Finally in the news tonight, the music world
mourns the death of folk music icon Irving Steinbloom
an instrumental figure in guiding folk music
from its humble beginnings in the 1950s
to its zenith in popularity in the 1960s.
Steinbloom managed and directed the careers
of such million-selling folk groups as
The Main Street Singers,
The Folksmen,
and the sweethearts of the folk music scene, Mitch and Mickey.
Their music was the voice of a generation.
It carried a message of peace and freedom
and young people got behind the message in a big way.
Steinbloom is survived by his wife and three children.
It's up to you. What do you say, Mitch?
Are you gonna be with us?
Yeah?
Yes, we do. We have all three Folksmen.
Of course, Alan, of course. He was the first to--
We can't imagine doing this without you.
It's as simple as that.
We cannot conceive of doing this--
One second. Your messages.
It really seemed that the only fitting tribute
to this fantastic human being--
And I have to tell you, my dad was really an amazing character.
And really the only fitting tribute we could come up with
was a memorial to my dad
that would be a concert that would be performed
by all of the fabulous groups
and people that he used to represent.
It's gonna be very fast. It's gonna be in two weeks.
And it had to be in Town Hall
because where else could we have such an event?
It had to be Town Hall.
And they had a hole in the schedule.
But it's a very sudden hole
and we've got two weeks to put together this
really very complicated event.
But, uh, I'm...
I'm pretty organized myself.
Really, I've always been a very organized person.
When I was 12, I formed the J.C.P.L.,
the Jewish Children's Polo League.
We rode Shetland ponies instead of horses.
It was funny, my mom used to say:
"Well, if he has to fall,
he shouldn't fall from so very high."
She was very protective. You could say overly protective.
I just like to think she cared about me. Which she did, a lot.
And I was a member of the chess team.
And whenever we had chess tournaments,
I had to wear a protective helmet.
I had to wear a football helmet.
Now, who knows what she was thinking?
Maybe she thought we might have fallen
and impaled our heads on a pointy bishop or something,
I don't know.
♪♪ Now they don't Allow no frowns inside ♪♪
♪♪ Leave them by the door ♪♪
♪♪ There's apple brandy By the keg ♪♪
♪♪ And sawdust on the floor ♪♪
♪♪ So if you've got a hankering I'll tell you where to go ♪♪
♪♪ Just look for The busted neon sign ♪♪
♪♪ That flashes ♪♪
♪♪ Ea-a-oe's ♪♪
♪♪ Well, there's a puppy In the parlor ♪♪
♪♪ And a skillet on the stove ♪♪
♪♪ And a smelly old blanket That a Navajo wove ♪♪
Hello, Mr. Stranger Man
- Who is that? - Who are any of us?
No!
I'll take some of that.
Mr. Palter has an altar, I see.
Yeah. The Palter Porch.
I knew you looked familiar.
Just a little.
I think I used to work with your kids.
A couple of young guys.
Mark and I met at the University of Vermont
in about '61?
Late '61.
We were both interested in folk music,
and there was a big folk music scene
as there were in many colleges.
And we formed a group called The Twobadours.
- Two. T-W-O. - Badours.
Because there were two of us.
That was the reasoning behind the name.
Mark was a bass, really, a bass singer.
I sang way down here.
And I was a tenor singer up there.
And so we had no lead.
No glue. No middle, no...
Vocalist. So when we went down to New York
to see what was happening in the biz.
We were playing at a place.
The Folk Place.
At The Folk Place,
which was a wonderful club at the time and we ran into--
It was the flash point. It really was.
Everyone-- It was like a big magnet, everyone went there.
He was singing, he was backing people up--
I thought I was a guitar player at the time.
If you have enough vibrato on those nice blue Fender guitars,
you can sound like a surf king, you know, but...
I was drawn to the folk music as well
and I wound up down at The Folk Place
and met these two guys.
I could play the guitar a little bit.
I could sing right in the middle there,
you know, mostly just sang for myself.
Not a bad-looking gent, to boot.
No, that's true. That didn't hurt.
We ended up getting together and it just kind of...
It clicked.
And Mr. Irving Steinbloom came down
and he signed us to Folk Town which was the label to be on.
Terrific label.
Later on we were kind of moved down the food chain a bit
to the Folk Tone label which was a subsidiary.
It was a decent label,
they just didn't have the distribution.
Well, they just didn't have any distribution.
No distribution at all.
And the covers were printed in two colors instead of four
which I noticed was a problem.
And they had no hole in the center of the record--
No, you'd have to provide it yourself.
So the people complained
that you'd get this vinyl,
of course in those days, and it's up to you to center it.
It would teeter crazily on the little spindle.
And that was, of course,
we had no control over that aspect of it.
- They were still good records. - Good product.
If you punched a hole in them, you'd have a good time.
♪♪ It's scary But it's true ♪♪
♪♪ So do what the Good Book ♪♪
♪♪ Do what the Good Book Do what the Good Book ♪♪
♪♪ Tells you to Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪♪
I guess it was in about 1958 in Greenwich Village.
My partner Chuck Wiseman and myself had gotten together
with Fred Knox and Bill Weyburn.
We were lucky to be joined by one of the greatest talents
of our generation--
any generation, as a matter of fact,
Ramblin' Sandy Pitnik.
And we became the Village Folk Ensemble.
And we were a great group. Great.
We had a good sound but I always thought
we should have something bigger, a fuller sound.
And one night in 1960, I'll never forget this
we were at a hootenanny and we were jamming
with the Klapper Family.
And all of a sudden, I heard it.
The sound that I'd been thinking about.
The harmonics were amazing.
I thought, "Well, there's five of us, there's four of them.
It's a neuf-tet."
And it was there, just in a moment, it was all there.
The neuf-tet sound.
This thing clicked with The Klappers too,
so we joined forces and became The Main Street Singers.
Well, 10 years and 30 albums later,
we disbanded, but we'd had a good run.
My partner Chuck Wiseman and myself, we called it quits too.
I went my way and Chuck went his.
In 1971, after the breakup of The Main Street Singers
Chuck Wiseman moved up to San Francisco
where he started a retail business
with his brothers Howard and Dell.
Um, the Three Wiseman's Sex Emporium.
It was very successful for a year
until they were sued over something having to do
with a box of benwa balls.
No, I need you, Mitch.
I need Mitch and Mickey. Mitch and Mickey.
That's the thing. You go together.
I love Mickey, but without you it's not the same.
You got to think--
I'm gonna tell you something--
I'm gonna tell you something, Mitch,
and I've never told anybody this before.
You were Dad's favorite. Okay.
Just deal with it, okay? You were Dad's favorite.
I've never said this to a single soul.
Two weeks before he died he took me aside and he said to me:
"Of all those ferkakte people, I love Mitch, he's my favorite.
He's like a relative, he's like my nephew to me."
I'm only saying this because
I think you'd want to know this, Mitch,
before you make your mind up one way or the other.
Would you just think about it, okay?
♪♪ When I'm lying, next to you ♪♪
♪♪ I feel moonbeams burn ♪♪
♪♪ I see rainbows turn Into gold ♪♪♪♪
Sounds cliché, but it's kind of a blur, you know?
They loved us.
I think, I guess we were, in a way, maybe easy to love
because we represented, you know, true love
and romance and sweetness, and...
And to be quite honest,
I bought the image as much as anyone else.
Maybe that's why I sold it so well.
Because it was sweet and happy
and everybody, everybody loved to hang around Mitch.
They tried to get close to him, but I was close to him.
He was very smart, very intense...
and distant, you know?
You'd get close to him and he'd just inch back
that much further, you know.
And you'd move in, you know, to get inside Mitch
and he'd just back off a little more.
Just always kept you wanting to get there, to understand him.
Which was impossible.
♪♪ Oh, when the veil Of dreams has lifted ♪♪
♪♪ And the fairy tales Have all been told ♪♪
♪♪ There's a kiss at end Of the rainbow ♪♪
♪♪ More precious Than a pot of gold ♪♪♪♪
The phenomenon of that kiss was...
It can't be overstated.
It was...
a superb moment in the history of folk music.
And maybe...
maybe a great moment in the history of humans.
I'd like to think that Mitch would agree to do this with me.
