Day Tripping: July 29

Rush of memories

Born in 1953, Geddy Lee grew up as Gary Lee Weinrib in a Toronto suburb called Willowdale. His parents were Holocaust survivors from Poland where his father Morris was an accomplished musician. When Morris died at a young age, Geddy's mother worked long hours, leaving her son with music for company.

With me, satisfaction is always very fleeting with our work. I always get a little restless with it.

Lee’s restlessness led him to Alex Leifson and the group Rush which started off playing high schools and local Toronto clubs. Having had the privilege to watch them evolve as a teenager, it wasn't difficult to see these fine musicians would reach incredible heights.

Today is:

National Chicken Wing Day —Since it was perfected at the venerable Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, fifty years ago, chickens have never been safe. Here’s to the Buffalo Chicken Wing!

Musical Ride

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers closed their Lawsuit Tour at the Los Angeles Universal Amphitheatre in 1979. After declaring bankruptcy to protect his music from being transferred out from under him to MCA Records, Petty did the tour to raise money for his lawsuit.

Oddly, the amphitheatre was owned by MCA, but the manager was a good friend of Tom’s who ended up creating his own label and signing the band.

Interesting Notes

Comedian Andy Kaufman and pro wrestler Jerry Lawler got into a fight on the David Letterman show in 1982. Lawler smacked Kaufman across the face and the two brawled their way off the set. The whole thing was staged to set up a feud where the actor would get in the ring.

Gone But Not Forgotten

Contrary to popular belief, Mama Cass Elliot did not die from eating a sandwich. The incredibly talented singer suffered a heart attack and passed away in her sleep in 1974. Cass Elliot was only 32.

Thankfully, her beautiful voice lives on.

Notable Births

1953 — Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns

1972 — Wil Wheaton starred as Young Wesley Crusher in Star Trek, The Next Generation

K. Barrett Maria Rattray Maryam Merchant Dr Mehmet Yildiz Tree Langdon Myriam Ben Salem Phil Truman Chelsea Mandler MAT Terry Mansfield Hollie Petit, PhD. Terry Trueman Dr Preeti Singh John Gruber Bill Abbate James G Brennan ScienceDuuude Marcus Liam Ireland Claire Kelly Noorain Hassan, BMS Amy Pierovich David Acaster Nora Thewriteyard David Perlmutter Joe Luca Holly Kellums Michael Burg, MD Lucy Dan Dave Logan

All previous Day Tripping entries are available at the following links:

The Story Of Day Tripping Through History What’s Past Is Often Present

A comprehensive directory for Day Tripping