Down 0-2, MACA girls surge to defeat Thunder Hawks

Tigers 3, Montevideo 2

MACA volleyball is making some progress from the pattern of setbacks over most of the season to date. Fans at Tiger Center cheered the progress on Tuesday. The Tigers gained their fourth win. Unfortunately their loss total stands at 17. But a win is always heartening, and the manner in which MACA won was particularly savory. 

Actually, things looked bleak for the orange and black midway through. They had allowed the Thunder Hawks to achieve a 2-0 lead in games, so just one win away from taking the match. Filled with resolve, the Tigers were undaunted and summoned winning form the rest of the way. Certainly there was a crescendo of cheers from the MACA faithful. 

Here's a complete review of the night's scores with MACA numbers first: 23-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-21 and 15-10. Monte came out of the night at 10-13. 

Kills were important in the Tigers' winning mix. In this department we see Brianna Marty with 15 and Sydney Dietz and Maddy Grove each with ten. Grove also came through with three blocks and three aces. Brienna Dybdahl performed four aces and Dietz had three. 

I have access to more detailed stats for the T-Hawks. Taya Weber and Callie Augeson each had two serving aces while Avery Koenen had one. Tenley Epema was the workhorse in setting and she had 27 assists. Avery Koenen was clearly the go-to T-Hawk at the net - she pounded 20 kills. She was complemented by Maren Nelson (3), Avery Williams (1), Augeson (1) and Emmie Koenen (1). 

Avery Koenen was quite the force with blocking too where her ace total was seven. Emmie Koenen had one ace. Digs was another department where Avery Koenen led - her total here was 14. Other Thunder Hawks with digs were Teagan Epema (9), Weber (7), Tenley Epema (5) and Augeson (5). 

The West Central Tribune reported "stats not available" for MACA. Which brings to mind: the word is that Morris is now "out" when it comes to the WC Trib's All-Area teams, as well as the end-of-year nominations for the award named for Ranweiler and one other dude whose name I have a hard time remembering how to spell. These awards are bestowed by the West Central Tribune staff. I have always questioned somewhat the legitimacy of such awards, as they don't seem to have the proper imprimatur. But people probably have fun with these things. 

Along with this change of status for MACA relative to the Willmar paper, comes another consequence, apparently: erasure of our game details from the regular coverage. That's really kind of a downer, never mind that I have reservations about Forum Communications, the big company out of Fargo that owns the Willmar paper. Forum had a shot at owning our paper in Morris. It was a failure here and ended up leaving town. 

Forum boasts how it is so up to date with all the trendy ways of the modern business/corporate world. Talk is cheap, guys. The Morris paper has been taken over by the Anfinsons who obviously have more on the ball. They don't just talk big, they know how to do it. 

With MACA now being tossed out of bounds by the Forum-owned West Central Tribune, is this related to the Forum having retreated from Morris? Is there sour grapes or bitterness or whatever? A bitter taste? 

All things being equal, it would be nice to still see MACA on the West Central Tribune's map, wouldn't it? But they didn't even call us "MACA," remember? They took the liberty to call us "Morris/Chokio-Alberta" all the time, even though we clearly go by "Morris Area Chokio Alberta." I pointed out this discrepancy in my online writing through the years, to no avail. How many people read my blogs? I really cannot be certain. I hope more than a few. 

Lyle Rambow shared this interpretation with me: "Likely, they just weren't selling enough subscriptions in our area to warrant coverage here." To those few who still subscribe: why not just discontinue as soon as possible? I appreciate Lyle's input but then I wonder: don't the advertisers in the West Central Tribune want to penetrate the Morris area a little? I might suggest this should be an even more important consideration for them. Advertising is really the straw that stirs the drink. 

How about for Schweiter's Chevrolet? I use to love their TV commercials. (At present I do not have TV.) 

Lyle and Londa live at a place called "Baycrest" now. They used to live on my Northridge Drive. The MACA tennis coach now lives at their old house: a house of winners!

 

Cross country at Murdock

MACA cross country runners made the trip to Mary Holmberg's hometown of Murdock Tuesday for the Benson-KMS Invite. Our top standouts were Hailey Werk for the girls and Gavin Stallman for the boys. Werk was No. 5 to the finish chute in the girls race. Stallman was No. 11 among the boys. 

Our girls team finished fourth and also included Meredith Carrington (7th) and Isabel Fynboh (15th). Our boys placed sixth. Matthew Giese arrived at the finish chute 23rd. 

Here's a listing of the top five girls: Olivia Danielson of 'Waska (20:32), Lauren Ankeny of 'Waska (21:22), Amber Collins of Wadena-Deer Creek (21:23), Peyton Dahl of New London-Spicer (21:38) and Hailey Werk of MACA (21:45). This is annoying: the West Central Tribune has "MCA" after Hailey's name. You dumbasses, it's "MACA." 'Waska was the champion girls team. 

Here's a listing of the top five boys: Brandon Kampsen of Sauk Centre (17:02), Payton Sterud of Lac qui Parle Valley (17:47), Landon Thompson of Benson-KMS (18:13), Maeson Tank of 'Waska (18:21) and Kaiden Allpress of Lac qui Parle Valley (18:23). Lac qui Parle Valley was the champion boys team.

Cashless in Willmar

Don't bring cash if you want to get admission to a football game in Willmar. Cash is no-go there now. It's an adjustment for a lot of people, I'm sure, especially older people. But such things are inevitable in the world of today, n'est-ce pas? 

I got to thinking about our choir and band concerts here at MAHS. I have heard stories about how some people come in with big bills to break, maybe even a $100? Word is, some of these people just get waved in, forget giving the change. People associated with school activities can get in free, I hear, and I hear also that the school can be real "loose" making this judgment. It does not take much of a connection. 

The first band concert is coming up on Monday, Oct. 18.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Tigers take 3A tennis crown, are in for state

MACA/WCA tennis made a climb through Section 3A play to take No. 1! It's a ticket to state. The team is called "Tigers" based on what I see reported in other media. "WCA" is for West Central Area of course. It's a comfortable and winning partnership. 

The Tigers not only won the section championship match, they nearly did so in a sweep. Our foe was Benson/KMS. We did sweep the singles categories. Abbigail Athey showed a precise racket vs. Elise Duncan, 6-3 and 6-3. Kassidy Girard picked up steam throughout her match vs. Hannah Helms where the outcomes were 2-6, 7-5 and 6-0. Wow! Then we see Catherine "Cate" Kehoe with a sweep over Elle Klescher, 6-2 and 6-0. 

Claire Stark was dominant in beating Addy DeToy 6-0 and 6-0. Wow again! Another superlative could be trotted out for our first and second doubles teams. Kjersten Nibbe and Hope Sperr showed effective rackets against Eleanor Habben and Milgo Abdi, winning 6-2 and 6-4. The No. 2 team of Lakia Manska and Breanna Schmigall turned back Bella Quisberg and Lily Miller 7-6 (5), 4-6 and 10-6. 

Our third doubles unit didn't fare so well, as Lydia Fynboh and Elizabeth Pollard were downed by Anna McNeill and Alana Hettver, 5-7 and 4-6.

The state tournament is not until October 26-29. The locations will be Baseline Tennis Center at the U of M, and the Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center in Minneapolis. Info is from the MSHSL.

 

Tigers 4, Montevideo 3

The tennis Tigers climbed through the Section 3A semi-finals with success vs. Montevideo. The competition site was Gustavus Adolphus, St. Peter. We survived this tough challenge with the 4-3 win. Our No. 2 though No. 4 singles players prevailed. Kassidy Girard defeated Cameron Myers 6-3 and 6-3. Catherine "Cate" Kehoe prevailed vs. Brooke Lindeman 6-4 and 7-5. Claire Stark was on the winning end vs. Lauren Dehne, 6-1 and 6-1. Our No. 1 singles player Abbigail Athey was defeated by Emily Bruce 1-6 and 1-6. Our No. 2 doubles team must have made some adjustments after the first set. Lakia Manska and Breanna Schmidgall were stopped at the start 4-6, then they came on strong to defeat Annie Marquardt and Brooke Hilden 6-1 and 6-2. Our first doubles team of Kjersten Nibbe and Hope Sperr fell to Tyra Sandven and Mathea Jorgenson 2-6 and 5-7; and at third doubles, Lydia Fynboh and Elizabeth Pollard bowed to Ashley Klaassen and Gwyn Smiens, 5-7 and 5-7.

We have certainly had beautiful weather for enjoying tennis lately. Making state as a team is very significant.

 

Volleyball: Tigers 3, Benson 0

MACA volleyball made some progress in an otherwise disappointing season on Thursday. The progress came in a sweep win. Success was versus the Braves of Benson at Benson. So we notched our third win of the season while also having the baggage of 17 losses. Benson is having its share of struggles also, a 4-19 mark. 

I'm not sure why the MACA coaches aren't helping out the media more. They ought to be up to that task after a sweep win. This was a West Central Conference match. Our success came with scores of 25-9, 25-18 and 25-17. Adysen Himley batted two serving aces at the Tigers. She was also at the fore in setting for the Braves: eleven assists. Libby McGeary and Isabella Wolter each contributed one set assist. 

Lilly Slaughter and Kyra Gronseth pounded five and three kills respectively, while these four Braves each had one: Torie Andrews, Ellie Krusemark, Wolter and Kaylin Grube. In digs we saw these Braves lead: McGeary (16), Krusemark (12) and Slaughter (11). 

I do not have stats for MACA.

 

Melrose 3, Tigers 1

The Tuesday chapter of the Tiger volleyball week was a loss, 1-3 vs. Melrose at Tiger Center. Melrose eked out the Game 1 win 25-23, then it was a 25-19 score in Game 2 for the Dutchmen. The Tigers got the Game 3 win 25-23, then succumbed in Game 4 when Melrose enjoyed a 7-0 run. The Game 4 score was 25-21 for the Dutchmen. 

Our kmrs-kkok site reported some MACA stat highlights, like Maddy Grove with eleven kills, eleven digs, three aces and a block. Brianna Marty came through with ten kills, ten digs, three aces and a block. Sydney Dietz had impact with eight kills and four aces, and Brienna Dybdahl accumulated 28 set assists. 

Kimberly Klassen helped lead the visitor to victory with 12 kills and six blocks. Then we see Brooke Meyer with 20 assists and Kari Rademacher with 14 digs. Melrose is having a .500 season.

 

Werk, Stallman lead runners

The Tigers of the cross country world visited Sauk Centre Tuesday. Hailey Werk was the top Tiger place-winner for the girls: 14th. Meredith Carrington arrived at the finish chute 19th, just ahead of Isabel Fynboh in 20th. Continuing: Hannah Schultz (34th), Kendal Fischer (36th), Caryn Marty (37th) and Alayna Perkins (52nd). The individual girls champion was Laina Viere of the champion Rocori team. 

Our boys effort was topped by Gavin Stallman in 27th. Charlie Hanson, Matt Giese and Hunter Pederson arrived at the finish chute in the 40s. Other running Tigers were Jacob Buhl (47th), Pierce Richards (57th) and Sam Jordan (67th). The top boys team was St. Cloud Cathedral. The boys individual champion was Landon Kampsen of Sauk Centre.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

61-yard pass closes gap, but Tigers fall to Pierz 25-22

Fans gathered at Big Cat Stadium for a second consecutive home game on Friday, this time with weather not quite as pleasant as for Homecoming. We were unusually blessed for the Homecoming game. As the fall weeks pass, the odds for these conditions lessen. We felt the more fall-like conditions on a misty Friday when the Pierz Pioneers came to town. 

