Hi Bob, as you know… My late father in law Larry Uttal owned Bell Records, which he sold to Columbia Pictures in the 70s.  Fed up with working for Columbia, he left after his deal was up to start another label, and was replaced by Clive, who renamed Bell Records as Arista. And Arista’s first hits […]

I’m categorically against self-checkout. I mean I’m already doing all the work. But it’s even worse, the machines are so theft-avoidant that you’ve got to follow a specific routine, not only scanning the item, but placing it on a platform to register its weight, grocery shopping is frustrating enough already. And every time I’m forced […]

Too bad he missed his crowning achievement. Which is the endless obituaries in today’s news media trumpeting him and his efforts. This is what Clive Davis wanted. Acknowledgement and immortality. And to achieve that, he was on an endless quest of personal myth-making. I’m not saying the guy was without talent. He could certainly pick […]

I’m amazed but not surprised to see you talking about Grillos pickles! I met Travis Grillo back in 2008 when he first started selling pickle spears (two spears for $1) in downtown Boston. Working first from his car, and then setting up a pickle cart, he used his family’s recipe that was simply amazing. I […]