Big John has a new website of his very own! It's pretty sharp-looking, too. All you Big John fans should take a look, and a listen.

Fourth of July 2010 at Shenanigans was glorious indeed. You should have seen that parade! All those people in Uncle Sam hats marching through the place, truly an inspiring sight. Many of the faces under the hats were familiar ones. Dr. Kazoo and the Kazoo Family Players returned to the stage, as did Dr. Bill. New on stage this year was Kristie Smith, who sang "Molly Malone" and "Me and Bobbie McGee," accompanying herself on mandolin with a little help from Big John and Mr. Bennett. A few photos are up on the 4ths of July page. Some of the pictures on that page are not photographs — don't worry about your eyes, those are drawings! Thanks to Ian from West Virginia for the artwork.

A few shots from the St. Patrick's Day celebration at the Log Cabin in Holyoke, Mass, are up on Picture Page 8.

Here's that little New Year's fellow again, bless him.

2009

Hoping everybody's Christmas was merry and bright. Dates for March are beginning to appear on the Schedule page. All in Connecticut, so far. More may appear in the new year.

Booze in the News
Alcohol 'protects men's hearts' "Drinking alcohol every day cuts the risk of heart disease in men by more than a third, a major study suggests. The Spanish research involving more than 15,500 men and 26,000 women found large quantities of alcohol could be even more beneficial for men. The type of drink did not appear to change the results. Female drinkers did not benefit to the same extent, the study in Heart found."

Read the rest of the article at the link for the usual party-poopery, if you must. I am going to go take some action to protect my heart.

Tropical Storm Ida hit Ocean City pretty hard last week. This video shows a familiar part of the boardwalk. Look for Shenanigan's deck in the bottom right corner, towards the end. Ocean City Today has some photos from the days after.

Summer dates for Shenanigans are up on the Schedule page. Carved only in pixels, not in stone, so check back now and then to see how they are are doing.

Booze in the News
Ernest Shackleton led an expedition to reach the South Pole, back in 1908. He took along plenty of supplies, including "1,600lb of Yorkshire ham, 100lb of Colman's mustard, hundreds of packs of Huntley & Palmers biscuits and copious tins of Lyle's Golden Syrup." Also 12 cases of Scotch whisky. Some of the whisky has been found. Amazingly, the archaeologists have not drunk all of it, yet.

News story: Preserved in ice for 100 years, the whisky Shackleton used to keep out the cold.

How windy was it on Sunfest Saturday?
Pretty windy. Coming up Fourth Street about 11:30 AM, it looked like psychedelic extraterrestrial octopuses [octopodes for the pedants] were invading Ocean City.

You can see the fleeing people in the picture. Click to see bigger.

Another view:


As if that wasn't enough, the wind blew down the sign from Shenanigans's deck.

That sign was 21 years old. Just waiting to turn 21 and fall down. We know people like that.

Sunday morning:

Something missing?

Over on the Talk Board, Bert Ross has a picture of the sign after Greg and Jason and all had hauled it out of the path of the Malone fans clamoring to enter (message 192).

At the beach for Sunfest
The Carlins came back! They are well on their way to becoming regulars. (See August entry from last year.) Kathleen and Chris from up Binghamton way showed us, reminded us I should say, since they showed us for the first time last year, how to do "The Irish Rover" with thirteen claps between the verses. If you do it that way, you can call it "The 13 Claps Song." Gil Collins, the original Malone and Hutch bass player, showed up, with the lovely Sue, and there they are in the picture. We briefly sighted all three Twisted Sisters, in the room at the same time. Dave, who was with them, did a nice job singing "Brown Eyed Girl." Dr. Kazoo joined us on bass Saturday night, and sang "Margaritaville." Dr. Bill and his friend Jim from NYC turned up. Jim sang "New York, New York," and the Doctor rocked the house. For the first time ever, we had John and Kim from Lancaster (and next door) and Alan and Kim from Baltimore in the room at the same time. A lot of kamikaze shots over at that Golden Beach table. Malone sang "The Galway Shawl," and Mr. Bennett introduced "I'll Be There In the Mornin' If I Live," aka "Rich Gal, Poor Gal" or "My Girl" to the Shenanigans stage.