The moist nature of the day meant no pep band. Fans enjoyed a hard-fought game out on the Big Cat artificial turf. The outcome was in doubt much of the time. When the four quarters were done, the Pioneers could savor the 25-22 win. The Tigers remain over .500 at 3-2. Pierz came out at 4-1. 

Surely we had strong suits on the night. Such as, the 208 rushing yards ground out by Durgin Decker. Decker was handed the football 24 times. The passing game saw Brandon Jergenson put up 22 attempts. His completion percentage wasn't great but his yards-per-completion definitely was great: He was eight of 22 for 140 yards but unfortunately, three of his aerials were picked off. Turnovers hurt - we had five in all. 

Pierz played a more conservative game with Andrew Winscher completing five of seven aerials for 121 yards, a great average-per. The Pioneers' Reece Young carried the ball for 85 yards. Teammate Zach Jones rushed for 74. 

The Pioneers jumped ahead 13-0 before MACA could get on the scoreboard. When finally the refs signaled "touchdown" for MACA, it was when Jergenson passed 12 yards to Toby Gonnerman. Then in the third quarter, Jergenson passed to Jackson Loge on a short TD hookup. At this point we had crept out in front 14-13. A tenuous lead, yes, and we lost it when Young of the Pioneers scampered 20 yards for six. A Jones scoring run of 34 yards got the Pioneers up 25-14. Then came Jergenson's third scoring toss of the evening, when he found Dylan Rose open for a big 61-yarder. MACA was now within three points but we'd get no closer. 

The orange and black is now striving to stay above .500. Next up: at Minnewaska Area. 

A look over area scores from Friday prompts some concern. We see a brutal 81-0 final score. Was this really necessary? It was Wheaton-Herman-Norcross outdoing Bertha-Hewitt. Are fans really served watching such a thing? Couldn't fans find more constructive endeavors, than to watch such a thing? Perhaps some fans were angry by game's end. Look, it isn't worth the trouble - everyone forget about it. Put aside the emotions connected with high school sports. There are few winners when it comes to this. I'd be embarrassed as a fan of WHN to even watch this game. Maybe boys should play volleyball instead.

 

Volleyball: BOLD 3, Tigers 0

This season has been rather an uphill proposition for our MACA volleyball Tigers. I know there are some good athletes on the team. I see familiar names from softball. But the team has had a hard time getting it together to seek victory. And on Thursday there was no reprieve as the Tigers got swept by BOLD at Olivia. The 0-3 outcome had these scores: 13-25, 21-25 and 16-25. 

BOLD is having the opposite type of fall campaign from the Tigers. The Warriors upped their record to 14-3, 6-1 in the WCC. I have only BOLD stats available, sorry. Nellie Borer had three serving aces and Delaney Tersteeg had two. In set assists we saw Tersteeg and Layla Pfarr with 15 and 14 respectively. Three BOLD Warriors each pounded down seven kills: Abby Meyers, Leslie Snow and Ady Knake. Caylee Weber had five kills and Kenzie Visser four. Three Warriors each had two ace blocks: Meyers, Visser and Mari Ryberg. In digs it was Ryberg with eight and Snow with seven.

Tennis: success at Benson

The tennis girls of MACA/WCA showed a winning flair at the Benson courts. We edged the Benson/KMS girls 4-3. Let's take a look at singles where we see Abbigail Athey prevailing at No. 1 over Elise Duncan, 6-1 and 6-3. We came out on the short end at No. 2 singles, Kassidy Girard getting bested by Hannah Helms 5-7 and 4-6. 

Our Catherine "Cate" Kehoe prevailed at No. 3, 6-3 and 6-0 over Elle Klescher. At No. 4 singles, Claire Stark downed Abby DeToy 6-0 and 6-3. 

We didn't fare so well in doubles, but good enough to assure a team win for MACA/WCA. At first doubles, the Benson pair of Eleanor Habben and Milgo Abdi won 6-1 and 6-4 over Kjersten Nibbe and Hope Sperr. At No. 2, Benson's Bella Quisberg and Anna McNeill downed Lakia Manska and Breanna Schmidgall 6-4 and 7-5. We got our win at No. 3 where the tandem of Lydia Fynboh and Elizabeth Pollard prevailed 6-2 and 6-3 over Alana Hettver and Kya Oakes.

Swimming/diving

The RFC was the site for swimming/diving action that had Sauk Centre as the opponent. Our swim team has MACA combined with Minnewaska Area. Sauk Centre was the victor 112-74. Shannon Dougherty was a standout for the home team as she won the 50 freestyle. She was also second in the 100 free. Audrey Dorweiler placed third in the 50 free.

Accent on diving: here we had Taryn Picht in second, Clare Barnstuble in third and Grace Mortenson taking fourth.

Media notes:

A friend forwarded me the apparently new E-newsletter from the Morris newspaper. The friend and I were not certain that the new feature was going to be welcomed. My friend wondered if people would see it as "stuff the paper didn't have room for in its regular product," which would be an admission that the regular product isn't cutting it, which in terms of size it probably is not. 

Did I miss the photos from the MAHS Homecoming coronation? Were they someplace I just didn't notice? 

My reaction to the E-newsletter? I think many people will see it as just more "email junk." It may not be bereft of value but sometimes we just get inundated. Many of us already get "Friday Facts" from the Chamber, an item that has had negligible value during our closed-down year with the pandemic. Activities got revived some, but what now does the future hold? This coming winter might be worse than last year. Masks are now required indoors on the UMM campus. 

My "Friday Facts" often lands in spam. That happen to you too? There are times when I automatically delete it, as I would probably do with the newspapers's E-newsletter. 

