Good Monday morning.
The internet is a marvelous and mysterious thing. What did we do before we had all this useless knowledge at our fingertips? We actually had to remember things – dates and places, birthdays and anniversaries, historical milestones etc. and so on.
The internet regularly leads me to places I had no idea I wanted to go. I can’t decide whether my life is better for all this enrichment, or worse for all the mental clutter I’ve now accumulated.
Case in point: Have you ever heard of the 27 Club? (You immediately called up Google on your handheld device or desktop, didn’t you? See what I mean?)
Anyway, assuming you – like me until just a few hours ago when I started noodling around about a topic for today’s post – are not a major music fan and hence are unfamiliar with this term, the 27 Club is not a nightspot or an exclusive members-only destination. In fact, it’s not something anyone should WANT to join.
The 27 Club refers to the freaky phenomenon of a number of high-profile rock-and-roll stars all dying at the tragically young age of 27. The list has since been expanded to include some well-known individuals outside the music world, too.
I happened upon this information when I found out that on this date in 1970, guitarist Jimi Hendrix died from an overdose of alcohol and sleeping pills at the apartment of his then-girlfriend, German figure skater Monika Dannemann. A subsequent autopsy concluded that he had “aspirated his own vomit and died of asphyxia while intoxicated with barbiturates.”
Hendrix took nine very powerful Vesparax sleeping pills, and had been drinking alcohol earlier in the day. The mix turned out to be lethal, but it’s unclear whether he knew what he was doing or intended to take his own life. Hendrix’s former girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham, suspected foul play in Hendrix’s death, but that theory was never proven.
It turns out that three notable musicians all died prior to Hendrix at the age of 27:
- Robert Johnson, a celebrated Delta bluesman who strychnine poisoning and pneumonia in 1938;
- Brian Jones, one of the original Rolling Stones, who was dismissed from the band due to his deep drug and alcohol addiction and drowned less than a month later in the swimming pool at his home at Cotchford Farm, East Sussex;
- Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson, who was best known as the co-founder, leader, co-lead singer, and primary composer of the blues band Canned Heat. He died from an overdose of barbiturates that may or may not have been intentional.
In the immediate aftermath of Hendrix’s death, several other musicians also quickly followed suit – again, all passing at the age of 27 – including:
- Janis Joplin, died from an accidental heroin overdose, also in 1970.
- Jim Morrison, died from congestive heart failure while in Paris in 1971. (No autopsy was ever performed). Morrison’s girlfriend, Pamela Courson, who was also his heir, though the two never married, also died at the age of 27 from a heroin overdose
The whole 27 Club myth didn’t really become mainstream until grunge and counterculture icon Kurt Cobain committed suicide at the age of 27 in 1994.
At this point, people started looking for additional proof of the 27-is-deadly-for-musicians myth, and were able to find ample evidence – from Randy “Stretch” Walker, (fatally shot) a rapper affiliated with Tupac Shakur, to Amy Winehouse (alcohol poisoning).
And since we’re on the topic, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, is also a member of this infamous club. Again, he was the victim of an accidental heroin overdose, which occurred in 1988.
I’m not sure what to believe here. I’m not big on coincidences, but I don’t think everything is fated, either. I’ll just leave all this here for you to chew on at your leisure and let you come to your own conclusions.
After what shaped up to be a pretty darn lovely fall weather weekend, we’re in for some rain. It will be overcast all day long, with showers at times. Temperatures won’t make it out of the 60s. Break out those sweaters!
In the headlines…
President Joe Biden arrived in New York City last night for the United Nations General Assembly meeting this week.
Ahead of U.N. meetings this week, thousands gathered in Midtown to demand that President Biden and other world leaders stop new oil and gas drilling.
Tens of thousands of protesters from around the world marched through downtown Manhattan over the weekend to call on the Biden administration to move away from fossil fuels and oil pipeline projects.
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said he would sign a landmark climate bill that passed the state’s legislature last week requiring major companies to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions, a move with national and global repercussions.
Nine months after returning to office, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is finally getting his long sought-after meeting with Biden – but an awkward rapprochement at the UN general assembly is unlikely to improve their strained relationship.
The strength of Biden’s candidacy is being tested by a striking divide between Democratic leaders, who are overwhelmingly unified behind his bid, and rank-and-file voters in the party who harbor persistent doubts about whether he is their best option.
A new poll by CBS News shows former President Donald Trump receiving more votes than Biden in the 2024 election.
Democrats this weekend sought to play down the ramifications in Washington from last week’s indictment of Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, while Republicans seized on the development.
The Biden administration is going after health insurers for flouting a federal law requiring them to provide mental health care on the same terms as other care.
House Republicans considered a new stopgap funding proposal aimed at averting a government shutdown at the end of the month, but it was unlikely that the plan could break the deep impasse on Capitol Hill.
House Republicans released a bill after the far-right Freedom Caucus and the center-right Main Street Caucus reached a tentative agreement.
The deal, which would keep the government funded through Oct. 31 but includes cuts to domestic spending, is expected to pave the way to pass a defense spending bill this week that has been tied up in the standoff between GOP leadership and the far right.
It’s unclear that the proposal could pass the House, given the GOP’s thin majority. And even if Republicans can muscle it through that chamber, it would do little to avert a shutdown looming just two weeks away.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has axed the dress code that requires legislators to wear professional attire on the Senate floor months after Sen. John Fetterman was slammed for wearing a hoodie.
