little supervision

Cincinnati is an interesting town. For those of us who live nearby we tend to have a love / hate relationship with Cincy (primarily due to the Bengals). For one thing they all eat this really weird chili and all swear it's delicious. Another bizarre aspect of Cincinnati culture is a strange fascination with Jimmy Buffet - all of his die hard fans call themselves "Parrot-heads" - this Buffet fetish has been going on for 30 years if you can believe it. We're thinking the Buffett thing can be explained by the secret desire that everyone in Ohio has to live in Key West - we're just not sure why Cincinnati is more fanatic about it than the rest of Ohio. But we digress... The Uncle Al wasn't the only show in the Cincy showbiz hub - there was the Cool Ghoul. Now we've got to give this guy credit that he came up with the best named sidekick in the history of sidekicks - Batty Hatty from Cincinnati


We heard this show influenced Rob Zombie

Anyway back to my story. I've been told that as a child I was somewhat hyperactive - I only have hearsay evidence to substantiate those circumstantial charges. People say I started dancing and hooting during the Dueling Banjos portion of Deliverance - if so I'm not prepared to admit it. On the day we traveled to see Uncle Al I had my breakfast of sugar-frosted flakes and Coca Cola and felt quite invigorated. It was important to me that I get noticed and for those who had seen Al's show the method to achieving recognition was clear - far out dance moves (note the 70's lingo). Uncle Al was like the Soul Train for white, suburban preschoolers. 


Soul Train dancers took inspiration from the innovative moves displayed on Uncle Al's dance-floor 

At this point it's worth mentioning Cincinnati's German heritage. Cincinnati was once known as Porkapolis - because it's where a large German immigrant community had built the nations first mega-pork industry (it later drifted up towards Chicago). So, essentially this means that accordions are really big in Cincy. And while Jimmy Hendrix had his electric guitar - Al Lewis had his accordion and it drove the kids crazy. Remember seeing that Oliver Stone biopic of Jim Morrison with Val Kilmer before he doubled in size - yeah The Doors - anyway it was like the concert scenes in that movie but without the nudity. 


When I arrived on the set the tension was palpable. There were a host of kids waiting to get on the show - sort of like the stage full Broadway hopefuls in A Chorus Line except all of us were going to get picked. The key to getting famous though was clear - get close to the star. Location, Location Location - was everything. It was hard to restrain our enthusiasm - the kids didn't get be on the entire show - just certain parts. Before I knew it, the signal had been given and we darted en masse onto the stage. The music was blaring and there was Al, fingers flying across his bright red accordion. Time seemed to push into another dimension at once frozen yet somehow accelerated. I had maneuvered ever closer to the master of the vertical piano as the music reached a fever pitch - I was jumping, diving, inventing the Moonwalk and perhaps even doing the Robot. No four year had ever moved so much, so quickly and with greater purpose. Then the unthinkable - a sharp collision between my head and the bottom of Al's accordion. The red sparkly finish of the off the rack instrument was splattered crimson with my blood, sweat and tears. And that was all too much - I got sick and threw up on Al's shoes. I half expected I might suffer the same fate as Jim Morrison after the infamous Miami Concert (not for the same reasons though). Oh and did I mention, it was live TV. 

The kids in Southwest Ohio got more than they expected that afternoon. Al was furious - yelling something to the effect of "get that damn kid out of here now!" (it may have been NR rated) I never realized the true power of being blacklisted by Al until many years later when my Hollywood career failed to materialize. But I don't harbor any grudges now that the years have passed. I learned a valuable lesson that day, two geniuses can never share the same stage...


The Chicken Dance is perfect for busting out an Accordion solo



Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved


Americana - A Raving Playlist

The other day we had a somewhat harsh rebuke of Popular Country music on Raving Reviews. This doesn't mean we don't like home-grown sounds from the South, West and Appalachia; quite the contrary. We also like folk music and other forms which seem somehow uniquely American. What else so defines a culture but it's music? America is not just series of towns dotting the horizon - it's an idea and it has a rich history and a lot of diversity spread across its many regions. All that diversity is captured in lyrics and sound - the true poetry of America lies within its music. From John Mellencamp to George Gershwin to Joan Baez, our sons and daughters have captured the American experience in all its glory and all its tragedy. That is what American is all about. BTW - our favorite song on this list from from John Cougar - it's called Minutes to Memories.

As usual you can find this list on Spotify and today we'll also be embedding the list in this post as well.

The Allman Brothers Band - early 1970's

Americana:

The Allman Brothers Band – Little Martha - Album Version/Instrumental
George Tipton – Everybody's Talkin' (From "Midnight Cowboy")
Ray Charles – What'd I Say
John Mellencamp – Minutes To Memories
Johnny Cash – Rusty Cage
Janis Joplin – Me And Bobby McGee
Linda Ronstadt – Blue Bayou
Simon & Garfunkel – Homeward Bound
Elvis Presley – (You're The) Devil In Disguise
Don Henley – The Last Worthless Evening
The Soggy Bottom Boys – I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow
Pete Seeger – If I Had a Hammer (Hammer Song)
The Allman Brothers Band – Jessica
Jimmy Buffett – Margaritaville
The Doobie Brothers – Listen To The Music - Single Version
America – A Horse with No Name
Dueling Banjos – Duelling Banjos
George Thorogood And The Destroyers – Who Do You Love? (Live)
Norah Jones – Come Away With Me
John Denver – Take Me Home, Country Roads
Alison Krauss – Down To The River To Pray - Soundtrack Version (O Brother Where Art Thou?)
The Osborne Brothers – Rocky Top
Joan Baez – Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word
Charley Daniels – The Devil Went Down To Georgia
George Thorogood And The Destroyers – Johnny B. Goode (Live) (Feat. Johnny Johnson)
The Soggy Bottom Boys – In The Jailhouse Now - Soundtrack Version (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River
Simon & Garfunkel – America
Don Henley – The Heart Of The Matter
Pete Seeger – Ghost Of Tom Joad
Bonnie Raitt – Something To Talk About
Neil Diamond – Sweet Caroline
Buddy Holly – Not Fade Away
Pete Seeger – Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)
Elvis Presley – Suspicious Minds
The Marshall Tucker Band – Can't You See
Rascal Flatts – Life is a Highway
Bob Dylan – Blowin' In The Wind - 2010 mono version
Harry McClintock – Big Rock Candy Mountain
Johnny Cash – Ring Of Fire
Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble – Mary Had A Little Lamb
The Guess Who – No Sugar Tonight
The Charlie Daniels Band – Long Haired Country Boy
Weezer – Buddy Holly
Bruce Springsteen – Thunder Road
Paul Simon – Graceland
The Allman Brothers Band – Statesboro Blues
Soundgarden – Rusty Cage
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Born On The Bayou
Simon & Garfunkel – The Boxer
Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin'
Emmylou Harris – Didn't Leave Nobody But The Baby - Soundtrack Version (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
Elvis Presley – Can't Help Falling In Love
John Mellencamp – Our Country - Rock Version
The Doobie Brothers – Black Water
Ray Charles – Hit The Road Jack
Janis Joplin – Cry Baby
B. B King – The Thrill is Gone
The Allman Brothers Band – Midnight Rider
Neil Young – Heart Of Gold
Ray Charles – Sinner's Prayer
Jack Johnson – Constellations
John Mellencamp – Pink Houses
B.B. King – Baby I Love You
Rosanne Cash – Sea Of Heartbreak - Feat. Bruce Springsteen
U2 – When Love Comes To Town
Hank Williams – Ramblin' Man
Social Distortion – Ring Of Fire
Woody Guthrie – Hobo's Lullaby
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Have You Ever Seen The Rain
Johnny Cash – Jackson
Gillian Welch – I'll Fly Away - Soundtrack Version (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
Johnny Cash – Cry! Cry! Cry!
Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs And The Stanley Brothers – Foggy Mountain Breakdown
Bluegrass Christmas Music Country Christmas Picksations – Carol of the Bells
Paul Simon – Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Free Bird
Pete Seeger – Little Boxes
The James Gang – Walk Away
The Doobie Brothers – Long Train Runnin' - Album Version   2006 Remastered
Bob Dylan – Mr. Tambourine Man
Joan Baez – Blowin' In The Wind - Live
Linda Ronstadt – You're No Good
The Band – Hobo Jungle
The Raconteurs – Old Enough - featuring Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe
Pete Seeger – What a Friend We Have in Congress
George Thorogood And The Destroyers – No Particular Place To Go
John Denver – Rocky Mountain High
Neil Diamond – Cherry Cherry - 2011 Remastered Mono
Simon & Garfunkel – El Condor Pasa (If I Could)
Neil Young – Down By The River
John Mellencamp – Small Town
Alison Krauss – Baby, Now That I've Found You
Rosanne Cash – Heartaches By The Number - Feat. Elvis Costello
Rascal Flatts – Banjo
The Marshall Tucker Band – Fire On The Mountain
Bob Dylan – It Ain't Me, Babe - Live Album Version
Bruce Springsteen – The River
The Allman Brothers Band – In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed - 1971/Live At The Fillmore East
Norah Jones – Creepin' In (feat. Dolly Parton)
Janis Joplin – Piece Of My Heart
Clarence "Tom" Ashley – The Coo Coo Bird
The Guess Who – American Woman
Charley Patton – Mississippi Boweavil Blues
Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble – Scuttle Buttin'
America – Ventura Highway
Don Henley – The End Of The Innocence
The Band – The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Foghat – Slow Ride
Chicago – Saturday In The Park
Columbia Symphony Orchestra – Rhapsody In Blue



Rhapsody in Blue - NBC Symphony Orchestra by Rhapsody in Blue on Grooveshark

Gershwin is still America's preeminent composer - no one else has come close




Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved