I Was Illya Kuryakin

How many of you recognize the globe emblem on the Right of this page? I know Perfectly Human does. That was the logo for tv series from the sixties...The Man From U.N.C.L.E. That was, and still is, my favorite television program. I used to walk a quarter of a mile down a country road past a graveyard ..at nite..every friday nite to watch it. I was 12 years old. And I was Illya Kuryakin.

I made UNCLE comunicators out of ink pens. I made myself a shoulder holster out of an adjustable cloth belt for my UNCLE SPECIAL. That was what the pistol UNCLE agents carried was called. My mother worked in a drycleaners with a press just like the one in Del Flora's Tailor shop. (everybody knows that's the secret entrance to UNCLE headquarters right?) How cool was that?

My best friend and I roamed the woods, and fields of Tennessee saving the world from the evils of THRUSH every day. Neighbor's Barns became secret labs where plots to enslave the world needed to be infliltrated, and "destroyed" We thought we were being soo covert in our approach, but i found out later Mrs. Neal saw us almost every time...."Why I knew you boys weren't hurtin nuthin in that old barn." She told me years later. We were secret agents.

I'll never forget the first UNCLE paperback book I ever saw. It was in Bower's dept. store in downtown Monterey Tennessee in the summer of 1966. (accross the street my sister, and i bought RUBBER SOUL..my favorite BEATLES album, but that's another blog.) The book was THE COPENHAGEN AFFAIR The third book in the series. I loved it!! It was everything the series used to be, and more! By now with BATMAN, LOST IN SPACE, AND GET SMART to compete with UNCLE the tv show had become another in an endless parade of tongue in cheek tv shows.

The books were (to a 13 yr old) high drama. Truth be known i still reread them to this day. oh! I was in heaven. Every few months there would be Napoleon Solo, and Illya Kuryakin on the paperback book rack.


(ok boomers how many of you have PAPER BACK WRITER playing in your head now?) I ordered #1 THE THOUSAND COFFINS AFFAIR, #2 THE DOOM'S DAY AFFAIR, and #4 THE DAGGER AFFAIR from ace books, and i was off on a road of collecting UNCLE books that would last until the 80s when i found two that i didn't know exhisted in a second hand store!! #22 THE STONE COLD DEAD IN THE MARKET AFFAIR,and#23THE FINGER IN THE SKY AFFAIR. Can You imagine my joy? Finding two "new" UNCLE books after years of thinking there would be no more UNCLE?

Not too long ago I found out that my favorite UNCLE writer David McDaniels wrote a "final" UNCLE book. It wasn't published because the series had been canceled. NOOOOOOOO! It is out there. I read about it from time to time...THE FINAL AFFAIR by David Mc Daniels. And I must have it!! If anybody out there has it...or knows somebody that has it. or you can help me in any way to get my hands on this book....PLEASE!!!! Help me save the world from THRUSH one more time.

Oh...for those of you too young to remember UNCLE.....

U.N.C.L.E. stood for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement.

T.H.R.U.S.H. stood for the Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity.

Who's side are you on?

Somebody Hold Me...

An episode of Scrubs made me cry again. I've lost count of how many times thats happened. Happy tears sad tears,and ocasionally both at the same time. i was glad as can be when i read that NBC had decided to pick up the show for another season. But as often happens the tears brought on a need for music. Old music. Baba O Riely, and Won't get fooled again by the who got me up and bopping around in short order , and longing for my drums. Sigh... Stage lights. The bass thumping in my chest. Drunk girls,and long neck beers


I followed that up with Jackson Browne's "For Everyman" cd. And the tears came back. So many incredibly good songs on one cd!!! And every one of them attached to a memory. Faded dreams.Old girlfriends. People that i will never see again. Some have moved away. some have become crack heads. Some are still here but so changed by the passage of time they no longer fit the memories.

hello Jacki n Johnny. Phil and Steve. Jim beasley. Roger, and Jim Finnly. Gary Mackie I love you man. We put so many miles behind us in those big old trucks. Larry Smith ,Richard ,David, and Julia Thompson. Julia.....my first kiss. My finest hour.


Mickey,Floyd,Mike St. Leon, and Ron "jet" Wilson. High school. The Zig Zag Free Press. Mr Norwood, And Coach Holloway...You were both right I apologise.

Darkness has fallen, my "mood " is deep, and blue. Crosby-Nash is playing. Deep music for deep thoughts. Bob Baker. I saved you for last. I'm crying Bob. It's been three years since you passed ,and I miss you every day. I think of you all the time. We hunted. We camped. We played wrote and made music. We partyed till the sun came up, and then made a beer run. We played air guitars ,and took it very seriously. WE played army Bob. Grown men in our 30s out in the woods, and fields with unloaded real guns playing army. I never had to wear a mask with you. Never said i 'm sorry. never had to explain anything. You taught me to sing.

Relatively speaking. Anna. My sister my friend. I would never have survived monterey without you. We were the niles, and Fraser of Monterey Tennessee. A two person island of culture in a sea of 1960s redneck....."Ah look at all the loney people.

You were Paul, and i was John. You were Mickey Dolenz, and I was Davey jones. You were spock (ofcourse), and I had to be kirk so I could run the game. I will never hear "A Day in the life" without remembering the birds. Daylight again.

FAST FORWARD....STOP!!!! Wow this could go on all night. 55 years people ,places ,and things, passing in a multi colored blur of sound ,and emotion. All triggered by a paticularly good episode of Scrubs. Oh Bob ,There is your favorite Beatle song......

C'est la vie

Rsvp....pdq!

Does anybody but me have trouble understanding those personals abbreviations? I am totally confused by most of them. It's like Klingon or somthing... Ok here we go" SWF seeks DNA from SWM pdq.....SOS!!!!"
And even when you do start to decifer the singles lingo it just seems scarier. Like..."Chain smoking compulsive masturbater, with delusions of grandeur seeks manic depressive arc welder, with dangling participles." I am soo mundane it seems.
It's been so long since I've dated that mini-skirts have come back in style. The last time I asked a woman out women's lib was going strong, and real ladies were everywhere. Now most of the women I see out smoke cigars,stand up to pee, and fistfight. Their language would peel paint at ten paces, and they have had more sex by the time they were twenty than I've had my whole life.
I don't know. I may be lonely, but I think I'll just stay home and watch the discovery channel. At least I won't get cussed out or beat up.