Friday, June 7, 2013

Of Moonlight and Moonshine

...there was such a great influx, because New York was like, the Mecca - the Jazz Mecca... because, I mean, Duke Ellington came here from Washington D.C.

Y'know, everybody came here because this is where the music could actually be played. Let's face it: New York was the media capital - still is - of, uh, of the country... and most of the world, for that matter. So, y'know like, Paul Whiteman, that they called the King of Jazz... in the '20s, during what was know as the Jazz Era.


So, y'know, all that was here - the flappers, and "the Charleston" and all the kinda stuff. Y'know, and then the "after hours" joints, the speakeasys and all that kinda stuff, is what created that kinda night life, that you had to know somebody to get in.

So, y'know... so that's what the speakeasys were about... because when they... during Prohibition, y'know,  you couldn't buy a drink... alcohol, 'cause, you now - so... people still went out and drank: because it was against the law didn't mean it didn't still happen.

When they banned liquor in this country and, basically... you got a... a sport that's one of the highest paid sports in this country - called NASCAR - NASCAR started from bootleggers, drivin' souped up cars, runnin' away from the police...!Y'know - so they could sell "white lightning" or "moonshine"...