HAPPY EASTER 2 U (Or, JEWISH CHRISTIANS AND MY NEW FAVORITE YOUTUBE CHANNEL)

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My Brothers & Sisters, I wish you a Happy Easter.
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OH, HAPPY DAY!
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Oh, Happy Day - Glen Campbell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96-pnIfl2fg

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O Lord, Our Lord - Marty Goetz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i67rjZn9ThQ

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As I've said before, I had an unexpected Spiritual experience and became a (Maverick) Christian in a Los Angeles apartment on April 6, 1994:
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In a sense, I think I've always had a kind of kinship with Jews. Part of it, certainly, must be attributed to my strong relationship with Martin Brumer - my best friend who was killed by a car thief in 1989. But there's more to it than that. It's a controversial topic I don't want to address here and now.
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About a year before my Spiritual experience, my 'Born Again' friend and co-worker, Don ("Big D"), was attempting to convert me to his Christian beliefs. We engaged in several friendly debates about religion and spirituality. One day, Don gave me a couple pamphlets written by the Messianic Jew Zola Levitt.
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I had never read The Holy Bible at that point, and I can still remember reading those pamphlets while on a road trip with my parents to Pahrump, Nevada. 'The Seven Feasts Of Israel' and 'The Miracle Of Passover' by Zola Levitt seemed like gibberish to me. I don't think I was informed enough then to question the idea of a Jew believing in Jesus. I was pretty ign'ant about Judaism and Christianity back then. I wuz just a dumb, dirty, heathen dog.
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Right after my Spiritual experience on 4-6-1994, I began reading The Bible. And after I had read God's Word from cover-to-cover a couple of times, I ran across those Zola Levitt pamphlets in one of my book cases and decided to read them again. This time, they just blew my mind! I was so impressed by all the insight that Levitt, with his orthodox Jewish background, brought to my understanding of things involving Christ Yeshua / Jesus Christ. I thought back on that day I first read these pamphlets and found them to be nuttin' but gibberish, and I shook my head. Amazing what a couple years and some background research can do for a person's understanding!
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Well, the night before last, I was watching a YouTube video, and I noticed a video in the Recommended Videos sidebar about a Jewish person who had become a believer in Christ Yeshua. So I clicked on it and found it so fascinating that I immediately watched another, and then another, and another.
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I became instantly addicted to these video testimonials from Jewish people who, (like Zola Levitt, and Joel Chernoff, Marty Goetz, and Barry & Batya Segal - musicians I've been listening to for years), had become Messianic Jews (i.e., Jews who recognize that Yeshua was the prophesied Messiah of Israel).
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The last two nights, I stayed up too late, watching these videos, and each one of them has been extremely interesting to me. I haven't seen a dud yet! In just two nights, [link> ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry has become my very favorite YouTube channel.
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One of the things that I have found most surprising about these testimonials is how many of these Jewish folks said that, prior to learning the truth about Jesus, they thought that He was a Catholic, and didn't even realize that Jesus was a Jew. Some of these folks had even been led to believe that Jesus was anti-Semitic, that He actually hated the Jews. SMH!!
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People, this is just one example of why you MUST research things for yourself and never just take some man or woman's word for something. Especially when the subject is truly important and the stakes are high.
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It being Easter Sunday, I'd like to share a few of these testimonial videos with you, and encourage you to check out some more, if you find them as fascinating as I do.
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I was the president of the synagogue! How could I believe in Jesus?


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WOW! A Jewish lawyer and a leader in her synagogue who turned to Jesus in a supernatural way!


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A Jewish boy challenged by a Christian Girl


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[link> The Kooks Met Messiah
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You will find many more testimonials and informative videos
at [link> ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry
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If you want to learn every essential point and principle of The Holy Bible in only about 15 to 20 minutes, read the five chapters of the First Epistle of John (1st John 1-5) [link> HERE.
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Happy Easter, all Y'all.
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Bless And Be Blessed!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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BOTB RESULTS: 2020, APRIL 1 (Or, GARY PAXTON VERSUS MICHAEL CARD)

