Frank Jr. Took the A Train

[Teasing the Korean]

RIP.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/16/entertainment/frank-sinatra-jr-dies/index.html

Edited March 17, 2016 by Teasing the Korean

[Bill Nelson]

One of the last conversations between Frank the Chairman and Frank Jr. went like this:

The senior Sinatra, recently retired and having grown a white beard, is sitting alone at the beach, when Frank Jr. approaches.

Frank Jr. : "Hey pops, you know you look like Ernest Hemingway?"

Frank the Elder: "What's YOUR problem?"

[JSngry]

Must have been an interesting life. 

[MomsMobley]

55 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Must have been an interesting life. 

 

http://drewfriedman.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-saga-of-frank-sinatra-jr.html

[duaneiac]

Very sorry to hear this.  May he Rest in Peace.

[Hardbopjazz]

RIP Frank.

[gmonahan]

I'm about 250 pages into the *second* volume of Kaplan's massive biography.  Almost nothing there yet on Frank, Jr., though I imagine there will be a lot when I get to the kidnapping business.  He seems to me to have led sort of a tragic life, forever under the shadow of someone who had to be just about the most difficult father in the world.  He was actually a pretty good singer.  RIP.

 

gregmo

[Teasing the Korean]

22 hours ago, Bill Nelson said:

One of the last conversations between Frank the Chairman and Frank Jr. went like this:

The senior Sinatra, recently retired and having grown a white beard, is sitting alone at the beach, when Frank Jr. approaches.

Frank Jr. : "Hey pops, you know you look like Ernest Hemingway?"

Frank the Elder: "What's YOUR problem?"

 

Yeah, but Dad was there to greet him in the afterlife with a bottle of Jack!

[JSngry]

On 3/17/2016 at 10:42 PM, MomsMobley said:

 

http://drewfriedman.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-saga-of-frank-sinatra-jr.html

Are those actual quotes??

RIP... I have no idea what that must have been like.

[Bill Nelson]

Jim, the quotes from FS and FS Jr. came from a piece in The New Yorker several years ago.  It was in one of those non-fiction half-page bits that run in The Talk of the Town.  The story and words are recalled by FS Jr. himself.  

[JSngry]

Well, that makes it just that much more hard to imagine what that must have been like.

[gmonahan]

Sinatra really was a bizarre character, capable in almost the same moment of incredible kindness and charity, and then of ruthless insensitivity and cruelty.  Kaplan tells a story about him singing to Lauren Bacall's kids to help them sleep.  Can you imagine having Frank Sinatra singing to you to help you sleep?!

 

gregmo

[paul secor]

"Sinatra really was a bizarre character, capable in almost the same moment of incredible kindness and charity, and then of ruthless insensitivity and cruelty."

Sounds like a pretty good description of a psychotic personality to me.

[Teasing the Korean]

2 hours ago, paul secor said:

Sounds like a pretty good description of a psychotic personality to me.

Or a pretty good description of a brilliant artist. 

Edited March 19, 2016 by Teasing the Korean

[JSngry]

Both. It's not like those are mutually exclusively qualities. 

[paul secor]

Fortunately, they're not mutually inclusive qualities either.

Edited March 19, 2016 by paul secor

[JSngry]

Say hello to The Wicked Witch Of Objectivty! 

[gmonahan]

I should note (being one of those who did it) that turning this thread from an announcement of Frank, Jr's death to one about his father sort of encapsulates the sad story of Junior's life.

 

 

gregmo

[duaneiac]

I think Frank Jr. inevitably suffered just by nature of his name and by his choice of musical pursuits.  Being "Frank Sinatra, Jr." was far different than being say, Desi Arnaz, Jr., Ed Begley, Jr., Alan Hale, Jr. or Robert Downey, Jr.  While people may have known of the famous fathers of each of those men, none of those fathers was an ICON of their profession.  Being named "Frank Sinatra, Jr." must have been akin to some one being named "Albert Einstein, Jr." or "Alfred Hitchcock, Jr." -- enormous shoes to fill.

And then for Frank, Jr. to enter the musical field inevitably brought comparisons to his father.  Even if he was a good singer (which he was) he could never be "as good" a singer as his father.  If he had pursued a more rock/pop oriented career as other famous sons did -- Ricky Nelson, Dino Martin, Gary Lewis -- the comparisons to his father would have been minimal.  That wasn't who he was nor what he felt like do.  He earns respect just for following his musical path knowing full well that it would be a bumpy road.

The fact that he was able to endure and survive such constant comparisons and to pursue his own path both in his career and in his life speaks pretty well for the man.  Lesser men would have cracked under such strain, I fear.

[JSngry]

Also, kudos to him for being named his old man's Musical Director. Whatever "nepotism" might have been involved, rest assured that the gig would not have been given him unless the necessary /requisite skill were already there. There were no slackers or semi-competents in that organization.

[gmonahan]

On 3/20/2016 at 1:44 PM, JSngry said:

Also, kudos to him for being named his old man's Musical Director. Whatever "nepotism" might have been involved, rest assured that the gig would not have been given him unless the necessary /requisite skill were already there. There were no slackers or semi-competents in that organization.

Man, is that true.  When it came to the music, Sinatra really didn't take prisoners.  He loved and adored musicians, but if they couldn't cut it, they were gone.  In the studio, he could tolerate one, maybe even two clams, but after that, he'd fix someone with that steely blue-eyed stare and ask, "where are you workin' next week"?