Because I already said yes. And I can't do it alone, so...
No, I didn't think this through.
Should've talked to him beforehand, you know,
but I haven't talked to him in so long.
It wasn't, uh... We weren't talking.
You know, those last few years...
Okay, I'm remembering some things now, yeah.
There was lots of fighting going on.
And I think for a while we were able
to keep it on a professional level.
But really, we were getting
some personal things out, you know.
I was just out of high school, I had just started here.
And I must say I was in awe of Mitch and Mickey.
Who wasn't?
They were here working on When You're Next To Me
which proved to be their last album together.
Mickey started shouting at Mitch.
She just went off.
She started throwing anything she could get her hands on
at Mitch. Anything.
Music stands, microphone stands, mics, guitars.
And Mitch...
He just...
He just snapped.
♪♪ It's time to kick on back Toss your cares away ♪♪
♪♪ Cartwheels and piggybacks It's just that kind of day ♪♪
♪♪ I'm sitting on a hill Watching clouds at play ♪♪
Well, gosh, you know, I've been playing
the music of The Main Street Singers
oh, my whole life, I mean,
from way back in Tampa.
I've come to understand as an adult,
uh, with the help of Laurie, my beautiful wife
that there had been abuse in my family,
but it was mostly musical in nature.
My father used to lock me away in a room
with nothing but the Percy Faith recording of "Bim Bam Boom"
and then send me to bed with nothing but dessert.
And one of the records he put me in there with
was Sunny Side Up.
The Main Street Singers, 1968.
I tell you, my head opened up, my heart opened up.
I listened to that record
over and over and over.
I knew it right and left and every way to Sunday.
I feel like I knew those people.
And, uh, I wanted to be in that group so badly
that at the age of 8 years old,
I went down into the basement
and I made cardboard cutouts of everybody in the group
so that I could sing along with them and be one of them.
These were my friends, and they were made out of gin boxes.
It's odd that Laurie came from such a different--
Right. A completely different path.
I was brought up in a very small town,
just south of the Chicago city limits.
And just far enough away to have been peopled with pure,
unadulterated white trash.
And because I was one of so many children,
I don't believe that anyone noticed
when I blew town at 15
and ended up in San Francisco, California.
And it's at this point in my story that the dark clouds part
because I met a certain Mr. Wiseman,
who gave me a job in his shop.
And before long, he tapped me to do some small roles
in some of his short films for more mature audiences.
And before long, I had landed, if you will, some leads
and then I started to do some cameos.
Well, I was known for doing a certain thing
that many of the other girls wouldn't do.
And of course, I loved to sing, ever since I was a little girl.
And I learned to play the ukulele in one of my last films,
Not So Tiny Tim.
And based on that, my world opened up
because I was invited to join
the re-formed New Main Street Singers.
And that's where I met my man,
and before long I was the new Mrs. Bohner.
Ain't that something?
A beautiful story. I tell you.
Last week I heard you were gonna come in at 5
and you never showed up. It's okay, it's just that--
- He's in. Mitch is in. - Really?
- It's unbelievable. - Congratulations!
Thank you. Thank you.
He said he would be a part of this?
Yes. Well...
He said just now on the phone?
Yeah, I think he did. Did he-- In writing?
I'm sorr-- I'm just looking out for you.
Let's not rain on the parade, okay? He's in.
In 1974, after the breakup, Mitch was extremely angry.
His first solo album,
Cry For Help, contained numbers like "If I Had A Gun"
"Anyone But You," "May She Rot in Hell."
And this just spiraled down
to the next album,
Calling It Quits.
And at that point he was in a very bad way.
There was a lot of of anger in Mitch...
for reasons, you know, that he had.
I think he went too soon.
He should have stayed longer,
because we really didn't get a grip on him.
And, uh, his anger was unhealthy...
for all of us.
- Hello, Mickey. - Mitch.
- How are you? - Great.
- It's good to see you. - You too. So...
Mitch Cohen, this is my husband.
Leonard Crabbe, very nice to meet you.
It's nice to meet you.
Welcome to the house of Crabbe.
Thank you very much. I just checked into the hotel.
Left my things there.
Good. Which hotel was that, then?
I don't know the name.
I can't remember the name, but it's very nice.
Are you hungry?
Yes.
Good. Lunch is not quite ready.
Maybe you'd like to take Mitch to see your trains?
Oh, yes. Do you like trains?
I took a bus.
No. Model trains. Do you like model trains?
- Sure. - It's a bit of a passion for me.
I'll show you around. It's right down here.
It was a 16-hour trip.
This will be quicker than that.
This whole area here is called Crabbe Town.
We've got a brothel down there above the saloon.
And right down there, further along,
I'm thinking of building a French Quarter.
I've actually got a bit of French blood.
I would love to see this town in the autumn.
I think Crabbeville in autumn would look quite magnificent.
I would have made tiny little leaves...
oak, poplar, maple, chestnut...
and spread them across the town of Crabbe... ville.
Magnificent.
It's Crabbe Town, not Crabbeville.
What is it you do, Leonard?
For work?
Oh, work.
I'm in the bladder management industry.
I sell catheters.
I have my own distribution company.
- Sure-Flo Medical Appliances. - Ahem.
May have heard of it.
It's actually named in tribute after my mother.
Her name was Florence.
It's a growth industry, really,
because one in three people over 60
either have a flaccid or a spastic bladder, so...
so, in a sense, every 13.5 seconds,
a new incontinent is born, as it were.
People like you and I
have what they call "leakage problems."
They can be running, playing tennis,
laughing, sneezing, anything.
I mean, the good old constipation, you know?
You have impacted fecal mass
in your rectum, you find that pushing on your bladder.
You know, this might make good dessert talk.
I started playing folk clubs in New York City
and walked into one such coffeehouse one night
and there-- Half Moon Café.
The Half Moon Café and--
I was playing with my sisters, Jocelyn, Claire, Estelle.
We were the North Four.
We were on-stage and we had a horrible little heckler.
A little guy, but with the loudest voice in the world.
And just, you know, "Take off your tops"
and "Get off the stage."
"You sing like crap! You get off the stage!"
Very inarticulate. Rude.
Mean. Mean little bugger.
All of a sudden, we couldn't see clear, you got the lights on us
but I see this tall, dark figure go over
and there's this intense little
something going on, and all of a sudden, he's pummeled.
The crap pummeled out of him. I don't remember much.
But the next thing I know, I'm in a hospital,
and the first thing I saw
was a beautiful rose sitting
in a vase on the night table next to the bed.
And I can't express
what was surging through my body.
I was consumed with an emotion
that I had never felt before.
♪♪ This love for you I'm feelin'... ♪♪
We started singing together.
We simply fused together
in a very meaningful way.
And before you know it, we were recording.
I learned to sing with Mitch.
And...
So scary, so scary. But I just...
Mitch was so strong and so smart and knew what he wanted
and I just focused on Mitch and...
You know, I went along for the ride.
One, two, three, and...
Wait. I doubled after you?
No, with me. That's doubling.
You both climb aboard the ferry at the same time.
Okay, fair enough.
One, two, three, and...
Yeah!
♪♪ My mama was The cold north wind ♪♪
♪♪ My daddy was The son of a railroad man ♪♪
♪♪ From west of hell ♪♪
♪♪ Where the trains Don't even run ♪♪
♪♪ Never heard the whistle Of a southbound freight ♪♪
♪♪ Or the humming Of its driving wheel ♪♪
♪♪ No, I never did no wandering ♪♪
♪♪ Never did no wandering ♪♪
♪♪ Never did no wandering After all ♪♪♪♪
- You know what? - Hold it. Hold on.
I just, sorry, I just got a mental picture in my mind
of us on-stage in the show.
And it just...
We weren't wearing the old stuff, the old gear,
the old...
We're talking about the dickeys here?
I think I'm on record as Mr. Anti-dickey.
You were Mr. Drop-the-dickey.
It's just a very retro look.
I'm totally available for the discussion of it.
It just sounds like you're thinking the image that we had
was a retro image of something that wasn't retro
because we weren't retro because we were then--
Right, it wasn't retro then but now,
to try a retro thing, it might just look kind of sad.
I mean... To do then now would be retro.
To do then then was very now-tro, if you will.
It's odd.
I'm looking at at numbers here, guys,
I know we're getting emotional with things
and I know we want to give this
to be a great thing for you know who,
but I'm looking at numbers--
For Dad. Can't you say it? For Dad.
Look, I--
You can't say his name, can you?
You're not the only one that's thinking about Dad right now.
You're not the only person going through this little--
You don't have to take everything personally.
It's not you. It's her. Forgive me.
I'm sorry. Forgive me. Never mind.
This isn't really just a reunion for the folk groups.
It's also a reunion for the Steinbloom family,
minus Dad, of course.
Because we never get together.
Not really. No.
We talk. A lot. We talk a lot.
We talk on the phone a lot.
We don't really see each other.
No. We don't need to.
I moved away to North Dakota.
I tried to get as far away as I could
to actually get the singing out of my head.
I didn't care for folk music and Dad knew that.
I just didn't get it.
So I haven't kept up our ties. That's why this is kind of nice.
Hopefully we can get through our little things
and put on a good show for Dad.
You like to make amends, but you can't,
so we'll try to do it with one good--
Music.
You okay?
Let's just hang on.
Oh, Jesus.
Woo!
My dad, Fred Knox,
was an original Main Street Singer
so I grew up with this kind of music.
So I listened to it when I was little.
But I didn't hear much of it when I was a teenager
because I was, um...
I was on the streets.
Yeah, I was really rescued by The New Main Street Singers
and they really gave me a break from that, uh,
dark, that darkness.
And, um... So I like to give people a break now.
So when I sing, I want to give out what was given to me.
And I want to be, you know, a vessel of love
and I want to entertain and make people happy.
So I look for someone out in the audience
and that's what brings me real joy.
And, so when Mr. Menschell called me in 1995--
my dad died--
and asked me to be a part of this band, I said:
"Well, yeah."
♪♪ Going home I'm going-- ♪♪
♪♪ Go-- ♪♪
♪♪ Going ♪♪
♪♪ Go-- ♪♪
♪♪ Going home I'm going home ♪♪
♪♪ Home ♪♪
♪♪ Go-- ♪♪
Quick plugola, I'm Mike LaFontaine,
owner and founder of Hi-Class Management.
Whoops!
Comic's constant companion.
Let's start right out. Hey, wha' happened?
As you know, back in
197--
I starred on a series called, Wha' Happened.
And every time something would go wrong,
I'd look at the camera and say:
"Hey, wha' happened?"
We had a lot of fun with that
and a lot of other catch phrases.
"I got a real red wagon!"
And, "I can't do my work!"
And I believe I was the first one to use the phrase,
"I don't think so!"
But it only lasted a year.
And that's good because that's how you establish a cult.
So I was on-stage
doing all my shtick, you know,
"Hey, wha' happened?" and "I can't do my work!"
If someone would heckle me, they'd say,
"Are you gonna be on-stage all night?"
I would say, "That's right!"
and that would crack up the audience.
But I noticed a guy sitting down front with a long face,
nothing got to him.
So I turned to the lady next to him, I said:
"Would you hold your mirror up in front of his nose
"to see if he's still breathing.
To see in fact, if there's a reflection."
So he started to smile.
After the show I go down and introduce myself.
His name is George Menschell.
He had been with a group called The Main Street Singers.
Now I was never into folk music.
I'd worked some bills with some folkies. You know:
♪♪ Put him in a cell With a long hose on him ♪♪
And I used to say, "If he's got a long enough hose
he's gonna have a lot of friends in the shower room!"
Folk audiences hated that joke. But I said to George, I said:
"Seriously, you've put up some great numbers.
If you re-form your group, I can send you out
on the Starfish Cruise Lines.
Together, we could make a fortune
and you will have a ball."
They used to go out, come back, they had a great time.
Except a couple of cruises
dysentery broke out on the ship. I was not there.
You do not want to be on a cruise ship
when dysentery breaks out and be knocking
on the men's room door, "Will you be coming out soon?"
and hear, "I don't think so!"
I'm just so glad to be here. I love the network.
I love what you do here.
I watch it constantly, basically.
That's really all I wanted to start by saying.
I just think you're doing a fabulous job.
And I'm very, very happy to be here talking with you.
Well, it's a perfect fit.
As you may know, our demographics
are skewing a bit older
and that can be a minus
with some of the corporate underwriters.
But in this case, it's a plus because
there's a lot of built-in fans for The Folksmen,
all the other groups that your dad represented.
And, you know, I think it's gonna do very well
in the evening hours, here, which is when we would propose
to do this concert.
If you don't mind my saying so,
our audience for some of these groups is getting younger.
Not radically younger. Which I hope is all right.
All right? If we can get two dozen young people
watching in the evening hours
I think there's several people at this table
that would be happy because we don't have much of that now.
So, this is great and I want to tell you
if you're not weary of hearing stories about your dad,
I want to tell you a little story.
A young kid by the name of Lars Olfen,
in 1966, going to a concert.
I'm 16 years old and it was raining.
And I got right up to the box office
and like some kind of practical joke
the door slammed shut.
Sold out, right when I got there.
And my little young tears mixed with the rain,
and I'm walking away and I hear a voice.
"Hey, kid, over here." And I go, "What, a scalper?
"Who is this guy?
I can't afford that kind of money for a ticket."
But he looks kind of familiar and I go over there.
He hands me two tickets, doesn't want a dollar.
It's your father. Why would he do that?
That was Dad, you know.
He was just out there, with people.
And he was generous, and he was kind
and really that's why we're doing this thing
to pay back this much back to his memory.
The naches I'm feeling right now.
Because your dad was like mishpoche to me.
When I heard I got these tickets to The Folksmen,
I let out a geshreeyeh
and I'm running with my friend like a vilde chaye
right into the theater, in the front row.
So we've got the schpilkes
because we're sitting right there.
And it's a mitzvah what your dad did,
and I want to try to give that back to you.
Okeinhoreh, I say, and God bless him.
- Where did I go up? - I remember hitting a...
♪♪ We shared a song ♪♪
I think it might be on "the ravens," on "the ravens."
"We shared." I think you might stay below me on--
Stay on:
♪♪ We shared ♪♪
♪♪ Wandered ♪♪
♪♪ Wandered through Each other's secrets ♪♪
♪♪ We traded ♪♪ ♪♪ Tra-♪♪
♪♪ A ♪♪ Oh!
♪♪ We traded ♪♪
You're right! Oh, Mitch, you're right!
Oh, I forgot that.
♪♪ We traded an honored worth ♪♪♪♪
It's, um... Oh...
That's it, nice and crisp!
That's very nice.
♪♪ Walking down to Main Street Everybody's gonna sing ♪♪♪♪
There you go.
♪♪ Sing ♪♪ Sing.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
What are you singing there? You got the root on "sing"?
You singing the root?
No, I was singing:
♪♪ Everybody's gonna sing ♪♪
You're singing the root. Didn't I give you a sixth?
I don't think so. Tony, I give him a sixth?
I think you were singing the sixth.
Can you sing me a sixth? Could you sing a sixth?
♪♪ Everybody gonna sing ♪♪ ♪♪ Everybody's gonna sing ♪♪
Yeah, I can sing that. Sure.
Let's try it again. One, two, three.
Can I jus--
What? Yeah?
I'm sorry, go ahead.
No, you have a problem on the bridge?
No, I was gonna say--
Can I switch? Can I change out of my costume?
Costume? Are you hot?
Yeah. But also, I mean...
I've been wearing it for a month.
You know the policy.
We all gotta wear the uniform
until we're ready to take it off.
I think you're real close,
I just don't think you're quite there yet.
I mean, you did not sing that sixth,
and I want to see you sing that sixth.
You just wear what you have on. You sound fine.
We'll just do it again,
and eventually you're gonna be able to wear your civvies
when you're singing.
Jonathan? Hi.
Well, I got good news and better news.
Good news is, we're still doing the concert.
Of course, the better news is, we are going live.
Yeah.
I got a friend at NOAA so we're going up
in the Nimbus 7 Oceanographic Satellite.
He's got some bandwidth there, and it's live!
Yeah, the corporate underwriters wouldn't go for it, so...
I'm excited too!
Okay. Okay.