A few Fourth of July pictures are up on that page.

We sang the first song of Labor Day weekend not on the stage, but on the radio! And so we now have a picture of Wayne Cannon facing the camera.

Some other highlights of the weekend included the lovely Katherine of New Jersey, who looked to be about eight years old, singing a fine old song about how Pat and Kate McGee celebrated their 50th anniversary, "The Golden Jubilee." She did a grand job of it, and we hope to see her and her family again. The Old Marshal showed up, for the first time in a while. Doctor Bill brought back an old favorite, "Love Potion Number 9." Lorraine had a birthday, and honored us with a solo on "Irish Eyes." People seem to like Malone's version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Our favorite taxidermist, Allie from Baltimore, came back for a visit. So did Pat MacNamara.

Live from the beach!
Dateline Ocean City, July 31 — We set a record on Tuesday for greatest range of birthdays celebrated. Morgan, from Pittsburgh, was 21. Ruth Muldoon, from Hollidaysburg, also in P A, was 91 (that's ninety-one, folks, not a typo). That's a seventy-year difference there. Young folks, old folks, they all love this music. And the booze, of course. Ruth had a fair number of friends, admirers, and family with her. Ruth had a fine time, and drank whiskey sours. Malone is thinking of switching to those. Today, Friday, the show has not started yet and already we have survived a tornado alert! And about a ton of rain, all falling in a very short space of time. Aside from that, the weather has been beautiful all week. Wish you were here!

Back at the beach for the Fourth. Many familiar faces in the place. Powers led a good-sized delegation from Pottsville. The Burt Brothers came in from California, Bill & Sheila, the McGraths. Fran and Ed! Lorraine and Bob, Ruth Burtt and friends from W. Va. Dr. Bill and Pat McNamara dispensed their musical prescriptions for gladness. The Kazoo Family Players are here, two of them much taller. The weather has been beautiful, ideal for flying airplanes and dancing. Wish you were here!

My dad was born on the Glendine Rd outside of Miltown Malbay, County Clare, Eire. I love this poem written by Seamus Heaney:


  And some time make the time to drive out west
  Into County Clare, along the Flaggy Shore,
  In September or October, when the wind
  And the light are working off each other
  So that the ocean on one side is wild
  With foam and glitter, and inland among stones
  The surface of a slate-grey lake is lit
  By the earthed lightning of a flock of swans.
  Their feathers roughed and ruffling, white on white,
  Their fully grown headstrong-looking heads
  Tucked or cresting or busy underwater.
  Useless to think you'll park and capture it
  More thoroughly. You are neither here nor there,
  A hurry through which known and strange things pass
  As big soft buffetings come at the car sideways
  And catch the heart off guard and blow it open.


                                                                   Malone

'Tis once again the season of St. Patrick, and Malone and the lads have seen their shadows. (I don't know what that means.) So we have a few more grey hairs, a few new songs (just kidding, no need to be alarmed) and a few new pictures up on a new picture page.

The Wonderful World of Science!
We knew it all the time, but here it is from a real Australian scientist: Australian researchers have made the surprise discovery that alcohol improves, rather than damages, men's performance in the bedroom. Playing the banjo in the bedroom after several drinks always gets a woman's attention. What kind of performance were you thinking of?

Happy New Year, what cheer, my dear!

He couldn't stay on the front page all year,
he'll be happy right here.

Some March dates are now up on the Schedule page. Hope to see you there!

Summer dates for 2009 are up! Over on the Schedule page, naturally. The first week in July runs from Wednesday through Sunday this time.

Back at the beach for Labor Day. The weather is beautiful. Wish you were here! We saw Ruth Burtt on Friday, which reminded Mr. Bennett that we have pictures of the time we went to West Virginia for her birthday. For those who would say "Oh, come on, you guys never go anywhere," we have photographic proof over on page 7.

