Mr. Justice Mocatta
Charles Ulrich
> Now, the judge: this guy was maybe eighty years old. He looked like a
> cartoon of a judge -- perfect, except he didn't have an ear trumpet.
> During the proceedings, one of the lawyers attempted to introduce the
> 200 Motels record album into evidence. Upon seeing it, Justice
> Mocatta asked, "What is that?" The reply: "It is a phonograph record,
> your lordship."
It turns out that Sir Alan Abraham Mocatta was only 67 at the time of
FZ's trial. See <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Mocatta>.
--Charles
Hoodoo
(Central Standard Time), spoke thusly:
> From TRFZB, p. 120:
>
>> Now, the judge: this guy was maybe eighty years old. He looked like
>> a cartoon of a judge -- perfect, except he didn't have an ear
>> trumpet.
I like the imagery of an old geezer using an "ear trumpet"
<http://images.google.com/images?&q=%22ear%20trumpet%22>. It being an
artifact from the era of the "drazy hoop," an item mentioned within the
lyrics of 'The Blimp.'
I spent quite a bit of time several days ago searching for a definitive
explanation of "drazy hoop." My long-held understanding is that it is a
self-made item for adolescent playtime activity popular during the 19th
and early 20th century.
A drazy hoop is merely a wooden ring (such as from a hoop skirt) or
metal ring (the band placed around wooden spoked wheels) that is
balanced on edge [picture a hula hoop] and propelled (typically) by
hitting it with a stick while running alongside it. A simple pleasure
for simple times.
Reasserting my impression of what a drazy hoop is began several days ago
while watching the opening sequence of the Steve McQueen film, The
Reivers, which was recently broadcast on the Turner Classic Movies
channel. In the film sequence, a Negro boy is shown running down a lane
with a (drazy) hoop rolling along beside him.
But dammit, I cannot find a definitive explanation of "drazy hoop" on
the internet. I tried alternate spellings but still struck out. My
interpretation of the term may stem from a visit to the Henry Ford
Museum (which presents all manner of Americana) decades ago but I
believe I knew of the 'toy' long before that. Unfortunately, I cannot
reaffirm my conviction regarding the description of this item.
Does anyone else know of a finite description of the item known as a
"drazy hoop?"
--
"Think with your dipstick, Jimmy."
Look up the word 'dive' in the dictionary.
After the initial definitions regarding
aquatic and aeronautical topics, you'll
see a photo of this joint.
Chris West
<ulrich-44016D....@newsfarm.iad.highwinds-media.com>, Charles
Ulrich <ulr...@sfu.ca> writes
>From TRFZB, p. 120:
>
>> Now, the judge: this guy was maybe eighty years old. He looked like a
>> cartoon of a judge -- perfect, except he didn't have an ear trumpet.
>> During the proceedings, one of the lawyers attempted to introduce the
>> 200 Motels record album into evidence. Upon seeing it, Justice
>> Mocatta asked, "What is that?" The reply: "It is a phonograph record,
>> your lordship."
This is a good story, but I imagine the judge was merely getting the
lawyer to describe the object for the written record rather than
requiring an explanation for himself.
--
Chris West