Quick Hits For December 16, 2009 -ABBA , The Hollies, and The Grinch From The Nutmeg State

(1). Don't even get me started on what has happened to the health care reform package. Its a travesty that I'll talk about extensively in the coming weeks. All I'll offer for now is....Joe Lieberman, you've proved one thing to me- the insurance companies of America own you. But in the spirit of the season I'll reserve any further judgement. Enjoy the coal in your stocking.

(2) The inductees for the 2010 class of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced, and making it were Genesis, The Hollies, Jimmy Cliff, The Stooges....and ABBA. ABBA...who woulda thunk it? The Stooges were a precursor to punk rock, Jimmy Cliff was a reggae pioneer, Genesis began as prog- rockers but became a megastar arena rock band, and the Hollies were one of the most successful bands from the British Invasion. I know ABBA sold a ton of records, and were big worldwide (and held Godlike status in Australia)....but I never really saw them as a rock n' roll band. They were musically talented and the four members were obviously attractive- but I always saw them as like bubble gum for bigger kids. I will admit this; I liked Frida's Something's Going On, I thought it was a tremendous record....but Genesis' Phil Collins played and sang on it, and was its co producer (with Hugh Padgham)- and it had a Phil Collins feel to it more than an ABBA sound. And I was admittedly a big fan of Genesis and of Phil Collins.

I'm still wondering what KISS has to do to finally be inducted, as well as the most progressive of all the prog-rockers, YES (in all of their various incarnations)

(3). Many years ago I met The Hollies in a hotel I was working at in New Jersey. It was a reunion tour they were doing in the early 1980's, and they were scheduled to play Great Adventure in Jackson. Graham Nash hadn't arrived yet, but Tony Hicks, Bobby Elliot, and Allan Clarke showed up early, right after lunchtime. The problem was they were hungry and wanted something to eat, and our dining room closed until dinnertime, roughly three hours later. I was not even the front desk manager....I was something like the assistant front desk manger's apprentice or something even lower than that, but I took it on myself to keep the dining room open, and coerced the telephone operator to watch the front desk while I cooked up some food for The Hollies.

A few hours later, I got called into my general manager's office to explain "by what authority did I keep the dining room open?". My boss, "Mr. G", usually had a demeanor like an SS officer with a bad case of hemorrhoids- that was on his good days.

My only response to Mr. G was...."B-b-b-but- those guys are THE HOLLIES!!!"

Mr. G was not amused. My career at that hotel was doomed from that point on...

No big deal. The food sucked there anyway. And no health care...there we go again.

(4). This is a quick version of Quick Hits...mainly because I've spent hours Christmas shopping today, and have driven a lot of miles....and quite frankly, I'm more than a little out of gas. One more time, congrats to the Rock and Roll HOF inductees.

And Joe Lieberman....you are morphing into the Grinch.