[Dixielandjazz] Re: Pizza Parlours

[Dan Augustine]

DJML and Burt--
     Amen to that, brother.  I bought a copy from Burt a couple of 
Sacramentos ago and got him to autograph it for me.  It's not only 
well written, but intersting and humorous and informative about those 
times decades ago in California.
     Actually, Shakey had a very large influence on me.  In the early 
1960s i was going to the University of Nevada in Reno, and there used 
to be a radio program called "Shakey's Whoopee Hour" that i listened 
to every chance i got.  Not only did they play cuts of bits by the 
latest comedians (Shelley Berman, Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart, etc.), but 
they played a lot of dixieland and other great stuff.  There's no 
show like it any more that i know of.
     Come to think of it, Shakey's is also responsible for my liking 
anchovies.  I (and other dissolute reprobates, i.e., musicians) used 
to spend a lot of time at the Shakey's in west Reno drinking beer and 
eating pizza, and it came to pass that the only thing i could still 
taste after drinking three pitchers of beer was the anchovies. 
There's also the times that good ol' Barrie Moore (departed from this 
plane of existence 30 years ago), all 6-foot-6 and 350 pounds of him, 
used to win bets at Shakey's by opening his throat and pouring down 
an entire pitcher of beer at once.  Then he would blithely smuggle 
three or four empty pitchers out of Shakey's under his voluminous 
jacket without any of the staff being able to tell.  He was also the 
one who, because he was too big to march (no uniform would fit, and 
he played bassoon anyway), was put in charge of distributing the 
uniforms to the band.  One so-called wit (about half) in the band 
asked him how to tell what size of spats to wear (but there was only 
one size), and without missing a beat Barrie said, "Simple, just 
measure your tibia and divide by two."  Ah, the good old days of 
Shakey's . . .

     Dan
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>From: "Robert S. Ringwald" <robert at ringwald.com>
>To: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>Subject: Fw: [Dixielandjazz] Re: Pizza Parlours
>Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 19:57:35 -0700
>
>This note from Burt Wilson:
>
>----- Original Message ----- From: "Burt Wilson" <burtwilson1933 at yahoo.com>
>To: "Robert S. Ringwald" <robert at ringwald.com>
>Cc: "Burt Wilson" <burtwilson1933 at yahoo.com>
>Sent: Saturday, April 29, 2006 6:45 PM
>Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Re: Pizza Parlours
>
>>Yes, it's called "Shakey & Me." EAsy to order. Just send $13 to 
>>Burt Wilson, 1830 Bell St. #1, Sacramento, CA 95825.
>(snip)
>
>I urge anyone interested in the history of Shakey's Pizza Parlors, 
>the pizza parlor craze of the 50s, 60s & 70s & how it tied into 
>Dixieland, to get the book.  It is a very easy & interesting read.
>
>An awful lot of our musician Listmates cut their teeth in the music 
>business playing in Shakey's.
>
>--Bob Ringwald

-- 
**--------------------------------------------------------------------**
**  Dan Augustine  --  Austin, Texas  --  ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu
**     "It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid
**      than to open it and remove all doubt."  --  Mark Twain
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