A Life in Four Colors Part Fifty-One

I have been blessed with a great memory. I remember moments from my childhood so precisely, so vividly that I can almost experience them anew. I remember a thousand thousand thousand tiny events from my adolescence, from my years in school as a student and later as a teacher, from my marriage with Susan, from my myriad walks, from my conversations with friends... It would sometimes amaze Susan that I would remember details from our Cedartown years that she had totally forgotten until I told her about them--and then those moments once again became our memories and we would cherish them together.

Somehow, though, neither I nor Susan were ever able to remember exactly when, where, or how we decided to get married.

I do remember when I actually proposed to her, of course--but that's a different thing. By the time I proposed to Susan just before Thanksgiving in November of 1970, we had already decided that we were going to get married. But even in the fall of 1971, just a few months after our wedding, Susan and I weren't quite sure when we made that decision.

I can narrow the time down to late September or early October 1970. In our letters to one another from mid-September, Susan and I are both talking about dreaming of a future together (in my mind, those notes are accompanied by a soundtrack that includes "Never My Love," "Cherish," "Love Can Make You Happy," and "Wouldn't It Be Nice"). By mid-October, we're talking about how our parents and friends might react if and when they find out that we want to get married.

And yet, even with the likely date narrowed down to three-week period, neither of us could remember the fateful conversation when we decided that it was going to happen.

As I said, though, by mid-October, we were already talking about getting married soon after I graduated from high school. We didn't have a date in mind at that time, but we knew it would happen sometime between graduation from high school in early June 1971 and the time I started college in September of 1971. Since I had an academic scholarship, we didn't have to worry about the cost of tuition, so we were making plans to find our own place so that we could be together when we weren't working or attending class. We knew that I would work part-time while I went to college and Susan would work full-time at her job in the Arrow Shirts payroll department in Cedartown. Once I graduated, I would work full time while Susan would go back to school. (Yes, Susan and I were detailed in our planning.)

And in early November 1970, I did something that I would have dismissed as inconceivable a couple of years earlier: I sold my comic book collection.

That wasn't as easy a process in 1970 as it might be today. There were no local comic shops that could purchase a collection. There was no Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide filled with ads from shops eager to buy old comics.

But there was The Rocket's Blast/ComiCollector, an advertising fanzine that offered oodles of comics and fanzines for sale by fans and dealers across the country. And a few of those dealers also included a line informing readers that they also bought comics.

One of those dealers was Howard Rogofsky.

Howard Rogofsky had a reputation as being one of the priciest dealers who advertised in RBCC--but he had an incredible assortment of comics, he added more every month, and he was willing to buy collections. So I wrote him and included a list of the books in my collection, which included complete runs of all Marvel superhero titles from Fantastic Four #1 up, complete runs of all DC superhero series from the time of Brave & Bold #28 (the first appearance of Justice League) forward, and lots more.

These books had been my life up until November of 1970. My friendships had come about because of comics. I read and re-read my comics continually. I produced my own amateur comics. I produced a-apazines about comics and wrote for comics fanzines. I read novels written by comic book writers who also wrote science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mysteries. I even dreamed of becoming a professional comic book creator someday.

But for Susan, I had no qualms about selling all those comics to make my dream future possible.  I had assembled that collection once; I knew that, at some time in the future, I could assemble that collection again if I decided that I wanted to do so. But for now, it was time for me to exchange the collection.

I wanted to buy an engagement ring. And the only way I could get the money to buy the sort of ring with which I would propose to my current and forever love was to sell the books that had once been so important to me.

Howard Rogofsky's offer came less than two weeks from the time I shipped the collection to him (shipped by LTL truck line--it was too extensive and heavy to ship via the post office). While it was less than what I had dreamed it might be, it was still enough to buy the 3/4 carat diamond ring that Susan had fallen in love with when we saw it at Norwood-Griffin in Rome and to still have some money in savings to help us get through the early expenses of marriage and setting up our own home.

I took the offer, and Howard Rogofsky sent the check to my by air mail. From that day on, I had new-found respect for Mr. Rogofsky. He may have charged more for his books than some dealers, but he proved to me that he was a man of integrity.

