On A Pale Horse

Labels: 1928 births, 2010 deaths, activist, actor, cancer, military

I'm not as cool as I think I am. Truth be told, I'm a half hearted nerd - not the kind that ends up building an empire like Microsoft or musically inclined like Wierd Al Yankovic just socially inept. I am, in fact, one of your run of the mill zit faced, pencil chewing, glasses wearing, stringy hair, comic book reading, Star Trek watching, slightly OCD, band geek. If it wasn't for Maybelline, Lasik, hair dye and cigarettes I'd never get a date (well I've had a few in my life - not recently though). I've gotten some pretty strange looks when I open my mouth and talk about things that I'm interested in (case in point - this site). I've been looked at like I have a second head and heard the words 'freak' and 'abnormal' to describe me, whatever. I've always held the stead fast belief that one should stand out, not be classified, be abnormal. In my case that means that I'm pretty proud to be called a nerd.

I wouldn't characterize John Waters as being a nerd. I think he understands the nerd mentality, those that live life outside of the normal accepted pattern of living. I like that. One of my all time favorite movies is "Hairspray" the 1988 classic with Divine, Ricky Lake, Debbie Harry & Shawn Thompson (drool). *Sidenote... I'm not too excited about this remake that's coming out with John Travolta - but that's for another time.* One of the more colorful characters (not trying to make a pun) was Motormouth Maybelle played by one Ruth Brown. I loved her - she was loud - proud - funny - she rhymed (Oh Papa Tooney. We've got a Looney!).

Ruth Browns career took off with Atlantic Records in the 1950's with songs like "So Long" followed by "Tear Drops From Her Eyes". She retired from singing in 1961 after going to another record label and having less then steller sucess with her subsequent releases. In the mid Seventies she experienced a career comeback. She started recording again, staring on Broadway (she won a 1989 Tony for her role in Black & Blue) and then going on to Hollywood to star in television and movies. In 1993 she was inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Ms. Brown passed away in Las Vegas from complications following a heart attack and stroke she suffered after surgery in October 2006

January 30, 1928 - November 16, 2006
RIP

Labels: 1928 births, 2006 November deaths, actor, broadway, deaths, heart attack, singer

I attended EMU for a few years when they were the mighty Hurons before everyone started dumping the Native American mascots. My second year there I hooked up with this guy named Bob, let's just call him Booby for short, his roommates/suitemates were WAY into the Ouija board and we spent many a night getting inebriated and talking to the spirits….oooooooOOOOOHHHHHH
We were so blasted one night that we were able to get ‘Somnus’, the spirit, to take over J’s body to talk to us directly. The spirit told us that we had all known each other in previous lives and that we were all involved in one way or another with Detroit’s own Purple Gang running booze in the 1930’s. Ever since then I’ve been fascinated with organized crime and the Purple Gang specifically.

Albert ‘Caeser’ Tocco took over Chicago Heights Mob boss Al Pilotto’s Union and Outfit interested when Al passed away.

I found this one site detailing one of Mr. Tocco’s alleged exploits.

BETTY TOCCO maintains they were killed by her husband Albert,
Laborers’ officials Nick Guzzino and Dominick Palermo and a fourth Mob guy,
Albert “Chickie” Roviere. The Spilotros were brutally beaten nearly to death
with baseball bats, then thrown into a shallow grave off Route 41 in Northwest
Indiana, where they died as their assailants buried them. Then, Betty Tocco
says, the killers split up, leaving Albert Tocco without a getaway car.
Her husband called her from a phone booth about a mile from the farm field
where the Spilotros were buried. Then, almost before Tocco could ditch the dirty
blue work clothes that he wore for the killings and burial, the farmer who owned
the field found the grave and alerted police.

Although the Betty Tocco version of the Spilotro murders has become fairly well known in law
enforcement circles, no charges have ever been filed in connection with the deaths of the Spilotro brothers.

If this all sounds familiar to you that’s because the story was depicted in Martin Scorsces movie
Casino.

Mr. Tocco was sentenced in 1986 to a 200 year sentence for racketeering, extortion,
conspiracy and fraud.

Mr Tocco passed away September 21st after suffering a stroke. It's worth mentioning that three prominent Chicago city figures attened Mr. Toccos wake an alderman, a department head and a member of key city committee. All three officials admitted that they were there out of personal respect and no indication that their positions within the city were compromised.

1928 - September 21, 2005
RIP

Labels: 1928 births, 2005 September deaths, criminal, stroke