WHAT ARE THE FUCKIN' ODDS?

Don Ho is dead at the age of 76

Now people Googling "Don Ho" might wind up here, read the previous entries and think that I'm mocking the dead. Check the date and see that this was not the case. A mere coincidence... a pratfall on the Zeitgeist's ruthless banana peel. I must say one thing about Don Ho, actually.

Picked up an album of his, "East Coast /West Coast", at a thrift store about 10 years ago, and was astounded that his version of the magnificent Lee Hazelwood's harrowing song "This Town" (recorded by many artists, notably Nancy Sinatra, of course) INVENTED Nick Cave.

I mean, if I played this for a Bad Seeds fanatic and said it was a rare bootleg, I'd get large cash offers for the record. On this performance Don's intonation even tends to slip in the same parts of the vocal range as Nick's. And I am a huge Bad Seeds fan, so this isn't some smartass schtick.

I am also a Don Ho fan: "A Lover's Prayer..." "Ain't No Thing..." Good music from a guy so laid back he made Perry Como seem aggro.

Sleep in heavenly peace, Don. Aloha and Mahalo.



I've received some criticism for the "apology" entry, in fact. I have no feeling one way or another about Imus; he's been a tedious loudmouth for decades, and never my cup of tea. But I have a strong distaste for large mobs of angry villagers with torches ever since Frankenstein.