Real Music & Real Estate . . .

Yiddishe Cup’s bandleader, Bert Stratton, is Klezmer Guy.
 

He knows about the band biz and – check this out – the real estate biz, too.
 

You may not care about the real estate biz. Hey, you may not care about the band biz. (See you.)
 

This is a blog with a gamy twist. It features tenants with snakes and skunks, and musicians with smoked fish in their pockets.
 

Stratton has written op-eds for the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post.


 
 

THE BILLYS

My parents often name-dropped Billys:

1.) Billy Rose. He put together the Aquacade show at the Great Lakes Exposition in 1936-7. The Aquacade was a theater-like pool. There was an orchestra and synchronized swimming. Johnny Weissmuller starred in it. Billy Rose took the show to the New York World’s Fair in 1939.

2.) Billy DeWolfe, a character actor. Billy De Wolfe occasionally ate at Seiger’s, my Great Uncle Itchy’s restaurant on Kinsman Road.

3.) Billy Weinberger, a Short Vincent Street restaurateur. He owned Kornman’s. Billy Weinberger moved to Las Vegas in 1966 and took over Caesar’s Palace. Billy was close with the Cleveland mobsters who started Vegas. My Uncle Al — not a gangster — once got discount hotel rates from Billy in Vegas.

I never name-dropped Billys to my kids. My parents took all the Billys.


A version of this post appeared here 10/19/11.


Funk a Deli (formerly known as Yiddishe Cup) plays at John Carroll U. 7 p.m tomorrow (Thurs., Aug. 10).  On the lawn. Free ice cream. Featured guest artists: Shawn Fink, Jack Stratton, Rick Lawrence, Maury Epstein and David Krauss.

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6 comments

1 David Korn { 08.09.17 at 10:10 am }

What?!!! Are you serious! Changing the name? How would you like it if I just told you to refrain from using my name, maybe told you I am now to be known as Billy?

2 Bill wallace { 08.09.17 at 10:21 am }

Nothing wrong with the name. Its solid, not too cutesy (like Liam) and honors my grandfather (actually he was a Wasyl- I think I would be in trouble as a Wasyl, unless I played hockey). Only my last surviving aunt in Youngstown is allowed to call me Billy.

3 Ken Goldberg { 08.09.17 at 11:11 am }

Housekeeping: Paragraph “2)” – 2nd line?????
Will magnifiers come with the ice cream portions served tomorrow?

4 Bert Stratton { 08.09.17 at 1:18 pm }

To Ken Goldberg:
Get two ice cream bars! You can figure out a way.

5 David Rowe { 08.09.17 at 11:59 pm }

Down here in the hills of Western North Carolina you’ve got to be careful who you call Billy.

6 Ken Goldberg { 08.10.17 at 9:01 am }

There’s always “billybobs” (sp?) ice cream….

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