The NEW YORK CHRONICLES: Back to Black

Sunday, July 22, 2012

REMEMBERING AMY "LOVE IS A LOSING GAME"

Remembering Amy. We must. Lovely Amy. As we all know she died to soon. A tragic life and death at the age of 27 .. The dreaded 27, the age Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Famed Graffiti Artist Jean Michel Basquiat, Kurt Cobain,and Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones died. And 1 Year ago, Amy Winehouse as well.

Amy is gone. Died of alcohol intoxication. A tragedy, especially such a great talent in a day of barely any great talents such as was the case of the great musical decades of the 1960's and 70's., but now a lot of out and out garbage and really no great musical talents such as we had with the great Rock, Pop, and R&B Artists of the 60s and 70s. There are none today or the past 20 years or so, just a bunch of bad to mediocre music.

The 200's, forget it. Not one truly great musical artist. We had Amy, she was great. A wonderful soulful singer with a powerful contralto voice. Amy sang R&B, Soul, and Jazz like no new artist has for some time. Just to hear her wonderful soulful sing on "Love Is A Losing Game" or Valerie, and right there you can see (hear) what a great a phenomenal artist she was. A true star and one of the greates singers of her time, if not the best.

Unfortunately Amy's life was snuffed out way to soon. She was unable to beat the demons that took her life. Unfortunately she couldn't pass through it. There have been many people over the, famous and not who have taken and abused quite a lot of "Drugs and Alcohol" and they may have been lucky that these two substances never took their lives. They may have done tons of drugs and drank far more alcohol than one should ever drink, but nothing bad ever happened to them. They made it through however many years of abuse, and were lucky enough to wake up and stop before the drugs and alcohol and recklessness killed them. Guys like Keith Richards and others. Poor Amy was not so lucky. She didn't stop in time and Alchohol got her and killed her. Maybe drugs too. Poor Amy didn't get a pass. Amy who with her wonderful voice could have become one of the greatest musical artist of the 21st Century. Not that she isn't great. She is. She was, but it is the thought that if only Amy didn't succumb to the drugs and alcohol, imagine all the great music she had in front of her and would have but din't get the chance to record. To Live.

God Bless You Amy and Rest in Peace. You are missed by many, now after one year and always.

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

NEW YORK and The $3.00 PBR

New York and the $3.00 PBR, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer has been a God-Send to many New Yorkers. As you all know, the US Economy has been in the Shitter for the past 3-Half years or so.

Many people are out of work, and many who are working, are taking home Half-as-Much Money or more of what they used to make. People have had to buckle down and give up or curb many things they enjoyed previous to the current state of our economy, which is in almost a Depression Era State.

Yes, everybody says that we are not in a Depression, we're in a recession. Those are the Rich and Well-Off talking. To many, the state of our Union and their feelings are of Depression.

So, because of the Terrible State of our Economy you have given up eating out 3 times a week, you buy less clothes, spend less on Entertainment and any number of things and you haven't had a vacation in the past two years, maybe more. You given up a lot. We all have.

Now when it comes to socializing, going out for a few Beers or Cocktails with some friends, you've had to cut back on that too. But hey, you gotta draw a line somewhere, and everyone is entitled to a few drinks to unwind every now and then. But if you live in the Great City of New York this can be a costly undertaking, especially in this day, and of all times, to be having a Boom in The $14, Sixteen-Dollar-Or -More-Cocktail.W hat is a Poor Working Guy or Working Girl to do??? Well Boys and Girls, let's Thank God for that great thing of wonder and the Bars and establishments who so graciously and kindly serve it, The $3.00 PBR, That's right, a $3.oo Beer in The Land of The Over-Priced $16.00 Cocktail, Manhattan, New York, NY..... It's quite Sad, Greedy too.

Yes, Thank God and let's thank the Kind-Heart proprietors who serve $3.00 PBR'S or any Beer for just $3 or $4 in a New York Bar. You are doing you fellow man a public service and we thank you for that. Whoever you are, you are to be commended, and Shame-On-You, all those places that serve $14 PLUS Cocktails. "RIP-OFF" !!! Wish the masses would Boycott these places and patronize places like Blue & Gold Bar, 7B, and anyplace who has a heart. Bars that serve 3 and 4 Dollar Beers.

I just have to say, it's great to go to a place like Blue and Gold Bar on East 7th Street and know that you can have 3 or 4 Beers for just $12 to $16, accounting for a Buck a Pop for the Barkeep. Now that's pretty good. I have had the best times hanging at Blue & Gold with some friends. You sit at the Bar or get into a nice comfy booth, drink your Beers ($3 PBR'S), relax, listen to the Music, Chit Chat, and just enjoy, and it's not going to cost you The Shirt Off Your Back.

Yes, you can have 4 Beers, tip included for the price of 1 Rip-Off Drink at one of those Rip-Off Joints. And if you are Dumb enough to have four drinks in one of those places, guess what it's going to cost you? About $75 my friend.

Well, do the Math, and if you can afford $75 for only 4 drinks, God Bless You. And if you can't, you've got an alternative. Right, your local $3.00 PBR Joint. They're a God-Send.

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke