• Gone Fishing

    From Lee Lofaso@2:203/2 to All on Sun Oct 25 04:41:19 2020
    Hello Everybody,

    I saw this fellow give a performance in Baton Rouge some years ago.
    And what a memorable performance it was. And yes, he did sing the song
    we all know so well - "Alice's Restaurant" - in his own special way.

    Arlo Guthrie. No longer at Alice's Restaurant. Why not? He finally
    answered the question -


    Gone Fishing

    It’s been a great 50+ years of being a working entertainer, but I
    reached the difficult decision that touring and stage shows are no
    longer possible. I've cancelled the upcoming shows, and am not
    accepting offers for new ones. That’s the short version. For the
    longer version continue reading…

    As a folksinger, I never really thought much about getting older. It
    seemed to me that I could just continue year after year, decade after
    decade, singing and playing as I had done for most of my life. As the
    years went by, it got more difficult to keep touring, but I did it,
    mostly because I’d been doing it my entire life. It was the life I
    knew and loved.

    In 2016 on April 1st, April Fools Day, I got really dizzy in the
    parking lot of the hotel, and started seeing as though I were looking
    through a kaleidoscope. That evening the show went on as though nothing
    had happened. I had no idea I’d just encountered a mini stroke until
    weeks later, when I was told about it. It didn’t appear to affect my performance, or my state of being. I continued touring for the next
    4 years.

    Then, on Thanksgiving Day 2019 (of all freaking days) it happened
    again. This time I was on my way to The Church / The Guthrie Center
    to help out with our annual Thanksgiving Dinner that we hold every
    year. I had pulled over to fuel up and realized I couldn’t continue
    to drive safely, as everything was spinning around, sort of like the
    old days, but without the help of illegal substances. I was taken to
    the hospital, and was under evaluation, when I broke out. I had an
    important gig at Carnegie Hall in New York - The end of an annual
    series I’d been doing for decades and it was Sold Out. I had to be
    there. It was imperative.

    The next morning I left the hospital, took the family and headed
    for New York. And what a show it was! We wrapped up 50 years with
    a terrific evening with the entire family on stage. I really enjoyed
    it. The following day I flew to my home in Sebastian, FL just as I
    had done for years, this time with the history of Carnegie Hall behind
    me. My girlfriend, Marti picked me up at the airport, and we settled
    into the routine of being on the river I loved. Two nights after
    arriving home, I awoke in the morning and was lurching from sIde
    to side. I knew something was wrong, and went to keep a doctors
    appointment we’d previously set up. The doc said “You need to go
    to the hospital - Now.”

    So, Marti took me to the hospital nearby in Vero Beach. They kept me
    there for 3 days, running tests of all kinds, and essentially informed
    me that I’d suffered a stroke. This time was more serious, as I’d lost
    some ability to walk, and I wondered if if would be able to play music.
    I spent about a week in a rehab center to re-learn the basics, like
    walking. I went home after that, and began a regimen of playing guitar, walking… All the things I would need to continue touring and performing. During the entire time, Marti kept the family and close friends advised
    as to my progress, and took really great care of me. I needed all the
    help I could get. And she was there to see it done right.

    By the the time our first shows began in 2020, I was at about at 80%
    and felt like I was improving. Then the pandemic hit. All the shows we
    had planned for 2020 were at first, postponed, then rescheduled and
    finally cancelled. My hopes for a gradual recovery onstage came to an
    abrupt end.

    Meanwhile, I’d decided back in 2018 to move from the home in Florida.
    And just as I’d returned from our last gig in Tennessee, a buyer
    appeared, and we had a deal on the table to sell The CrabHouse. I
    wasn’t in any shape to go through the intricacies of selling a guitar
    pick, let alone a home with 30 years of stuff we’d collected. Marti
    ended up doing it all. She finalized the deal, and dealt with the stuff
    that either had to be sold, moved or thrown out. It was quite a lot.
    But, through garage sales, online markets, movers and friends, she’d
    pretty much emptied the CrabHouse of everything, and we moved into her
    place about a mile away.

    We were there for a few weeks, before it was safe enough to return to
    The Farm in Massachusetts. That was in June 2020. Since then we’ve been
    holed up at The Farm trying to keep out of harms way, and also trying
    to provide some online entertainment for our friends who were, and
    continue to be, holed up wherever they are. My band and crew arranged
    a few short gigs that were filmed at The Church, but when I saw the
    play-back in the editing room I realized that it was not up to the
    standards I expected of myself, let alone the expectations that our
    friends and fans had come to enjoy.

    A folksinger’s shelf life may be a lot longer than a dancer or an
    athlete, but at some point, unless you’re incredibly fortunate or just
    plain whacko (either one or both) it’s time to hang up the “Gone
    Fishing” sign. Going from town to town and doing stage shows, remaining
    on the road is no longer an option.

    I don’t remember answering the question on the other side of that piece
    of paper when I was asked “Kid! Have you rehabilitated yourself?” But,
    the short answer is now clearly, “No!” In fact, I hope to be a thorn in
    the side of a new administration pretty soon. Tom Paine once wrote “To
    argue with a man who has renounced the use … of reason, and whose
    philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like
    administering medicine to the dead….” In other words, you cannot and
    should not argue with people who don’t care, or hold the caring of
    others in contempt. A healthy suspicion of authority, left, right or
    center has been the hallmark of my career since the beginning, and I
    will continue to poke fun at cultural, political, or personal
    absurdities as I see it. I’m actually looking forward to it.

    I’m happy, healthy and good to go, even if I’m not going anywhere.
    I’ve taken back 6-9 months that I used to spend on the road, and
    enjoying myself with Marti, my family and friends. In short - Gone
    Fishing.


    ~From his FB page

    --
    Love! Not hate! Makes America great!

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  • From Gerrit Kuehn@2:240/12 to Lee Lofaso on Thu Oct 29 17:06:02 2020
    Hello Lee!

    25 Oct 20 04:41, Lee Lofaso wrote to All:

    I saw this fellow give a performance in Baton Rouge some years ago.

    I saw him over here in Germany in... 1997, I think.


    Regards,
    Gerrit

    ... 5:06PM up 9 days, 4:07, 8 users, load averages: 0.62, 0.33, 0.26

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  • From Lee Lofaso@2:203/2 to ALL on Sat Feb 25 18:38:59 2023
    Hello Everybody,

    A Priest, A Rabbi and a Minister Go Fishing

    A priest, a rabbi and a minister go fishing on a rare day off. They row
    their boat out a ways from shore and put down an anchor. The boat moves
    just a little bit here and there. They are enjoying being "away" from
    their jobs, the fishing is very relaxing, and they exchange funny
    stories about their lives.

    The priest says: "Well, I have to go and use nature's rest room." He
    steps out of the boat, and walks on top of the water to shore, does his
    thing and walks on top of the water back to the boat and gets back in.

    The rabbi is astonished but says nothing. A while later, the minister
    says: "Well, I guess it's my turn now." He gets out of the boat, walks
    on the water to shore, and does his thing and returns to the boat by
    walking on the water and gets back in the boat.

    The rabbi is again amazed, saying nothing. When it comes time for the
    rabbi to "do his thing", he tells himself that if they can do it so can
    he. So he steps out of the boat, and plunges deep into the water. The
    priest and the minister help him back into the boat. They look at each
    other, and the minister says: "Shall we show him where the rocks are?"

    --
    Travel should take you places

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