Spitball Army

Card is titled: “Oak Creek Canyon Falls, Flagstaff, Arizona 97818.”

Printed on back of postcard:

While the Grand Canyon is more spectacular, Oak Creek offers more charm and intimate beauty than any of the many canyons of Arizona and is only forty minutes ride over good roads from Flagstaff.

Publishing information: “C.T. American Art Colored. Published by Babbitt Brothers Trading Co., Flagstaff, Arizona.”

Two heads are better than one, they say. I wonder if Chang and Eng Bunker (above) thought so. There is no doubt, however, that the dramatic potential increases when the local population count doubles from one person to two. With that thought in mind, here is a roll call of some interesting pairs whose names have been immortalized in titles of songs.

Approximate playing time: 80 minutes.

1. Aimee Mann & Michael Penn  “Two of Us”  (1969) (2001)
2. Frank Crumit  “Frankie and Johnny”  (1927)
3. Dire Straits  “Romeo and Juliet”  (1980)
4. The Cox Family  “Lizzy and the Rainman”  (1995)
5. Todd Rundgren  “The Ballad (Denny and Jean)”  (1971)
6. The Looking Glass  “Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne”  (1973)
7. The Bear Quartet  “Mom and Dad”  (1998)
8. Happy Mondays  “Dennis and Lois”  (1990)
9. The Beatles  “The Ballad of John and Yoko”  (1969)
10. Warren Zevon  “Frank and Jesse James (alternate take)”  (1976)
11. Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames  “The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde”  (1968)
12. Emmylou Harris  “Pancho and Lefty”  (1976)
13. Townes Van Zandt  “Mr. Gold and Mr. Mud”  (1972)
14. Bob Dylan  “Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest”  (1968)
15. The Jayhawks  “Keith and Quentin”  (1992)
16. Cat Stevens  “Matthew and Son”  (1967)
17. The London Cast of Cats  “Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer”  (1981)
18. Ron Sexsmith  “Michael and His Dad”  (2011)
19. Vince Guaraldi  “Linus and Lucy”  (1965)
20. Brook Benton  “Willie and Laura Mae Jones”  (1970)
21. Jonathan Richman  “Shirin and Fahrad”  (1986)

Many thanks to @BurningVinyl, @BrianABarrett, @bhammuseum and my co-worker Marianne for providing me with suggestions for this playlist.

[Letter postmarked on 15 October 1942 at 2 p.m. at Alton, Illinois. Addressed to Miss Crystal K., Berwyn, Illinois. Return addressed to Richard N., Portage Des Sioux, Mo.]

October 14, 42
Portage 6:00

Honey

Well, here goes again. I no sooner sat down on the train when a fellow CG from Portage sat down beside me. The train was so loaded it was the only place he could sit anyway. Sooo we both slept on each others’ shoulders all night. The train was 15 minutes ahead of time into Alton. So instead of having an hour to wait for the garage, in which my car was, to open, we had an hour and 15 minutes wait. We returned to Portage with time to spare. I put in a hard day’s work Monday and drew a 10-12 watch at night.

We were up at 6 for exercises Tuesday and hard at work at 8 A.M. Then I had a 12 to 4 in the afternoon watch. After that I hurried and dressed and went to town. Saw 2 good pictures, with another CG, and then went out for some beer. We slept in a private room in the W.M.C.A. for 50¢ apiece. Up at 7 and in to Portage at 8, on time and right to work. When I say work, I mean work till 5:00. Supper now, and I am writing before I go into town to take a shower & shave. You see, I haven’t had much time to write before this.

The boat Bob Gordon was on was de-commissioned, so we are taking its place. We are going on patrol tomorrow. I spoke to the ensign and he said no more boats to Peoria, sooo? Lt. Commander Gray was out here yesterday, but I didn’t talk to him because I don’t know whether any man got to him or not. I suppose it could still be done.

Darling, I have really been busy. It looks like this new patrol assignment will knock my 72 hours out.

I received your letter of the 12th Tuesday so, if I have to write to you in the dark I am going to, Honey. I wish you could have been with me, Honey. I think I will have more time to on patrol. Darling, Sunday still seems like a dream to me.