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Well, I'm a day late with this Results post, doggone it! But that's because (by the Grace of God) I've still got a paying job to do. Today, however, is my day off.
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My BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB) contest took place HERE, and it pitted Gary Paxton's song 'I'M A FOOL FOR CHRIST (WHO'S FOOL ARE YOU?)' against Michael Card's song 'GOD'S OWN FOOL'.
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I was surprised by the outcome of this Battle. I thought for sure Paxton's more gruff, Rock-styled song would beat up pretty badly on Michael Card's cleaner, higher-pitched, more heavily polished tune. But I was WRONG! (again). However, this was a pretty good contest. With 13 votes in, it was 7 to 6. The final tally looks like this:
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Gary Paxton = 7 votes
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Michael Card = 11 votes
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It was a pretty good contest with a nice turnout, and I thank each and every one of you for taking time to come by here, listen, think, and vote. And I hope to see ya all here again next time.
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Happy Easter, y'all!
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Bless And Be Blessed.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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BATTLE OF THE BANDS: 2020, APRIL 1 (Or, GARY PAXTON VERSUS MICHAEL CARD)

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BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB)
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Yes, it's time once again for Battle Of The Bands (BOTB).
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When my good friend Doc Cherdo suggested we use a 'Fool / Foolish' theme for our April 1st (April Fools' Day) BOTB installment, I was initially a bit skeptical of the idea. I started thinking of songs with the word "fool" in them: 'Fooled Around And Fell In Love' by Elvin Bishop came to my mind first. Then 'Fool For The City' by Foghat. I'm not much a fan of either of those. The third song that came to me - which I DO like - was 'What A Fool Believes' by The Doobie Brothers. And that made me think to myself: What does a fool believe? Being a [Maverick] Christian who has read The Holy Bible from cover-to-cover about 25 times, that question was immediately followed in my mind by the following Bible verses:
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HOLY BIBLE. Condition: Used to the point that it has become the HO BIB. 

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For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
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I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
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Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
~ 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
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Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
~ 1 Corinthians 3:18
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In the middle of the day, on April 6, 1994, while I was reading a book in the Los Angeles apartment where I lived, I had a Spiritual experience which transformed me into a Maverick Christian.
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Today, I have some Tervis Tumblers that I love and use for drinking everything from coffee & buttermilk to Grand Marnier. These tumblers commemorate the day Jesus Christ came to get me:
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Muddy waves from the second floor window of the Los Angeles apartment where I was Baptized by Jesus and transformed into a [Maverick] Christian.

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To me, the L.A. represents the Dodgers and the city of my birth and Baptism. But reversing the order, the A.L. stands for Almighty Love, which God said He is.

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The same year that I turned to Christ, Christian singer-songwriter Michael Card released his album 'JOY IN THE JOURNEY: 10 Years Of Greatest Hits'. The album included a few new songs, including 'Why?', which had a line that showed me just how talented a lyricist Card was:
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"Why did there have to be a heavy cross He was made to bear?
And why did they nail His feet and hands 
When His Love would have held him there?"
~ 'Why?' by Michael Card
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Another song on that album is 'GOD'S OWN FOOL'. Bingo! Now I knew what direction I wanted to go in with this BOTB installment!!
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For those who think that Christians are just fools, there's this to check out:
[Link> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Card
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Michael Card is best known for his contributions in contemporary Christian music, which combine folk-style melodies and instrumentation with an in-depth study of the Bible. ... He is the son of a doctor and the grandson of a Baptist minister. He received bachelor's and master's degrees in Biblical studies from Western Kentucky University, and was awarded University's Distinguished Alumni Award in 1997. His studies in physics and astronomy led to a job at a planetarium, allowing Card to fund his education. In 2005, Card worked on a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Classical Literature.
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So, now I just needed to find another "Christian Fool" song and I'd have myself a Battle. It didn't take long for me to stumble upon 'I'M A FOOL FOR CHRIST (WHO'S FOOL ARE YOU?)' by Gary S. Paxton.
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I don't think I'd ever heard of Gary Paxton before, but - HOKEY-SMOKE! - when I read his bio at Wackypedia, it boggled my mind, and I highly recommend that you read it, too. [Link> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_S._Paxton I wanna say that Gary Paxton was apparently 'The Tiny Tim of Gospel' and, like Tiny Tim, he was a guy I wish I could have met. He lived an extraordinary life. For a few examples:
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Paxton was an American record producer, recording artist, and Grammy and Dove Award winning songwriter. Paxton was a member of Skip & Flip and The Hollywood Argyles and was the producer of two number one Billboard Hot 100 singles, "Alley Oop" for The Hollywood Argyles in 1960 and "Monster Mash" for Bobby "Boris" Pickett in 1962.
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In 1965, he produced "Sweet Pea", a hit for Tommy Roe, and "Along Comes Mary", a hit for The Association, winning a Grammy nomination in engineering for his efforts. The following year, he produced another hit for The Association, "Cherish".
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Explaining how he came to Jesus, Gary Paxton said:
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"I was very strung out, in all ways, and in 1971 my business partner committed suicide. It stopped me in my tracks. I walked into a church - stoned on drugs - and got saved!"
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Paxton likened himself to "an armpit in the body of Christ" and said, "Jesus is my Lawyer in Heaven". (If you really understand the Gospel message, then you know that in a sense, Jesus Christ *REALLY IS* our Defense Lawyer in Heaven. That was a brilliant line!)
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Link:
https://tributetogaryspaxton.com/gary-s-testimony-in-his-own-words
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
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I'M A FOOL FOR CHRIST (WHO'S FOOL ARE YOU?) - Gary S. Paxton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L-j-W3_fME