And because of him, I was able to buy that ring and officially (and, I hope, romantically) propose to Susan on Friday night, November 21st, 1969 as we parked on the remote dirt road south of Cedartown that we begun referring to as "our place." She said yes. And by Saturday, November 22nd, 1969, we had decided on the date in 1971 for our marriage: June 15th, the same month and day when we first met back in 1968 after I had called a girl whose letter of comment appeared in Batman #199.

Susan would be twenty at that time; I would be seventeen (I wouldn't turn eighteen until August), so I would have to have my parents' permission to get married.

Susan and I told my parents about our plans the Friday after Thanksgiving. I was apprehensive, but I shouldn't have been. I think my parents had seen marriage in our future already. Mom and Dad asked a few questions, then Dad smiled and said, "Well, it looks like by this time next year we'll either have three people living here [referring to Mom, Dad, and my sister Kim] or five people living here." And with those words, Susan and I knew that Mom and Dad would back our decision--and that meant that the only potential obstacle in our getting married had been overcome.

Christmas Time Is Here

For several years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I put together a Christmas listening list each holiday season. The rules were simple: the songs had to be songs that I thought were exceptional, and the entire list had to fit on one compact disc (because I would always burn a copy to listen to during the season--this was in the pre-MP3 days when a CD player was pretty much the only listening option).

When my dear friend Danielle Herritt began talking about assembling a list of ten Christmas favorites, I thought about it and decided that, rather than limiting myself to ten, I'd limit myself to one CD. This time, however, I decided to make it two CDs: one CD for instrumentals, another CD for vocals.

First, Cliff's Christmas 2019 (Instrumentals):

1 - "Adeste Fideles," Second Hearing, The Christmas Album - This is an album of music box recordings, and every time I hear this song, it reminds me of the music boxes that my relatives would play; the song takes me back to my earliest Christmases.

2 - "What Child Is This?" Vince Guaraldi Trio, Charlie Brown Christmas - Vince Guaraldi was a genius, pure and simple, and his soft jazz arrangement of this classic remains unsurpassed.

3 - "O Holy Night," David Lane & Paul Speer, Narada Christmas Collection -- Simply the best version of this song I've ever heard. Lane had released a piano version without Paul Speer's guitar work, but Speer's understated, moody guitar makes this a haunting piece.

4 - "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," California Guitar Trio, Ten Christmas Songs - I lowe guitar work, and this song features a lot of it. Great guitar interplay here that never loses the sense of the song.

5 - "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," Eric Tingstad & Nancy Rumbel, Narada Christmas Collection - Individually, these musicians are superb, but put 'em together and they make magic. This is a tender and moving version of one of my Christmas favorites.

6. "O Little Town of Bethlehem/The Holly & the Ivy, Michael James, The Best of Narada Christmas 2 - This beautiful piano pieces merges two songs into an almost dreamlike medley.

7 - "We Three Kings," R. Carlos Nakai & Wiliam Eaton, Winter Dreams - Nakai plays the Native American flute so skillfully that you almost forget that this type of flute doesn't play the full range of notes used in most contemporary music, so Nakai interpolates as needed, working with guitarist William Eaton to capture the song in a whole new way.

8 - "Ave Maria," Steven Pasero, Christmas Classics for Guitar - Pasero's acoustic guitar version of this classic is one of the most powerful and moving versions of this song I've ever heard.

9 - "I Wonder As I Wander," various artists, Smokey Mountain Christmas Memories - This song was playing at a small shop in Blue Ridge, GA, in 2005, and as soon as I heard it, I knew I had to have this CD.

10 - "Little Drummer Boy," Ottmar Liebert, Poets & Angels - An energetic flamenco-guitar-influenced version of one of my favorite songs. Liebert is an amazing guitarist, and the punchy bass line really complements his performance.

11 - "Christmas Time Is Here," Geoger Winston, The Carols of Christmas - You can tell that George Winston loves Vince Guaraldi's music as much as I do. This instrumental version captures the childlike wonder of Guaraldi's composition but brings a wistful feel to the song.