You are right, Honey. That doesn’t mean we can’t become engaged and we will, Honey. It sure is nice to get your letters, darling. I don’t know what I would do without them. That’s why I try and write as often as I can to you, dear. It’s very hard to write when you haven’t done anything interesting to tell about, though.

Well, darling, it’s 6:30 and starting to get pretty dark down here already. Hon, your cookies are still delicious after a week. I think they will be good another week. Well, good-by now, my darling, remember I love you with all my heart and I will wait for ever if necessary for you, too, Honey.

Love,
Dick xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The promise of a fledgling’s life of flight, extinguished in the crook of a bamboo stem: struggle, entrapment, exhaustion, death.

(BlackBerry photo: spitballarmy.com)

[Letter postmarked on 7 October 1942 at 10:30 p.m. at Saint Louis, Missouri. Addressed to Miss Crystal K., Berwyn, Illinois. Return addressed to Richard N., Portage Des Sioux, Mo.]

Portage
Oct. 7, 42
1:00 A.M.

Hello Darling,

Well, it’s been 3 days since I have written. Believe me Honey, they have been busy days. Since the C.G. has taken this place over, there has really been work to do and we are the guys that are doing it. New fences, runways, cutting grass, piling logs and a mess of other things. I did go to the Show Sun. and saw “Crossroads” – very good picture. Mon. we worked all day and in the evening I went to the show again with 2 other boys and saw “Fly by Night” & “This Is My Life,” also very good. I got a shot for tetanus Mon. afternoon and it really stiffened my arm up for 2 days. Tuesday, I worked on a fence again in the morning. My arm was so stiff they let me out of exercises. In the afternoon, I went to St. Louis to get the generator. I went to the clothing locker and got most of the rest of my clothes. I got my overcoat – that was what I was after. Driving at 30 M.P.H., I didn’t get back till late. Bob Gordon and J & 5 others went up the road for 3 beers. I was back in bed at 10:30, all poo’d out. Up at 6 this morning for exercises and then worked on the motor all morning. We are now running up to Grafton for what we have been out of for the last 3 days. You see what I mean when I say I have been busy.

I received your letter of the 2nd yesterday “by doggies.” That sounds like a fair arrangement you have with the new girl. That elopement to Riverside must have been something but, Honey, Harlem & Archer is not in Riverside – it is way south. Saturday night I stood watch from 8-12 PM in the rain. Every so often I think over every mile of our trip back, Honey.

I received your letters of the 4th & 5th today, along with the package. I haven’t opened it yet but I’ll bet they will be good. I see you got some new stationery. The green & brown go good, Hon. I am glad to hear about your eyes, Honey, and sorry for Cassy. (letter of the 5th) Darling, I do love you and miss you more than this pen can tell. How do you think I would have felt, you at the station and me at Portage? Hon, I can’t wait to see you in that night gown or do I mean – without it!? Oh boy, welllll.

Darling, I have something to say but I don’t know how to write it. I received a letter from home yesterday and my mother says she couldn’t figure you out or what you meant the night of the meeting at Besada. She said you merely smiled and said hello to her. She figured you might have come over and talked with her. She said your mother did. I figured you probably didn’t think about it, Hon, but she thought it awfully peculiar. Write and tell me what it’s all about Hon, please. If it happens again, I will have some real explaining to do that I don’t know how to explain, dear.

We are getting back to Portage now and I am going to try and find someone going into town for this letter.

Darling, as I said before, I can’t tell you how much I miss you and how much I love you. If I had you in my arms I think I would squeeze you to death loving you, dear. If I didn’t squeeze you to death, I would kiss you to death.

Darling, I couldn’t wait to open the cookies. Darling, you sure can make them, they are absolutely delicious. The skipper said he would marry you on your ability to cook alone. Good by now, my darling. (I love you 1,000,000,000,000,000 times.)

Love,
Dick xxxxxxxx

Sister and I meet in my garden. Tomorrow is my weekly fertilizing day. “The Feast of All Plants,” I say. She chuckles, like a nun.

Card is titled: “Bryce Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah.”

Printed on back of postcard:

BRYCE CANYON, sometimes called “The Silent City” or “Cathedral Canyon” is really a giant amphitheatre from one to two miles wide by about three miles long.  The softer portions of the sandstones have been eroded, leaving an endless array of towers, spires, minarets, fortresses and steeples standing in indescribably weird formation, embellished by a riot of color in red, pink, yellow and white.  Bryce Canyon National Park is reached from Cedar City, Utah, a point on the Union Pacific System, 275 miles south of Salt Lake City.