I really do wish the paper well. However, for all the bluster from Reed about how we need to preserve rural newspapers as a "watchdog" on government, I do not sense, at all, any such orientation from the paper in terms of asking tough questions of people in public positions, making them squirm sometimes. 

I admit I don't see the Morris paper every week. I could stand corrected on anything. But the paper could be probing more on two matters: the water treatment plant and the softball complex. Has the paper reported that the initial announcement of new city water at five grains of hardness has been pushed all the way down to 15 grains, and what this might mean for local residents who might be confused as hell? That's a big change. Why did it happen? Has the newspaper asked? 

As for the softball complex, didn't the school board release a new sum of $220,000 in the recent past, like maybe three months ago? I have seen no new work done at the place, outside of some piles of dirt the purpose of which is not readily apparent. And what about the lights around the new Holmberg Field which we were apparently promised by the funeral home? The funeral home got a nice bunch of attention in the local media with its gesture. 

The softball complex haunts us, as a not very fan-friendly place. The newspaper might stimulate discussion on this, ask planners about their rationale for how it's all laid out. I'm sure there are other subjects where the Morris newspaper could act as a watchdog. Reed continually writes about how this is such a worthy purpose. What I have seen of the paper, it seems to be a "positive" lapdog for local public/government officials. A simple blog might do better. Anyone up for it?

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Our Morris once had more nighttime activity

Remember the Coborn's parade float? It was the giant shopping cart. The store is fading into Morris' past. The image is from "hometown source."

 
Morris had a 24-hour grocery store for a long time: Coborn's of course. Coborn's was probably not as sharp an operation as Willie's today. Nevertheless it blazed a trail in this community by being open 24 hours. We came to take it for granted. If I discovered I was out of dog food for the next morning, I could make a dash at any time.

Coborn's has been gone from our midst for some time. That end of town is not the hub for people traffic like it once was. People traffic has of course subsided in a big way overall due to the public health crisis. 

Morris history should never overlook how we had a 24-hour restaurant. It was Atlantic Avenue Family Restaurant owned by Floyd Schmidgall. Was it ever practical as a business matter to have such a place in our humble rural community? We might assume it was, based on Floyd's unquestioned business acumen. 

Businesses that operate 24 hours might be seen as consistent with a college town. The restaurant reportedly attracted a lot of college youth who'd study or at least had a purported purpose of studying. A credit to them, but of course relaxed socializing became a prime aim. Word was, to no one's surprise, they didn't spend a lot of money. 

The mere existence of late night places was a statement of openness and sociability, was it not? The gesture suggested vitality despite how nighttime activity often suggests a low-life underbelly. I'm told that simply walking through town these days late at night or middle of night, can get you a visit with law enforcement people. Heard a personal story re. this. It's hard to argue with the vigilance toward public safety. Still, we must acknowledge we cannot create a perfectly safe world. Or to cite a saying: the perfect is the enemy of the good. 

By the same token, we guard our kids to the point where they become sedentary and obese, whereas the parents of my generation would let us off the leash so much. Is it true that "walking to school" is frowned upon or maybe even contrary to law now? Well, it's vigilance toward safety. How can we argue with that? The Jacob Wetterling case which stretched out over so many tragic years left a legacy not entirely heartening. When all was said and done - a fortune spent many times over on law enforcement investigating and tips followed - we learned that the Wetterling story was one of profound law enforcement incompetence. 

Someone joked with me a few years ago about how we guard our kids so closely now, maybe we should just have them wrapped in Nerf until a certain age. I believe that friend was Roger Boleman. A perceptive view. 

"Nighthawks" painting by Edward Hopper

We can have highly mixed thoughts about the night. Shall we assume it has inherent dangers? Well yes, but insulating yourself from constructive human interaction when the sun goes down seems not the best route. 

Night has risk as with simply driving an automobile. Shall I assume that nighttime drivers no longer "dim the lights" using their left foot? It was once a staple of driving activity. I rarely drive at night, very rarely, and if I do it's only to town and back. And I'm struck by the greater challenge or dangers presented when driving at night. I remember the line from Robert Redford as "Roy Hobbs" in "The Natural": "All I know about the dark is that you can't see well in it." To refresh: the baseball character was in the office of team owner who had an unusual fear of bright lights. 

 

Hyper danger w/ the dark

My sense about nighttime driving is supported by what we saw happen in South Dakota with the attorney general. Imagine running over and killing someone on the shoulder, having to pay a fine or fines for negligence in connection with the incident, and continuing your professional life as public servant as if nothing had happened. Stranger than fiction, but myriad strange things can happen where one-party government exists. You're in pretty good shape in South Dakota if you run for public office with the "R" next to your name. 

Increasingly the conservative Republican governor seems on the defensive because of the feeling of entitlement she developed, as leader within the prevailing party. You might check the headlines every day: Kristi Noem is in there. We wince as we realize the lack of accountability, the accountability that would come in a healthy two-party system with checks and balances. 

The South Dakota attorney general drove after dark after attending a Republican fundraiser in Redfield SD. Why the need to have a fundraiser? A Republican gets in trouble these days, we hear about an "investigation" and then I grimace as I realize these things just go down a rabbit trail. Or, into a "black hole": choose your cliche. 

Donald Trump is "under investigation" for his phone call to the Georgia secretary of state. His voice is on tape. Matt Gaetz is "under investigation" for child sex trafficking. The investigation just hangs out there until we realize it means essentially nothing. 

If a person is actually innocent of something as heinous as child sex trafficking, it should be trumpeted to the world. Instead we see Gaetz acting in his usual cocky, irritating way, basically like the South Dakota Republicans - a netherworld where nothing seems to happen. There is a continuing odious projection, but that's all. "There is an investigation." 

