Plastic Alto with Mark Weiss

Wow, an architect who lobbies for deregulation of the building industry, congrats Chamber and City!!!

Corporations are people too! When will the Athena go to the most popular ATM? Equal rights for soulless boxes of metal, plastic and electronics.

outro:

backed with:
Sammy Johns 1973 top 40 AM radio hit, “Chevy Van”

The connection is that I was at the pharmacy and I couldn’t resist buying a toy diecast Chevy Corvette, 1960 or so; they also had a Nomad, which I didn’t recall, circa 1962. And I read in (all knowing) that there was also a Nomad Van for a while. Which made me remember the hook to the song about hooking up 1970s style in a Chevy Van and that’s all right with me. (except when its backed with Burt Reynolds “Deliverance” not the song the famous — which I maybe have never seen — um, four wheel drive demo? Sammy Johns also had a hit for John Conlee or someone something about “Common Man” (Before black rapper and Christian named Common) whose song namechecks again Chevy and maybe Bud or something prosaic, and well, common.

Somewhere in here I was researching the Beatnick Bandit, the car and the Mattel Hot Wheels Version and also something from Star Wars it reminded me of.

All of which is more interesting than either Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce giving an architect who lobbies for housing an award for emerging professionals, or the fact that, according to publisher Bill Johnson, the Weekly likes to delete my comments for being “sarcastic”

I should be billing these people by the word.

and and: actually my love hate with PAW is complicated by the fact that Gennady Sheyner their venerable reporter gave me a happy new year fist bump today at council. I spoke once during open forum about it being Rosh Hashana (for 20 more minutes) although some people celebrate it two days (I don’t) and there is a Palo Alto Peace Picnic tomorrow sponsored by the Muslim League but more people might come for instance Jews if it were not on Rosh Hashanah day 2, and I suggested more fun might be getting Samson Koletkar to produce a multi-ethnic comedy event and then a commissioner I had never met (and still have not quite) dropped his card in my lap, Steven E. Lee the attorney. I spoke later apropos of consent calendar about naming Yamamoto for the new Maybell Village, and not Orchard Way – they have it as Orchard Way leading to Tao Village and I suggest Tao (not Tao Way, since Tao means “way”) leading to Yamamoto Village. I name-checked Brad Shirakawa of the Yamamoto memorial ad hoc group.

“Fred Yamamoto was a Paly Grad and War Hero and died for Our Country” which is more than what is so far accomplished than…wait for it…EU. (She’s a bomb).

I was a bit afraid that under the pressure of the mics and lights I would say “John Hirokawa” for “Brad Shirakawa”

andandand: this is really the tail wagging the dog but Jim Harrington earlier this very yera in the Merca tabs Sammy Johns’ “America” sungdid by Waylon Jennings as one of the best Yankee doodles of all timey. to wit:
The song (written by Sammy Johns) is full of awe and wonder for this beautiful country and the lyrics are handled in comfortingly, smooth fashion by Jennings, who ranks with Haggard and Don Williams as the three greatest male vocalists the genre has ever produced. But the song isn’t just merely a one-dimensional cheer for the red, white and blue, instead demanding that America follow up on the promises it made to Native Americans. A few lyrics are a bit outdated, but the sentiment is as valid as ever.

It go something like: America, my brothers are black and white/And yellow too/and the Native Americans are right to expect that we keep our promise to do something remedial for them/Like dense packed housing in future, post-proliferation of computers for consumers/Palo Alto/which like corporations/Are People 2.0

in the song Sammy Johns thru John Conlee says he likes McDonalds and Budweiser just fine (which also calls to mind, later Neil Young the former Canadian saying he won’t sing for Pepsi won’t sing for Coke won’t sing for anybody that makes him look like a joke — which reminds me that apropos of the naming opportunities for maybell housing, I said I worked for “Got Milk” and “think different” ad agencies, which triggered a guy named Don Fogg to follow me out and chat me up about North Beach ad world back in the day. And I name-checked Mike Cobb and Jim Burch, two ex-ad guys in the politico game here, or were. Which made me also tap the shoulder of the lady who spoke about losing her apartment and music lesson biz potentially if We The People don’t help stave off the takeover by out of town money interests (“the Graduates”) of the President Hotel Apartments, Diane Boxill. I said both to her and then to Fogg that I ran three times and also advocate that leadership here and policy makers should include someone with an arts or music bent. I said to the music teacher that she might run some day. Would that it were so simple/isn’t it pretty to think so. you don’t have to finish your work but you cant quit neither.

I’m jest saying: this from the 2013 obituary in Charlotte Observer for songwriter Sammy Johns:
In a 1991 Observer interview, Johns said that while the first record made him rich and famous, he blew the money on alcohol, drugs, houses and cars. His four marriages failed.

Read more here: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/article9086033.html#storylink=cpy
and people careful what you ask for, Palo Alto