My father taught that "There's nothing new under the sun"and Dylan recently said that after listening to folk songs repeatedly as a young man that "They gave me the code for everything that's fair game and that everything belongs to everyone". So, based upon the above oracles I conclude that creativity is inspired by what we experience, take in, di …
Last week we visited Cuba for 6 days. It was my first visit, but back in the day my Damon Runyon character dad was a frequent gambling visitor to Havana and was on the last flight out in the final moments of Castro's revolution. At the outset it was a trying experience as the plane was hours late and when we were all finally on the plane the crew …
My sister asked me if I could time travel in my present state would I like to go backward or forward. She chose going forward and said if things were not good at that future time she would "off" herself. I would chose going back to the 1950s. It's a classic case of if I knew then what I know now. I imagine Going to Yankee games as an adult as the …
Elvis would have been 81 today. I wrote my best poem, The King, about Elvis. I adored the early Elvis as he came up in synch with my teenage hormonal awakening. Then he had to go into the Army. I once had a momentary one on one exchange with him. It was in his post Army-Vegas period. My Damon Runyon father had taken me to Vegas as a coming of a …
As 2015 came to a close with a crescendo of "Happy Holidays" and parties I look back on the year. It was, for me, a very good year. First and foremost our family (immediate and Gotham) is thriving and healthy. Secondly, I enjoyed a number of highlights along the way. In equal measure, I was thrilled to be honored by the Russo Family Theresa Fou …
Whenever it is Christmas I think of dearly departed Bob Formica, our Networker of the Decade in 2007. I cherish the above picture which captures his twinkling spirit, holiday season or otherwise. He was one extraordinary, terrific guy and he had a great sense of humor. He was a great addition to Gotham and my life and I miss him dearly.
I'm a dreamer (morning, noon and night) and I remember many of my in sleep dreams. Most, if not all, are not good. For example, last month I propelled myself out of bed to escape a particularly gruesome situation and landed on my head. I will never forget that dream no matter what my brain damage may have been. Many of my dreams are recurrent lik …
When we were young we worshipped the sun and could never get enough "Rays". "Catching Rays" with a reflector while coated with iodine laced baby oil was de rigueur. The above picture is representative of my "Chocolate Man" period. However, as the years passed (and the ozone layer burned away) baby oil morphed into sun screen as the sun began to …
This is a shout out for 2 Gotham Committees with which I recently worked: The Gotham Film Festival Committee (Chaired by Steven Skyles-Mulligan plus Cayce Crown, Judy Mauer and Gideon Schein) and the Gotham Green Awards Committee (Co Chaired by Corey Bearak and Josh Zinder plus Group Coordinator Sherry Rivera). Against tense deadline pressure eac …
My favorite type of reading (or listening to CDs, as the case may be) is a good biography about the life of an interesting person. Recently I finished those of Whitey Bulger and Oprah and I'm now reading about my former Syracuse classmate Lou Reed. Favorites have been about the lives of Truman, Lincoln (Team of Rivals), TR, FDR, Mickey Mantle, Ted …
< Have you ever seen the Dos Equis pitch man? They call him "The Most Interesting Man in the World". He is pictured above and you know what, I get it a lot that I look like him. There are a lot of worse possible comparisons. When it comes up I usually respond "I'm just his stunt double". At the recent Gotham Film Festival one of the winners …
I have kept a hand written daily diary religiously since 1/1/70. It is a ritual which serves many many purposes. Some of the positive benefits are historical and others are mental. I started reading it 11 years ago and each night I am reading 34 years ago today and a year ago today. The benefit of such perspective is immeasurable. The invariabl …
After 18 years of existence I venture to say that our Gotham Tribe is pretty amazing!Our unique giving culture has resulted in countless fruitful and sometimes miraculous results. Having said that, there is one draw back: We are sometimes too humble and we keep the good deeds between ourselves and the involved parties. In my opinion what we need …
On the eve of Halloween I know what my costume will be. It will be the same as always: Count Dracula. I choose the Count because, in a small way, I feel a harmless, but important kinship with him as I draw sustenance from interacting and conversing with people: networking, if you will. Without such sustenance I would be rudderless and lost and I …
During the recent exciting run for the Pennant by the Mets I posted the above photo and caption on the Gotham Sports Talk listserve and on Facebook. Inasmuch as most everyone knows me as a Yankee fan who proudly wears a Yankee hat it may have appeared to be hypocritical or front running, but, as they say, not at all.I was there as a fan at the Mets …
Fridays With Fred
A perfect way to send you into your weekend