A Decade Of Silence

[♥ COVID-19♥]

This coming Wednesday, we will mark the 1st decade anniversary of two somewhat significant events of modern pop culture:

1. The final episode of "Seinfeld" aired
2. Frank Sinatra died

Yep, believe it or not, both occurred on the same day and both occurred ten years ago. I have not forgotten either, but I especially have not forgotten Sinatra's death -- his music has always spoken to me, perhaps more in the past decade than ever before.

The year he died, another significant milestone occurred in my life: I turned 40. Sinatra died 5 months before my birthday, but still, his death seemed to do something special for me -- turning 40 seemed to imbue me with a kind of wisdom ... his passing handing me a key that would unlock not only the lyrics to his songs, but his very personal interpretation of them, as well.

In 2008, he will have been passed on for a decade and I will be turning 50. Although he was from Hoboken, NJ, the mostly Italian Brooklyn neighborhood in which I live treats him as though he was a kid from just down the block. This weekend, I noticed signs in some of the store windows announcing that I was not the only one who would be remembering this anniversary:

I took a stroll over to the store identified by the address and saw the same sign in the door. The proprietor and his wife welcomed me inside.

"You a Sinatra fan?", he asked.

"Better believe it!", I replied, "I saw your sign and it made me curious ... "

"Yeah, well, we got a party goin' on here all day in his honor. You comin'?"

"Well, I gotta work Wednesday ... ", I said.

"We'll be goin' on well into the night. Stop by after ya get home!", he offered, adding, "By the way -- got any Sinatra CD's?"

"Of course!", I responded, almost insulted ...

"Reason I ask is 'cuz we're gonna play Sinatra music all day, but we only got a few CD's. If you got any, maybe you could bring 'em ... ?"

"Absolutely! I'll put a few together and drop 'em off for ya!"

"Say, you just move to the neighborhood?", he asked, scrutinizing me carefully.

"Been here 19 years!", I said with pride.

"Ha!", he said, looking knowingly at his wife, "We been here 70 years!"

"Well, I can't top that! See you soon -- with the CD's!", I said, wandering out of the store.

I have 3 discs I'll be leaving them with. I hope I'll make the party...

[New Mama]

WOW, that's something. I too am a huge Sinatra fan. Funny thing is that yesterday I put his CD in my car player thinking I haven't played him in ages. Ages meaning maybe 5 months. I doubt I'll ch-ch-change it till next week now. I've been singing 'The Lady is A Tramp' in my head all day.

OTOH, I've never even watched a 'Seinfeld' show.

[♥ COVID-19♥]

The coincidence with Seinfeld-Sinatra extends to Sinatra's family as well. Nancy Sinatra tells the story that on the night her father died, she was at home watching the final Seinfeld episode when she got the urgent call to come to the hospital (supposedly, she was a big Seinfeld fan). As a result, she missed the final episode (although I'm sure she's somehow managed to catch up on it by now).

Barbara Marx, Sinatra's wife of 20 + years at the time of his death, supposedly waited until Sinatra was just about gone before contacting the children to come to the hospital; by the time they all arrived, he had been dead for quite some time. Always having a strained relationship with the Sinatra children (which exists to this very day), this was believed to be her way of denying them the opportunity to say a final good-bye to daddy.

[Ardbeg... innit]

Beeb, I have to assume you have had the Sinatra channel on your Sirius today for their tribute

[♥ COVID-19♥]

Listening to Jr.'s "As I Remember It" while I'm typing this.