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1985
GOD'S OWN FOOL - Michael Card
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEJrjGa106U

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Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whether I know "you" or not) to vote for your favorite of these songs in the comment section below. And feel free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other.
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After voting here, I suggest - actually I insist - you pop over to the blogs of the other 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' participants to see which songs they have chosen and vote there also. Vote your vice...   Vice your voice... 
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Voice Your Vote...
@ TOSSING IT OUT by clicking HERE
@ MIKE'S RAMBLINGS by clicking HERE
@ THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING by clicking HERE
@ JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE by clicking HERE
@ THE DOGLADY'S DEN by clicking HERE
@ CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE by clicking HERE
@ CURIOUS AS A CATHY by clicking HERE
@ AI LOVE MUSIC by clicking HERE
@ STORMS & STARDUST by clicking HERE
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As I've done in the past, I will continue to return to my 'BOTB' blog bits on the 7th of each month to post my own votes and announce the winner.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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BOTB RESULTS: 2020, MARCH 1 (Or, VAN MORRISON VERSUS THIN LIZZY)

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STMcC’s Vote On '2020, February 1st: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or, Van Morrison Versus Thin Lizzy - And The Final Tally:
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Today, in 2020, the Bay Street sign stolen borrowed in 1981 or '82 is proudly displayed in the window of my Willoughberry house in Northern Nevada.

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First of all, my sincere thanks to all y'all who took the time to participate in my latest Battle Of The Bands contest! I appreciate each and every one of YOU.
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The Battle took place HERE, and it consisted of some old League Of Soul Crusaders Saint Patrick's Night drinking stories followed by the songs 'Wild Night' by Van Morrison and 'The Boys Are Back In Town' by Thin Lizzy.
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While I did suspect that Thin Lizzy would win, I certainly did NOT anticipate them winning by the blowout margin that they did. For a brief period in 1977-'78, Thin Lizzy was my very favorite band. However, my taste in music having changed so drastically over the years, today I don't care for much of Thin Lizzy's songs. The title track from their 'Bad Reputation' album, and a couple other songs from that same collection is about all the Thin Lizzy that I can still listen to with pleasure. Yip! I don't even care much for their big hit 'The Boys Are Back In Town' anymore.
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So, my BOTB bote (vote) was easily cast for Van's 'Wild Night', which I still enjoy hearing. But my two cents going to Van didn't do much to help his Irish arse:
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Van Morrison = 5 votes
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Thin Lizzy = 12 votes
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It wasn't much of a "Battle", but it WAS a nice turnout. So, thanks again, Peoples!
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Phunny thing... As I was seeking out the YouTube videos I needed in order to present this installment of BOTB, apparently Google made the 'Thin Lizzy / Van Morrison' "Irish" connection that I was working on and presented me with the following as a video recommendation in the right-hand sidebar. So, I took the bait and clicked. Here ya go, for anyone who might be interested:
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A DIVINE APPOINTMENT WITH AN IRISH ATHEIST - Ray Comfort
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96bW5KIdcQs


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I hope you will all return again on April 1st for my special 'April Fool's Day' edition of Battle Of The Bands (suggested by my friend Doc Cherdo).
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
DogGtor of Alcohology & 
King of Inebriation Nation
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BATTLE OF THE BANDS: 2020, MARCH 1 (Or, VAN MORRISON VERSUS THIN LIZZY)

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BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB)
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In celebration of the upcoming Saint Paddy's Day, DOC CHERDO @ Cherdo On The Flipside - my sister in an alternative universe, and my sister in Christ - are teaming up in this round of BOTB to present stories from our wild (alcohol-enhanced) youts, and featuring Irish musical artists.
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But first, here's the birthday card my BOTB co-founder, FarAwayEyes, sent to me last year. Truer words were never spoken:
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Chances are, you remember me mentioning 'The League Of Soul Crusaders'. This was basically a (primarily 6-man) drinking & partying gang in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area in the early through mid-1980s. 
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As I recently Emailed to my good pal Sheboyganboy Six:
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"The true essence of The League (and it is NO exaggeration at all to say this) is that we never once left a party. The "party" always left when WE left. Because we WERE the "party"!
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Hanging out with us was like being with Monty Python, Laurel & Hardy, W.C. Fields, Benny Hill, The Three Stooges, and R.P. McMurphy all at once! The League wasn't the "gang" that other guys wanted to fight with; The League was the "gang" that other guys wanted to "PARTY!" with!! We were almost always "cranked up to eleven". 
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I met Torch (the unofficial leader of The League Of Soul Crusaders) one day in 1979 when we both happened to be working on the set of the Gene Wilder & Harrison Ford movie 'The Frisco Kid'. We got to yakking and discovered that we both lived near each other in "Dogtown" (also known as Santa Monica, California).
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He invited me to join him later that night at his friend Pooh's place, who also lived near us both in Dogtown. So, we all got together to drink a few beers and yak. Pooh (who was actually conceived in Ireland) and I hit it off pretty quickly, largely due to our mutual love of the Irish Rock band THIN LIZZY. 
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I've always considered that night in 1979, when Torch, Pooh and I got together at "The House At Pooh Corner", to be the genesis of what eventually became The League Of Soul Crusaders. Fate (or God) brought Torch, Pooh, Cranium, Napoleon, Twinkie and I all together to form 'The League': 
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L to R: Stephen T. McCarthy, Twinkie, Wally, Torch [driving], Napoleon, Pooh. (Only Cranium missed this "happy occasion".)

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In that photo above, note that Twinkie, Wally, Nappy, and Pooh are all giving the photographer The League's famous "Beee" sign: .
Nowadays, I sometimes text it to friends like this:

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Saint Paddy's Night, 1983, @ 824 Bay Street. L to R: Felly Zenker (my sister Bonehead's friend); Cranium; my sister, Bonehead; Twinkie; Pooh; and Bill "coping a feel" of a stunned STMcC's right breast (#MeToo!)

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Felly Zenker; Pooh; my sister, Bonehead; Twinkie; and Cranium in foreground. Poster of James Dean from the movie 'Giant' in the background.

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If you're a big fan of the movie 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off', you may recognize this "Stink-Eye" image of my sister, Bonehead, which filled the screen in a massive "bonehead" close-up at one point in that famous movie:
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Pooh on his way toward a state of "lamination".

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Napoleon (aka Nappy, aka "Judge Al Bondigas"). What an expression!! If 'The League Of Soul Crusaders' could be summed up in a single word, that word would be "ATTITUDE!" And "Attitude" is written all over my brother's face in this photograph! 

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Nappy & Twinkie standing in front of the statue & photograph shrine to W.C. Fields at 824 Bay Street.