Mr Bennett says: After hearing about this place for so many years, I am glad to have had the chance to visit. I liked it, but had to come back to OC for Labor Day,
just couldn't stay away,
there's lots of music still to play,
between the ocean and the bay …

Ban-Joe's new record is available now from CD Baby! You go, Ban-Joe! Click the cover to go to the catalog page. Songs include All Or Nothing At All, It Could Happen To You, Misty, Dream A Little Dream Of Me, A Fool Such As I, Only You, Twilight Time, Melancholy Serenade, Out Of Nowhere, Beyond The Sea, Roses Of Picardy, and The Gypsy. Yes, there is a tuba!

Fans of Henny the DJ and the Tambourine Lady will want to know that they have a pretty nifty MySpace page. Not really safe for work. Currently playing "Last Night I Got Loaded" by Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band. Pictures that move, they have, over there. New Jerseyans in the Amboy zone, go see them and tell them Malone sent you.

Big John was looking through old photos the other day, and came across this shot of the room the band stayed in back in the McGee's days, when there were balconies on the front of the Shoreham Hotel, and musicians were treated like bards, worthy of respect second only to kings, and the finest place at the table, and the finest lodgings…

**Ahem!**

Click it for bigger. Looks like a Hopper, don't you think? Maybe this one? Or is there another painter of whom this is more evocative?

A few new pictures are up on the Fourths of July page and the current picture page. More to come.

Bud, the Old Marshal of Frontiertown, made it in on Saturday, as part of the promotional tour for his new book, Big Easy Blues. He's looking good, and writing fast. (Some of his young women friends would turn that around.)

Click that pic to see it bigger and better.

The last couple of days of that week got pretty wild. Ah, you should have been there! Kevin McDermott showed up to sing Johnny MacEldoo. MacNamara led the band. Dr. Bill rocked the joint something fierce. He's got these blue suede shoes, now—don't step on them, whatever you do! Dr. Kazoo and the Kazoo Family Players joined the band on both Friday and Saturday nights. For those who didn't have a pencil handy when Malone announced it from the stage, Zack's Orioles-centric blog is Full of Birds. McGraths and Kanes were with us most of the week, and we were happy about that. We need Bill Kane for security, and Jim McGrath for a fugleman, to show the kids what the Unicorn is all about. Bob and Lorraine came in a few nights, and brought Kevin and Natalie with them. Nancy Whiskey and the lovely daughters and Will came in a few times, to remind me that if I don't do enough writing here, there is somebody who can do it better. Pictures coming!

Back at the beach!
It's the first day of August, and the sun is out at last. Humidity seems down a bit as well. The last few days have been steadily overcast with outbreaks of rain at random moments. The sunshine is welcome. Also welcome: The Carlins, who last stopped in here 22 years ago, and finally returned to catch another show. I think they might become regulars. The new, smaller Bill Thompson; Bill's lost a lot of weight, but has not lost his voice, so he did a reprise of "As Good as I Once Was," and a fine version of "Unchained Melody."

Joe Rodio, aka Ban-Joe, brought his Dad and the rest of the family, and played on our stage three nights in a row. Lucky us! Joe has a new CD out, called Mojo: Joe Rodio Plays Banjo for Romantic Occasions. I always reach for the banjo when feeling romantic. It is available for MP3 download here, and when we find out more about where you can buy it, we'll let you know.

Which reminds me, Jim Hartley has a new book out, called Baseball At RFK Stadium. Oh, look, here's another one: Baseball Is Back: The Washington Nationals 2005 Inaugural Season.

Mike and Jan celebrated another anniversary last night. After which, Dr. Bill sang about a Redneck Mother.

We have had a Teke sighting this week: Big Guy stopped in for a visit. We have learned that Mr. Peabody is studying classical ukulele.

Thanks to Nancy Whiskey for the 4th of July Craic Report! It's on the Talk Board, message 146.

Have you ever wondered: What Does Your Drink Say About You? If I ever hear my drink talking about me, I'm going to obliterate it so fast… The link in this article to "Ten Drinks Men Should Never Order" doesn't work, go here instead. The link to "Ten Things Your Bartender Won't Tell You" is still good. And a commenter there links to Top Ten Myths About Bartenders, which includes

"Myth 3: You can out-drink the bartender.
"A more wrong statement has never been uttered; you can't, so don't even try. But, if you're buying, I'll certainly entertain the challenge. I don't care how much you think you can drink—any bartender anytime, anywhere can put you under the table, period."

