My Autobiography by Buddy Holly

This is the complete text of an assignment Holly wrote for his sophomore English course in the spring of 1953. He was 17 (?) at the time, which seems a bit old for a sophomore. Then again he writes of starting school at age seven, which itself is a little long in the tooth for the here-and-now.

Note Buddy's snarkiness and self-deprecating humor. That fits in nicely in 2009 but I doubt they were standard or appreciated qualities in the 1950's.

I also love the last line "that's my life to the present date, and even though it may seem awful and full of calamities, I'd sure be in a bad shape without it"

* * * *

I was born one fall day, a certain particular one, because it was Sept. 7, 1936 and school for that year was starting. It also the first Monday of the month and Dollar Day, and also Labor Day, so you see, it was very eventful in more ways than one. Mr. and Mrs. L.O. Holley were the happy parents of this bouncing, baby boy, or so I'm told, because I was a little young then to be remembering it now.

My life has been what you might call an uneventful one, and it seems there is not much of interest to tell. I was born here in Lubbock and except for a year and a half when I moved to the Roosevelt School District, I have lived here all my life so far. I don't remember too much of this period of my life up until the time I started to go to school at Roscoe Wilson when I was seven. Since then I remember most of the more important events of my school days.

It was during the 4th grade that I moved to Roosevelt and continued to school there until I finished the 6th grade. I then moved back to the Lubbock School Dist. and started to Junior High School at J.T. HUTCHINSON. It was great to be back among my old grade school friends and everything clicked right off. It was really a joy to me to become a westerner of Lubbock Senior High School.

Little did I know what the last nine weeks of my sophomore year held in store for me. This will make the second time I have given my English theme for my test; I got kicked out of Plane Geometry class in the last week of school; I am behind with my Biology work and will probably fail every course I'm taking. At least that's the way I feel. But why quit there? I may as well go ahead and tell all. My father's out of town on a fishing trip, and he is really going to be proud of my latest accomplishments when he gets back.

As of now, I have these on the list.

When I was driving our pickup Sunday afternoon against a hard wind, the hood came unfastened and blew up and now it's bent so that it won't fasten down good. Before I got home, I stopped at a boy's house and he knocked a baseball in to the front glass, shattering it all over me. As if that wasn't enough, I had n appointment to apply for a job with a drafting firm yesterday afternoon and when my mother came after me, she let me drive on towards town. I had brought a picture of the choir and she was looking at it. She asked where I was, and I pointed to my picture. Just as I looked back up we hit the back of a Chrysler and tore the front end of our car up. So you see, I hope my father gets to catching so many fish that he will forget to come back for a little while.

Well, that's enough of bad things for a while. I have many hobbies. Some of these are hunting, fishing, leatherwork, reading, painting and playing western music. I have thought about making a carer out of western music if I am good enough but I will just have to wait to see how that turns out. I like drafting and have thought a lot about making it my life's owrk, but I guess everything will just have to wait and turn out for the best.

Well, that's my life to the present date, and even though it may seem awful and full of calamities, I'd sure be in a bad shape without it.

FINIS
FINALE
In other words,
THE END

Thanks to Lisa for typing in the copy!

A phone call from Feb 28th, 1957

Here's a grand piece of history. In 1956 The Crickets were signed by Decca Records. Buddy clashed with the producers, who wanted to pigeonhole the group into a country-western sound. Without any fanfare the company refused to renew their contract, and on the last day of February 1957 Buddy placed this call to Paul Cohen of Decca.

A few things to note while listening: Buddy's obviously being given the run-around here. But throughout the six minute call he buries his temper and keeps his cool. He displays a very civil and courteous attitude, even when Cohen tactlessly tells him that if another record company wants to 'waste their money' on him, that was their problem.

Later that year Buddy was signed to another label willing to 'waste their money' on him. The Crickets released 'That'll Be the Day' and he was on his way to superstardom.

'Two Timin' Woman' - by (a 13 year old) Buddy Holly

Here's a rare song by a twelve or thirteen year old Charles Hardin Holley, later better known as Buddy Holly. It was recorded in their family home at 3315 36th Street in Lubbock, Texas sometime in 1949. His voice at the time hadn't changed yet, and the vocals can be mistaken for those of a girl.

His guitar playing is far from childish though; check out the solo between 1:09 and 1:30 in the song.





(The video says he's 13 or 14 at the time, but I've double checked the recording date, and he was born 09/07/36, putting him at 12 or 13 here. )

Fair Warning: Today will be all Buddy Holly on Slapinions

At 1:05 in the morning today, a crowd of fans stood on the Holly crash site - still a working farm field - and sang American Pie.