Sigh, and South Dakota officials are still pondering whether to impeach the attorney general. The weeks plod on, but if I'm spotted by our local cops not wearing my seat belt - this has happened - I'm toast, no real recourse for me - I'm immediately ticketed and must pay a fine, plus I've undergone the humiliation in a small town of being pulled over to the shoulder by a cop car with lights flashing. And so I get accosted in church: "Don't you follow the rules of the road?" 

But child sex trafficking? A case like that can just linger or disappear permanently into a netherworld? Can't the media do a better job of explaining these things to us? I mean, how the SD attorney general can just keep showing up for work, really as if "nothing happened?" When Gov. Noem implores him to resign, is she just doing this with a wink? Fellow Republicans. And is Noem now having an affair with Trump acolyte Corey Lewandowski? Well, why not? Why not just have clown Trump re-elected in 2024? Keep the clown car running. 

 

Antiquated behavior

A final note about nighttime in our Morris MN: like all communities, there were places people went for the "bar rush" on Friday and Saturday nights. Floyd's restaurant and Don's were hubs for this uninhibited and frankly silly ritual, people acting stupid and not even caring. We had to wonder what the restaurant servers were thinking of us. (We used to call them "waitresses," just as we once said "stewardesses," and we saw TV journalist Sam Donaldson get in a bunch of trouble by referring to a female park ranger as a "rangerette.") 

I participated in a few bar rushes myself. The ritual accompanied the far more accepted behavior of social drinking, which may have reached its peak in the 1970s. The patterns of behavior faded without much commentary, frankly. 

So now we experience nighttime that is far more vacant, silent. Where you might invite a conversation with a cop if you have to be out and around. 

For me the nighttime motif will always be symbolized by the classic Edward Hopper painting "Nighthawks" from 1942. The front of Don's Cafe in Morris would be the subject for a like painting. Not a "copy," mind you, but a work with the same essential ingredients. An idea: the artist could have someone paying at the till who looks just like Elvin Presley! A customer might be looking up with an expression of shock.

 

Addendum: Floyd's restaurant of the past is now known as DeToy's. Just as all-night business there has been retired, maybe we'll have to say goodbye too, to the salad bar. The giant Coborn's shopping cart was in our summer Prairie Pioneer Days parade - what a spectacle, but it's gone just like Coborn's.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

"Night Life" song w/ its bleak tone scored for Nelson

("discogs" image)

"Night Life" seemed a perfect song to hear on the radio toward the end of the 1970s, the cynical decade. In my mind the song will always have Danny Davis' brass players in the background. 

Consider how the song starts: "When the evening sun goes down, you will find me hanging 'round. The night life ain't no good life. But it's my life." 

This is considered songwriting gold, of course. I can only praise anyone who writes a song that gets such great traction. Consider that the lyrics cannot be considered uplifting. Scratching one's head, we might reason that the "positive message" is that this fellow accepts his life as it is. At the same time, he admits its shortcomings. 

So, can't a person step away from a life that "ain't no good life?" Couldn't anyone choose to set the bar higher? 

The song indeed reflects the zeitgeist of the 1970s. It was a rather stagnant decade where none of the miracle of digital had sprouted yet. We still had what columnist David Brooks of the New York Times called "the redundancies of the World War II type of organization." We had a shared popular culture far more than today. It is hard to conclude whether that was good or bad. 

The "niche" nature of entertainment is almost smothering us today. Entertainment systems cater to every minute whim or need, ad nauseam, and we must wonder at a certain point if it is all making us happy. A sea change in the 1950s was the boomer generation youth getting TV. We were marketed to, us kids. We saw through the marketing machinations better than the puppet masters of marketing realized. Thus we got Mad Magazine. 

Our whole culture found the so-called night life appealing. The arrival of darkness in the evening did not signal a retreat from vigorous activities. The late Larry King talked about "appointment TV." And that is what "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" was. I was as transfixed as anyone. We'd grumble about how much time off Johnny got. We'd get these "guest hosts" that could not replicate what Johnny offered. Johnny mastered the craft of entertainment after 10:30 p.m. CDT for a mass audience. Tell topical jokes. Come up with material that was just plain funny or irreverent. Have ongoing gags, so the show could be kind of a familiar home base for people. Connect to your audience in a way that was of course totally illusory. 

"Leave 'em laughing." Ann-Margret taught us about that phrase in the 1962 movie "State Fair." Her character explained it's an illusion by performers to connect with the audience in an almost personal way. Of course it is not personal at all. It's entertainment. 

  

Talent can have its baggage

Willie Nelson had the innate songwriting gift. And like so many with this inclination, his personality is idiosyncratic, off the rails in certain ways. My own church pastor once explained how people with creative talent can have psychological tics or even deep-seated problems. Consider Johnny Paycheck who actually ended up in prison: could you connect a guy like this to such a beautiful and sensitive song like "Old Violin?" 

("discogs" image)

I totally envy Willie Nelson and his success. Still, I review the lyrics of his song "Night Life" and can't help but think: "What's the big deal?" 

"OK Brian you write a song like that yourself, then." Such might be the retort. And I do try. I have respect for the songwriting craft that goes above how I feel about journalism. Journalism is a craft where I have professional creds. I mean, it was a full-time job for 27 years. You might extend the time period, realistically, because of the countless weekends and holidays when I worked. 

People can be conflicted judging journalism. Is it really supposed to be 100 percent "objective?" And can all even agree on what "objective" is? We all view current events or controversies through a lens developed through our own background. And if journalism defies clear understanding, songwriting is way further out there in terms of being inscrutable. A person capable of writing a textbook on songwriting might never be able to write a Top 40 hit. 

Nelson knew the key to reaching a mass audience with material that "clicked," even though the words seem not to reflect obvious genius. They do, but it's hard simply conceptualizing it. Or, to build a science around it? Forget it! 