Words to remember.

But then, some bartenders may take a different approach:

Strict Wildness

Music so poignant it wakes the dead,
We passion poets eke it from wine, not bread;
From wonder, not logic; heart, not head,—
But need clear heads to mix your heady brew.
We kitsch it if we swig it too.
Inspired insanity won't do.
Nor thin-lipped sane respectability.
Rigor lone is rigor mortis.
Rigor-plus-wild is the right-bank tortoise
That beats the chic hare of Rive Gaucherie.
Are poems magic? Sure. Till magic
Believes itself. Then it's bunk.
Art, being bartender, is never drunk.

           — Peter Viereck

Zack Kazoo got his picture on the front page of the Washington Times! He was present at Nationals Stadium for the mass.

It seems we have been mentioned by tokezohime at OceanCity.com's music blog. Thanks, tokezohime!

Fire at Dough Roller at S. Division St!
Not the one at 3rd St. The Baltimore Sun has the story, and the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department have a lot of pictures.

Bud, the Old Marshal, seen in New Year's deshabille below, has written another book! It's a novel this time, based on his World War II experiences in Japan. To read more about it and order a copy, click this link: We Were Kings.

The Serious Eats website has a couple of seasonally appropriate entries, on the history of pint glasses: For St. Patrick's Day, A Proper Pint; and on a recipe for a Guinness float: Irish Ice Cream Soda. And here's lovely looking sandwich made with Jameson's whiskey! We'll have three.

The Season of St. Patrick is here again. Malone is back from Florida. Someone in Pennsylvania saw a robin last week. And a couple of changes have been made to Malone and the lads' perfomance schedule, so check it out.

Some of you "Waltzing with Bears" fans might enjoy this YouTube clip of Mister Bennett with his other band, from last summer on Block Island. That's Uncle Walter on the far right, with the fiddle and the grin.

Just about time to start thinking about Valentine's Day! So it's really time for New Year Bud to come off the front page and take up residence here. You can see him in his greater glory at Talk Board message # 131, if you go there and click his little pic. Go on, he likes it!

March dates are still in flux, so keep checking that page if you think you might be able to make it to one of them.

Click here for

last year's news

Paul Averill Hotchkiss, 1941-2005.

Gerry Malone's letter to friends on learning of Hutch's death.

Sendoff at Sunfest. Farewell, old friend.

Obituary from the Danbury News-Times.

Memorial brick on the Boardwalk.

We're grieved to note the death, on December 5, 2004, of Linda Conner, formerly of Ocean City, late of Berlin, Md. She was a long-time friend and fan. She and her family have been familiar faces around Ocean City and Shenanigan's for many years. In honor of her memory, we have added a page to this website with some of her poems. We'll miss her.

Links too good to archive:

Nancy Millionie's insightful comments on the Oceancity.com message board. UNPAID AD: Nancy and Rick own a condo up by 23rd St. that they rent by the week. Seriously Parrot-headed decor.

Tim Antosy's Shenanigans page, with pictures!

Mr Bennett's pal Peter the painter, also known as Peter Lanouette, has a nifty site with lots of paintings on display. Mr. Bennett owns a few; you can, too!

Trimper's live webcam down by the inlet in Ocean City.

Another friend, Hector Owen, has a weblog. He might post something, someday.

Mr. Bennett, who wonders how long he can go on writing about himself in the third person, has recently done a few shows of the blues variety with Ragtime Jack Radcliffe, who is selling a new edition of the record he made with John Kerry on bass -- yes, John Kerry the candidate -- and appears on Mondays at the Griswold Inn in Essex, Connecticut, with the Jovial Crew, singing sea shanties and nautical ballads. And then there's the new CD version of the wonderful old Reprobates album. Jim's guitar classes start in September at the List Academy of Music and Art in Newport, RI.

UPDATE May 2005: No more Jovial Crew; guitar classes drawing to a close for the year.

If you have news, links, or anything else you think ought to be on this page, feel free to send them to gmalonealone (at) yahoo (dot) com, or bennettje (at) gmail (dot) com. If we don't lose it, we might use it.