The Plane Explained - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Feb 22, 2005

RE: The Plane Explained

Date: Feb 22, 2005

First the Iowa hawkeye and Seymore. Then MWK. Now Judge Cooley. I smell a conspiracy.

Date: Feb 22, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: CW Fan
"Clear Lake, Iowa? God rest Buddy, Richie and the Big Bopper." Glad Waylon decided not to take the plane to we enjoy his talents for a while. God rest Waylon now too. The day the music died, 2-3-59."

Coincidentally, CW Fan, I've been doing a little investigation as to what Don McLean really meant by the phrase "The day the music died." Common lore has it, as you suggest, that it refers to that tragic airplane crash (Feb. 3, 1959) in which Buddy Holly et. al. were killed. But there are some other hypotheses. To change the subject a bit, as you seem to be a CW fan, did you know that the Tennessee Ernie Ford archives were deposited in the USM library? I assume they are still there, but I never hear anything about it. I have often wondered why TEF's estate chose USM as the depository. And did you know that Tennessee Ernie Ford's son, Larry Ford, is a regular on Bill Gaither's Southern Gospel homecoming show?

Date: Feb 22, 2005

Back to the original inquiry on this post, you can rest assured that the U is going to pay for the hunting trip, under the guise of "fundraising."

While the plane may be financed by the athletic foundation, which is private and not subject to the FOIA, the university is not. The university will be required to reimburse the foundation for its use of the plane.

You folks should wait awhile to let some trips occur. Then submit a FOIA request for all university payments to the athletic foundation for use of the plane, the dates of the trips, and the reasons for each trip. I've got $100 that says there will be a "fundraising" trip on there that will coincide with the time of that Texas safari.

Date: Feb 22, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: CW Fan
"Clear Lake, Iowa? God rest Buddy, Richie and the Big Bopper." Glad Waylon decided not to take the plane to we enjoy his talents for a while. God rest Waylon now too. The day the music died, 2-3-59."

Naturally, I will try to find an appropriate Bob Dylan quote... And here it is:

And I just want to say that when I was sixteen or seventeen years old, I went to see Buddy Holly play at Duluth National Guard Armory and I was three feet away from him...and he LOOKED at me. And I just have some sort of feeling that he was---I don't know how or why---but I know he was with us all the time we were making this record in some kind of way.

- Bob Dylan
Grammy Acceptance Speech for "Time Out of Mind"
25-February-1998

Date: Feb 22, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: CW Fan
"Clear Lake, Iowa? God rest Buddy, Richie and the Big Bopper." Glad Waylon decided not to take the plane to we enjoy his talents for a while. God rest Waylon now too. The day the music died, 2-3-59."

Now that the thread has veered in this direction, allow me to offer up a link http://www.history-of-rock.com/american.htm that provides an interesting interpretation of Don McLean's classic tribute to the day the music died, "American Pie."

Date: Feb 22, 2005

quote:
Originally posted by: Googler
"Now that the thread has veered in this direction, allow me to offer up a link http://www.history-of-rock.com/american.htm that provides an interesting interpretation of Don McLean's classic tribute to the day the music died, "American Pie." "

Googler, this analysis is very interesting and clever. It is also one of several analyses. In some ways it is like a literature scholar interpreting a literary work. I believe the intended meaning of the lyrics is "in the eye of the beholder" so to speak. I do not believe that Don McLean has ever confirmed the accuracy of this particular interpretation. It may be correct, but we will probably never know for sure.