Sad, but true. The Godfather of Soul, IronMan, the Hardest Working Man 
in Show Business, and arguably the most famous resident of the greater Augusta, Georgia area has passed on. The photo below is an old favorite by my friend Blake Madden taken at one of the annual Birthday Bashes from his days at the Chronicle. James was a regular fixture around town in the years I worked for the Augusta Chronicle, and we were forever covering his antics and benevolent activities, or running into him at some dive bar on Broad Street. I remember a story by one of the ‘old time’ shooters who told tales of tromping through the woods alone with James, their only company the shotgun in the Godfather’s hands shortly after his release from prison. I will always remember catching one of his legendary birthday bashes at the local Bell Auditorium (now named for James Brown, and the likely location of his ‘homecoming’ event this weekend) – where various grade-B celebs from around the world would join the crowd to groove to guest artists, and ultimately, several numbers by the still-amazing master himself – even in his late 60s. He could dance and sing like a man in his 20s, keeping pace with the likes of MC Hammer and others. From annual Toy and Turkey giveaways for the holidays, to the bizzarre story of his wife’s OD after plastic surgery, James Brown was certainly an entertaining figure – in all sense of the term. Watch this video of James at his best – sometime in the 60s where he belts out an amazing improvisational accompaniment to Maceo Parker’s sax solo. And visit the extensive coverage online by the Chronicle.
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Spice Market
Back in NYC for business this week. I obviously miss Amy and the little man tremendously, but do enjoy the chance to enjoy some good food here in the big apple. Headed to Jean Georges Vongerichten’s Spice Market last night with a vendor after a late meeting around 6:30pm. The place is in the recently-trendy Meat Packing District. Surprisingly, the hostess showed zero ‘tude and seated our party of three immediately, albeit in the slightly less posh downstairs.
I happened to think the design of the place was pretty spiffy – it really reminded me of an exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum I saw a few years ago of a home moved there from China which dated back to 1800, and had been occupied for over 200 years, with the added bonus of good drinks and better food – and the prices are not unreasonable for a fun night out. And the food was great – including at least one dish I’ll remember for a long time to come. Read on after the jump for more about the food…
Continue reading Spice Market
What a mensch
Every day Amy and I keep saying that we must catch up and report on Mr. Sam’s latest tricks. About two weeks ago, he floored us both by beginning to string words together into simple sentences. I realize that doesn’t sound earth shattering, but to hear him say ‘Pick me up’ or ‘More Cat Hat’ is both cute and amazing to his doting parent. He’s gone on to basically stop using his sign language over the last month. Sometimes it’s a game to ask him what he wants – followed by the cutest ‘ohhhh kaayyyy’ with a beautiful smile that spreads across his face. He’s also gone on to name all his favorite songs (esp. all the tracks on Philadelphia Chickens). And he has his own names for his favorite books – ‘Pants’ for a quirky British picture book about underpants, ‘Peak-book’ for his peek-a-boo baby book, and of course ‘Cat Hat’ for – well you get the idea. There are more miscellaneous photos of his cuteness from various moments in early December here.
At right, you can see Sam engaging in his latest fave activity
– watching a cute Cat in the Hat game/animation I picked up at the Lenox Apple Store. In fact, every time he sees daddy with his MacBookPro, he inevitably asks for ‘Cat Hat!’
I must also report one unfortunate incident that probably bothered Dad more than Sam. As we often do, Amy put Sam in the shower with me on Sunday morning. I was rushed to get ready that afternoon to leave for NY, and absentmindedly set my razor on the shower bench. Normally, Sam doesn’t pay any attention to anything there, but in 5 seconds flat, he’d grabbed it while my back was turned and cut himself. He had never bled before, and it was obvious that he was both frightened and in some pain. It hurt so much to see it, and I of course felt responsible for it. Amy had of course planned ahead for this, and the Sesame Street Band-Aids came to the rescue, with Cookie Monster, Bert and Grover all there to comfort him. He kept repeating the words ‘boo-boo’ over and over again, even after he’d taken a nap. All is well now, although Sam’s first boo-boo will live with us all for a while.
Tis the Season…for Parties
In what’s become an annual tradition, Stephen hosted the gang at his midtown condo for soup, cocktails and a round of ‘Dirty Santa.’ Sam joined the party, and hung in there with all the grownups until far past his bedtime. Click her for the photo gallery.