12 - "Winter Wonderland," Tuck Andress, Hymns, Carols, and Songs About Snow - I've never heard anyone play like Tuck Andress. His fretwork is amazing, and this song is done in one take with no overdubs--absolutely amazing.

13- "Carol of the Birds," Mannheim Steamroller, Christmas - I love almost every Mannheim Steamroller song, but the ones that have a medieval/Renaissance feel always captivate me. This is one of the best in that style.

14 - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," Anna Maria Mendieta, Enchanted Christmas - How can anyone entice so much beauty from a harp? She gives the song all the majesty and grandeur it deserves.

15 - "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," Will Ackerman - The Carols of Christmas - The guitar work here is so solemn and introspective that this has been on my favorites list since the first time I heard it.

16 - "Carol of the Bells," George Skaroulis, Season Traditions - My friends Brett and Allison Brooks got this CD for me when they crossed paths with Skaroulis at a local Greek festival. As soon as they heard his moody electric piano, they knew I'd love it. They were right.

17 - "In the Bleak Midwinter," The Players, Christmas - This is one of the first Christmas CDs I ever bought, in the days when CDs were new and choices were sparse. I consider it one of my greatest finds; the song has a British/Celtic feel, but isn't pushy or ostentatious int he way that so many Celtic recordings are . Haven't seen this in stores in twenty years, which his a shame.

18 - "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming," Chip Davis, Renaissance Holiday - Remember what I said about loving Renaissance-influenced instrumentation and arrangements? Well, that holds true for this song as well. (And yes, Chip Davis is the man behind Mannheim Steamroller, although this comes off one of his solo albums.)

19 -  "The Coventry Carol," Eric Tingstad & Nancy Rumbel, Christmas: The Gift - This is one of my favorite carols, regardless of who performs it, but this is the quintessential version of the song as far as I'm concerned.

20 - "The Christmas Waltz," Mantovani, White Christmas - My parents had a Mantovani Christmas album with this song on it, and I played it to death when I was a child. Ever since then, Mantovani has been a part of the Christmas season for me.

21 - "Stille Nacht," Mannheim Steamroller, Christmas - The most beautiful version of this classic ever recorded. It makes my eyes mist up every time I hear it, and it's often the last song I hear as I go to sleep. The first time we heard it, I looked at Susan as the song ended and realized that we both had tears running down our cheeks from the sheer beauty of the song. As soon as I began thinking about this compilation, I knew it had to be the last song because nothing else can really follow this performance.

And now, Cliff's Christmas 2019 (Vocals)

1 - Christmastime Is Here," Vince Guaraldi Trio, Charlie Brown Christmas - The children's voices are perfect for this song. In just under three minutes, Guaraldi captures all the innocence and wonder of Christmas as seen through the eyes of children.

2 - "In the Bleak Midwinter," Dan Fogelberg, The First Christmas Morning - No one has ever recorded a more earnest, heartfelt version of this song than Dan Fogelberg--and just listen to that amazing guitar work!

3 - Someday at Christmas," Stevie Wonder, ,Someday at Christmas - For my money, this is one of the best contemporary Christmas originals ever. Stevie Wonder is a genius, and this song captures our hope for true peace and joy at Christmastime.

4 - "Here Comes Santa Claus," Gene Autry, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry didn't write this one, but his performance is the stuff of my childhood. I played this album so many times my parents began hiding it because they didn't want to hear it for the seven hundredth time...

5 "If Every Day Was Like Christmas," Elvis  Presley, If Every Day Was Like Christmas - Another contemporary classic, and like Stevie Wonder's "Someday at Christmas," it captures our hope for a world in which all of our Christmas dreams of peace and joy could be true forever.

6 - "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," Bing Crosby, The Voice of Christmas: The Complete Decca Recordings - This song, based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, perfectly captures the essential battle between cynicism and faith, negativity, despair and joy. No one gives the song more gravitas and power than Bing Crosby.