Card is addressed to Mr. & Mrs. Leigh P Bradley, 2310 Juliet, Los Angeles, Calif.  No postmark.

Text of written message:

May 30th 1931
Dear Ones:  We have been to Zion, Grand, & yesterday got to Bryce leave today for home.  Each place is different & much to wonder about.  John & Ida

I’ve read somewhere that John David Souther is considered the architect of the southern California country-rock sound that is popularly embodied by the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne and easily a dozen other still instantly recognizable musical artists from the 1970s. If not the sole architect of that musical corpus, then Souther is certainly responsible for a leg, an arm, a couple of other digits, an ear and, perhaps, an eyeball; without those contributions, the movement that put “New Kid in Town” and “You’re Only Lonely” on the airwaves would be an incomplete hunk of flesh. Sorry about the terrible Frankensteinian misunion of metaphors, but you do get the message: without J.D. Souther, our musical history (and my own musical education, certainly) would be sorely lacking.

Before Souther stepped out of the performing spotlight in the 1980s, he had embodied the singer/songwriter image of that time, recording solo albums and records with bands such as the Souther Hillman Furay Band, writing songs for others to showcase, and adding his delicate and expressive vocals to recordings of his colleagues. Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles, in particular, championed songs by Souther; Ronstadt even chose to title two of her album releases after Souther songs (her Prisoner in Disguise and Simple Dreams) and the Eagles have covered Souther compositions throughout their entire career (most recently, including his 1972 “How Long” on their 2007 album Long Road Out of Eden). Souther’s harmonies are indispensable on Linda Ronstadt’s recording of “Prisoner in Disguise” and James Taylor’s “Her Town Too.” And, as seen in the playlist below, Bonnie Raitt, Nicolette Larson, Don Henley and Kate Taylor have all tipped their hat to the bard by covering his songs.

Thankfully, in late 2008, J.D. Souther returned to recording after nearly 25 years with his If the World Was You. This past week, he released another album, Natural History, revisiting several of his songwriting milestones in stripped-down arrangements. In support of the new album (I assume), he is touring clubs in the region surrounding his new home of Nashville, including a June 11th concert at Birmingham’s Workplay Theatre. Listen to this playlist and then accept the undeniable fact that you must not miss this show. C’mon, join me there!

And, Mr. Souther, if you are reading this (I nearly squee‘ed like a tipsy sorority girl when I saw that you were following me back on Twitter), please consider playing “Faithless Love” on Saturday night. You do it so much better then Linda (and her version is practically flawless).

This playlist contains songs solely written or co-written by John David Souther, and recorded by a variety of musical artists, including Mr. Souther himself. It’s just a drop in the bucket, folks.

Approximate playing time: 78 minutes.

1. John David Souther  “How Long”  (1972)
2. Linda Ronstadt  “Faithless Love”  (1974)
3. Eagles  “The Best of My Love”  (1974)
4. John David Souther  “You’re Only Lonely”  (1979)
5. Eagles  “Victim of Love”  (1976)
6. Bonnie Raitt  “Run Like a Thief”  (1975)
7. Linda Ronstadt  “I Can Almost See It”  (1973)
8. Nicolette Larson  “Last in Love”  (1978)
9. Don Henley  “Heart of the Matter”  (1989)
10. John David Souther  “Black Rose”  (1976)
11. James Taylor  “Her Town Too”  (1981)
12. John David Souther  “White Rhythm & Blues”  (1979)
13. Kate Taylor  “Kite Woman”  (1979)
14. Linda Ronstadt  “Prisoner in Disguise”  (1975)
15. Eagles  “New Kid in Town”  (1976)
16. The Souther Hillman Furay Band  “Border Town”  (1974)
17. Linda Ronstadt  “Simple Man, Simple Dream”  (1977)
18. Eagles  “The Sad Café”  (1979)
19. John David Souther  “Go Ahead and Rain”  (2011)

Some notes on the songs:

