MARK EVANIER AND MEL TORMÉ: One of my favorite Christmas stories (and the secret origin of this blog)

One of my favorite Christmas stories--perhaps my # 1 favorite--is writer Mark Evanier's account of a December afternoon many years ago, when Mark was having lunch at Farmers Market in LA and noticed that singer Mel Tormé was also enjoying a nosh at Farmers Market at the same time. Mark's story of the events that followed is heartwarming, life-affirming, and bittersweet as all things in this mortal world must be. I re-read the story every year at this time, and it never fails to...get me, the way one should be affected by a touching story told well. If you've never read it, I recommend you read it now. If you have read it, I recommend you read it again:

The Mel Tormé Xmas Story

I don't think I mention often enough how much influence Mark Evanier has had upon my own writing. His blog News From ME is the model for whatever the hell it is I do on my own blog, and that "whatever the hell it is I do" line is itself stolen from Mark's description of his role in writing Groo The Wanderer comic books. That model goes back to the 1980s, specifically to the text pieces Mark crafted for the comic book series he was writing at the time--Blackhawk, DNAgents, and especially Crossfire--and to his Comics Buyer's Guide column POV, which evolved into News From ME. Mark's personal style has had both conscious and unconscious impact on my first-person narratives, and his commitment to regular and frequent blogging conveys the message that blogging is a commitment; if you can't commit to blogging on some kind of consistent schedule, maybe blogging isn't for you. He has a larger audience than I do--most bloggers have a larger audience than I do--but News From ME is the reason I decided my blog had to be a daily thing. Other than cutting back for several months while dealing with the emotional aftermath of last year's stupid-head election results, I've hit that goal. Even with that slow-down, today's entry is Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do)'s 3,727th public post since kicking off on January 18th, 2016.

If you're not a fan of (ahem) whatever the hell it is I do, it's not Mark's fault. But if you've dug Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) at any point over the last almost-decade, Mark Evanier deserves credit for the inspiration.

I do not know Mark Evanier personally. I interviewed him for a history of bubblegum music I wrote for Goldmine magazine in 1997, we've exchanged a few emails (I've written, he's responded), but for the most part, the dynamic is that he writes stuff, and I'm a big fan of the stuff he writes. And one of the points of Mark's Mel Tormé story is that we should express our appreciation for things we deem important, for people who create things that delight us.

I appreciate what Mark Evanier creates. Check out News From ME, and most especially check out Mark Evanier's story about Mel Tormé. Your own appreciation awaits. And though it's been said many times many ways, Merry Christmas to you.

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I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here

MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS STORY: Mark Evanier And Mel Tormé

I have a favorite Christmas movie (It's A Wonderful Life, which is my firm pick even though director Frank Capra probably never thought of it as a Christmas movie). I have a favorite rock 'n' roll Christmas song ("It's About That Time" by the Idea), and it rivals the status of my overall favorite Christmas song, Nat King Cole's rendition of "The Christmas Song."

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire....

That latter song choice leads directly to my favorite Christmas story: Mark Evanier and Mel Tormé. 

During my blog's inaugural year of 2016, my intent was to link to Mark's Christmas story every year. I did so in 2016, and in 2017, then forgot to link again until 2019. The rigors of the COVID scene in 2020 and the ache of losing my Mom in December of 2021 may have influenced me to skip linking to Mark's story in those years. If so, I disavow that thought now. In times of trouble, we need a little Christmas. 

Mark's wonderful piece remains the model for the sort of things I'd like to be able to write, highlighting the deeply personal bond we can and should have with the music we love. It's a perfect story, and I invite you to go read it.

Me? I'm going to read it again right now. It will make my eyes sting and heart sing, as it always does. We cherish what was. We hope for what might still be, if it can. Life hurts. It's what life does. Our bond with our loved ones, and with our art, can comfort and sustain. Although it's been said many times, many ways, it bears repeating. 

None have said it better than Mark Evanier says it here. 

Mark Evanier And Mel Tormé: My Favorite Christmas Story

If not for Mark Evanier, my blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) would not exist. I've never met Mark, we don't interact much (if at all), and our only extended conversation was when I interviewed him via telephone for a history of bubblegum music I wrote in 1997.  

But Mark's own blog News From ME is the model for everything I want to do on my blog. His dedication to keeping his blog updated and refreshed is the direct inspiration for my knuckleheaded decision to commit to doing at least one Boppin' post a day, every day. It's not Mark's fault if Boppin' ain't your cuppa, but if you like what I do here, credit Mark for demonstrating to me how it should be done.

Every Christmas season, I like to direct readers to Mark's annual re-posting of his most popular blog piece, a wonderful story of how he once saw Mel Tormé and..well, you should read it for yourself through the big-lettered link below. I know I'm prone to hyperbole, but this is the most effective, heartwarming, bittersweet piece I have ever read. Upon re-reading it every year, it still brings a sting to my eyes.