Shalom.
Folk music is in my blood.
You know, as a young boy, in Sweden--
I was born there and came here at an early age
but we'd go back to Sweden every year,
my family and I, in the winter
which was a flip from the normal thing.
But every Olfen kid, Lars, Sven, Pippi and Liv,
we were trained on the dulcimer, from the earliest age.
When you could hold a rattle, you'd hold a dulcimer.
And we learned to play.
And eventually I had a garage band in Stockholm,
which was a challenge in its own right
you know to keep an instrument tuned
with that temperature swing.
There's a block warmer for the Volvo in the garage
but it's pretty cold in there in the winter.
So we played and I had a hit that you might have heard of.
Which means, "How's It Hanging, Grandma?"
and it was big on the Swedish charts.
And so I got in touch with the American music.
And I loved that and thrived on that,
so I came here and became part of that scene.
And I'm just so happy to be here and come full circle,
airing this show on PBN.
It's a dream come true.
♪♪ I worked the fields My father worked ♪♪
♪♪ From dawn till setting sun ♪♪
Then it quiets down.
♪♪ And the skeletons of Quinto ♪♪
♪♪ Call me home ♪♪
"The silver tentacles of the moon's rays haunt me."
That's really getting confusing. It's really confusing.
I'm hearing you the same timbre,
and it's cluttered.
Maybe if I did it higher and he did it lower--
Actually, if you do what you did before--
I can't get that much higher.
But that's--
Now it sounds almost more like a ventriloquist.
Can I make the radical suggestion that maybe
this is not the best number
to start with?
This is a live television show.
We don't want people to reach for their remotes here.
It's public television. I don't think...
- They don't have remotes. - Yeah.
My God, that's terrible.
What do you mean he won't come out of the room?
Yeah, well, Mickey,
have you talked to him?
Has he talked to a doctor? Have you given him medication?
I mean, I know he's anxious. I'm anxious. I'm always anxious.
I come out. You know, I mean, we gotta do something.
You want me to-- You mean, I'm supposed to talk to him?
I mean, I like him, I don't have that much to say to him.
I could be empathetic.
I'm not sure what else I could do.
I could sit, I could try.
Anything, we have to do something.
I'll see him. I'll talk to him. I'm happy to.
I gotta get him out of there.
We're not broadcasting from a motel room.
You know, we gotta get him out of there.
What's happening here?
Could you run your hand over that?
- What are you getting? - Well, I'm getting a bounce.
But there's a lightness within it, as well.
Interesting. You know, honey, it's a very tricky color.
Terry and I worship an unconventional deity.
The power of another dimension.
Now, you're not going to read about this dimension
in a book, or in a magazine or in a newspaper
because it doesn't exist anywhere
except in my own mind.
Through our ceremonies and our rituals
we have witnessed firsthand
the awesome and vibratory power of color.
We experience it as alive
and constantly shaping our experience.
And we believe that this saturated energy
is the basis of all creation.
We are WINC. W-I-N-C.
Witches In Nature's Colors. WINC.
I know the word "witch" may be a problem for some of you.
The word has a lot of silly connotations.
No, ladies and gentlemen,
we do not ride around on broomsticks
and wear pointy hat--
Well, we don't ride on broomsticks.
This is not an occult science.
This is not one of those crazy systems
of divination and astrology.
That stuff's hooey
and you gotta have a screw loose
to go in for that sort of thing.
Our beliefs are fairly commonplace
and simple to understand.
Humankind is simply materialized color
operating on the 49th vibration.
You would make that conclusion
walking down the street or going to the store.
I know this is a lot
of pressure for you to be under, Mitch.
And I don't want you to feel you have
to push yourself too far. Okay?
This is a one-day-at-a-time kind of thing.
I really don't want you to think that you have
to achieve anything right away.
Very important to back off the pressure. Okay?
There's a deception here.
The audience, they're expecting
to see a man who no longer exists.
Well, you know, that may be true.
It might indeed be true.
But I think what you have--
- Oh, baby. - Oh, baby.
Can I--?
♪♪ Loco man ♪♪
♪♪ Watching all the fish swim away ♪♪
♪♪ He no work He just sleep and play ♪♪
♪♪ Sitting here on the sand ♪♪
Talking about the loco man.
♪♪ Sunny land ♪♪
♪♪ Coconut coming down All the time ♪♪
♪♪ All the time ♪♪
♪♪ Milk, she sweeter Than honey wine ♪♪
♪♪ Sitting here on the sand ♪♪
♪♪ Sun breaks over The sprits'l yard ♪♪
♪♪ Jib sheets hauling To leeward hard ♪♪
♪♪ Crosstrees humming A morning hymn ♪♪
♪♪ I'm the cabin boy Call me Jim ♪♪
♪♪ His name's Jim ♪♪
♪♪ Fare away, fare away Under main top sail ♪♪
♪♪ To the furbelow Of the wily whale ♪♪
Hold on. One second, please.
I got an idea. Very literate reference.
I don't know if you're familiar
with a book about a pirate captain,
his name is Moby Dick?
He was chasing some big whale.
And he had a catch phrase he'd always yell out:
"There she blows!"
So I thought if you could do that,
we'd have someone off-stage
drench the whole group with water.
And you could look at the camera and say, "Hey, wha' happened?"
And every time, another thing of water.
And by the end you're all soaked, even the ladies.
And at the end of the song you turn the guitars upside down
and water splashes out. Kerplunk!
It's just a thought.
♪♪ Oh, when the veil Of dreams has lifted ♪♪
♪♪ And the fairy tales Have all been told ♪♪
♪♪ There's a kiss at the end Of the rainbow ♪♪
♪♪ More precious Than a pot of gold ♪♪
♪♪ My sweet, my dear My darling ♪♪
♪♪ You're so far away from me ♪♪
♪♪ Though an ocean Of tears divides us ♪♪
♪♪ Let the bridge Of our love span the sea ♪♪
♪♪ There's a kiss at the end Of the rainbow ♪♪
♪♪ More precious Than a pot of gold ♪♪♪♪
We're very pleased to be having
the folk people here tomorrow night.
It's not something we usually do.
This is obviously more of a classical venue.
But it'll be a lot of fun.
It's like having a carnival come to town or something.
I'm the events liaison.
Although a lot of people around here
call me "King Larry" or "Your Majesty"
because I just basically do everything
that needs to be done around here.
I've been up into the highest catwalk changing light bulbs.
I've been in the basement changing the rat traps.
I'm also a singer.
I'm not a professional, but I do like to sing in church
and, you know, places like juvenile halls.
But this.
This is the best place to sing in New York
and quite possibly the world.
The acoustics are just perfect.
♪♪ Ave ♪♪
♪♪ Maria ♪♪
♪♪ Dominus tecum ♪♪♪♪
Did I miss it?
No. It's about a mile.
I'm not sure if I'm going north or south.
Where is it again?
The guy said it was Midtown. He said you can't miss it.
It has chrome on the front of the hotel.
I think you wanna hang a left...
I'm gonna make a left. and try again.
Do you have a map?
I have a map, but I don't have it in the car.
Oh.
Were you planning to study it later, just academically, or..?
Is it on the way?
Look, guys, I'm gonna get us here.
Nobody's busting your chops.
Yet.
It's just a question of time.
Why don't you pull over and let me drive, Alan.
Because I don't want you to drive.
Now I don't know where I am.
We are very excited to be involved with this project.
And frankly, it's gonna be something of a challenge for me,
personally, anyways, because I'm not a fan of folk music.
Me too!
I couldn't care less about it.
But that really doesn't matter
in the business of public relations
which is what we care about, which is what we do.
It doesn't matter what we think, it matters what you think.
And it matters what we can make you think.
What we can sell to you.
And a product you're gonna love to buy.
That's the way we look at this particular concert.
And if we can't do that, we fake it.
Well, that's also part of public relations.
We're professionals here, you see.
We get ideas that help sell.
We work together very well.
It's almost as like we have one brain
that we share between us.
It's like I'll have an idea,
it will just be a teeny, tiny little spark
and then it will get to Wally and he'll make it a fire.
I don't know about you,
but I'm predicting a lot of exciting
amazing things that happen to the groups.
Like big, like, not just big, but big-time stuff.
Ladies and gentlemen, as deputy mayor,
it gives me no greater pleasure
than to officially declare tomorrow,
Saturday, June 22,
Folk Music Day in the Big Apple.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Your Honor, or Your deputy Honor.
I have two questions.
Number one, do you think New York City is ready to hear
a rebirth of some of the finest folk music
ever created right here in this city?
Yes, I think so!
And my second question is, where's the real mayor?
Wha' happened?
Someone shot the mayor,
they did not shoot the deputy.
Incidentally, the DA's office called.
They can't find any witnesses, so he's in the clear.
Let me say a few words about The New Main Street Singers.
One of the founding members has passed away,
but he's with us tonight anyway!
George Menschell!
Come on up here and say something, George.
How are you? You wanna say something?
No, no.
Come on, say something!
Um, but thank you sincerely, Your Honor
which reminds me,
I was at a swingers party the other night,
and a fella said to me:
"I'd like to meet your wife." I said, "Your honor!"
To paraphrase an old joke: Knock, knock. Who's there?
It's The New Main Street Singers!
Thank you so much.
Thank you. You can take this.
Okay.
Thank you very much. Thank you.
Don't forget to buy the CDs.
Seeing these long lines of fans
who want nothing more than to have you sign an autograph,
it's like it's 1968
or '67, or '66. Uh...
The good years.
It's so wonderful to see the people
that have enjoyed your music all these years.
And there's so many of them.
And they just want to shake your hand and say:
"We dig what you do."
And then there's the kids.
We're hearing, "You rock."
"You rock me." "You rock my world." What--?
I was flashing back to the rush of adrenaline we used to get
arriving at the concert hall
having stagehands saying, "Good show, Mitch."
"Good luck, Mickey, tonight."
And we'd wait backstage, hearing the crowd chanting.
"Mickey, Mickey, Mitch, Mitch!"
Walking out into the spot,
the sound of the crowd cheering,
the decibel level...
For me it was just watching you.
Because I couldn't think about me actually being up there.
Watching you.
I look forward to that, Mitch.
I wonder if it's going to happen tomorrow night.
Oh, yeah.
And I'll be there. We'll see.
I'll be there in the best seat in the house.
I guess you can make money in folk music.
Yeah, I guess you can. Yeah.
It's usually because of acts
like The New Main Street Singers.
That commercial crapola.
Mm-hm.
I'm a model train enthusiast.
Oh, that's great!
I've got a whole layout in my basement.
It's very much a big passion for me.
Yeah, thank God for model trains.
Oh, absolutely.
If they didn't have model train
they wouldn't have gotten the idea for the big trains.
Excuse me. Hi.
Hi, everybody. Just be a second.
Don't want to interrupt. We're having a great time.
I'd like to propose a big, big toast
in honor of...Dad.
He was an amazing and a wonderful, loving father
a fantastic person in general.
And I think anybody who even knew Dad just for a second
knew that he had an amazing hum.
And wherever he went, he would just suddenly break into a hum.
And anybody who heard this hum would just be happy.
And in honor of Dad, I'd like to say...
let's all pause,
let's raise our glasses and let's hum for Dad.
Uhh!
Okay, bring it down. Back up.
Okay, bring it across. Bring it across.
Right on down here. Here, hold it.
So, what do you got? You got vocal?
Vocal, vocal.
Some of them are gonna do this,
some of them are already in there.
They've been assigned directions?
Believe me. We do this every single day.
This is just like clockwork.
- Those are microphones? - Microphone stands.
- They don't have tops on them. - Pardon?
They don't have tops on them.
They'll have tops when we're done, don't worry about it.
We do this every day.
Mic heads.
What would you call them? Would you call them a "mic head,"
- or would it be the "mic"? - It's just called a microphone,
and you will get them. Don't worry about it.
You don't need to write that down.
- We really want them. - You'll have them.
Town Hall. Tonight. Mitch and Mickey at the Town Hall.
Two weeks rehearsal.
That's the way to play Town Hall.
Crazy. New phrasing. Different keys.
But couldn't have happened any other way.
If we'd stayed together, we wouldn't be at Town Hall now.
We'd be lucky to be in Branson,
opening for The Main Street Singers.
Nope.
This was our crazy way of getting here.
Well, I'm feeling very relaxed.
Very confident. Very focused.
You know, 35 years ago, preparing for a concert
meant playing "find the cobra" with a hotel chambermaid.
But tonight, I feel good. I feel excited.
I feel ready for whatever the experience is
that we will take with us after the show.
I'm sure it will be an adventure,
a voyage on this magnificent vessel
into uncharted waters.
What if we see sailfish jumping
and flying across the magnificent orb
of a setting sun?
I think it's impeccable.
It says happiness, it says opening night.
It says, "I love folk music but I'm not afraid of classical."
It's very beautiful.
I'm a little afraid of these pokey things
that are sticking out.
- They're apple blossoms. - Is that what they're called?
These apple blossoms are right at eye height,
and I'm so afraid somebody could come over to sniff, to admire,
and just get an eye poked out. I'd love to clip it off.
If we could get a shape to these things,
that's my basic creative issues.
I have a health and safety issue.
Those viny things down there.
They're a disaster.
They're too low, they're too tangly.
They're just, like, waiting for an elderly person to wheel by
or somebody in a walker,
or with a brace on their leg or something.
You know, a lot of my family is beyond old, and--
Well, you know, I've got a great idea.
Why don't we just get some carnations
and a beer stein and just put them right up here.
I don't see how that would work.
I've adopted the practice
of taking care of my skin.
It's something...
you know, sometimes you get razzed a little bit.
I think Jerry was razzing me
the other day at Alan's house about it.
He caught me in the bathroom
and I did that thing where I put my hands down very quickly
and he said, "Oh, what are you doing there?"
But really Norwegian fishermen
have used hand cream for centuries.
And with that regimen, and it's a very simple one,
I know that when I walk out on-stage tonight,
I will-- My skin
will look its best in front of 2000 people.
That will give me the confidence
that will help me to play my best
and sing my best and be my best
and you can't put a price on that.
Tammy, we all set on the pre-record?
Yeah.
Good, thanks.
You know, I produced a reunion show before.
Before I came to PBN I did the Good Times reunion.
And people said they wanted more close-ups.
I want to make sure we get plenty of close-ups.
I can assure you we have plenty of close-ups scheduled.
Another thing would be great,
would be one of those great shots where you pull back
to see the enormity of the event and the venue.
Would be a crane. Do we have a crane standing by?
I can't remember.
- No, we don't have a crane. - Wow!
You know those kind of swooping shots
where it goes over the audience
and hammers in on a shot of one of the musicians playing?
- That would be great. - It would be.
Or when they pull back, kind of like a California Adventure
ride where you get to see the whole scope of the thing,
that would be very nice too.
It would be.
I could make some calls, if you want, if we could get one.
I don't know if it's too late.
All right, here's your giant banjo.
It's very flat.
Well, it doesn't look flat from in the audience.
It has basically no dimension to it.
Well, it's painted to look three-dimensional.
If you go back there--
But it's not painted on the back.
Can you--? Will you look with me for a minute?
Why would it be--?
From the audience it's going to look perfectly fine.
It looks three-dimensional.
Just go out there and take a peek.
Is this the real furniture or this the rehearsal furniture?
Well, A: it's not called "furniture." It's a set.
And it's painted this way.
It looks completely three-dimensional
from the audience. If you just go out that way, Mr. Steinbloom.
So this is the real furniture, and this is...
Is this an actual street lamp?
I'm sure it was at one time.
Can you have an actual three-dimensional object
that represents the thing that it actually is,
can that be next to something that it's pretending to be?
Yes, it's perfectly fine.
You know, I really don't have time to explain Stagecraft 101.
This show starts in an hour.
Now everything is exactly the way you--
What-- What's that--
Those are lights hanging up there?
Yes, those are lights, and that's a ceiling above us!
- But they look shaky. - No, they're not shaky.
They're perfectly--
Is that wire? I see a wire. I see a-- Ow!
Fellas, thanks a lot for coming and doing this for Dad.
Yeah, honestly, that's so beautiful.
And thank you for the flowers, the little banjo.
Did you like that?
We had to get rid of the lavender
because it attacked my eyes.
Sorry about that.
Listen, the thought was wonderful.
I remember you guys being in the house and...
I remember you were always, Elliott,
you were always trying to get a poker game started.
You were, like, 15 years old
with a deck of cards in your hands.
- Penny stakes. - Yeah.
You guys would always tease me with those card games.
You taught me cards for heaven's sake.
Yeah, we didn't know you were gonna turn into a monster on us.
Mitch.
Hm?
You okay?
Yes.
This flame, like all flames,
represents the light and the darkness.
It also represents
the uncertainty of life and its delicacy.
It also represents a penis.
♪♪ Red, orange, yellow Green, blue ♪♪
♪♪ Indigo, violet ♪♪
Ten seconds to air.
Roll pre-record on my count.
Seven,
six, five, four,
three, two.
Roll A. Fade up on A.
PBN New York is proud to present:
Live from Town Hall, Ode to Irving
an evening of folk music.
Featuring The New Main Street Singers,
The Folksmen and Mitch and Mickey.
And now your host, Mr. Jonathan Steinbloom.
Hello, I'm Jonathan Steinbloom,
and before we begin tonight's celebration
I would like to make a brief announcement.
I'd like to warn you that some of the floral arrangements
at tonight's performance have dangerously low-hanging vines
and may be poisonous, so please, whatever you do,
don't eat them.
And don't become entangled in them or trip, please.
On behalf of the entire Steinbloom family
welcome to Ode to Irving.
Thank you. Thank you.
Please join all of us and give a really warm welcome
to our first group about whom Dad used to say
they were the kind of infectious
that it was good to spread around.
Ladies and gentlemen, The New Main Street Singers.
Woo!
Hi, everybody!
Yeah!
Thank you, New York City, for that very warm welcome.
Gee, I got a question.
Anybody care to hear some folk music?
♪♪ Never did no wandering ♪♪
♪♪ Never did no wandering After all ♪♪♪♪
♪♪ Wandering ♪♪
♪♪ Never did no wandering ♪♪
♪♪ H'yah! ♪♪
♪♪ My mother was The cold north wind ♪♪
♪♪ My daddy was the son Of a railroad man ♪♪
♪♪ From west of hell ♪♪
♪♪ Where the trains Don't even run ♪♪
♪♪ Never heard the whistle Of a lonesome freight ♪♪
♪♪ Or the singing Of its driving wheel ♪♪
♪♪ Oh, I never did no wandering ♪♪
I didn't say a word.
I don't know.
♪♪ Never did no wandering After all ♪♪
♪♪ They say the highway's Just one big road ♪♪
♪♪ And it goes From here to there... ♪♪
You swear to God you didn't talk to Menschell about the set?
You didn't tell him what we were opening with?
I saw you talking to Terry Bohner kid.
Him and his blue sweater.
- I said, "Isn't it warm?" - Nothing about the set.
Well, it's getting warmer now.
I don't think finger-pointing is gonna help us here. I...
I think it's very clear what we do.
What's that?
I'm gonna suggest we be bold.
Yeah, let's hear it.
We open with "Wandering."
Did you miss the last couple of minutes?
They're currently butchering--
Turn it back up. You wanna hear it?
We give the audience a choice.
We say you can enjoy a toothpaste commercial
or hear folk music.
They've brushed their teeth by that time,
it's not even germane.
Here's the thing, you can't have on a bill,
especially a folk bill,
you cannot have two people doing the same song.
That doesn't work. They're just gonna be flat-out confused.
♪♪ Never did no wandering After all ♪♪
Easy now!
♪♪ Never did no wandering ♪♪
♪♪ Never did no wandering After all ♪♪
♪♪ No, I never did no wandering ♪♪
♪♪ After all ♪♪♪♪
Oh, boy. Thank you very much!
That song is so fun to sing.
I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Before we go a little bit further,
we'd like to introduce ourselves.
Hi there, I'm Terry Bohner.
I'm going out for some air.
Are you sure you're okay?
Yes.
♪♪ One night Mama went to fetch Herself a sweet potato ♪♪
♪♪ Fell down The cellar stairs ♪♪
♪♪ Stork dropped in While she was on the floor ♪♪
♪♪ So my sister Was born down there ♪♪
♪♪ Daddy said this one will be Nothing but a Misery ♪♪
♪♪ Never will be worth a damn ♪♪
♪♪ But Mama just loved her Little sweet potato baby ♪♪
♪♪ With a face Like a parboiled yam ♪♪
♪♪ Come on, boys Potato's in the paddy wagon... ♪♪
I know you don't want to hear this, but it's a major key,
it's up-tempo,
we open with "Old Joe's Place."
We go out, we do the song that we're known for,
we get it out of the way.
And then, hey, here's the icing on the cake.
What's the icing?
Well, the icing's the rest of the act.
- That's the cake. - No, that's the dressing.
♪♪ Mom and Daddy put together Quite a little posse ♪♪
♪♪ Counting me and Jack and Cousin Will ♪♪
♪♪ We all hopped into the old Chevy pickup ♪♪
♪♪ And we caught them At the top of the hill ♪♪
♪♪ Daddy took his Remington And shot away the lock ♪♪
♪♪ For to set his little darling free ♪♪
♪♪ But Potato said ♪♪
♪♪ Daddy, shut the goldarn door Sheriff wants to marry me ♪♪
♪♪ Let's go, boys Potato's in the paddy wagon ♪♪
♪♪ Guess we better Leave her there ♪♪
♪♪ Let's go, boys Potato's in the paddy wagon ♪♪
♪♪ Mama says it's more than fair Mama says it's more than fair ♪♪
♪♪ Mama says it's more ♪♪
♪♪ Than fair ♪♪♪♪
Ladies and gentlemen, The New Main Street Singers.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have been watching and observing
as The New Main Street Singers and other groups appear...
Boy, that's fun! That's really fun, man. How did we sound?
We weren't really listening. We were downstairs.
I couldn't hear so well, but, shoot, I'm sorry you guys--
Shh. I've got to hear.
And now, please join me in welcoming
our next three talented performers.
Taken alone they are merely Jerry Palter
Alan Barrows and Mark Shubb.
But when you put them all together
they spell "absolutely fantastic."
Ladies and gentlemen, The Folksmen!
Thank you. Yeah, it's really us.
Wow. The waiting is over.
Long time no see.
Can't tell you.
Great to be back. We'd like to do our hit.
You might remember it, we hope you do.
♪♪ Whenever I'm out wandering Chasing a rainbow dream ♪♪
♪♪ I often stop and think About a place I've never seen ♪♪
♪♪ Where friendly folks Can gather ♪♪
♪♪ And raise The rafters high... ♪♪
- Hey. - Hey, pretty lady!
- You guys were great. - Wonderful crowd.
Have you seen Mitch?
No.
Okay.
Mitch?
Pick it!
That's nice.
♪♪ Well, there's a puppy In the parlor ♪♪
♪♪ And a skillet on the stove ♪♪
♪♪ And a smelly old blanket That a Navajo wove ♪♪
♪♪ There's popcorn in the popper And a porker in the pot ♪♪
♪♪ There's pie in the pantry And the coffee's always hot ♪♪
♪♪ Just look for the busted Neon sign that flashes ♪♪
♪♪ Ea-a-oe's ♪♪
♪♪ Well, there's a puppy In the parlor ♪♪
♪♪ And a skillet on the stove ♪♪
♪♪ And a smelly old blanket That a Navajo wove ♪♪
♪♪ There's popcorn in the popper And a porker in the pot ♪♪
♪♪ There's pie in the pantry And the coffee's always hot ♪♪
♪♪ There's sausage in the morning And a party every night ♪♪
♪♪ There's a nurse on duty If you don't feel right ♪♪
♪♪ There's chicken on the table But you gotta say grace ♪♪
Whew!
♪♪ There's always Something cooking ♪♪
♪♪ At Old Joe's Place ♪♪♪♪
Thank you!
Thank you so much! Thank you.
Thank you very much. Very nice of you.
What a great crowd.
I think this crowd who might want to join us
in a little audience participation.
What do you think?
We're not gonna be working up here by ourselves!
First time through, you can relax.