• As I mentioned above, I prefer Souther’s own 1976 recording of “Faithless Love” to Linda Ronstadt’s, though hers is amazing. You can hear his recording of the song on my 1 August 2010 playlist, in which I confess stealing many of my personal musical influences from my oldest sister’s record collection. J.D. Souther’s 1976 Black Rose album was key among them. I should additionally state the strangeness of stating that I prefer his version of this song, as he sings harmony vocals on Ronstadt’s.
• Speaking of black roses, a “black rose” figures prominently in the lyrics to two songs on this playlist (“Black Rose” and “White Rhythm & Blues”). Coincidence or deliberate theme-play?
• At the very moment that I began typing this post, I received notice from my friend Vince Hans (@themusicsover on Twitter) that another icon of the southern California music world, Andrew Gold, passed away on June 3rd. Gold was a key element of several of the tracks in today’s playlist, playing multiple instruments and singing on Souther’s Black Rose album as well as arranging Linda Ronstadt’s rendition of “Faithless Love” (there’s that song again). He also released a handful of sublime pop albums that includes the song he is probably most famously known for: “Thank You for Being a Friend” was used for years as the theme song for the hit TV show The Golden Girls. I know I spent hours staring at the album cover of Gold’s What’s Wrong with this Picture? instead of worrying about my financial future.

[Letter postmarked on 2 October 1942 at 11:30 a.m. at Alton, Illinois. Addressed to Miss Crystal K., Berwyn, Illinois. Return addressed to Richard N., Portage Des Sioux, Mo.]

October 2, 1942
Alton, Ill., above Dam
3:30 A.M.
(2 A.M. to 8 A.M. watch)

Darling,

Hello my sweet, beautiful honey; I believe if I had you in my arms now I would squeeze the life out of you and then kiss you to death. Aren’t you glad you are not where I would like you to be – or are you? Darling, you can’t imagine how much I miss you, it’s worse than murder but there will come a time when we will make up for all this. When it does come, there won’t be a thing can separate us, will there, Hon?

Well Hon, there isn’t much for me to tell you. We have been on patrol for 3 days & nights and nothing much has been happening – that’s why I didn’t write. Last night I got ambitious and wrote a 4 page letter to Jerry and Muriel for us. You know, it was about a year ago this time when they were married and Jer went in the army. I wrote once when I was in school, since then I have had three cards and a long letter in return – as you recall, I couldn’t read much of any of them. I wonder how long it will take for them to write back. I asked them about prospective Piebodies – I am wondering about the answer.

This evening we went up to that tug boat and all took a much needed shower, that’s the best thing about this whole patrol. Boy, I was looking forward to that for three days. When we returned, Mack’s wife was waiting for him – Gee, I wish that could have been you, Hon. She was with him 2 hrs. before returning to St. Louis – what a set up.

Gee, I got an awful blow this morning. We were told that about 4 boats were sent to Peoria. Had we not been down here relieving a boat that broke down, we would have been on our way to Peoria. There is no justice, Hon. That’s not the half of it – late last night my generator went haywire and we broke down because our battery went down. We have a battery that belongs to a boat we relieved since this morning and I don’t know if we will make it to Portage or not. Why couldn’t it have happened in Portage and we would have been there for the new job.

Boy, did I give birth to a brain storm this evening! Because we couldn’t use any lights on the boat, I got out the extension wire that Pratt left with the boat and we plugged into a fish market here. Now we have a light like you have at home – just like downtown, Hon. That extension is worth its weight in gold.

The river is rising above pool stage, so they are letting the water by the dam. I wish you could hear that roar, it’s like Niagara Falls. We have a real current here.

I received your letter of Sept 28 on the 30th in the morning when we were relieved at Wood River. I certainly hope you gave Bill and Vic my best wishes, Honey. I’ll bet that new girl of yours will never keep up with you, Honey. I sure would like to see the kids set up out there. If you recall, Hon, I wanted to get a cocktail set but you said that neither one drank. I suppose they could use it for company, tho. Keep looking for ideas, Honey, the next time you go over there. I dreamt we were married the other night, Hon. We got along so beautifully – never an argument. I will get a letter off to Jina in the near future, Hon, he will get it in a month or two. This is about all I have to say now, Honey, except that I love you more than pen or words can tell, Honey. The only thing that keeps me going is the thought of seeing you again.

Good-by for now, darling. Remember I love you.
Dick xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx