Hi, welcome! This blog focuses on a few areas that have obsessed me for a good part of my life: Theatre and Performance, Comedy, Reading and Writing, and the Art of Magic. The blog will also occasionally include some of the photos I’ve taken. You can always identify those, because I always have a little message that says “(Click to enlarge)” underneath anything that is my own photo.
Part of the enjoyment for me is the challenge of making this a daily blog. Much as I enjoy talking politics, there won’t be much posting on political issues here—otherwise, politics would quickly crowd out everything else.
It may seem like an eclectic hodge-podge from day to day, and in some ways it is, but if you follow it long enough you may discover (as I did!) that things aren’t as disconnected as they may first seem. There are underlying threads and themes that seem to keep popping up across categories.
I hope you enjoy it all.
Hi Jack, Thanks for visiting my blog. I’d really appreciate any help, or advice you can give to improving it – it’s comedy musical theatre. Cheers!
Hi Jack, In my wanderings today I came across a 1987 playbill for Penn & Teller, autographed by each on the front–must be one of their earliest performances? If you collect such things let me know where to send it. I’ve been enjoying following your blog. Best, Wendy Sacks
That’s very kind of you, Wendy. That must have been a great show. Although now P&T have kind of grown into the elder statesmen of magic, people don’t always remember just how wild and groundbreaking their early performances were. I’m really not much of a collector–perhaps ebay?–but thanks very much for the offer. And thanks for following the blog.
Hi Jack–I didn’t realize you’d gotten back to me here. Sorry I didn’t see it sooner. I’ll probably just discard the Playbill–I don’t sell on ebay anymore and I don’t know how much interest there’d be in it. Hope you’re well (well, as well as any of us are feeling right now).
Hello, Jack – this is a very interesting blog! Thank you for leading me here.
Thanks, Glad to meet you and read your blog and writing.
Jack, I hope it’s really you. I’m looking for my birth mother’s former boyfriend Jack in NYC or Brooklyn. My birth mother was Shela Paul. This is KT. We met once after she passed away in Manhattan in December of 1991. I would love to catch up with you. You can reach me on Facebook (Kate KT McKee)
It is me, KT. I’ve written back to you at your email address
Eclectic, that is a word that I haven’t heard for a long time. Variety is the spice of life.
My problem was that I was always curious about a lot of things and could never settle down to one main interest. I call myself a professional dilettante.
Hi Jack,
My name is Annie Dills and I’m working on designing a book of photos for Dave Eggers featuring the Brooklyn Superhero Store in New York. This book would be an instructional booklet with advice about how to build a non-profit tutoring space from scratch!
I absolutely love the shot you took of the exterior of the store (link below). Could we have permission to print it in the book? We would definitely give you credit for your photo!
https://jackshalom.net/2018/09/14/who-you-gonna-call-superhero-supply-company/
Thank you so much for your time,
Annie
Yes, Annie that would be fine. I appreciate your asking for permission. You can write to me at jshalom@worldshare.net if you need to formalize this any further.
Deasr Jack: In this pandemic I’ve been exploring the web and came across your wonderful blog!!! What fun! Thank you so much for putting this together. I am a huge fan of Anthony Newley and I noticed a mistake on your blog. Anthony Newley did not write the words to his songs. Leslie Bricusse did. The post was made on Dec 18 or 28, 2015. Be well. Be safe. Sent with so much gratitude!! Sandra
Thanks for the correction, Sandra. I’ll update that post to reflect that information. And thanks for the kind words about the blog.
Hello, I would like to share with you a short documentary video on the dancer in the Hang On Sloopy re-make.. A recent upload to YT shows all the information regarding her.
Deconstructing a Myth: Sloopy Girl KingoftheHouse,Inc.
The dancer is LISA LEONARD DALTON. Be sure and check out the video mentioned above.
Rick married Liz Agriss. She is a legendary music journalist once married to equally legendary musician guitarist Rick Derringer .
Liz Brewer is a British person and has never had anything connected to the video other than rumor,
This new information all came out on 9/20/21 in an article published by Steven Smith of Puget Sound Media, Seattle, Wash., who spent many months researching and backing up facts as to the identity of the dancer.
Hopefully, now the internet will start correcting it’s information and the credit for the dancer literarily known world wide will be given to it’s rightful owner.
Thanks, interesting story. Here’s the video:
hey Jack! I just stumbled across your blog. It’s been a long time, glad to see you’re still into magic, and–from a brief scan of some of your posts–it seems we have other cultural interests in common as well. Let’s get in touch somehow! –Ezra
Hi Ezra, thanks for getting in touch! I wrote back to you at your @mac email address associated with your WordPress account
This is Nancy from Georgia from the Upper West side back when dogs were curbed! I am 98% sure based upon blog content and photo that this is you. Wondering how you are. Did you make it to tenure teaching Math? The photo has to be you though the afro is gone. I am well and retired and have time to click around on the internet. Before I write more, confirm you are the Jack Shalom who lived on 111th St. It was the mid 70s and what a time it was.
Hi Nancy. Yup, it’s me. I wrote you back at your email address. Great to hear from you!