 

Song has history of its own

I noted that "Night Life" seemed rather an ode to the defeatist 1970s, the "Studio 54" decade. Nelson actually wrote the song years earlier. It was first released as a (vinyl) record in 1960. The 'B' side was "Rainy Day Blues." 

The vicissitudes of the music industry are evident in spades when reviewing the song history. Any song has to start somewhere. The germination need not be in the kind of setting we expect: seated at one's piano keyboard at home, manuscript paper in front of you. It can happen this way but in myriad other ways as well. The key is to just have some paper available and a writing tool, lest you forget some song idea that has the potential to be heard all around the world! Isn't it amazing, the sheer power of popular songs? A song idea might be scribbled on the back on a receipt, you name it. Oh, there has to be a light source. 

Nelson wrote "Night Life" during one of his trips from his home in Pasadena TX to his work, singing at the Esquire Ballroom in Houston. He wrote the concluding lines on the way home! He was financially pressed. He sold the song for $150 to music colleague Paul Buskirk. The song initially got a thumbs-down at the studio level. See what I mean by "vicissitudes?" And why? The song was judged "not really country." 

Imagine writing a song like this and experiencing the letdown which pervades song composition, that letdown being "rejection." I talked to the respected head of a songwriting association once, who noted that even he had the door slammed on him sometimes. The point being, you had better love the craft of songwriting if you choose to plunge into it. You'll write many songs that are dead-enders before you just might - still no guarantee - write a song that hits paydirt. 

Just keep plugging away as Nelson has always done. It's built in to his soul. Does a little "weed" help? I won't explore that here. 

Nelson sold the song but he still pushed it for recording purposes. Legal wrinkles forced him to alter the spelling to "Nite Life" and to even alter his own name. Studio politics was involved, apparently. It wasn't until 1963 that the wrinkles evidently got pushed aside and we got "Night Life by Willie Nelson." 

The original "Nite Life," presented with Buskirk's name and "Hugh Nelson," went essentially nowhere.

Patience brings all things?

 

Bursting through

Ray Price in 1960 purchased the song. Imagine such simple lines of lyrics getting bandied about for a pricetag. Interesting way to make a living. The song became the title track for Price's 1963 album "Night Life." Someone knew something: the song became a hit. Who says that resigned or defeatist thoughts - a gravitating to the seedy "Night Life" - can't be endearing or far-reaching? 

Or, maybe let's interpret the song like this: the singer admits the shortcomings around him but has the wisdom to describe it accurately. For whatever reason he is committed to these surroundings, perhaps only short-term.

Nothing succeeds like success. Doris Day of all people recorded the song in 1963 also. She of the cheery saccharine disposition. Nelson's original 1960 recording, this time with "Night" spelled correctly, came out in '63 too. My goodness, the trumpeter Al Hirt recorded the song! He sang some. 

Nelson re-recorded the song in 1965. A veritable list of music stars shared their versions, all evidently eager to share the concept of retreating into a night life sans virtue. Ah, but the singer knows better! And let me add: all trumpet players fancy themselves good singers.

 

Partnership I loved ("discogs" image)

Bring on the brass

So the song found its niche in the 1970s where I remember best the recording of Nelson with Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass. Ah, the pleasing brassy strains behind Nelson's unmistakable vocal styling. I'm biased as a trumpet player. 

The Nelson/Davis collaboration was in 1979, a year after I was out of college. This version got to No. 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. 

The parade continued with Aretha Franklin. All of this was the fruit of a seed that got planted in Nelson's mind during a routine nighttime commute in his early professional days. "Paying his dues." 

Such can be the origin of blockbuster hits, the words of which are memorized all over. 

But I ask: where is the genius? I mean, to simply write "when the evening sun goes down, you will find me hanging 'round." Doing what? Seems almost like throwaway thoughts. But maybe such thoughts ring true for a great many, as we ponder the pedestrian nature of our existence, our mundane day-to-day doings.

The essence of songwriting itself? Could very well be. Congratulations to Willie Nelson on his incredible track record, even while fashioning a personal image that contradicts tuxedos. But he's real. And that's what people want from their popular songs: they want them to be real, to penetrate through the pretensions or stodgy parameters in life. Night life may be no good life, but it's endearing country music. 

I remember when the great opera singer Luciano Pavarotti announced Willie Nelson for an award once, and said "Willie Wilson." The amused co-host said "the audience knows who he is!" Nelson was the writer of "Night Life," a song extolling no special virtues at all, rather the opposite, under cloak of depressing nighttime. It reminds of the famous Edward Hopper painting "Nighthawks."

Do you think Nelson ever worries about the "money" aspect of his craft? Do you think Paycheck ever did? Rhetorical question.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

A term that seemed to fit, but. . .

I recently discovered a misunderstanding I had with the English language. My detractors would say "you mean there's just one?" Precision when using the language is important. I only let a "50-cent word" slip into my writing if I feel it's needed for absolute precision. All things being equal, go with the more generally understood word. "Grandstanding" impresses no one. 

It does not hurt to be perceived as erudite sometimes. Maybe it would make some people respect my opinions more? It's nice when one can reach the "erudite" plateau. But the overriding aim is always communication. A friend advised me many years ago, that if I were to have a lapse and write something not all that readable, some people might avoid my writing in the future. Well, it's impossible being perfect at anything. Writing can be like golf? 

Any number of factors might nudge you into an "off" day. With the newspaper here in Morris, pressure to deliver product daily can cause weariness that affects focus. Distractions around you affect focus. Being sleep-deprived? Well that's certainly a given. As I get older, I realize better the importance of having a good diet. For a long time I thought a good hot breakfast could always get me through a full day. Since then I have admitted that greater care is needed. Or am I just getting older?
Rhetorical question? 

