Lump In Throat

Time for another quiz, Mom. Unfortunately there are some bad things that I have to report on this month. Do you want the good or the bad news first?

Might as well get the bad news over with.

Our favorite restaurant at 910 Christian Street in South Philly, Sabrina’s Cafe, closed its doors permanently.

Oh no!!!!! Where are we going to hang out now????

They were temporarily closed for the past year due to the pandemic. They’ve been around for 20 years and it’s hard to believe that it just won’t be there anymore. Didn’t you and Shirley go there that time she visited us?

Yes. I had pictures somewhere! Oh! OK, here’s Shirley Reischman (left) and me eating al fresco at Sabrina’s in 2003 and below, you and Shirley in our living room and I think I see Mousey there:

Or am I thinking of Shobi from Sri Lanka?

Shobi met us there too.

I miss her.

We all do!!!! Here you are with Shobi at Sabrina’s. Shobi’s a homeopath too.

OMG, where will you and Shobi meet now if she ever visits Philly again?

Sabrina’s is supposed to relocate, and hopefully they will do it soon. Shirley, by the way, is famous for her article on Nux vomica:

Nux vomica: The Pre-eminent Remedy for Modern Day Life

If Lorenzo’s closes, we’re officially doomed!

George (owner of Lorenzo’s), Shirley and me outside Lorenzo’s:

It’s just when you consider that, 1. we’ve lost the fruit stand, 2. we lost Golden Donuts, 3. The Butcher’s Cafe and 4. now Sabrina’s… what’s next? The only thing left in our old neighborhood is Lorenzo’s Pizza and Molly’s Book Store. Do you remember what Daddy used to order from Lorenzo’s?

A cheesesteak with fried onions and ketchup. He also ordered the Italian Hoagie. Remember when you would order a hoagie and eat it in Sabrina’s? You’d take everything out of it and just eat the roll! What a ridiculous waste of money. I would get stuck eating the ham, cheese, onions and lettuce! What a mess! Remember I would order a pancake from Sabrina’s and you would eat the center and I would eat the edges?

And the other half of the hoagie we always gave to a homeless person.

I know, we’d drive around and around until we found one! Those were the good ol’ days! The pandemic has ruined everything.

Here you are at Sabrina’s in 2012:

You don’t have anymore bad news, do you?

Well, you might want to sit down for this one. We lost “Mr. Personality”, Lloyd Price.

No way!!!!! Say it isn’t so!!!

He was 88 years old and it was crazy how I found out! I ended up on youtube because we were talking about his #1 hit, “Stagger Lee”, which has the distinction of being the first 1950s record to be censored.

Dick Clark, the host of “Bandstand”,

Did I mention that I was on Bandstand 3 times?

Yes!!!!

You were saying?

I was saying…. Dick Clark wanted him to rewrite “Stagger Lee” and take out all the references to gambling, bar rooms, etc., as he didn’t think it was appropriate content for an afternoon TV dance show for teens. So, Lloyd had to turn his song about “Stagger Lee and Billy, 2 men who gamble late” into a song about two guys arguing over a girl and in the end, coming to an amicable resolution over who she belonged to. Lloyd thought it sounded ridiculous!

It did.

Anyway, I ended up on the youtube page for the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, and found a video from the 1998 ceremony where Lloyd is performing with John Fogerty of Credence Clearwater Revival. I guess that was his induction year? There was a comment at the bottom saying “RIP” and I was, like, “What?????” That’s how I found out he was no longer with us! The really insane thing is that he’s the same age as Daddy (born 1933) and also went to fight in the Korean War. You’d think they would’ve known each other.

Daddy was transferred out of Korea to Germany. Remember?

We saw Lloyd Price 7 years ago at a Kimmel Center show. It was one of those things hosted by Jerry Blavat. We got an autographed picture of him. I believe you told him that one of his songs (that I’ve never heard) was one of your favorites.

Yes, I did tell him. I said, “My favorite song by you is ‘Never Let Me Go’.” So, that’s how he autographed his picture for me: “Lloyd Price Never Let Me Go”. I also told him he was GREAT!

I know, you said it over and over!

You don’t think I made a pest out of myself, do you?

Uh…..

