The Paul and Young Ron food drive

The other day I decided that I was going to make a donation to the Paul and Young Ron food drive. I always did this back home with a local rock radio station but due to money being extremely tight over the past few years, I wasn’t able to.

I decided since if it wasn’t for the show, this site wouldn’t exist. I decided to donate 100% of the ad revenue on this site for the months of August, September, and October. I also decided to throw in a few other sites’ ad revenue.

As I was leaving my home today to donate the money, my wife stopped me and asked me to put in some money on behalf of her business also, which I gladly took and brought it with me.

The sites that donated are:

• This site (obviously)
• Fred Lanting’s site
• Adopt and Rescue
• My own personal site
• Casa del Mango and Sara’s Ark (dog training) - these were my wife’s sites that she wished to donate the money on behalf of.

As I was there I got to meet Paul (who is quite approachable) and he thanked me for this site plus let me know that today’s caller was very close (I need to get the podcast since I missed it due to work). I didn’t get to talk to Ron but contrary to popular belief, he was quite social (and sober). He did spend a few breaks talking to people and signing autographs.

I also came at a great time, I was able to meet (and shake hands with) Alto Reed and Jason Bonham. We all know Jason Bonham as the son of Led Zeppelin’s drummer, John Bonham, who also fills in his late father’s shoes whenever Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones tour as “Led Zeppelin”.

I was most impressed with Alto Reed (being a former saxophone player myself). The man is an inspiration. He was the saxophonist with several acts including The Blues Brothers, Foghat, Grand funk, and a group known as “Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band” - alto is the one playing the saxophone in the hits “Turn the Page” and “Old Time Rock and Roll”. It was a great time to stop by. I was able to get a few pictures while I was there:

(from left to right - Paul Castronovo, Jason Bonham, Alto Reed, and Your Ron Brewer)

(Jason Bohnam and Alto Reed)

Plus, Alto Reed and Jason Bonham were kind enough to sign my donation receipt.

(note: their signature is not, in any way, an endorsement of this site, I just think it’s cool that I got their autographs)

A dedication to today’s YCW caller…

MATTHEW

Today in Rock (Dec 16)

• 1945 - Benny Andersson (Abba) was born
• 1949 - Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) was born
• 1958 - “The Chipmunk Song” (by The Chipmunks) was a hit.
• 1958 - Ritchie Valens performs a concert at the junior high school he’d attended. The show is recorded and posthumously released in 1960 as “Ritchie Valens Live at Pacoima Junior High“.
• 1960 - George Harrison was deported from Germany during a Beatles tour. He is too young to have a work permit
• 1965 - The Beatles’ “Day Tripper” was #1 in the UK

Today in Rock (Dec 15)

• 1955 - Pail Simeon of the Clash was born.
• 1967 - The Beatles “Magical Mystery Tour” LP goes gold.
• 1969 - John Lennon and Plastic Ono Band (Featuring George Harrison, Delanie and Bonnie, Keith Moon and Billy Preston) make debut UK concert appearance in ‘War is Over’ gig at The Lyceum. The same day, posters, paid for by John and Yoko, go up around the world, stating ‘War is over if you want it’
• 1973 - Slade’s “Merry Christmas Everyone” hits #1 in the UK
• 1977 - The Who perform a secret concert for their fan club members. Footage of the concert appears in Jeff Stein’s movie, “The Kids Are Alright“.
• 1977 - Sex Pistols are denied visas to enter the US. They are due to appear on Saturday Night Live two days later at the start of a US tour.
• 1979 - Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” hits #1 in the UK
• 1979 - Pink Floyd releases their double-album epic, “The Wall“. It stays at #1 for 15 weeks and has to date been certified 23 times platinum (signifying one million copies) in the US, making it the third best-selling album of all time.
• 1984 - Band Aid’s “Don’t They Know it’s Christmas?” hits #1 in the UK
• 1988 - James Brown, is sentenced to a six year jail term for leading police on a late night, two state car chase

Fruitcakes

Just an FYI -

Fruit cakes make great projectile weapons in fact, I’m pretty sure there’s evidence of them being used in medieval catapults.

Today in Rock (Dec 12)

• 1901 - Marconi first transmits and receives a radio signal.
• 1915 - Frank Sinatra was born. Has anyone shaken his hand?
• 1943 - Dicky Betts (The Allman Brothers) was born.
• 1946 - Clive Bunker (Jethro Tull) was born.
• 1963 - The Beatles’ hit “I Want To Hold Your Hand” hits #1 on the UK singles chart.
• 1963 - Eric Schenkman (The Spin Doctors) was born.
• 1966 - Pink Floyd perform their first concert at Oxfam benefit at Royal Albert Hall.
• 1969 - Plastic Ono Band (featuring Eric Clapton, Klaus Voorman, Alan White and John and Yoko) perform their first concert at the Toronto Peace Festival.
• 1985 - Roger Waters formally notifies Columbia and EMI Records that he is no longer a member of Pink Floyd.

A little treat in honor of Frank’s birthday. I don’t think anyone can deny that he is one of the most successful musicians ever.

Today in Rock (Dec 11)

• 1958 - Nikki Sixx (Motley Crew) was born
• 1967 - Jethro Tull was formed.
• 1972 - Genesis play their first-ever US concert at Brandeis University in Massachusetts
• 1973 - James Brown arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after a concert in Knoxville. Charges are dropped when the singer threatens to sue the city for a million dollars, claiming he was beaten by police
• 1988 - MTV Europe exceeds the 5 million household mark.

Today in Rock (Dec 10)

• 1910 - John Hammond was born - he is known for signing artists like Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and many others.
• 1966 - The Beach Boys’ hit “Good Vibrations” hits #1 on the US singles chart
• 1967 - Otis Redding died in a plane crash (he wrote “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay“)
• 1967 - Steve Miller (Blues) Band, a previously almost unknown San Francisco group, signs with Capitol Records for $750,000
• 1984 - Band Aid release “Do They Know It’s Christmas” in UK
• 1991 - Alan Freed, the man who coined the term ”Rock and Roll” is posthumously awarded a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
• 1994 - The Beatles’ “Live at the BBC” album hits #1

Today in Rock (Dec 9)

• 1967 - Doors lead singer Jim Morrison arrested in New Haven following backstage fight when security guard mistakes him for a fan
• 1973 - Tre Cool (Green Day) was born
• 1984 - Motley Crue lead singer Vince Neil is booked on manslaughter charges after the car he was driving collides with another auto, leaving three people seriously injured and killing his passenger, Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas Dingley, a.k.a. Razzle.
• 1995 - The Beatles’ “Anthology” album hits #1 in the US

Question #2 has been answered!

Yes, Lilly got question #2 correct today. “This very personal item has been in a suitcase as it has been for many years, what is it?” Napoleon’s Penis!

Question #3 is:

This was 4 pounds, then over 10 pounds, now it’s over 18 pounds, what is it?