At the same time in Milwaukee, in an equally corny move, yours truly put on my coat and stepped onto my front porch. I raised a drink to the northwest sky, took a pull, and then poured a little to the ground. I said a quick prayer, wished their spirits well, and darted inside.

Yes, it was silly. Sue me.

I watched some of the events online from the Surf Ballroom, and I was mighty nervous when word came that the rumor mill said Clapton, Springsteen, Dylan, or McCartney would show. It would've been hard to swallow missing them, but in the end it was just empty rumor. Plenty of name acts showed, but no upper-tier superstars.

If you have a mind to, check out the Des Moines Register's spectacular barrage of coverage of the anniversary. There are interviews with personalities related to the crash, video of the event, official documents related to the crash, dowloadable posters, music and more. It is MIGHTY impressive.

I learned several things I hadn't known. Plane owner Jerry Dwyer was sued for 1.5 million (a huge sum in 1959) by Ritchie Valens mom but won the case. In fear of future lawsuits he kept the wreckage, and he still has the plane in storage somewhere. My God what a coup for a museum if he'd ever release it!

Dwyer came off as a bit of a conspiracy nut in his interview. He wouldn't discuss some things, mentioned cryptic 'truths' he knows but won't tell, etc. I get the impression that even 50 years later he's still trying to absolve his conscience. I can only assume the 'truth' he hinted at is the ridiculous notion that the pilot was shot in a scuffle aboard the plane. It's been refuted a million times, but America loves a conspiracy.

Sadly the Big Bopper's son, who wasn't born until two months after the crash, bought into some of those rumours and had his father exhumed two years ago. There's a very thorough article on the Des Moines site by the forensic scientist who did the deed. The Bopper was not shot, nor did he try to crawl away to safety. His body structure was destroyed by the impact, a fact hidden by what the article's author called stunning work by the undertaker. His face and haircut were instantly recognizable even after 48 years in the ground - this despite the fact that there were no bones left to hold up the face. He was given a new casket and reburied.

Get this: despite the fact that the original coffin carried an odor so bad the funeral home would not allow it inside during the exhumation, the casket is being PUT UP FOR SALE ON EBAY by the Bopper's son. I . . don't understand the thought process behind that.

The coroner's reports on the bodies revealed some gruesome truths, including massive damage to Valen's head. I won't go into it here, but all the reports are fascinating reading.

They've finally gotten around to putting a maker at the crash site honoring the pilot. About time.

Something I did know but had forgotten: Waylong Jennings last words to Buddy after the concert was a mocking 'Well I hope your old plane crashes'. Those words, spoken innocently, would haunt Jennings for years and escalate his addictions.

Anyway, check out the site, and be prepared for a slew of music posts here today.

Rave on!

Remember

A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they'd be happy for a while.

But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn't take one more step.

I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died

- American Pie by Don McLean.

At around 1:05 AM on the morning of February 3rd, 1959 - fifty years ago nearly to the moment - a plane carrying four men crashed in a dark Iowa cornfield. No one saw or heard the crash, and it did not make front page news in many cities. I doubt anyone at the time, even the families involved, realized that people fifty years later would mourn the losses of that day.


CHARLES HARDIN HOLLEY, AKA BUDDY HOLLY, AGE 22






RICHARD STEVEN VALENZUELA AKA RITCHIE VALENS, AGE 17





J.P. RICHARDSON, AKA THE BIG BOPPER, AGE 28





(PILOT) ROGER PETERSON, AGE 21





Rest in peace gentlemen. Your music lives on.

50 Winters Later in Clear Lake Iowa

It was probably a bad time to pick a fight with Springsteen fans, coming as it does on the eve of a slew of Buddy Holly posts. I still say 'relevant today' is a vastly different beast than 'influential'.

Enough of that tho'. For what it's worth, I wouldn't choose (a living) Buddy to do the halftime show either, and Springsteen is a Holly fan, which means he has some good qualities ;) Says the Boss: "I play Buddy Holly every night before I go on. It keeps me honest!"

I should be in Iowa right now, preparing to celebrate the event with a massive tribute concert at the Surf Ballroom, where Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper, and Buddy played their last concert.




I have tickets, rather pricy ones at that, but given my current financial climate I just couldn't pull the trigger on the trip. [My efforts to resell them fell short]. I'd been hoping for a bigger paycheck to make up the difference, but it came a week too late. There were many 'wounded in action' items after my lay-off; this is the first confirmed KIA.