Texas state senators acquitted Attorney General Ken Paxton of all impeachment charges Saturday, allowing him to return to his post.
The battle over the fate of the Trump-backed Texas Attorney General became a litmus test for loyalty to the GOP.
Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis’s campaign targeted former President Trump for his comments on abortion during a new interview with NBC News.
Trump, whose Supreme Court appointments led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, harshly criticized his top rival in the Republican presidential primary, DeSantis, for a six-week abortion ban that he called a “terrible thing.”
Trump said he would back a government shutdown if House conservatives aren’t able to secure an “appropriate deal” to slash spending.
Trump said that he received counsel from numerous people shortly after the 2020 election but that it was his decision to push the false claim he won the presidency and try to overturn the results.
“In many cases, I didn’t respect them,” Trump said when asked why he decided to ignore his lawyers and advisers who told him he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. “But I did respect others. I respected many others that said the election was rigged.”
Three men involved in the Jan. 6 attack are asking the Supreme Court to wipe out part of their indictment − and the possibility of an extra 20 years in prison − in the first criminal cases involving the 2021 insurrection to reach the nation’s highest court.
A bipartisan coalition of City Council members is calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to sue the Biden administration over its soft border policies.
The CEO of a medical services provider with a $432 million, no-bid contract with the city to house and care for migrants, DocGo, abruptly resigned Friday following a report that he lied about having a graduate degree from Clarkson University.
A filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission showed that Anthony Capone resigned as CEO of DocGo “effective immediately”.
Following a wave of car thefts spurred on by TikTok videos and software glitches, Hochul announced an action plan to reduce vehicle theft in New York.
Some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle continue to call for the state Legislature to return to Albany for a special session. Hochul has not yet made a decision.
Hochul signed new legislation Friday to exempt applications for an Extreme Risk Protection Order from requiring an index number fee.
New York is continuing its crusade against the tobacco industry by prohibiting the sale of cigarettes and related products in certain locations.
New York’s new pay transparency law, which took effect this past weekend, will require employers with four or more workers to disclose job compensation or compensation ranges for jobs, promotions and transfers.
The addition of Lunar New Year as a mandatory public school holiday ushered in a conversation about representation and the fact that there are many other cultural celebrations — and non-Christian holidays — that are not required to be days off by New York.
As the migrant situation worsens in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams is in danger of forfeiting his ability to quickly spend hundreds of millions of dollars on the crisis using his emergency powers.
The city comptroller, Brad Lander, has warned the city that he may curtail the city’s power to enter emergency contracts — a power granted by his office — to deal with the influx.
Adams warned that the cost of the ongoing migrant crisis will hurt low-income New Yorkers as he’s forced to dip into the city coffers and address the disaster without more federal or state help.
The migrant crisis is a looming mental health crisis. Are city schools prepared to care for their most vulnerable new students?
Adams lobbed a grenade into the debate over the future of Rikers, saying there won’t be enough room for the city’s detainees in the four borough-based jails set to replace the aging complex in 2027 and the City Council should rework the plan.
Eric Ulrich, the advisor and top commissioner to Adams charged with pocketing $150,000 in bribes in part to settle gambling debts, didn’t complete a required background forms until late September 2022 — nine months after he began working for the mayor.
Even as Adams is forcing city budget cuts he says are necessitated by the cost of aiding migrants, his administration is spending billions of dollars off its books — much of it on companies with extensive histories of complaints over their practices.
Police response times and reported major felonies increased dramatically in New York City this past fiscal year, while the number of quality-of-life summonses handed out by the NYPD doubled, according to Adams’ mandatory management report.
A day care center operator and her neighbor were charged with murder in the death of a 1-year-old boy who was exposed to opioids at the center, the police said.
Hosts and guests are scrambling to adapt as the city ramps up its enforcement of tough, new rules on short-term rentals. But whether the crackdown will ease a housing shortage is up for debate.
Sean “Diddy” Combs got the key to New York City on Friday (Sept. 15), the same day that he released his first studio album in 17 years.
“The bad boy of entertainment is getting the key to the city from the bad boy of politics!” Adams said as he presented a giant key to Combs in Times Square.
A group representing New York delis and convenience stores has threatened legal action against rapper Snoop Dogg, ex-heavyweight champ Mike Tyson and wrestler Hulk Hogan for peddling banned flavored nicotine vapes that are popular with teens.
The New York City economy has stalled in large part because of the fallout from the strike that has shut down the city’s key movie and TV production sector.
Drew Barrymore announced she will “pause” the Season 4 premiere of her talk show, set for today, following backlash she received for taping during the Writers Guild of America strike.
“I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over,” wrote Barrymore, 48, on Instagram.
As large retail pharmacies compete for market share in the latest COVID-19 vaccine roll out, it might be wise to hold off on making an appointment.
“Jeopardy!,” “Wheel of Fortune” and Chris Cuomo will return for Capital Region DirecTV subscribers as the satellite provider and TV station chain Nexstar Media Group announced a deal to temporarily restore Nexstar-owned stations to the service.
A request that people not give money to panhandlers has escalated into an argument that shows the City of Albany’s struggles dealing with quality-of-life issues.
Jahkeen Hoke is stepping down from his job as CEO of Business for Good, the innovative nonprofit founded by businessman Ed Mitzen and his wife, Lisa.