So my recent revelation about the English language had to do with the term "weekend warrior." I probably held off on actually using this term in my writing. But it was in my head. Perhaps when the time came where I weighed using it in my writing, I felt I had to confirm the definition. And at that point some revision was called for. 

How might I have developed the misunderstanding? Well, I think it's because I was searching for a term to describe something I had noticed in day-to-day life. To explain: Through the years we have seen a steady fading of the "weekend." It was once ensconced in our lives thanks to two things, 1) primarily the organized labor movement, and 2) the great U.S. middle class that came out of World War II. Today we continue recognizing the "weekend" as when we tell someone "have a nice weekend." It's a line like "how are you today," not meant to convey a whole lot of meaning. It's courtesy. 

But haven't you noticed: the great American weekend has been fading?

Remember "blue laws?" Rather quaint. Shall we hold Sunday sacred? We really don't anymore. More and more normal business gets performed on Saturdays and even Sundays. The trend continues. People need their regular needs met on weekends, after all. Maybe the main street hardware store is closed but then there's Wal-Mart with its big league hardware department. 

As the trend proceeds, there is a corresponding trend, that of weekend employees who try their best but are not as competent as the Monday-Friday people. So you might be advised to watch how you get handled by the weekend folks. I recently had Caribou Coffee screw up what they charged me for my usual breakfast on Sunday morning. It was a young worker who was nice but not really on top of it. 

So, I came to think of employees like these as "weekend warriors." I ran the term by Del Sarlette one day and he corrected me most forcefully. It's good to get corrected that way if you are really wrong. 

No one bats a thousand. So my understanding of "weekend warriors" was entirely in my own head. 

My definition is amusing, I feel, and I feel a term is needed for what I sometimes notice when making weekend rounds. But I whiffed on "weekend warrior." Mea culpa. I plug on as a writer.

 

From the Urban Dictionary for "weekend warrior": "a person who holds a regular job during the week which restricts their ability to party/go on trips/partake in awesome activities, and thus plans epic weekend adventures to compensate."

 

Football: Rockford 26, Tigers 22

Well, shall I write about football, i.e. "are you ready for some football?" - Hank Williams Jr.

I'm reminded of the late Tim Heuer when thinking of Hank Williams Jr. The country singer is the prime exhibit of how success is achieved in popular music with your own distinct style. He is the son of the late singer Hank Williams, a troubled man. Hank Jr. embarked on his music career riding his dad's coattails some in terms of style. Then he broke away completely. 

I'm biased against Southerners who talk about the Confederate flag and all that stuff, but I can't find it in myself to diss Hank Williams Jr. 

Getting back to football, the MACA Tigers lost on the road Friday night The game was played at Rockford against the Rockets. I could not find any details, outside of the score, anywhere in the media until this morning, Sunday. I stayed home from church because my church is pushing a mask requirement (or strong suggestion) again. I find the mask uncomfortable for the full hour. 

Our Tigers had a huge problem with interceptions Friday. It was the story of the game as quarterback Brandon Jergenson had trouble with errant aerials. My goodness, seven interceptions in the stat report for the normally smooth-performing QB. A good scouting report by Rockford? 

Jergenson did throw for 317 yards and three touchdowns. 

We assumed a 6-0 lead thanks to a scoring pass that had Jackson Loge on the receiving end. It was a 36-yard pass hookup. So things are off to a nice start. After that encouraging first score, my goodness the host Rockets put together a skein of 26 points. We lost in the end 26-22.

We were hurt by just 37 yards rushing. We showed spark late in the game, just not enough. The clock ran out. It was our first loss of the season. 

Loge finished with seven pass receptions for 108 yards and the TD. Toby Gonnerman wrapped his arms around the ball for four catches, 100 yards and a score. Cole Wente caught the football four times for 100 yards and a score. On defense Wente intercepted two passes. 

The Rockets improved to 2-1. Samuel Zilmer passed for 115 yards on six of 13 for the winning effort. He also tossed a TD.

 

My podcast for Sept. 19

If I keep doing this often enough, maybe I'll get a "radio voice?" Just kidding, it doesn't matter. But I invite you to visit my "Morris Mojo" podcast on this sunny Sunday. I share on the potential scandal in South Dakota where super-rich T. Denny Sanford faces child porn access allegations. Very untidy matter. So is money everything? Is golf everything? You may click on this permalink, and thanks:

https://anchor.fm/brian-williams596/episodes/On-T--Denny-Sanford-e17j230 

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

Putting new ABBA lyrics under microscope

A line of lyrics in one of the new ABBA songs got my attention. How many of us really think much about the lyrics? The song title probably grabs us. Often the lyrics are hard to follow if you are a casual listener to the radio. 

ABBA has two new songs out now. This concludes their hiatus of 40 years. Seems remarkable to have such a long interruption. Would that we could see and hear John Lennon still plying his craft. 

"I Still Have Faith In You" is a nice thought. It's a new ABBA song. Here's the complete second half of the opening stanza: "There was a union of heart and mind, the likes of which are rare and oh-so hard to find." 

Sounds nice to be sure. I imagine the way the song "sounds" is primary for most people. A closer look at lyrics is still constructive. The last line from above - "the likes of which are rare and oh-so hard to find" - appears to present a redundancy. Something that is rare would be hard to find. I would probably "flag" such a line and attempt to re-write it, were this my own work. 

It has been said of songwriters that it's not uncommon to see them break a rule here and there, "but you can be sure they know what the rules are." But why do they break rules occasionally? Maybe the rules are not so rock-ribbed. 

In fact, it appears that people who are teachers for a living are too rock-ribbed - they enforce rules and make you feel humiliated if you break them. 