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There are MANY songs that immediately make me think of The League. #1 on that list would be the entirety of Side 2 of The Beatles' "White Album" (aka "The Hangover Waltz"). Also high on the list would be 'Hellzapoppin'' by Louis Armstrong; 'Wang Dang Doodle' by Howlin' Wolf; 'Come On, Eileen' by Dexys Midnight Runners; several early songs by Bruce "Commie" Springsteen; and naturally the song [link> 'THE LEAGUE OF SOUL CRUSADERS' written and sung by League member Twinkie.
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But for this BOTB installment, the artists needed to be Irish. THIN LIZZY's 'The Boys Are Back In Town' was an obvious choice, since that band played a real part in cementing my friendship with Pooh, which got the ball rolling on the formation of 'The League'. 
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Irishman Van Morrison's song 'WILD NIGHT' was another good choice since that song was included on the soundtrack I created for The League's final party which occurred in 1988, just before our hangout (the house at 824 Bay Street in Santa Monica) was demolished to make room for condominiums.
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But, first, before the songs Battle it out, here are a couple of true Saint Paddy's Day / Night 'League' stories to entertain ya:
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"It was a rendezvous at the Pigwalk that got Saint Patrick's Night 1981 underway. Due to the fact that we considered ourselves Irish-Americans, Saint Patrick's Day was a momentous occasion. We started the evening with a few imported Irish beers. Then, when we felt the time was right, we piled into the red Cadillac and headed down Lincoln Boulevard for Brennan's Pub in Marina Del Rey." 
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Later on, "we were heading North on Lincoln Boulevard, intending to hit another Irish pub up on Wilshire Boulevard, and we were just slightly South of the 'Fox Venice Theatre' (where Yours Truly saw James Dean on the silver screen for the very first time), when Torch invented the "Space-Walk".  
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"Torch, our driver, told Napoleon, who was sitting "shotgun" next to him in the Cadillac, to put his foot on the accelerator and keep the speed up and take hold of the steering wheel. Napoleon did this, while Torch lifted himself up and out from behind the steering wheel. And while we were moving along at a steady forty miles an hour, Torch reached out, grabbed the side of the car and then with a quick leap, flung his body out of the car and stretched himself across the hood. He then began to slowly inch his way across the hood, toward the other side of the automobile. In about a minute, he had reached the opposite side of the vehicle. Meanwhile, Napoleon had slid over into the driver's seat.
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"Reaching inside the Cadillac, Torch grabbed the back of the front seat and hoisted himself through the window area and into the passenger's seat. Napoleon was now driving and Torch was kicking back "shotgun", just enjoying the ride. We had changed drivers on busy Lincoln Boulevard in Venice without even slowing down."
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We began calling that dangerous maneuever "The Space-Walk", and it was something we duplicated a few times on various L.A. streets over the next few years.
~ 'The League Of Soul Crusaders' 
Chapter 3, 'The Space-Walk And Other Joyous Occasions'
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As far as I can remember, I got 86'd from a bar only once, and that was the infamous Saint Patrick's Night of 1983 (Chapter 22, 'When Irish Eyes Are Bloodshot', in "The Book", aka 'The League Of Soul Crusaders').
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That was the night my brother, Nappy, and I both got 86'd from 'O'Mahoney's', and we never even knew the reason why. The Soul Crusaders were so laminated that night, that the next morning...
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"There were two questions which remained unanswered: First, did we pay any sort of cover charge to get into O'Mahoney's the night before? And secondly, was there a live band playing?
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"Everybody had a different opinion. 
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"Pooh said that we paid to get in and that there was a band. Twinkie said that we paid to get in but there was no band. Napoleon and I believed that we did not pay and that there was a band. Cranium wasn't sure about anything. We considered calling O'Mahoney's and asking for answers but finally figured it would be more fun to just leave it a mystery forever."
~ 'The League Of Soul Crusaders'
Chapter 23, 'Dear God, Please Don't Let Gus Come Here Today'
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
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Both of the Battlin' songs below make me think of 'The League Of Soul Crusaders' for obvious reasons.
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'Wild Night' was a Billboard #28 hit for Van Morrison in 1971:
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WILD NIGHT - Van Morrison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IJsrWW2oWU

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'The Boys Are Back In Town' was a Billboard #12 hit for Thin Lizzy in 1976:
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THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN - Thin Lizzy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuR0DqbQGN8


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Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whether I know "you" or not) to vote for your favorite of these songs in the comment section below. And feel free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other.
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After voting here, I suggest - actually I insist - you pop over to the blogs of the other 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' participants to see which songs they have chosen and vote there also. Vote your vice...   Vice your voice... 
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Voice Your Vote...
@ TOSSING IT OUT by clicking HERE
@ MIKE'S RAMBLINGS by clicking HERE
@ THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING by clicking HERE
@ JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE by clicking HERE
@ THE DOGLADY'S DEN by clicking HERE
@ CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE by clicking HERE
@ CURIOUS AS A CATHY by clicking HERE
@ AI LOVE MUSIC by clicking HERE
@ STORMS & STARDUST by clicking HERE
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As I've done in the past, I will continue to return to my 'BOTB' blog bits on the 7th of each month to post my own votes and announce the winner.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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