Operation 365... Blog 311

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Covers - 317 "Can You Tell Me How To Get To Sesame Street" by Joe Raposo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0bqrvmoIlw


There are so many good reasons to cover "Can You Tell Me How To Get To Sesame Street" its ridiculous. I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner. Where to begin. Well first, a huge props-filled shout out to Sesame Street for teaching me to read by the time I was two. It gave me a huge advantage on other students, which I spent the entire rest of my academic career squandering. Not your fault Sesame Street. That one's on me. I somehow wound up with with Master's degree. Then again, I haven't really used it for anything... Also on me. I am in a really good mood so please infer the tongue-in-cheekness into my diatribe.

Onward. Well, I loved that show, especially Grover. The Count, Oscar the Grouch, and Snuffle-Upagus also were role models for me in planning a life in this world. Jon Stone and Bruce Hart helped Joe Raposo write the lyrics in case you wondering.

"Can You Tell Me How To Get To Sesame Street" as a cover song entered my life on a a couple noteworthy occasions. First when I lived in San Francisco in the late 90's, many of y most fun times happened at shows by my friends Jumbo. Jumbo was the hippest band in Marin County in those days and I was friends with them all. We had some connections going back to Massachusetts. I was in a banc with their drummer, Jesse Rudolph. He was the first dude I was ever in a band with who listened and that made me like playing music a whole lot more. I already liked it a lot.

So the Jumbo guys were awesome. I would go out to their shows. Sometimes, they would let me sit in. I would party with Noah (King), Darren (Nelson), Paul and Jay and we had a blast. I could go on, but the details are a bit lurid for public sharing. Sorry.

Then about ten years later, the Portugalia Era came about. My man Don Truesdail covered "Rubber Duckie," and my other super amigo Clifford M. Jomuad frequently belted out "Can You Tell Me How To Get To Sesame Street" at many of his performances. Clifford always brought a high energy punched up version to the stage, usually referring to folks in the audience as "boys and girls." Incidentally, last Saturday afternoon, I enjoyed a performance by The Magic Montgomery Brothers at a church in Linda Vista. Clifford did an amazing job singing lead for the group, comprised of his crew from high school 30 yeas ago. It was a great vibes event and I couldn't stop smiling. Thanks to Clifford, Mike Lewis and the rest of The Montgomeries. Hope to hear you play again soon.

Finally, my direct inspiration for today's cover was a Facebook page I found called Occupy Sesame Street. An genial homage to inspired Occupy Wall Street protests, tauntr.com photoshopped some incredible images of the the gang getting manhandled by NYPD. I added them at the end of this video. Occupy Wall Street arrives in San Diego today. I have been working really hard teaching all the time and stuff, so I will be laying out of the first round of this fun locally, but I could not by happier for my fellow Americans for standing and sitting back down for something they believe in.

I have been reading some stories on the Occupy Wall Street movement and it seems Mayor Bloomberg and other folks, feel like thew people should just go away and accept things like they are. I bet they think that. Greed stinks. Sharing is caring. We need to return to marolas we teach our children and resume leading by example. Taking everything for yourself in unfair play. It's bully behavior and it's got to stop. Just because you can have endless wars, and keep all the monty for yourself doesn't make it right. We all live here. We are all in this together and everybody deserves some. No one is better than anyone else. Everybody has the right to live, eat and breathe. Some day, maybe soon I'm proud to say, people will look at our "culture" of selfish, superficial greed for what it is. Gross, revolting and wrong. It's simple. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Look it up. Democracy. One person. One vote. You're not supposed to be able to buy your way into making the world how you want it. All men are created equal. Come on!!!!!!!

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Archives - 317 Robin Lee "Pennies From Heaven" 12-23-2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWxFHnfa-jI


Here, my homegirl Robin Lee does it again. I bet she's proud as a peach about the awakening occurring amongst some courageous Americans, standing up for fairness, justice and the ideal American way. Everybody gets a piece of the pie and if you don't like it (I've always wanted to use this one. It's been used on me so many times) LEAVE! That's right. If you're against people's right to peacefully assemble and stand up against injustices in the way our government works, go to Saudi Arabia or Syria or any place where the government decides how it is and no one has a say about anything. Our country was founded on disagreeing with a tyrannical leader who saw royal subjects instead of democratic citizens as the way that things should be.