Shana and Lloyd Price:

As long as we’re honoring Lloyd Price, I guess I should share this hilarious story.

If you can, Puh-leeze do!

I once had a music teacher at school who thought that “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley was the first rock n roll record. Ha! So naturally we had to show her how wrong she was!

Yeah, I don’t think she’ll make that mistake again!

We made her a cassette tape with all the songs that came out before “Rock Around The Clock”, one of which was, naturally, “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” by Lloyd Price.

Shana, I could play the record, but, I just found a live performance of Lloyd Price and Little Richard singing it together!

Wow! You can’t beat that, you just cannot beat it! What else was on that tape we made for your music teacher?

Um… “He Treats Your Daughter Mean” by Ruth Brown, “Tutti Frutti” by Little Richard, “Shake Rattle and Roll” by Big Joe Turner….

Get outta that bed, wash your face and hands…

Mom…

Get outta that bed, wash your face and hands…

Mom?

Get into that kitchen make some noise with the pots and pans…

Mom, you have to stop singing now…

I said Shake, rattle and roll! Shake rattle and roll…

MOM! Get a hold of yourself! We have more deaths to announce!!!!

We do?

Joe Long of The 4 Seasons died of covid.

Yikes!

Clockwise from the top: Tommy DeVito, Joe Long (b. Joe LaBracio), Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio.

Here are Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons singing “Hang On To What We Got”, Joe is playing the black and white bass and he is left-handed:

Since this got so long, a quick run down of the good news to outweigh the bad.

I’m glad to hear there is good news!

May 17th, 2021 is the 30th Anniversary of “What About Bob?” Readers should direct themselves immediately to Mom’s article with Mati Fuller about the two main characters, Bob Wiley and Dr. Leo Marvin:

Elaine and Mati Sort out Arsenicum and Argent-nit.

I wonder if Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss will acknowledge it, but I’ve heard that for some crazy reason they don’t get along in real life.

No way! Of course, they didn’t get along in the movie either!

Also, in one of our quizzes (“Child Has Scary Virus, Hears Voices”) I proposed an idea for a sequel to “What About Bob” but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.

Wait a minute. You proposed an idea for a sequel, and nobody listened?

No.

I can’t believe that!

Bob Wiley and Dr. Leo Marvin

I’m excited for The Rugrats revival…

Oh for heaven’s sake!!!

…on Paramount+ (a streaming service) May 27th. Yes, I know you think I need to grow up.

Well, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble… I know how busy you are!!!!

They’ve recast the adults though, so I’m not really sure what to think. I mean, Stu and Grandpa Lou I can understand, since their original voice actors died, but, they also literally recast all the adults in the show!

No way! Somebody call the police! Can we start the Quiz now?

Who’s in it this time?

Remember Rosetta Stone? I think she’s got a lump in her throat.

___________________________________

Elaine, for the last five days i find myself clutching my throat like there is a lump in it.

I wonder if its enlarged thyroid?

When I look at it in the mirror it doesn’t seem enlarged but when I swallow or just when I’m sitting it feels enlarged and with a lump.

Last night I felt it was getting bigger.

I’m going to take thymuline today after I get home from the beach at sunrise which I go to every morning.

I went to an ear nose and throat doctor a few months ago and they put camera down my throat to see if I had that thing that causes u to have shortness of breath while coughing but they couldn’t find anything.

I found myself grabbing at my throat many times this week. It seems to be lower adams apple area.

When I swallow it feels like lump in throat.

It also scares me that it could be my esophagus because for years now when i over-eat, I eat a bite then spit out the rest so i don’t gain more weight and I’ve been doing it for years. I read an article saying you must eat some bites of it and swallow it so as not to hurt your esophagus.

I do that but in the back of my mind I’m scared thinking I’m doing harm to my esophagus throat area.

I’m addicted to food.

Rosetta, I think you should take a dose of __________________.

Elaine, the _____________ HELPED THE LUMP IN THROAT!!!! it’s all gone now!!! Thank you.

___________________________________

Well, that’s it, everybody! If you think you know the remedy, write to me at LEWRA@aol.com. The answer will be in the June ezine.

We’re going out with the uncensored version of “Stagger Lee” by Lloyd Price.

The night was clear, and the moon was yellow, and the leaves came tumbling down!