The Writer's Life 1/19 - Eagle

RIP singer-guitarist Glenn Frey, 67, co-founder of the Eagles, who died from complications of several ailments. His career spanned 40 years and he had a major impact on the music world. He co-wrote many of the band's best loved songs with drummer Don Henley, a team that produced millions in album sales. The Eagles Greatest Hits is the second best-selling album of all-time behind Michael Jackson's Thriller. Frey also had a good solo career after the band broke up. All together, 24 of his songs cracked the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He won six Grammys. He dabbled in acting. He has seven credits at IMDb, not counting multiple appearances on TV shows. He also has 81 credits under soundtrack, his music used in many films and TV shows, most notably Miami Vice, on which he appeared, and on which Smuggler's Blues figured prominently. Here he is performing the first song he ever wrote with Henley, which was used to great comic effect on Seinfeld: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXhzkKHkE0g Well done, sir.

Here's why I would never even consider owning a sports team, even if I had billions to throw away. Yesterday the Detroit Tigers signed outfielder Justin Upton to a six year, $132 million deal. That's more than $20 mil per. Last season he played for the Padres. Here are his stats from 2015: .251 batting average, 26 HR's, 81 RBI's, .336 on base percentage.

On Sunday night I watched a new PBS drama, Mercy Street, which takes place in a Union hospital set up in conquered confederate Virginia. Although it contains the politically correct aspects one would expect, I found it interesting enough to give another look, although I usually avoid shows set in a hospital. I guess I find it less depressing that the ailments are a result of a long ago conflict rather than the modern afflictions we all witness these days in our own lives. Although some of the faces of the cast were vaguely familiar, I could not name even one. I'm not sure yet if it's main intent is to lecture viewers on what they should believe or to tell a good story.

Yet another comic book based TV show will debut tonight, DC's Legends of Tomorrow. 9PM on the CW, following The Flash, opposite Marvels Agents of Shield. I'm reminded of my youth, when every other program seemed to be a western.

The weather again put the kibosh on the floating book shop, and kept me indoors except for a couple of brief excursions. It was beautiful outside but oh so cold. The wind is expected to diminish tomorrow and the temperature moderate a bit. I reworked ten more pages of my first novel, Five Cents, and also reworked an ad I created with Windows Live Movie Maker to include my seventh book and to eliminate the two screen plays, which are now part of the book. I filled enough time so that I didn't even need the Sunday crossword I'd cut out of the paper. I did the previous week's yesterday.

Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Website: http://vicfortezzaauthor.my-free.website/