Our Daily Dead

Yikes, a few days ago it was Larry “Ramrod” Shortliff, and now its Vince Welnick. More members of The Dead, are, er…dead. Welnick joined the band in 1990 after stints with The Tubes, Todd Rundgreen, and Missing Man Formation. Like most Dead music, keyboards are relatively spare and supportive of separate-note guitar riffs and such (turn up the speakers, click on first Cryptical Envelopment from a 1969 concert at Fillmore East and listen for Hammond—you’ll get the idea.)

Cause of Welnick’s death has not been released. According to his website, he was either 51 or 55. Someday’s were not sure either. We could be 16 or we could be 66 (dare you ask the FBI agent in the chat room?) Anyway, we do know that today is 6.6.6. Satan’s goin’ get ya.

~~The ODDones for OurDailyDead.com

Technorati tags: Vince Welnick, The Dead, The Tubes, Todd Rundgreen, Missing Man Formation

We ODDfellows like the above quote from Steve Mizerak, National Pool Champion who is dead at age 61 from heart disease following gallbladder surgery. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again, “Scary places those hospitals.” Mizerak gained national fame for his trick shots in Miller Lite beer commercials. He also played the character that got beaten in a pool tourney by Paul Newman in “The Color of Money.”

Speaking of sinking balls (now that is totally lame segue), Raymond Davis spent years underground in South Dakota’s Homestake gold mine, sitting next to a 100,000 gallon vat of dry cleaning fluid, trying to capture neutrinos from the sun. Check this out! When a neutrino hits a chloride ion, it produces radioactive argon, a sort of atomic “ding.” Davis had to work deep in the mine to get away from those pesky cosmic rays that would muck up his experiment. (Anyone who gets our little pun, please send us a comment. First winner gets a recording of Tuva throat singing of the Tasty Freeze jingle.) Davis, who received a Nobel prize for his work, died of Alzheimer’s at age 91.

It appears that 91 is a popular age to die today. This is the age of Perry Bass, Texas oilman and major league philanthropist. Bass, along with other members of his family, was a billionaire with a conscience. He made mega millions, and gave a lot of it away. In 2001 the Bass family had a little financial miscue, and had to sell Disney stock worth $2 billion to cover loans and margin calls. Gad, we ODDones felt devastated when we had to hold a garage sale to cover the veterinary bills for our Eclectus roratus after she ate one too many Papaver somniferum.

~~The ODDones for OurDailyDead.com

Technorati tags: Steve Mizerak, Miller Lite, The Color of Money, Raymond Davis, Tuva throat singing, Perry Bass

If you remember the 1950’s TV sitcom “Topper” (we ODDones don’t), you’ll recall Robert Sterling who played the ghost. Well, now he is one at age 86. Cause reported as “natural causes.” When you think about it, what would be–in a world of human pain, suffering, and annoyances (see below)—“unnatural causes? Complications of anal probing during the course of abduction by aliens from outer space?

Of particular note is the death of James Conway, founder of Mr. Softee ice cream. Cancer, not coronary artery disease, at age 78. Conway made millions off of selling concoctions made of cow breast milk, chicken eggs, and sugar.

Let us ODDly quote the New York Times obit:
Even more memorable than the company’s soft ice cream is its jingle, played on a music box and broadcast through a loudspeaker atop each truck.Once heard, the song is not soon forgotten. For some listeners, it heralds summer. For others, it recalls childhood. For still others, it constitutes a form of torture.

And if you don’t recall the tune played by over 600 trucks tempting small children, and raiding the pockets of their parents, it goes like this:
“The CREAM-i-est DREAM-i-est SOFT ice CREAM
you GET from MIS-ter SOF-tee.
FOR a re-FRESH-ing de-LIGHT su-PREME
LOOK for MIS-ter SOF-tee….”

Iambic pentameter anyone? Oh yes, on this subject of IP dialogue, HBO has decided to kill Deadwood, the last western on T.V. If you want to complain, get thee to Save Deadwood!

~~The ODDones for OurDailyDead.com

Technorati tags: “Topper”, Robert Sterling, James Conway, Mr. Softee ice cream, Deadwood