I had heard he had a stroke, but haven't heard anymore. I'm so sorry that he passed away. He was one of a kind.
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The Big Man was kind of scary when I first encountered him at Winterland in late '75/early '76 on the Born to Run tour. I was belly up to the stage and he towered over the crowd and was very imposing and mean looking. Soon his famous Santa Claus laugh echoed through the hall and the real Clarence Clemons came through. We have been lucky to know him and Bruce was lucky to have Clarence as part of his legacy. I'm going to miss him every time I hear his sax or voice and remember how his warmth always came through. |
Lindisfarne, It is poor form to use numbers rather than spell out in prose, i.e. your use of "2" rather than "two." You may also want to examine the proper uses of the ellipsis. An ellipsis is not a stand-in for for example, id est (i.e.) or e.g. (example given). And finally, RIP Big Man. This thread is about the passing of a much-beloved musician not grammar. |
The punctuation inside the quotations mark rule is shifting. Grammarians are in protest, but popular usage is clearly moving to outside the marks. Further proof that it's still a living language. According to Mr. Springsteen he was playing at a club on the Jersey during a strong thunderstorm. At some point the lights went off and the wind blew the doors to the club wide open. Another flash of lightning, the lights come back on and standing in the doorway was the Big Man. He later was invited on to the stage and both agreed, it was like magic. |
Onhwy61, not to derail the thread--which Lindisfarne has already accomplished to a degree with his impromptu grammar lesson--but what evidence is there that the "rule is shifting" with regard to placing punctuation (commas and periods specifically)outside the quotation mark? I'm not trying to be contrary or challenge your assertion, but since I teach this stuff for a living, I am curious about your claim. More on point, I am very happy to have caught Springsteen on his most recent tour. It was an amazing show, of course, and captured vividly the way I will always remember Clemons, larger than life, rocking out all the way to the end. |
My info is from this recent article in Slate. More importantly: When the change was made uptown |
With apologies to the OP, and in response to the mention of shifting opinion with regard to quotation remarks, I too have seen several articles about this in various media outlets. A link to one example: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/13/975833/-Lapsing-into-a-comma:-A-punctuation-paradigm-is-shifting |
I first saw Bruce and the E Street Band in Binghamton, NY, just as "Born To Run" was released. I have since seen the boys in concert many times. Clarence was always the soul of the band. Mr. Big Man, I hope you are able to rest in peace. You have brought joy to us all. Bruce, Patti, Max, Nils, Garry, Danny, Roy, and Miami Steve .... My feelings of deep sympathy are with you all. But remember that the best way to honor Clarence's memory is to KEEP ON PLAYING MUSIC !! Thanks, Clarence, for all the good times. |