Acoustic Alternatives
Atonement, Pho Lucky, Rolling Stones, Shohei Ohtani, Holy Helipad!
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. This week’s issue features Patreon performers, an acclaimed novelist, Bánh Mì near me, an octogenarian singer, a baseball unicorn, and a circular place to land. I hope you enjoy the picks and pics.
Fave Five 43: Acoustic Alternatives. Childhood and Class (Atonement), Vietnamese Victuals (Pho Lucky), Strutting Singer (Rolling Stones), Awesome Angel (Shohei Ohtani), and a Holy Helipad.
Fave Five List: Patreon Performers
Patreon powers membership businesses for creators by giving them the tools they need to acquire, manage, and energize their paying patrons. With a subscription-style payment model, fans pay their favorite creators a monthly amount of their choice in exchange for exclusive access, extra content, or a closer look into their creative journey. This model is a win-win; creators retain creative freedom while getting income they need, and fans get to rest easy knowing that their money goes directly towards creating more of what they love.
I encouraged my friend John Bommarito to start a Patreon page for Acoustic Alternatives, his podcast and playlists. He did, and I signed up at the “Somewhere in the Middle” level ($5 per month). You can also choose “Simple Love” ($3) or “Bad Habit” ($10). John named the three levels for songs by Liz Longley, a previous performer at Garfield House Concerts. I encourage you to follow my lead and support him as well. For the price of one cup of coffee per month you can help keep his podcast going. Read more about it in John’s blog.
Five Favorite Patreon Performers
John Bommarito - great supporter of Garfield House Concerts
Ari Hest - performed in our home on March 6, 2011
Mark Erelli - performed in our home on May 8, 2010
Jake Armerding - performed in our home on November 20, 2003 and October 24, 2004
Iona Fyfe - will perform in our home on August 11, 2023
Honorable Mention: May Erlewine - performed in our home on August 12, 2022
Book Best Bet
My sister Joan told me about this author. In addition to Atonement (2001), I have also read Saturday (2005), Sweet Tooth (2012), and The Children Act (2014). I recommend them all.
From Goodreads: Ian McEwan’s symphonic novel of love and war, childhood and class, guilt and forgiveness provides all the satisfaction of a brilliant narrative and the provocation we have come to expect from this master of English prose.
On a hot summer day in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses the flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant. But Briony’s incomplete grasp of adult motives and her precocious imagination bring about a crime that will change all their lives, a crime whose repercussions Atonement follows through the chaos and carnage of World War II and into the close of the twentieth century.
From Wikipedia: Atonement is a 2001 British metafictional novel written by Ian McEwan. Set in three time periods, 1935 England, Second World War England and France, and present-day England, it covers an upper-class girl's half-innocent mistake that ruins lives, her adulthood in the shadow of that mistake, and a reflection on the nature of writing.
Widely regarded as one of McEwan's best works, it was shortlisted for the 2001 Booker Prize for fiction. In 2010, Time magazine named Atonement in its list of the 100 greatest English-language novels since 1923.
In 2007, the book was adapted into a BAFTA and Academy Award-winning film of the same title, starring Saoirse Ronan, James McAvoy, and Keira Knightley, and directed by Joe Wright.
Ian McEwan
From Wikipedia: Ian Russell McEwan CH CBE FRSA FRSL (born June 21, 1948) is an English novelist and screenwriter. In 2008, The Times featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and The Daily Telegraph ranked him number 19 in its list of the "100 most powerful people in British culture".
McEwan began his career writing sparse, Gothic short stories. His first two novels, The Cement Garden (1978) and The Comfort of Strangers (1981), earned him the nickname "Ian Macabre". These were followed by three novels of some success in the 1980s and early 1990s. His novel Enduring Love was adapted into a film of the same name. He won the Booker Prize with Amsterdam (1998). His next novel, Atonement, garnered acclaim. His later novels have included The Children Act, Nutshell, and Machines Like Me. He was awarded the 1999 Shakespeare Prize, and the 2011 Jerusalem Prize.
Restaurant Recommendation
Pho Lucky 39777 Grand River Avenue, Novi, MI 48375
I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, which I seldom do, and I came across this post:
It's the Bánh Mì season! We are excited to announce that Bánh Mì is now available at our Novi Location.
I had been hoping for some time that I could get this sandwich without having to drive to Madison Heights or Ypsilanti. Barb and I headed to nearby Novi, and we each had a Bánh Mì sandwich and shared a bowl of phở.
Both the sandwich and the Phở Tái, Chín, Bò Viên (noodle soup with rare eye round steak, cooked beef and meat balls) were delicious. And the prices were right ($5.75 and $11.95 respectively).
From the restaurant: Pho Lucky focused mainly in providing Vietnamese favorite dish, a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually served with beef. The soup includes noodles made from rice flour and is often served with Asian basil, cilantro, chopped green onion, lime juice, and bean sprouts that are added to the soup by the person who is dining.
Marvelous Musicians
Mick Jagger turned 80 on Wednesday. I heard "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" on the radio a lot in 1965, and my sister Joan had the compilation LP Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass), but I didn't become a Stones fan until 1967 when "Ruby Tuesday" came out. I then returned to their earlier hits and continued to enjoy their music through the late 60s, 70s, and early 80s.