Second time through, we're gonna put you to work.
Start off with Mr. Alan Barrows on the 5-string banjo.
What?!
♪♪ Every morning at 5:00 The farmer jumps out of bed ♪♪
♪♪ Washes up, he ties his shoes Puts his hat upon his head ♪♪
So far, so good.
Ready, two. Two.
Ready, three, wide. Three.
Oh, my God. Mitch is gone. He's just, he's gone.
Mitch is gone. Oh, my God.
Without Mitch, we got gornisht. We have nothing.
Well, we're gonna go find him.
Yeah, we're gonna need some chickens. We got any chickens?
How about this aisle? Beyond this aisle.
Just beyond the man with the big shirt.
I want you to be my chickens.
I want to hear your best chicken sound right now.
Pretty good. That's the ticket. You got it.
Now we want to hear from our horse people.
This section right here. Not people with a sore throat,
people who can do a pretty believable neigh! Let's hear it.
We're gonna put a saddle on you folks. Not really.
Does he have a cell phone or a pager or anything?
He's wandering. He likes to wander.
They go on in a couple of minutes!
He got a little nervous.
I don't need this tsuris in my life.
I'm sure it's fine. Let's calm down.
Is there a cockfight arena near here?
She's joking, right?
Well, at least he's not lying on the ground or anything.
Why didn't someone go out with him?
What?
Can she do these songs solo?
Look, it's not my fault.
♪♪ And the chickens cluck ♪♪
Cluck, cluck, cluck!
♪♪ The horses neigh ♪♪
Neigh!
♪♪ Crickets go fiddle-dee-dee ♪♪
Fiddle-dee-dee!
Yes, they do. ♪♪ And the bullfrogs croak ♪♪
Croak, croak!
♪♪ The pigs oink, oink ♪♪
Oink, oink!
♪♪ It's a barnyard symphony ♪♪♪♪
Thank you so much. Excellent.
Give yourselves a big hand.
Give yourselves a big pat on the back.
Thank you very, very much for coming.
Thank you, Irv. Thanks for the good seats.
We are The Folksmen.
We hope you've had a wonderful time tonight.
Thank you, again.
Thank you. Good night.
We gotta give them more. We have to give them more.
Thank you for having us back.
We have a song we'd like to do called
"The Skeletons of Quinto."
We don't often do encores, and this is why.
It has to do with a time that I often think about
when this time of year rolls around.
A time of conflict, unfortunately and bloodshed.
The Spanish Civil War.
But our group historian, Mr. Mark Shubb,
certainly knows more about that than I do.
Thank you very much, Alan.
In the late 1930s of the last century,
Spain was wracked by civil war.
What are you doing?
Mitch could be lying face down in a ditch!
Would you consider doing both parts?
No. I'd consider going home
bake a nice tray of Nanaimo bars,
lie in bed, watch TV.
That's what I like doing!
Oh, my-- Mitch, where the hell were you?
Are we on?
You've been on for five minutes.
It's too late, Mitch. I forgot what a selfish--
It just took me a while to find a good one.
That is nice. It's nice.
Okay.
In the late summer, early fall of 1938
so the story goes behind this particular song
in the green hills just outside the city of Bar--
Good night, everybody!
Good night. Thank you very much.
They're called The Folksmen, but after tonight's performance
I think we're all going to have to call them "The Spokesmen"
because they sing beautifully
and they tell a fascinating story.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, I have two words for you:
Mitch and Mickey.
We love you!
Thank you.
Thank you so much for letting Mitch and I do this again.
It does not seem like just yesterday that Mitch and I met
and started making music together.
I don't know if any of you know or would even remember
that Mitch and I met in the hospital.
Mitch was there with his jaw wired shut
after defending the honor of a girl he didn't even know.
Me.
And I, of course, was there to visit. I felt really bad.
And the only way that Mitch could communicate with me
was on paper.
Every word of it poetry. And if you don't mind, Mitch,
I have the very first poem
that you wrote me.
Parched in exile Thirsty for your smile.
Though silenced behind This barbed-wire mask
Your spirit burns through That I might bask
In your cool, misty loveliness.
I just wanted a drink of water.
♪♪ Oh, when the veil Of dreams has lifted ♪♪
♪♪ And the fairy tales have All been told ♪♪
♪♪ There's a kiss at the end Of the rainbow ♪♪
I know this song. This is that really pretty one.
With the kiss. Turn it up a little bit.
Remember? Yeah. Where they used to.
Yeah.
Wonder how they're gonna handle that.
Five dollars says they do it.
♪♪ And a kiss is The oath that they swear ♪♪
♪♪ And when the veil Of dreams has lifted ♪♪
♪♪ And the fairy tales have All been told ♪♪
♪♪ There's a kiss at the end Of the rainbow ♪♪
♪♪ More precious ♪♪
♪♪ Than a pot of gold ♪♪
♪♪ My sweet, my dear My darling ♪♪
♪♪ You're so far away ♪♪
♪♪ From me ♪♪
♪♪ Though an ocean of tears Divides us ♪♪
♪♪ Let the bridge of our love span the sea ♪♪
Ready two. Two.
♪♪ Your kiss ♪♪
♪♪ There's a kiss at the end Of the rainbow ♪♪
♪♪ More precious than a pot of ♪♪
♪♪ Gold ♪♪♪♪
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Are you okay?
Excuse me, sir. Sorry. Sorry.
Hi, everybody!
Good to be back!
Thank you.
Thank you again.
We're back!
"Mighty Wind." "Mighty Wind" in C.
One in C. Here we go.
One, two, three.
♪♪ As I traveled down The back roads ♪♪
♪♪ Of this home I love so much ♪♪
♪♪ Every carpenter and cowboy Every lame man on a crutch ♪♪
♪♪ They're all talking About a feeling ♪♪
♪♪ About a taste That's in the air ♪♪
♪♪ They're all talking About this mighty wind ♪♪
♪♪ That's blowing everywhere ♪♪
♪♪ Oh, a mighty wind's a-blowing It's kicking up the sand ♪♪
♪♪ It's blowing out a message To every woman, child and man ♪♪
♪♪ Yes A mighty wind's a-blowing ♪♪
♪♪ Cross the land And cross the sea ♪♪
♪♪ It's blowing peace and freedom It's blowing equality ♪♪
♪♪ From a lighthouse In Bar Harbor ♪♪
♪♪ To a bridge Called Golden Gate ♪♪
♪♪ From a trawler down In Shreveport ♪♪
♪♪ To the shore Of one Great Lake ♪♪
♪♪ There's a star on the horizon And it's burning like a flare ♪♪
♪♪ It's lighting up This mighty wind ♪♪
♪♪ That's blowing everywhere ♪♪
♪♪ Oh, a mighty wind's a-blowing It's kicking up the sand ♪♪
♪♪ It's blowing out a message To every woman, child and man ♪♪
♪♪ Yes A mighty wind's a-blowing ♪♪
♪♪ Cross the land And cross the sea ♪♪
♪♪ It's blowing peace and freedom It's blowing equality ♪♪
♪♪ When the blind man Sees the picture ♪♪
♪♪ When the deaf man Hears the word ♪♪
♪♪ When the fisherman Stops fishing ♪♪
♪♪ When the hunter Spares the herd ♪♪
♪♪ We'll still hear The wondrous story ♪♪
♪♪ Of a world where people care ♪♪
♪♪ The story of this mighty wind That's blowing everywhere ♪♪
♪♪ Oh, a mighty wind's a-blowing It's kicking up the sand ♪♪
♪♪ It's blowing out a message To every woman, child and man ♪♪
♪♪ Yes A mighty wind's a-blowing ♪♪
♪♪ Cross the land And cross the sea ♪♪
♪♪ It's blowing peace and freedom It's blowing equality ♪♪
♪♪ Yes, it's blowing peace And freedom ♪♪
♪♪ It's blowing you and me ♪♪♪♪
So the morning after the big show at Town Hall
the TV network executives
were crawling out of the woodwork
trying to get The New Main Street Singers into a TV series.
We took some very nice meetings. I ran over my ideas.
They loved my idea where the kids played babies.
You know, in diapers. And...
It always makes me laugh to see babies talk like adults.
