By Mike Olszewski
There are two things I loathe about spring. Tax time, for one. We give our tax preparer a thorough catalog of receipts and expenses that resembles the Manhattan phone book. (Note to younger readers: Ask your parents what a phone book is.) The second is spring cleaning or, as it’s called around our house, “the purge.”
Space Hogs
Common sense guides our pitch-it-or-keep-it decisions. We go one room at a time with the goal of organizing our lives. Magazines take up space. We’re likely never going to read them again and who cares if we have every issue of Rolling Stone or National Lampoon?
We also don’t need a ring full of keys with no idea what they open. Neither one of us is Mr. Jingeling. We can make a good argument to dump old electronics and VHS tapes. You can’t buy a new VCR, the old ones can’t be fixed and tape bleed eventually makes most VHS unwatchable. (If you’ve got home movies, get them transferred to digital. Now!)
I saw a list that said streaming has eliminated the need for DVDs. Here’s where I draw the line. I have plenty of rare programs that won’t be reproduced and, yeah… they take up space, but you don’t have to pile them up next to the TV. Computer hard drives are on the list, too, because why do you need to keep hard drives when there’s online storage? My question is: why should I pay a monthly ransom for access to my files when I have them at my fingertips? The hard drives stay put.
The list also doesn’t value sentimental value. Scanning a scrapbook isn’t the same as turning each page. Pages may get yellow and brittle, but I’ll enjoy them until they turn to dust. Plus, digital media is easily corrupted. Historians have paper products that are thousands of years old. Chances are you’ll turn to dust before your photos do.
Next up: CDs. “Why have CDs when you can transfer your whole music collection onto your phone or a digital player?” according to the list. My question: What happens when you leave your whole music collection on the bus? I’ve picked up great bargains on second-hand CDs for pennies on the dollar at thrift stores and flea markets. Dub all you want; I’ll find a place for them.
ERNIE’S PASSING: A few weeks back, I mentioned the passing of Ernie Hirsh, the Collinwood guy who saw the birth of Cleveland TV and who put his feet up on President Truman’s desk when he installed a set at the White House. (Harry obviously wasn’t there at the time.) Within days after the issue hit the stands, I had at least a dozen emails about him. Everybody seemed to have known Ernie or had a fond memory of him. One of the most interesting online posts was from musician Chris Butler from Akron’s Tin Huey and, of course, The Waitress. Chris pointed out that Ernie sold a TV set on monthly payments to a disc jockey who wasn’t sure television was more than a passing fad. It was Alan Freed, the rock music DJ who made his mark on WJW radio.
BOOMER TRIVIA: Last time I asked what The Marvelettes, Wilson Pickett and Tommy Tutone have in common. I’m guessing Tommy tipped you off. They all had hits with phone numbers in the title. The Marvelettes asked you to call “Beechwood 4-5789,” Wilson Pickett dialed “634-5789” (Hmmm…same five numbers as the other number) and Tommy was on the horn with Jenny at “867-5309.”
For next time, name the legendary Chinese restaurant in downtown Cleveland that lined its walls with autographed photos from folks like Jack Benny, John Wayne and others who dined there, but was later better known as a late-night stop after the clubs let out. I’ll answer in the next issue.
Mike Olszewski is a veteran award-winning radio, TV and print journalist, and a college instructor. Contact him at [email protected].