I remember being diminished once because of a redundancy I appeared to commit in a poetry writing assignment. Oh, I get my feelings hurt easily? Perhaps. I have an instinctive aversion to apparent redundancies now, beyond what would be reasonable. For example, I was recently combing over lyrics of a song I'm considering to have recorded. I became concerned about one stanza. I talk about something being "the best kind of bliss" and then two lines later, to complete a rhyme, I present the payoff line: "It does not get better than this." I wrote the final line before the ones preceding it. 

Redundant?

I was writing about the author Jim Bouton who initially made his name as a baseball pitcher. 

"It doesn't get better than this?" What was I writing about? To the extent this fellow got famous and made money after his sore arm forced him out of baseball, I suggest that his experience on the ball diamond in front of fans could never be surpassed. "It does not get better than this." 

I remember the line from Olympics coverage about the runner Carl Lewis many years ago. Lewis got in a grumbling and complaining mood about certain things. The commentator considered this, and then suggested through his writing that Lewis savor the essence of the championship moment: "It does not get better than this." 

I think the writer used the contraction "doesn't." I was writing song lyrics - the separate words worked better. Lyricists unlike pure poets have to recognize "prosody," how the words sing, roll off the tongue. Casual listeners to songs tend not to appreciate this fact enough. Sometimes a songwriter will "slip" and admit that the lyrics are governed mainly by "how well they sing." And the performers appreciate the approach, I might add! 

It's funny to realize how song analysts interpret lyrics as if there's a hidden meaning, when no such thing was necessarily intended! 

 

ABBA in 2021

So, ABBA sings "the likes of which are rare and oh-so hard to find." Seems redundant but why should anyone care? It's a terrific song to listen to. Hey it's ABBA! We're waiting to see if the group's comeback has staying power. A little secret: it's almost impossible to predict this in popular music. 

Why was ABBA in hibernation for so long? 

Music groups like the "Cowsills" are known for saying that if they could have hung together longer, well, another string of 20 or so hits would have happened. Intrinsic optimism of us humans? Groups and performers fade off because of various sticky complications and conflict. Also, as much as we're enamored with their best material, it really has a shelf life. You might think it shouldn't. I can't blame you if you were mesmerized by the early ABBA. However, our attention span gets strained in a way we tend not to be conscious of.

We really do get tired of a particular sound. The reason the Beatles became so other-worldly with their success was that they were a rare example of a music act that really could re-invent themselves. This began with the "Rubber Soul" album. The Beatles moved into their new phase as a studio band partly because they couldn't hear their own singing in front of the masses of young fans. Like at Shea Stadium. I'm sure Lennon was thinking "this is nuts!" 

ABBA? They are not re-inventing themselves. They are clearly doing the opposite, not only keeping their style but seeking through tech tricks to present their younger selves! I personally think that's risky. They could have decided to sink or swim as "themselves." Is aging such a taboo thing? What they're doing now seems rather like plastic surgery. 

Their music is good, obviously, but it has always fallen within a narrow realm. It's instantly recognizable. 

The redundancy of the ABBA lyric line I pointed out earlier? Does anyone besides me care about that? Perhaps I still feel a little hurt by a teacher or two from when I was young? These people pushed rules, I now realize because that's what they were paid to do. Without rules, we wouldn't need teachers. Teachers teach structure. It's to excess much of the time. But they need to feel valued (and they need the paycheck). 

A redundancy in lyrics? It's not prima facie bad. ABBA's appears no big deal. We need to apply our common sense. Premier song craftsmen know when to flag a redundancy. 

Choosing words for song lyrics is an extremely delicate thing. It can be maddening because sometimes you'll be "in the zone" and the lines get written as if they're coming from outside of you. At other times, a songwriter will labor endlessly trying to complete something, and even though it seems fruitless - like Sisyphus - we'll plug on! My theory is that such sessions, though futile on the surface, actually serve to build up your skill! 

The best songs can have a throwaway line or two, or an ill-chosen word, but it has to be done to complete the whole. So my Bouton song includes the word "bliss" which is sort of like "heartwarming." What's the word, hackneyed? So sorry, but. . . This was a setup word for the rhyme which was completed with my payoff line: "It does not get better than this." 

Bliss. . .this. So is it OK? I'll share here the whole stanza:

To hear the crescendo of cheering fans

Is really the best kind of bliss

So Jim could remember and understand

It does not get better than this

 

Jim Bouton

A couple years ago I shared the full lyrics for the Bouton song in a blog post. I had a melody in mind all along: a two-part melodic idea that repeats itself - no chorus or bridge. 

I found that the original presentation was too long for a song. I just had to cut it down. I had to show humility, to be willing to admit that some of my writing was expendable! I guess that's a sign of maturity for a songwriter. I appear to have the song pretty well prepared now. Maybe I'll have it recorded. 

Jim Bouton was the No. 1 influence on my approach to journalism in my formative years. He was a questioning person. During questioning times. He rejected first and foremost, superficiality and pretense. Moi? Well, I guess. 

Ernest Hemingway was not a teacher but he did suggest rules of his own for writing. I smile. If he was so certain about such rules, why did he seek to tell the world about them? It's like sharing stock market investing advice: if you're so sure you're right, why not keep the info to yourself and benefit from it? 

It was a nice thought that Hemingway shared: "Never describe something for what it is not, describe it for what it is." 

Why would anyone want to argue with that? But consider the Lennon-McCartney lyrics for "Oh! Darling." The second line is "I'll never do you no harm." OMG, deliberate bad grammar! But besides that, the singer isn't singing about treating someone well, he's saying "I won't hurt you." I wouldn't be so sure with Lennon. But seriously, he was a genius and my generation has never been able to get over his assassination. Painful as it is to accept, we simply must. When a person dies, that person is gone, period. 

"Oh! Darling" was a McCartney tune, written and sung. You might mistake it for Lennon.

Let's keep our eye on the ABBA foursome in the coming few months.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com