Scheduled to appear at the concert:

Tommy Allsup
Big Bopper JR
The Crickets
Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens
Joe Ely
Wanda Jackson
Los Lobos
Los Lonely Boys
Delbert McClinton
Chris Montez
Cousin Brucie Morrow
Graham Nash
Peter & Gordon
Sir Tim Rice
Bobby Vee

I'm trying to look on the bright side. I'm not out a few hundred, I'm saving a few hundred by not tacking on the cost of the trip. Yeah, that's it. I'm saving money.

Besides, the Escort is down with an unknown engine problem, and with the van as our only vehicle I don't care to risk it on a 12 hour rountrip to Iowa in the middle of winter. What if it breaks down? What if it has a flat? I can't afford those repairs on top of the gas/wear and tear/food/lodging.

Fuggetaboutit.

So . . .a few tears, some Buddy playing on the computer, and some plans of a summer trip to Clear Lake brewing in my head.

[sidenote: right now I'm listening to the guitar solo on Buddy's version of Chuck Berry's Brown Eyed Handsome Man. It is a thing of beauty.]

Lost: Season 5, Episode 2: 'Jughead'

Thanks for signing up Sarah. Cute pic :) Now get your sister to join :)

* * * *

A reader asked me this week if there's been a season or two of Lost that I didn't like. I have my favorites sure, but the answer is 'no'. Some seasons are more cerebral and mysterious, while some are action-oriented and designed to move the story arc forward. Overall, it's been a pleasant mix of the two.

As far as this season goes, I'm not overjoyed but for now, still thoroughly entertained. I will say this: I find it very awkward that the show has abandoned its trademark and highly effective format. You know what I'm talking about; the events of the 'present', intercut with flashbacks to the the character's past that explain their current actions and [hopefully]deepen our attachment to them. This season it's pgone. Oh, they still jump around in time, but now it's just a plain jane attempt to track the ridiculous 'time travel' storyline.

This week, in the real world, Desmond and Penny have a son. Three years later he 'remembers' Daniel's plea and sets out to find Farraday's mother. I have a theory on this: the memory did not exist until that moment, which I imagine coincides with Daniel venturing back in time to make the request. That's absolute bunk of course. If he changed the past then it immediately becomes part of Desmond's continuity, and he should have retained the memory through the whole shebang. Heck, it should also have a) proven to him that the 'plague' was a lie, since Daniel was seen sans hazmat suit and b) helped him retain his sanity as he knows there will be a time when he is off the island again.

Anyhow, he wanders around and finds Daniel's lab dismantled and Farraday held in contempt for his experiments, which have apparently incapacitated a woman (she actually appears to have the time travel sickness seen both last season and with Charlotte this year). Cue a meeting with Widmore and a parting shot where it's evident he and Penny are off to LA to find Daniel's mother. Uh, here's my two cents. Widmore gave you her address. Your wife is being hunted by Ben and his coherts, who have a reach wider than the Atlantic. Howsabout you skip the trip and just mail her a certified letter?

On the island it's revealed that 'here' in the early '50's a US Army expedition is exterminated. Their mission was to use the island for nuclear testing, and they left a bomb - the Jughead of the episode title - behind.




The Losties are mistaken for a US Army rescue party, and, skipping over a few things here, John gets his rather unproductive discussion with Richard Alpert.

A couple things of note: the US Army does not just willy-nilly land on an island and blow it up. Therefore, at that time the island was visible and accessible, long enough for the US to chart it, select it for use, and deploy a team to utilize it. Moreoever the Others aren't surprised, since they expect a follw-up attack.

So what changed? Did the bomb serve as the source for all the energy on the island? What gives?

We learn a few other things. Daniel loves Charlotte. Big surprise. The a-hole Other is none other than a young Charles Widmore. Slightly bigger surpise.


Ellie, the blonde Other who holds Daniel at gunpoint, and seems to be an antagonist to Widmore?



Well, my money is that it's Dan's mother (note how he joked that she looked familiar) and that she is the mysterious white haired woman who guided Desmond in the past and who Ben seems to fear.

So sometime in the last fifty years Widmore and the Others had a falling out, with both Widmore and White Haired Lady assuming control of competing interests.

That's pretty much it for this week. Anything else to add folks?

Dang it

In the end the wrong team won, but man was it a great game. Not quite 'Wide Right' or last year's masterpiece, but in the same tier, that's for sure. It was a superb effort by Fitzgerald and Warner. The latter wrapped up his ticket to the Hall of Fame, in my humble opinion, and just posted nasty numbers. If it wasn't for that dang Holmes . . .

