Category: News

Good music and bad movies, either can get lost. If you’re a musician or film maker who managed to lose your work, don’t give up hope. Lost items have been turning up everywhere lately.

Last August came word that the Clash’s long lost ‘Vanilla Tapes’ had been found. Long believed to have been left behind on the tube by a drunken roadie, they were discovered in stoage by Clash guitarist Mick Jones (I hope someone apologized to the roadie).

Then last week a briefcase full of lyrics, stolen from U2 was discovered in an attic and returned to the band.

And now comes word that Ed Wood’s long lost final film has been rediscovered. The late Ed Wood earned fame for how bad his work was, and his work became cult classings such as Plan 9 From Outer Space and Glen or Glenda?. Certainly fans will be eager to see Necromania, Ed’s adult movie about a couple seeking assistance with their sex life from a coven of witches – or maybe we’re not ready for it.

for further reading: The Clash, U2, and Ed Wood, Jr. from Wikipedia

“Hello, is this Chris Casey?”, the voice on the phone asked me. “Yes it is”, I answered, as I usually do to that question. “This is Joan Dangerfield calling,”… long pause awaits some recognition from me that’s not coming, “as in, Rodney Dangerfield’s wife.”

It was 1996, and sure, I knew who Rodney Dangerfield was, but why would his wife be calling me?

“Did you write a book called The Hill on the Net?”, Joan asked. In fact I had, and it had only just been published. “I have a flier here about your book that someone gave to me. Why is it bad news that Rodney is #95?”

Aha, now I’m starting to get it. In 1996 there were many new Internet magazines trying to become THE must-read of the hoardes who were rushing online. One of them, Websight magazine, had in their April issue published an article titled The 100 Most Influential People on the World Wide Web. And I’m still flattered that I came in at #96 for my efforts to promote use of the Internet on Capitol Hill.

My publisher, seeing an opportunity to capitolize on the honor, created a flyer plugging my book. It noted my position at #96 and added, “Good News… Bill Gates is #100! Bad News… Rodney Dangerfield is #95!”

Again Joan asked, “Why is it bad news that Rodney is #95?”.

“It’s a joke Mrs. Dangerfield. If I’m #96 to Rodney’s 95, it means I get even less respect than he does.”

“Oh… ha ha ha. That’s funny. Thank you then, goodbye”.

By the next year, Rodney had climbed Websight’s list with a bullet, and was on the cover of their Websight 100 issue. I had begun the slide to my present obscurity (if there was a ranking now, I expect I’d be in the upper ten millions), and Joan hasn’t called me since.

Rodney Dangerfield dead at 82
CNN, 10/5/2004

Rodney Dangerfield, Beating Troubles To the Punch Line
Washington Post, 10/7/04

Vice-President’s recent suggestion on the floor of the United States Senate to Senator Patrick Leahy that he go somewhere and do something to himself is surely a high point in the Bush-Cheney Administration’s efforts to ‘restore a tone of civility and decency to the debate in Washington’. In an interview after his exchange with Leahy, Cheney said he ‘felt better’ after making his remark.

Now, new details about the exchange have emerged, and anyone interested in getting the rest of the story should read this article titled “New Details Surface from The New Yorker. You’ll certainly get a laugh out of it, and feel better just like Dick Cheney.