Two Artists

RIP boomer icon Jay Black, 82, frontman of Jay and the Americans. Born David Blatt in Brooklyn in 1938, he spoke Yiddish fluently and even recorded in that language. He was the group’s second singer, helping push them to the forefront of American popular music. He was the voice on Come a Little Bit Closer, which hit #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1964; Cara Mia, which hit #4 in ’65; This Magic Moment, #6 in ’68; and Let’s Lock the Door (And Throw Away the Key), #11 in ’64. Surprisingly, Only in America reached only #25 in ’63. The group split in 1973, but Black continued to perform under its name. When PBS began its rock n roll shows, his appearances were a highlight, as he was still able to hit high notes. Unfortunately, he had a gambling problem that led to bankruptcy. He is a father of four. Thank you, sir. (Facts from Wiki)

RIP actor Peter Scolari, who succumbed to cancer at 66. Born in New Rochelle, there are 107 titles under his name at IMDB, a figure that reveals only part of his success. He was in 142 episodes alone of Newhart, 66 of the small screen version of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and 37 of Bosom Buddies, which co-starred Tom Hanks and was a big boost to each man’s career despite its short run. His final appearances came this year — the two-part adaptation of the Stephen King novel Lisey’s Story, and a recurring role as a Bishop on Evil. He was nominated for four Emmys, winning Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, Girls (2012), of which he did 21 episodes. He too is a father of four. Well done, goombah.

Here’s an excerpt from a nypost.com article by David Harsanyi that will be surprising only to the uniformed: “According to the Almanac of American Philanthropy, Americans donate around seven times as much as continental Europeans to charitable causes per capita. Per person, even after adjusting for differences in household income, Americans donate twice as much of their income as the Dutch, three times as much as the French, five times as much as Germans, and ten times that of Italians.” Socialists expect others to pick up the tab.

I don’t know if it’s something in the air or what, but the floating book shop continues to have good fortune. My thanks to the woman who bought a cook book in Russian, and to the gentleman who took home two thrillers in that language; and to Katherine, who purchased not only Atonement by Ian McEwan and Midlife: A Philosophical Guide by Kieran Setiya, but my Class of ’67 as well. She recently had cataract surgery and is thrilled with the results, which she deems life-changing.

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