Welcome to the Nostalgic Ramber





Hans Jeff Borger is heard on WRGE 97.9 FM in Ocala, FL featuring Christian programming.

"The Nostalgic Rambler" radio show can be heard on Youtube. Just search for Hans Jeff Borger Nostalgic Rambler.





Why a blog? I wrote a book "The Little Grownup: a nostalgic Michigan boyhood" which should appeal to most baby boomers. A mass market book? Well, not yet...but the potential is there! (Be sure to buy it at "finer on line bookstores" everywhere!)

The comments presented in "The Nostalgic Rambler" probably won't be of interest to the masses...anymore. If grandma and grandpa and their friends were still alive, then it would be a different story.

I live in the past. My time warp is a comfortable cocoon even if it sometimes drives my wife crazy. The music of the 1940s and 50s, the stars of those days were big stuff in their day, but are now almost forgotten. Oddly enough, I was born in '64 so those iconic years were for the most part over by that time.

Through "The Nostalgic Rambler" I maybe can help share my love and knowledge for those times and things...all at one time important pieces of Americana but now a bit faded in memory.

The woman who did the blog about cooking all of Julia Childs' French Cuisine Cookbook in a year got a sweet movie deal out of her blog experience. I wouldn't mind that but would be happy to know that you are reading this....and maybe enjoying my time warp, too.



Hans Jeff Borger



Thursday, January 17, 2013

The In Sound From Way Out!


Back in the 1970s my mom would take us to the library where we could check out "stuff." Of course with my early love for records, I combed through the LP albums and often checked out some records to take home.

One of these was a strange album called "The In Sound From Way Out!" (don't forget the exclamation point!).  It featured 12 songs that featured sounds from electronic sources as well as instruments. The liner notes say the music was "carefully synchronized with music played by live musicians as well as....oscillators, tone generators and feedback loops."  This was long before digital music or keyboards were the norm. I guess this was supposed to be music created by a computer...if I computer could create music!

 I liked the record and wanted a copy of it. In those days that meant saying "everyone be quiet" as I would play the album on my record player. The sound would pick up into the microphone on my Radio Shack cassette tape recorder. This of course would mean when the dog barked or someone slammed the door, it would also be on the tape. Maybe that added to the electronic effect?

Recently I wondered if anyone had ever heard of this album and lo and behold it is actually available on CD! The story goes that back in 1966 when it was released, it took 275 hours of work to hand splice the sounds together to make this very off the wall album. It was the brainchild of Jean Jacques Perrey from France and Gershon Kingsley, a veteran of Broadway and classical music.

It's hard to explain what the music sounds like, so listen to it here or here. It was quite crazy and thrilling to a young boy to listen to. Today it is just as crazy, although I'm not sure I would record it onto my cassette recorder again! 




Friday, January 4, 2013

New Year Ramblings Andy Williams, Guy Lombardo

 Happy New Year to all the Nostalgic Rambler followers...Are you out there? Sometimes I wonder if this is just a therapy for myself or if someone is actually reading this

This posting will be just a little hodgepodge as I've been under the weather recently. But I did want to finally check in with "you all."

The newspaper did a story about the heirs of Guy Lombardo. Sad to hear that the memorabilia of the man who millions looked forward to watching every New Year's Eve is now deteriorating in storage units here in Florida. Read the story here.  I wish I could help but I don't think my wife would let me bring more "stuff" into the house. Maybe Michael Feinstein could help.

As most look forward to the New Year 2013, I turned to clock back to January 3 fifty years ago and watched "The Andy Williams Show". My wife gave me a dvd collection for Christmas (she knows what I like!).

 
 Hard to believe that I watched a show that was 50 years old to the day. It was in "Living Color on NBC" so to me it looked brand new. Those shows are so great. Where else can you see Irene Ryan from the Beverly Hillbillies as a singer and dancer? Or Bobby Darin, Vic Damone, and Henry Mancini all on one show as Andy's guests? The Osmond Brothers are on some of the shows and their parents even made an appearance. As usual I am enjoying my time warp. Am looking forward to the next two shows which feature Bing Crosby, Tennessee Ernie Ford and Ella Fitzgerald.

Sad to read the another of the greats Patti Page has left us. Her Tennessee Waltz, How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? or Old Cape Cod were songs that charmed millions.
Here's a link or two to Patti's hits.

Take care my friends! May the new year bring you all the best.