Anyhow, congrats to all you Steelers fans out there.

Some thoughts on the whole proceedings:

1. Five hours of pregame? C'mon, it isn't a state funeral guys. What the hell do they have to talk about for 300 minutes?

2. Faith Fill's intro song to NBC Football bites. It's far less memorable than Hank Jr's piece for Monday Night Football.

3. Jennifer Hudson looked devastated during the National Anthem, with the murder of her family still weighing heavily on her mind. I'll say a prayer for her tonight.

4. If you had to slap a label on me, I guess I'd be a 'hawk'. But the steady drumbeat of color guards, fighter jet flyovers, and the on-field presence of a commanding General . . well, 'tis a tad Mussolini for my taste.

5. I still love Madden, but Al Michael's 'humorous detachment' wears thin. I must say that today, thank God, the man was 'on'.

6. This will piss off any number of readers ~ 10 to 20 years older than me, but Bruce Springsteen is about as relevant and beloved to my generation as Al Jolson is to yours. Ony the impressive volume of late-era Baby Boomers allows the man to get gigs as big as the Super Bowl. I didn't even bother watching it.

7. You know those intros where players announce their name and college? I think anyone who uses the occasion to broadcast their high school, thuggerific moniker, or anything else other than name and college should have their intro cut. Period.

8. Why is it that on a normal day of work Lisa will call home oh, NEVER, even when I miss her or need her to pick something up, but on SuperBowl Sunday she called THREE times during the game?

9. Speaking of commercials:

a. Due to its tongue-in-cheek nature and the presence of the Great Alec Baldwin, [aka 'he who I will forgive of all liberal rants because he rocketh so'] Hulu gets an A.

b. The Coke commericals were great as usual, and the insect picnic was just darling. Did . . did I just use the word 'darling'? I meant, uh, wicked cool. Dude.

c. Budweiser sucks. Their commericals are propaganda. Next.

d. The Career Builder spot dragged on too long but scored with its repetive humor.

e. NBC's in-house ads blew. I could care less about their Monday night lineup, even with the commercial.

10. Finally, a word about the Danica Patrick Go-Daddy.com ads.

a. I am all for brunettes.

b. I am all for hot brunettes.

c. I am all for naked hot brunettes.

d. I am all for naked hot brunettes lathering up in a shower.

e. I am all for naked hot brunettes lathering up in a shower on a webcam.

f. I am all for naked hot brunettes lathering up in a shower on a webcam and joined by a hot German woman.

BUT . . . .

I do not see how this sells web addresses, nor do I think this does anything for how Patrick is seen in the sports world.

I don't think she's doing anything 'wrong', but at some point she has to realize that she has a choice. Either she plays it straight OR she can make some money as a masturbatory fantasy and piss away any chance for earning respect in the racing world.

* * * *

It'll be interesting to see how the commericals were viewed elsewhere on the Web. What did you guys think?

My Super Bowl Pick

I expect I'll have a Super Bowl - er, 'Big Game' - post later in the day. But I'm going on record to say I'll root for the Cardinals, although I'd say logic points to a Steelers win.



Yesterday I watched Marquette knock Georgetown out of the top 25 with a win at the Bradley Center - how very appropriate that two Catholic Universities met up during Catholic Schools week. After seeing both the Georgetown and Notre Dame games in the last week I have to say I'm dang impressed with the Golden Eagles. They have an aggressive, suffocating defense and while undersized they attack the boards with venom.



Let it be know that traditionally I am not a Marquette fan. I am an alum of UWM, and my po' South Side self has always held the Ritchie Rich Marquette student body in a bit of contempt.

But I like this team. That's saying a lot.

I've also taken a shine to the Bucks.



Yes, they are inconsistent. Yes, they are a few years away from being Championship caliber. Yes, Bogut is hampered by injury and Redd is out for the year. And finally, yes, I know they are three games under .500.

So what? They finished a rough January with a break-even record and now have 19 of their final 31 games at home, with a relatively soft schedule.

This team is well coached and fights hard. When Bogut is in the game he can dominate it, and Charlie V is just scorching hot right now.

It'd be nice to see them squeak into the playoffs, even if it's the NBA equivalent of 'one and done'.

Who says the bailout money won't be put to good use?

I don't know what they think is so funny - it's waaayy bigger than our old Aspire.





H/T - And Rightly So!

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