TennTux Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 The first time I saw #4 was in 1980 at DCA finals. "I got a blue feather"!!! There were enough feathers for everyone to get one, I still have several.... (Can still see Walt Kelly with that starter's pistol running around chasing those poor birds.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennTux Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 That would be correct ... the poker game dominated the back of the bus, with money passing back-and-forth from the from their "backers" ... LOL ... these were marathon "all night" games ... some guys even "tag-teamed" during the night to keep their stake in the game ... :-) Would love to hear more about those stories but I doubt the word filters here would allow many of them being posted. Looking forward to some of the stories of #5 too.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Priester Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 (edited) I believe it's the expression on his face in that photo that throws people off Tony, but there's no denying that largest neck in drum corps. This photo probably was taken over one of those famous Skyliner bus poker games. It was not poker, it was black jack. I can remember one game in particular. We were headed to Rochester from Union City and the game started around 2 AM as the buses pulled out. Ed Hanley and I pooled $20 each to take over the deal when one of us got a black jack. The bets were usually in the $2 -$10 range per player. As the night went on, the size of the bets increased exponentially to $50-$100 per hand. Wink, Pepe, Guarino, PeeWee, Jim Ednie, Ruocco and a few others were in for a bunch of cash and me and Ed were up about $3600 before we even got to Syracuse. Then the roof fell in. By the time we got to Rochester, we wound up splitting $68. Still, it was better than losing, with only a $40 investment by us. Then there was the trip from Waverly, I think, back to NJ for the Dream. I had a particularly good run of good fortune. I went into the stands before we went on, found my Dad and handed him a wad of bills to hold for me until later that night. "Had a good weekend?" he said. "Yeah, about $800 worth for a change". There weren't a whole bunch of winning bus rides for me so that was special, especially when I was only making about $150 a week at my job. Ray Edited June 28, 2012 by Ray Priester 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Priester Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Please feel free to add many more stories about the illustrious Robert 'Corbett' 'Pepe' Notaro. He is a man that this activity could sorely use today. He was most definitely unique and we all miss him terribly. Now on to #5. Some hints - a Newark lad, he came from St Lucy's around 1964 or so. Played in the same section with #4 and was a butcher by trade. Retired, he now lives in the Boulder, Colorado area. One of the all-time great **** busters! I can remember him, at one rehearsal at Saldarini Post asking Dom Tambone, who owned a beauty salon, if he would give Lefty a pedicure for half price. I thought Hy was going to choke on his pipe he was laughing so hard! Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diceman Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Please feel free to add many more stories about the illustrious Robert 'Corbett' 'Pepe' Notaro. He is a man that this activity could sorely use today. He was most definitely unique and we all miss him terribly. Now on to #5. Some hints - a Newark lad, he came from St Lucy's around 1964 or so. Played in the same section with #4 and was a butcher by trade. Retired, he now lives in the Boulder, Colorado area. One of the all-time great **** busters! I can remember him, at one rehearsal at Saldarini Post asking Dom Tambone, who owned a beauty salon, if he would give Lefty a pedicure for half price. I thought Hy was going to choke on his pipe he was laughing so hard! Ray Here's one from "Brooklyn Mario" on my Pepe page: http://www.dicemanradio.com/SrCorps/pepe.htm ----- Pepe was not always "Pepe." In our Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg he was nickmamed "Corbett," a monicker bestowed on him by him by his father early in life because the senior Notaro believed his son to have the physical stature of the legendary heavyweight boxing champion, "Gentleman Jim" Corbett. And it was because of my misinformation as to the origin of his nickname that I caught my first "official" beating - beatings had to be deemed *official* by Corbett or they didn't count and thus had to be administered again. This may reqire some explanation. At the time I first became aware of Corbett's lofty hierarchical position in our Northside community, he was well on his way to icon-dom. Our local church drum and bugle corps, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, (Joe Gennaro, Carman Cluna, other super talented, but non-continuing-in-drum corps people), had realized national fame (which then meant - from here on the East Coast - all the way to Chicago) when they placed fifth in the American Legion Championships in the early fifties. The acknowledged madcap - yet magisterial - leader of that city-street-urchins-turned-marching-musicians gang was Corbett. His in-corps rank was well-matched by his street status as a "tough-technician" with a youthful, godfather-like benevolence. And, Corbett was a bit eccentric and fun loving - to the point that we were allowed to say, "He's crazy!" and say it in the most respectful way. These were virtues much admired in our nearly total Italian/American neighborhood, because it meant that the kids, (of which I was then one),would be taught our hybrid American values, while maintaining the life-sustaining Italian insularity of our parents and grandparents which separated "us" from "them". In Corbett, we had a master teacher. -Mario ----- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPeashey Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 here's my best PEPE story from Ron's site I've told this so many times - most of you have heard it - but here it is for those who may have missed it... Late 60's... show in Upstate New York somewhere... I'm in Brigs and Pepe walks up to me outside the stadium and says "Hey, Peash... can I borrow your horn for the show?" We still had French Horns - not mellophones... Being a smart ### kid I replied... "For you Pepe... sure, but we just converted our horns to G/F and the fingering is different..." His quick response... "That's OK kid, I don't use the f.....kin' valves anyway...." My horn never sounded so good. And you know, he just might not have bothered with the valves.... -Tom Peashey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanciD Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 So, yesterday was the first day that I spent more than 10 mins at a time out of bed. Ugh... It's been a long haul. Today, I actually feel a lil like myself again. Now, I've got a ton of catching up to do....in baby steps. I'll be back to the old me in no time. Don't say, I didn't warn ya! Hugs to all! You guys are doing great!! This is EXACTLY what this thread is ALL about!!! Carry on.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 So, yesterday was the first day that I spent more than 10 mins at a time out of bed. Ugh... It's been a long haul. Today, I actually feel a lil like myself again. Now, I've got a ton of catching up to do....in baby steps. I'll be back to the old me in no time. Don't say, I didn't warn ya! Hugs to all! You guys are doing great!! This is EXACTLY what this thread is ALL about!!! Carry on.. Glad to hear you're getting back on your feet, Nanci!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Priester Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Now, I've got a ton of catching up to do....in baby steps. Well, from what Tom keeps telling us about your 'tiny feet', that's about the best you can do. Feel lots better real soon, Nanci! Ray 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanciD Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 Now, I've got a ton of catching up to do....in baby steps. Well, from what Tom keeps telling us about your 'tiny feet', that's about the best you can do. Feel lots better real soon, Nanci! Ray Thanx guys!! My friends are the Bestest!! (Yeah, Uncle Tom thinks I have smaller feet than a Barbie doll. LOL) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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