7 - "What Child Is This," Gypsy Soul, Sacred - I just love the beauty of Cilette Swann's lead vocals, and the instrumentation perfectly complements her performance.

8 - "The Christmas Song," Nat King Cole, The Christmas Song - From the opening notes, this song pretty much defines Christmas for me. What an incredible talent, and what a perfect match of singer and song.

9 - "Joy to the World," The Roches, We Three Kings - The Roche sisters make beautiful harmony sound so easy and natural. Listen to each sister's voice--just perfect. Put 'em together, though, and it's a musical miracle.

10 - "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)," John Lennon, Yoko Ono, & the Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir, John Lennon Signature Box - I'm a Beatles fan. This is the finest Christmas song ever written or performed by any of the Beatles. And once again, it's a song whose idealism speaks to me.

11 - "The Coventry Carol," Alison Moyet, A Very Special Christmas - Moyet's rich, throaty vocals are the highlight of this recording. Every time I hear someone else singing it, I measure their performance against hers.

12 - "It's the Most Wonderful Time Of the Year," Andy Williams, Andy Williams Christmas - This song just exudes joy and happiness, doesn't it? Andy Williams' smooth vocal performance make this holiday classic for me.

13 - "O Holy Night," John Berry, Holy Night - This song requires a skilled singer who can handle its musical range, and John Berry is up to the challenge.

14 - "Pretty Paper," Willie Nelson, Pretty Paper - Willie Nelson's Christmas album has been a holiday staple for me ever since its release. This is my favorite song on the album; he seems to feel every word that he sings.

15 - "White Christmas," Bing Crosby, The Voice of Christmas: The Complete Decca Recordings - If there's any song that rivals Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" as the quintessential Christmas song, this is it--and there's no performance better than Bing's.

16 - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," Frank Sinatra, Christmas Dreaming - If you want to know why Frank Sinatra is considered such a masterful singer, just listen to this song. He brings the lyrics to life with his delivery. And I love this performance, since it includes the "we'll have to muddle through somehow" original lyric.

17 - "Iesus Ahotonnia (The Huron Carol)," Bruce Cockburn, Christmas - This song dates back almost four hundred years, yet I had never heard it before Bruce Cockburn recorded it. Written by a Jesuit missionary in 1642  to share the story of the birth of Jesus with the Hurons, it uses Huron lyrics and imagery to convey the story. There is an honesty in Cockburn's voice that makes this performance.

18 - "Home for the Holidays," Perry Como, Perry Como: The Complete Christmas Collection - A great performance of this upbeat song about our common desire to share the holidays with family and old friends.The real magic of Perry Como's vocals is that he makes it sound so easy...

19 -"Jingle Bell Rock," Bobby Helms, Christmas Classics - Another one of those songs that's recognizable from the opening notes. A lot of rock Christmas songs don't work. This one does.

20 - "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," Johnny Mathis, The Complete Christmas Collection 1955-2010 - There are so many great vocalists from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, but few of them are more distinctively recognizable than Johnny Mathis, whose rich vibrato distinguishes every performance.

21 - "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," Loreena McKennitt, A Winter Dream - McKennitt gives an exotic, almost Middle Eastern feel to this holiday classic, but her vocals are the most memorable thing about this recording. McKennitt's voice is sheer beauty, but this song is a great example of just the right song for just the right singer.

22 - "Silver Bells," Dean Martin, Making Spirits Bright - The ultimate crooner, Dean Martin needs the right songs to play off his vocal style. "Silver Bells" is the perfect choice, allowing him to show off his vocal mannerisms and make the song his.

23 - "I'll Be Home for Christmas," Linda Ronstadt, A Merry Little Christmas - What a shame that Parkinson's has left Linda Ronstadt unable to sing. This performance, full of dreams and hopes and wonder, demonstrates just what a remarkable talent Ronstadt is.

24 - "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy," Bing Crosby, David Bowie, & the London Symphony Orchestra, Bing at Christmas - Another idyllic dream of what we would all love to see--true peace on Earth. The two voices on this song prove that talent transcends musical generations.