My Vast Cultural Wasteland: Broadway, Tatiana's, Zombies....

No, this is not a post about the 800 UFT/Unity Caucus zombies at the AFT convention.

Some might think that ed politics and playing with kittens is all I do. But I have a cultural life too. Last night we made our annual trek with a gang of 13 to the Brighton Beach boardwalk and Tatiana's where we drank wodka and ate ourselves silly. (We're paying the price now.) We know these people mostly through our friends' annual July 4th party, so we basically get to see most of them twice a year. Just a whole lot of fun and for me there are memories of Bay 2 since my dad grew up a few blocks from there and when I was a kid living in East NY we used to go to my grandma's house to drop off our stuff and walk to the beach. In those days on a weekend there was literally no room between blankets. I really grew to hate the beach crowds and the beach in general until I ironically found myself living in a beach community.

Speaking of Brighton,  a few days ago we went to the half price ticket line and got matinee tickets for "One Man Two Guvnors," which takes place in a different Brighton across the pond. Go see one of the funniest low brow comedies we've ever seen before it closes Sept. 2. I have never laughed harder at a play. There seems to be some audience involvement (though you never know what's real) so don't sit too close.

I had to come home early from SOS in DC on Sunday to get some sleep before heading into the city that night for The Zombies concert.
Here is some video I shot of a few of their famous songs plus one that Ron Argent did with his other group Argent and closing with the opening act, The Left Banke's big hit "Walk Away Renee."




As long-time readers of Ed Notes may be aware, we have become semi-groupies of that venerable 60s group. We went to London to see them (twice) and have seen just about every performance in NYC we can get to. That is mostly due to our friend Peggy who is a true groupy -- she went back the next day with her daughter. She has gotten to know other Zombie groupies and one of them is a musician with her hubby who is an original Blues Magoo and she asked after the Sunday show if we wanted to meet and hang out with The Zombies. We aren't really interested in that so we left while our friends stayed and here is the result:

Ron Argent and Peggy

Lead singer Colin Blunstone

Peggy is mad about Colin who is truly a great singer. So of course she goes back the next night (Monday) and goes to Magnolia bakery to buy cupcakes for The Zombies that are so expensive you have to get a 2nd mortgage. She sits down before the show with the other groupies. So who should come over to the table and ask if he can sit down next to Peggy? Colin Blunstone. As her husband said, "her dream came true." Actually I can think of one more dream, but I won't go there.