For more background info on my debt to Mark Evanier, you can go back and re-read a (very) little something I wrote in 2016 about Mark's Mel Tormé story, Evanier & Torme.  And if you've never read Mark's piece, I urge you to do so now. Mark said, "I love people who do something so well that you can't conceive of it being done better." In that spirit, you really oughtta go immerse yourself in the perfect blog piece:
MARK EVANIER'S XMAS STORY

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Fans of pop music will want to check out Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, a new pop compilation benefiting SPARK! Syracuse, the home of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. TIR'N'RR Allstars--Steve Stoeckel, Bruce Gordon, Joel Tinnel, Stacy Carson, Eytan Mirsky, Teresa Cowles, Dan Pavelich, Irene Peña, Keith Klingensmith, and Rich Firestone--offer a fantastic new version of The Kinks' classic "Waterloo Sunset." That's supplemented by eleven more tracks (plus a hidden bonus track), including previously-unreleased gems from The Click Beetles, Eytan Mirsky, Pop Co-Op, Irene Peña, Michael Slawter (covering The Posies), and The Anderson Council (covering XTC), a new remix of "Infinite Soul" by The Grip Weeds, and familiar TIRnRR Fave Raves by Vegas With Randolph, Gretchen's Wheel, The Armoires, and Pacific Soul Ltd. Oh, and that mystery bonus track? It's exquisite. You need this. You're buying it from Futureman.

(And you can still get our 2017 compilation This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4, on CD from Kool Kat Musik and as a download from Futureman Records.)

Hey, Carl's writin' a book! The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) will contain 100 essays (and then some) about 100 tracks, plus two bonus instrumentals, each one of 'em THE greatest record ever made. An infinite number of records can each be the greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Updated initial information can be seen here: THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! (Volume 1).

MEL TORMÉ AND MARK EVANIER: My Annual Re-Post Of My Favorite Christmas Story

It's time once again to direct you to my favorite Christmas story, posted each year by Mark Evanier on his blog News From ME. If you've never read it, I urge you to do so. If you have read it, I think it's worth reading again.

Mark's blog is a direct influence on most of whatever Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) is all about, though I write a lot more about The Monkees than Mark does. You can link directly to the story above, or you can get there through this link to what I said about it last year. And though it's been said many times, many ways: Merry Christmas to you!

Mel Tormé and Mark Evanier

Most of you are already familiar with Mark Evanier, a writer with a long list of credits in television comedy, animation, and comic books (among other fields); Evanier has worked on projects ranging from Welcome Back, Kotter through Garfield And Friends, he has a nearly unparalleled knowledge of show business and the history of American pop culture, and he even let me interview him about Saturday morning cartoon rock when I wrote my History Of Bubblegum Music in 1997. He also knew and worked with legendary comics artist Jack Kirby; top that!

 


I have three favorites among Evanier's work. Two of these are comic book series that he wrote in the '80s, collaborating on both with artist Dan Spiegle: the Evanier and Spiegle creation Crossfire (about a bail bondsman who moonlights as a masked crimefighter), and the DC Comics World War II aviator series Blackhawk. As much as I love these, my favorite Evanier work is his blog, News From ME. News From ME is essential daily reading, covering a wide array of subjects--Hollywood, animation, comics, politics, magic and magicians, musical theater, stand-up comedy, improv, crooked housing contractors, how writers deal with rejection, Mark's childhood, Mark's career, and Mark's disdain for cole slaw--and it is the working model for what I want Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) to be. When I started my own blog this year, the example set by Evanier's dedication to News From ME was the inspiration for my decision to offer at least one post a day, every day. I'm sure News From ME has at least some subconscious influence on what I write (in terms of style, if not subject matter); every time I talk about "whatever it is I do here" on either Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) or This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl, that's a blatant theft of...er, homage to Evanier's own oft-cited reference to his role in the Groo the Wanderer comics by Sergio Aragones. If you're not reading Mark Evanier's News From ME, you're denying yourself the pleasure of one of the best blogs around.




News From ME's all-time most popular post is Evanier's story about how he almost met one of his idols, singing great Mel Tormé. Mark re-posts it every year on his blog, I share the link every year on Facebook, and I'm sharing it again right here. I can't articulate why this story resonates so deeply and fully within me. Part of it is, I guess, just an appreciation of the craft; it is a well-told story, and I'm a big fan of a story told well. But it certainly goes far, far beyond that. Mark's story touches me in a way I can't explain; after all these years, reading it still makes my eyes sting, still makes my heart ache, and it still fills me with a near-mystical sense of connection: connection to the artistry of a musical legend I never met and never will meet; connection to the sheer power music and art can have on all of us; connection to palpable awe and wonder; connection to our human frailty, to our capacity to feel and to grasp something intangible and immortal, and to our collective ability to give something back to the earthly angels who have enriched our lives with song, with words, and with magic. More than any other secular story, it connects me to the Christmas in my mind, my perfect inner holiday spirit.

Read it. Share it. Rejoice in our connection. And although it's been said many times, many ways, Merry Christmas to you.

Mark Evanier's Xmas Story




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