A Generation's Poetry In Harmony Again

By MICHAEL SCHENKLER

Forget any other reviews you’ve read of last week’s Simon and Garfunkel "Old Friends" concert at Madison Square Garden. The other writers, especially if they were at all critical, may have credentials in music. Me, I got my credentials in life — sort of growing up with them.

That’s both growing up with them as one of the many kids in the neighborhood and in college who were part of their very, very large circle, and growing up with their (Paul’s) music and poetry. That music was part of my life, chronicalling my generation and being the most frequently played albums — 33 1/3 rpm — on the stereo in my home.

Paul and Artie are five years older than I — can you hear the guitar strums? We all grew up in Kew Gardens Hills. They attended Forest Hills High School at the same time as my sister Carole who would come home with stories of "Tom and Jerry," the names they used on their first professional recording — a late 50’s rock offering, "Hey School Girl" — one of the more than two dozen songs in Tuesday night’s MSG concert. I still have the 45 (yeah, that’s what we called singles back then — 45 revolutions per minutes).

Paul and my sister went on to Queens College, Artie to Columbia. Both Paul and Artie pledged AEPi, the fraternity I joined at Queens three years later. Paul was Master (President) of the fraternity three years before me and somewhere there exists a plaque bearing both our names. Paul wrote our fraternity’s winning Follies scripts — a Queens College competition — three years in a row. Along with Paul’s younger brother Eddie, also a gifted musician, and others, I wrote the winning scripts the next three years. Paul preformed on stage. I worked the light board.

The “Paul Simon Song Book” recorded in London before the duo made it big.

Along with Eddie Simon, Artie’s younger brother Jerry was also a fraternity brother of mine. I knew them and their families back when. When I first pledged AEPi, parents were invited over for an orientation and to see the fraternity house. Paul Simon preformed. I knew of him from my sister — he was a local up and comer who just hadn’t made it big. I went to see Paul perform at Gerdi’s Folk City in the Village and have followed his/their careers ever since.

And after the single "Sounds of Silence" was released and went nowhere, Paul and Artie headed to England. Paul recorded a solo album, "The Paul Simon Song Book," which was not available in the US, but was tracked down by real devotees. That’s how you can tell the true Simon groupees from the also-rans. Ask them to see their copy of the "Song Book."

When producer Tom Wilson decided to add some electric guitars and unfolklike background to "Sounds of Silence", and re-release it, the world changed for the harmonic duo from Kew Gardens Hills. Overnight the song rose to number one, Paul and Artie were on planes and booked on a whirlwind, nationwide tour. And have ever since remained the chart topping duo of all time.

Five albums before splitting, a 1981 Concert in Central Park – with album, and rare appearances until the current "Old Friends" Tour – left an emptiness for those of us who grew up on the folk rock of the 60’s and 70’s.

And last week they were back. And along with my friends from the 60’s, Gary and Rita Ackerman, Lil and I spent Tuesday night celebrating our music and memories. So did some 20,000 other New Yorkers, all of whom looked like they attended Queens College sometime between 1960 and 1975 and were "Old Friends."

The music was great, the harmonies memorable and the moment unforgettable.

And when, after an evening of true joy, Paul and Artie came out for their second encore, Artie summed it all up for me when he looked up at the cheering crowd and said: "Not bad for a couple of guys from Queens."

Looking for fun and Feelin’ Groovy.
–The 59th Street Bridge Song.

State & City Face Crisis in Rising Debt 

Henry Stern

The State of New York is operating in a financially irresponsible way. 

The State often spends more money than it receives, and borrows money each year to make up the difference.  The Empire State had the largest public debt of any of the 50 states. The new Governor of California’s proposal to borrow 15 billion dollars to make up his state’s deficit would drop New York State to second place (out of fifty) in state debt.

But don’t feel badly about being number two, New York City is in third place and the Port Authority and NYS Dormitory Authority are high up there in the debt market.  The authorities, at least, incur capital debt for construction, rather than operating deficits.

Not only is there ever-mounting state and local debt, but no one in government has even talked about a strategy to start reducing it.  The situation is even worse at the federal level.  The President does not seem overly concerned about the swelling national debt, which now is about 6.9 trillion dollars — $6,900,000,000,000.00 (that’s eleven zeroes, not counting the cents). 

So, dear reader, what is to be done?  

There are three classic remedies for a deficit: raise public taxes; reduce expenses, which for local government means primarily labor costs layoffs and service reductions; increase efficiency. 

The Mayor has been unsympathetic to waste-busters: "You can’t just say let’s go cut out corruption, waste and the meaningless programs, because fundamentally, they’re not there." (NY Times, 11-25-02).  I cannot agree.  In a $43 billion budget, it is beyond reason that every cent is spent wisely.  In fairness, inefficiency is not, by far, the largest part of the fiscal shortfall.  It would, however, enhance confidence in government if the City recognized that waste exists, and asked for the help of the public in rooting it out. 

There is no indication to date of any desire on the part of the State or City government to either raise taxes or reduce services.  In fact, the Mayor and the Council hope for property tax reductions, for which they can each claim credit, even though they would simply be trimming the increases they adopted.  Lower property taxes may win votes, but will only worsen the city’s financial plight.

Since 2004 is a year of State legislative elections, and 2005 a year where the Mayor, five Borough Presidents and 51 Councilmembers go before the voters, this is not the time to expect increased responsibility from elected officials.

Look for intensified pandering, as the candidates compete to be regarded as both taxpayer-friendly and city employee-friendly.  Those two positions, popular as they may be, involve basic and fundamental conflict.  What you get from one group you pay to the other.  This is called a zero-sum situation.

External reality rarely impedes politicians from doing or saying whatever they believe will help them get elected or re-elected.

The only way the merry-go-round of fiscal irresponsibility will be stopped is if someone pulls the plug on the carousel.  In 1974 and ’75 this was done by the large banks, which refused to roll over city notes. So far we have seen no sign of similar awareness on their part.  After recent revelations of lending practices, some banks have the moral capital of bartenders serving drunks.  And, of course, since the banks cheerfully financed Enron and others, why should they impose a higher credit standard on the State or City of New York.  And besides, the greater the perceived risk, the higher the interest rate that may be charged.

Perhaps one should appeal to the agency with historical responsibility in this area, the New York State Department of Banking, to look into the matter of credit-worthiness and consider what effect, if any, the prospect of state or municipal default would have on the security of New Yorkers’ personal and business deposits. 

Objective observers like the Citizens Budget Commission have documented the data on State finances and made serious proposals. Can CBC’s common sense remedies be translated into realities?

It is frustrating to watch what we perceive as a disaster impend, and yet be unable to avert it, or even to persuade our leaders of the approaching danger.

This is not crying "wolf," which was a false alarm until the wolf actually appeared.

It is not yelling "Fire" in a crowded theater, which can cause a panic and stampede, whether there is a fire or not.

It is shouting "Ice" on the Titanic, trying to get the captain to pay attention to what surely lies ahead.

ICE!

Not4Publication.com by Dom Nunziato