From Wikipedia: The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pioneered the gritty, rhythmically driven sound that came to define hard rock. During their formative years, Jones was the primary leader: he assembled the band, named it, and drove their sound and image. After Andrew Loog Oldham became the group's manager in 1963, he encouraged them to write their own songs. Jagger and Richards became the primary creative force behind the band, alienating Jones, who had developed a drug addiction that interfered with his ability to contribute meaningfully.
Rooted in blues and early rock and roll, the Rolling Stones started out playing covers and were at the forefront of the British Invasion in 1964, becoming identified with the youthful and rebellious counterculture of the 1960s. They then found greater success with their own material, as "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1965), "Get Off of My Cloud" (1965), and "Paint It Black" (1966) became international number-one hits. Aftermath (1966) – their first entirely original album – is often considered to be the most important of their formative records. In 1967, they had the double-sided hit "Ruby Tuesday"/"Let's Spend the Night Together" and experimented with psychedelic rock on Their Satanic Majesties Request. They returned to their rhythm and blues roots with hit songs such as "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1968) and "Honky Tonk Women" (1969), and albums such as Beggars Banquet (1968), featuring "Sympathy for the Devil", and Let It Bleed (1969), featuring "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Gimme Shelter".
Jones left the band shortly before his death in 1969, having been replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor. That year they were first introduced on stage as "The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World". Sticky Fingers (1971), which yielded "Brown Sugar" and included the first usage of their tongue and lips logo, was their first of eight consecutive number-one studio albums in the US. Exile on Main St. (1972), featuring "Tumbling Dice", and Goats Head Soup (1973), featuring "Angie", were also best sellers. Taylor was replaced by Ronnie Wood in 1974. The band released Some Girls (1978), featuring "Miss You", and Tattoo You (1981), featuring "Start Me Up". Steel Wheels (1989) was widely considered a comeback album and was followed by Voodoo Lounge (1994). Both releases were promoted by large stadium and arena tours, as the Stones continued to be a huge concert attraction; by 2007 they had recorded the all-time highest-grossing concert tour three times, and as recently as 2021 they were the highest-earning live act of the year. From Wyman's departure in 1993 to Watts's death in 2021, the band continued as a four-piece core, with Darryl Jones playing bass on tour and on most studio recordings, while Steve Jordan became their touring drummer following Watts' death. Their 2016 album, Blue & Lonesome, became their twelfth UK number-one album.
The Rolling Stones' estimated record sales of 200 million make them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The band has won three Grammy Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. Billboard magazine and Rolling Stone have ranked the band as one of the greatest of all time.
Their first stable line-up consisted of vocalist Mick Jagger, multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones, guitarist Keith Richards, bassist Bill Wyman, and drummer Charlie Watts. Ian Stewart (piano) was also a founding member.
Lewis Brian Hopkins Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969)
Michael Philip Jagger KB (born 26 July 1943)
Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943)
Bill Wyman (born William George Perks Jr. on 24 October 1936)
Charles Robert Watts (2 June 1941 – 24 August 2021)
Ian Andrew Robert Stewart (18 July 1938 – 12 December 1985)
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
Ruby Tuesday
Gimme Shelter
My Playlist
Sports Star
I was a guest of John Bommarito at the game on Tuesday where Ohtani walked twice and scored two runs in a 7-6, 10-inning Los Angels Angels win over my Detroit Tigers. The next day, the Angels announced they would not be trading him at the trade deadline. And the following day he pitched the first complete game of his career in the first game and hit two homers in the second game of a doubleheader sweep of the Tigers.
He is clearly the best player in baseball. Look at these stats as of today. He is the only hitter with an OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging) percentage over 1.000 and he has hit 39 homers with 60 games left in the season.
“Greatest day of baseball”: Angels' Ohtani hits two homers in Game 2 to sweep Tigers by Ted Kulfan
Shohei Ohtani finished putting on a memorable and jaw-dropping day in the nightcap of Thursday's doubleheader against the Tigers. After pitching a dominant one-hit shutout in the opening game, Ohtani's first-ever shutout and complete game, the Los Angeles Angels star hit two long home runs as the Angels completed the sweep with an 11-4 victory.
And, again, it was Ohtani who was in the middle of most of the Angels' highlights. Ohtani blasted a 383-foot drive to the left-field grandstand in the second inning off starting pitcher Matt Manning, then made jaws drop with a 435-foot bomb (with 116.9 mph exit velocity) to right-center in the fourth inning, his league-leading 37th and 38th home runs. This, don't forget, after pitching a shutout in a 6-0 win.
From Wikipedia: Shohei Ohtani (born July 5, 1994), nicknamed "Shotime", is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher, designated hitter and outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) Pacific League. Widely acclaimed for his skill in both pitching and batting, he has been compared to two-way players such as Babe Ruth and Bullet Rogan, although such comparisons draw debate given the difference in era and overall ability of modern players.
Awards and Honors
2018: American League Rookie of the Year
2021: American League MVP
3-time All-Star (2021, 2022, 2023)
Picture Pun
Our new helipad is installed, so all we need now is a helicopter.
