Way, way back in the day, in 1967, in fact, I heard Pauline Kael speak at Oberlin College. Discoursing on pop culture versus “high” culture, she opined that pop culture offered delights unavailable on Mt. Helicon. Dating herself just a bit, she gave as an example Frank Sinatra singing “Bim Bam Baby.”
Flash forward 43 years. Reading of record producer and sing-along king Mitch Miller’s death in the New York Times, I learn that, way, way, way back in the day, Frankie had a beef with Mitch. He made him sing “Bim Bam Baby.” Oh yeah.
Afterwords
Before he made himself completely obnoxious with his horrific “Sing Along With Mitch” records and TV shows (watch here if you fucking dare), Mitch played oboe on the hilariously bad Charlie Parker with Strings album, Parker’s magnificent alto* slithering among abysmal “101 Strings” arrangements. It’s amazing to think that Mitch shared cultural airtime with the Rolling Stones. Yeah, the times were a-changing, but not quickly enough.
*Charlie usually played very sharp. Here, to sell records, he affects a “golden” tone.
