[FM] BAMMIES and Freight

[Christian Bauman]

I'll start by saying I'm not from San Francisco, and
both of these comments originate from there...if it's
any help, I'll be VISITING S.F. in April...does that
qualify me to comment?

> If I read the results right, bands like Metallica
> and Green Day each have
> two or three Bammies after years of performing. 
> That sounds good.  If
> Metallica had 42 Bammies, I would suspect awards
> inflation.  This, and
> nothing else, is what I am getting at with the
> Wammies.
> 

interesting story, and not even a comment on anything
anyone has written on this subject, because i stopped
paying attention two days ago...but:

i seem to recall reading a few years back that when
Phil Lesh (bassist for the Grateful Dead) was awarded
his umpteenth BAMMIE for Best Bass Player, he agreed
to accept it only on the condition that they never
give it to him again (for, he said, the good of the
awards).

(Hmmm...although, now that I've said it, I don't want
to be misconstrued...let me add that The Kennedys are
not The Grateful Dead.  The lovely Pete and Maura
would be shooting themselves in the foot if they ever
did that...more WAMMIES for The Kennedys, thats what I
say!)

And now for something completely different...

>     Those of you who are aware of the venerable
> acoustic
> venue, Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, in Berkeley,
> CA  may
> not be aware that F&S is in the middle of an intense
> fundraising
> effort to raise $400,000 for the downpayment on a
> new,
> larger building in Berkeley's downtown Arts
> District. 
> 
>      If you're interested in learning more and/or
> donating to

Any Bay Area citizen who doesn't donate to this worthy
cause should be arrested by the Folk Police and have
cruel and unusual things done to them...Like Passim in
Boston, or Godfrey Daniels in my own beloved
Pennsylvania, The Freight and Salvage is a regional
treasure, and a blessing for the area it serves.

Just to be clear, no I've never played there, but I
did manage to hide in their green room after an open
mike once when I was nineteen, and after they locked
the doors had my first good night's sleep in many a
week...  :)  Amazing how broke one can be when
nineteen.  Remind me of that if I'm ever feeling sorry
for myself now.

(And, now completely off on a tangent...I was awakened
the next morning by the sound of someone banging
around and cleaning in the main room...I snuck out the
back Jack before they found me...many years later I
told this story to Chuck Brodsky, who laughed and said
that he occasionally worked as a janitor at The
Freight...we never verified the time/dates, but got a
kick out of the possibility of these two C.B. ships
passing in the night...)

OK, I gotta lay off the high-test coffee...

-Chris 


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Christian Bauman  http://www.folkweb.com/christianbauman
christianbauman@pobox.com
"You may grow old, even ugly, but if you are a good cook
people will always find a path to your door" -James Beard
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