December 16—Happy Birthday My Dear Ludwig van Beethoven.

I do not have anything to say about Beethoven, the man who freed music, that has not already been said.

I was introduced to Beethoven in my early twenties by two newspapermen, Ed Frisbie and Fran Ortiz, both of whom worked at the SF Examiner where I was a copyboy. We would sit around the M&M Tavern at 5th & Howard and talk about the late quartets, the Grosse Fugue ... and I would try to soak it up and I'd go buy pieces they recommended ... and I'd listen to them when I tired of Bowie, Roxy Music, and Captain Beefheart.

I am forever grateful to the two of them.

Fran was a great news photographer whose works - four pieces as a matter of fact - were chosen by the New York Museum of Modern Art for their retrospective of twentienth century photojournalistic excellence. He was a gentleman, a kind man, a great cook, and quite the ladies man: he gave me a lamb recipe for the first time I had a woman over for a serious dinner date. It worked. 

But this is not really a story about Fran, or Beethoven, but about Ed Frisbee, one of the most serious drinkers and most entertaining story-tellers I knew in my early life. It was another era. I had a lot to learn about booze.

There are maintenance drinkers and bingers. Maintenance drunks drink every day. Bingers can go weeks, months, even years and then something erupts and they are off and running. Frisbee was in a class by himself. He would get drunk everyday and then every so often he would be off and running, pretty much drinking around the clock, not changing clothes or shaving, chain-smoking ...

He worked on the news and copy desk at different times. In the middle of his benders, one would give him wide berth ... he emanated odors and a foul disposition, hacking and coughing with a graveyard laugh when something, usually bad news came across his desk. He was given the "You-won't-have-Dick-Nixon-To-Kick-Around-Anymore" story when Tricky Dick lost his bid for the governorship of California in 1962 and had a meltdown in front of the press. As he put the story together off the wires, he boomed out,"This is the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on!" Laughing maniacally.

At these times, he would be hunched over a pile of wire clippings, marking copy, glueing piece together to sent out to the composing room and it was amazing that he could get work done, but he was quite a good editor, actually. If someone passed by his desk and inquired, "How's it going, Ed?"

He would bellow,"Down the fucking tubes!! HA HA HA HA HA!!!" Rasping and coughing. 

For obvious reasons, he earned the title of Laundry and Morale Chairman around the newsroom.

At his apartment on Twin Peaks, he had an amazing stereo system he had built himself with high-end audio components. His speakers were about six feet tall, woofers, tweeters, crossovers, pre-amps, and God knows what else. 

Frisbee talked for years about writing a book on Beethoven, but, as is so often the case, the talk never metamorphosed into action outside the bar.

Another good drinker, Jim K., gave Frisbee a ride home from the M&M one night. They had been at the M&M for many hours.

Frisbee invited Jim in for a nightcap. Jim came in. Frisbee told him to pour some drinks. Frisbee went to his stereo and pulled out a record. As he put the album onto the turntable, he told Jim a story.

"I've been getting complaints from a neighbor about playing music too loud late at night. She told me she is a nurse and her patients are sufftering."

He paused to drop the needle onto the record, and went on ...

"So I checked her out. And I found out she works for a veterinarian."

Frisbee reached for the volume knob on the amplifier, and as he cranked up the volume, he growled ...

"Let ... the ... puppies ... die!" 

  Happy Birthday, Louie.

Comments (3)

Idea-
written by BC, December 19, 2006

Perhaps you could post the lamb recipe somewhere, for those in need?

Lamb recipe
written by Hud Boondock, January 06, 2007

Determine if prospect eats meat and has sex on first date.
Get good lamb chops, about 1" thick. Trim excess fat.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sprinkle dried tarragon generously on lambchops.
Cover tarragon with coating of gourmet mustard - your choice, hot, sweet, whatever
Sprinkle italian seasoning on top of mustard.
Put lamb chops on roasting rack and into oven.
Cook for 30 minutes. Vary time according to thickness of chops.
Serve with brown rice and raisins. Spinach salad with avocado and tangerine slices and vinaigrette.
You will get lucky.

Spinach
written by Yaney, December 22, 2009

Well Knox it could have been the spinach salad. You know it is a gateway food to veganism. And the brown rice and raisins too--yummy. My parents should have and may have wondered when all of a sudden I started ordering spinach salads instead of lettuce--who had I met and why was I changing my eating styles (but I still indulge in the lamb--great lamb pita sandwich last weekend at Beth Quist concert.

Well cheers to you and to all "getting lucky".

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