The network execs said, "Look, we're not sitting
"in judgment of your ideas.
We love the kids, we wanna put them on a series."
And the word "judgment," a light went on over my head!
I always thought there were 12 Supreme Court judges
but now it seems there are only nine.
I don't know if it's a budget thing or not.
But there's also nine New Main Street Singers.
And I thought,
"What if they were the Supreme Court judges?"
And it was my idea to call them "The Supreme Folk."
Tying in the folk singing.
And here's the idea. During the day,
they're handling some of the top,
most difficult cases in the land.
There's a lot of tension there.
And at night, and this is what sold the networks
they live in one big house and they take off their robes
and sing folk songs.
Now, maybe during the day they hear death penalty cases,
and at night they argue about who cooks dinner or who does
the laundry or, "Say, why don't the ladies bring the coffee?"
"And that's sexual harassment!
That was decided in case 126, Johnson vs.--"
Oh, I like that. The women, sexual discrimination.
I'm not doing much writing, but the ideas keep popping.
♪♪ Piston or bulb syringe ♪♪
♪♪ Won't make Your patients cringe ♪♪
♪♪ Sure-Flo, Sure-Flo ♪♪
♪♪ Don't leave them Cold and damp ♪♪
♪♪ Use our buttocks drapes And penis clamp ♪♪
♪♪ Sure-Flo, Sure-Flo... ♪♪
I'm a musician again.
Being on-stage again with Mitch was a great thing.
Oh, boy. I never thought it was possible.
And there we were.
Just wish he didn't take things so seriously.
You know. That damn kiss.
My sister-- Well, they were all at the show,
but my sister Jocelyn said:
"You led him on. You shouldn't have kissed him
if you didn't wanna go all the way."
It was just a kiss. And it's part of--
The audience was there waiting for it.
And I forgot what that feels like
where you get caught up in the heat of the moment
and you just, you know, you want to give them
anything they want.
I think Mitch...
I didn't lead him on. But he...
took it the wrong way, I think.
I've never been in better head space.
I'm writing poetry again.
I'm going through a very prolific phase.
Ideas are coming faster than I can write them.
My one fear in getting together with Mickey was
always that it might rekindle...
feelings that she used to have for me.
I feel badly that she was misled
by the theatrics of the moment.
But I think it was a wonderful time
that we both had together.
I know that I will always think of her fondly
every time I see a rose.
Things have been really going well.
We've got some gigs here working at the casinos.
It has been a time of changes,
but change is good. Change is life.
It was like a great big door opening for me, Town Hall.
After that concert I realized
I wanna spend as much of the rest of my life
as possible playing folk music with these gentlemen.
Right back at you.
And I wanna spend all of it as a woman.
I came to a realization that I was,
and am a blond, female folk singer
trapped in the body of a bald, male folk singer
and I had to let me out or I would die.
When you put it that way, it's almost poetry.
Almost.
♪♪ Now they don't allow No frowns inside ♪♪
♪♪ Leave them by the door ♪♪
♪♪ There's apple brandy By the keg ♪♪
♪♪ And sawdust on the floor ♪♪
♪♪ So if you've got a hankering I'll tell you where to go ♪♪
♪♪ Just look for the busted Neon sign that flashes ♪♪
♪♪ Ea-a-oe's ♪♪
♪♪ Well, there's a puppy In the parlor ♪♪
♪♪ And a skillet on the stove ♪♪
♪♪ And a smelly old blanket That a Navajo wove ♪♪
♪♪ There's popcorn in the popper And a porker in the pot ♪♪
♪♪ There's pie in the pantry And the coffee's always hot ♪♪
♪♪ There's sausage in the morning And a party every night ♪♪
♪♪ There's a nurse on duty If you don't feel right ♪♪
♪♪ There's chicken on the table But you gotta say grace ♪♪
Whew.
♪♪ There's always Something cooking ♪♪
♪♪ At Old Joe's Place ♪♪♪♪
Yeah!
♪♪ When I'm standing Next to you ♪♪
♪♪ There's a song To sing ♪♪
♪♪ I know everything's ♪♪
♪♪ Feeling right ♪♪
♪♪ When I'm standing
♪♪ Next to you ♪♪
♪♪ Steeple bells ring ♪♪
♪♪ Only good things do I see ♪♪
♪♪ When you're next to me ♪♪
♪♪ When I hold your hand In mine ♪♪
♪♪ Different world waits A new morning breaks ♪♪
♪♪ With the sun ♪♪
♪♪ When I hold Your hand in mine ♪♪
♪♪ Children's wreaths Take flight ♪♪
♪♪ Through a star-lit night ♪♪
♪♪ That's what I see When you're next to me ♪♪
♪♪ This love for you I'm feeling Has a power that is healing ♪♪
♪♪ It can mend the darkest hour With glorious light ♪♪
♪♪ When I taste Your lips so sweet ♪♪
♪♪ I see beggars die in the sands Of time up in stuff ♪♪
♪♪ When I taste your lips So sweet ♪♪
♪♪ Black and white bend Every dark blends at your feet ♪♪
♪♪ When you're next to me ♪♪
♪♪ This love for you I'm feeling ♪♪
♪♪ Has a power that is healing ♪♪
♪♪ It can mend the darkest hour ♪♪
♪♪ With glorious light ♪♪
♪♪ When I'm lying next to you ♪♪
♪♪ I feel moonbeams burn I see rainbows turn into gold ♪♪
♪♪ When I'm lying next to you I hear angels play ♪♪
♪♪ I see sweeter days I see rivers wind ♪♪
♪♪ Through the end of time I see hatred ♪♪
♪♪ Fall from the highest hill I see God's good grace ♪♪
♪♪ Shining in ♪♪
♪♪ Your eyes ♪♪
♪♪ That's what I see ♪♪
♪♪ When you're next to me ♪♪♪♪
♪♪ Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪♪
♪♪ Now God said to Noah "I don't want no sinnin"' ♪♪
♪♪ Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪♪
♪♪ I been tellin' ya' this Since in the beginning ♪♪
♪♪ Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪♪
♪♪ You gotta round up your sons And all of their women ♪♪
♪♪ Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪♪
♪♪ Because you're going on A big boat ride ♪♪
♪♪ Now gather all the animals By the pair ♪♪
♪♪ Build a big ship About a million square ♪♪
♪♪ And put all the animals Right in there ♪♪
♪♪ And sail away on the tide ♪♪
♪♪ But what if Noah had just said "No, son." ♪♪
♪♪ Well, we'd all have fins And scaly skins ♪♪
♪♪ We'd breath through gills Instead of nostrils ♪♪
♪♪ And we'd eat fish food Instead of vitamin pills ♪♪
♪♪ It's scary but it's true ♪♪
♪♪ So do what the Good Book ♪♪
♪♪ Do what the Good Book Do what the Good Book ♪♪
♪♪ Do what the Good Book Tells you to ♪♪
♪♪ Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪♪
♪♪ Now God said to David "Do you hear that drummin'?" ♪♪
♪♪ Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪♪
♪♪ You got a great Big Philistine ♪♪
♪♪ Army coming ♪♪
♪♪ Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪♪
♪♪ You want to oil up your sling And really get it hummin' ♪♪
♪♪ Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪♪
♪♪ Because you gotta take The big guy down ♪♪
♪♪ Well, I take it He got a dose of fright ♪♪
♪♪ But he wanted to be King Of the Israelites ♪♪
♪♪ So he put old Goliath Right in his sights ♪♪
♪♪ And he bounced one off Of his crown ♪♪
♪♪ But what if David Had whined and waved ♪♪
♪♪ We'd live like slaves To Philistine knaves ♪♪
♪♪ Our bosses wood all be Thirty feet tall ♪♪
♪♪ We'd wash their clothes With a firehose ♪♪
♪♪ And sleep in the cracks Between their toes ♪♪
Oh, I don't like that at all.
Well, that's not very nice.
♪♪ It's scary but it's true ♪♪
♪♪ And if I were you ♪♪
♪♪ I do what the Good Book Do what the Good Book ♪♪
♪♪ Do what the Good Book Tells me to ♪♪
♪♪ Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪♪
♪♪ Do what the Good Book Tells me to ♪♪
♪♪ Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪♪
♪♪ Do what the Good Book Tells me to ♪♪♪♪