This Occupy Wall Street movement has got me all fired up. Yes, it's just the beginning. There is so much more that needs to be done, of course, like all the change they're all campaigning for, for one thing, but it is the start that has me inspired. When Obama was elected, there was hope. It was the first time in recent memory, there was any reason to be excited about anything public and political in America. It was predictable that his impact would be muted as it is the system that has failed. No one person, even with the best intentions can make it all better. There are simply too may powerful people making too much money with it being the way it is. So I figured, the moment of his election was te triumph. It was the beginning of something, not necessarily something political, but hope in people's minds that the right thing can happen and that citizens may get a fair shake.

In many ways, things have gotten worse. I don't blame Obama per se, but he sure has polarized folks. His presence has revealed the crazy, nutjob, elitist, racist Right for exactly what it is. They should be called The Tea-Bag party, cause if they have they're way they'll teabag every America alive whose not a rich white fuck. Just give 'em time. Conservative means you don't want change. Well, change happens every day whether you like it or not and I feel confident this is only the beginning of protest in America. You better get used to it. Things just couldn't stay the way they were any longer. Thank God. I was wondering if this was ever going to happen.

So where I'm getting with this is, I feel like where the Occupy Wall Street movement is right now is "Pennies From Heaven," the classic Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke-penned number, covered here by Robin Lee and Jack Davidson at my Open Mic 12-23-2008. I feel like the emergence of this movement is a gift from God, but it's just the beginning. The money disparity has in no way, shape or form begun to even itself out. That is probably the main reason the protestors haven't been beat down real bad yet, because the rich folks aren't yet feeling the financial pinch. God forbid Americans don't starve.

So that's why it's only pennies from heaven. It is just the beginning, a sprinkling of foretelling of social justice. It is just the initial announcement of the anger and emotion regarding the status quo. There is a lot of improvement to make in our world. I'm glad folks are rising up out of their shells and representing. It was sorely needed. I am proud to be alive at this pivotal time in our survival. Excelsior!

Operation 365 - Jefferson Jay - Originals - 317 "Jay Allen Sanford"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TYh__ykc4I


OK. Enough ranting about in justice in the world. There is plenty to to celebrate. For instance, Mr. Jay Allen Sanford wrote an article about me an the 365 in this weeks San Diego Reader. The San Diego Reader is a free publication available all over San Diego County with a circulation of about 154,322 each week. He wrote about me in the Blurt column, devoted to local music and was even kind enough to tell me that it happened so I didn't miss it.

Links are here: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2011/oct/05/blurt4/
and here: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/blurt/

That second one changes weekly, so if you don't click it this week, you won't see me and Gordo there as this week's lead story in the Blurt online. The first will be there until the internet no longer exists, at which point, none of this will matter any more.

So out of appreciation and respect for Jay Allen Sanford, I wrote a fight song in his honor. It was inspired, in part, by my high school's fight song. I believe the lyrics to that one were "Go Mighty Cutters." To show Jay Allen Sanford, the degree to which aI appreciate his attention and validation of my hundreds of hours of wrk, I enlisted the world cutest pup, Nigel for a special appearance to the 365. He, like me, now loves, Jay Allen Sanford. We are family, and by that I mean everybody. Everybody everywhere. We are one. And that is why one monster can't have all of the cookies to themselves. That's just not the way the cookie crumbles. Hail appreciation, respect, sharing and Jay Allen Sanford.

Shout out to Redd Foxx and the Theme Song from Sanford and Son.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5DnqW3F57E

NOTE: I've been carrying around The Reader with the article in it for two days and I had no idea. Thanks again to Jay Allen Sanford for telling me to look. I only had to go to my man purse to see my face in print. "I love it when a plan comes together." George Peppard as Hannibal Smith, The A-Team