Danny C. performer in K.C./Danny & Friends. A collage of different types of performances from different time periods by Danny, (note the wrist rap in some of the footage, as Danny currently deals with a wrist ailment which has cut down the frequency of his being able to set up and perform music, losing would-be outings. Includes excerpts of adaptations and impromptu renderings of Linus Lucy; Birthday Boogie; a fab 4 tune intro-right-to-spoof for then-partner B.B. (Bev); In Crowd; Little Help From Friends (with other trio members Bev & Gary);"Western Theme Rap; 3 Dog N.tune" and a News Clip from Doug Shimmel (working in Philedelphia last I knew), anchored by Phil Witt and Harris Faulkner (the attractive gal now on nationally syndicated Fox cable t.v. News)about one of the various: City and Fascist Merchant-imposed efforts, throughout the years, to hamper & shut down popular street entertaining; a less-loud-than-bars, cultural asset to the community. In most of the incidents of selective repression, bar owners have, not surprisingly, escaped most of the measures, which have been dressed up to the public as noise or crowd "control" measures. Incredibly the city and it's channel 5 media cohorts continued this attempt in spite of the known fact that crime, such as shootings, in these districts - invariably erupted from inside those same bars, of which owners kept public officials at their beck & call. Some of the main street entertainers, like Danny, also play other gigs, but shouldn't be stripped of rights to this venue. It is argued by many that Danny changed the face of street entertainment, adding class to it. After the onset of his tenure in the area, public image of streeet players has made a dramatic upturn. The trade benefitted from his influence. He gradually developed the act in to a more and more sophisticated viable part of the overall entertainment for the town, and thus, the performing income to be made, locally. It is a reflection on his character that he was able to do all of this with ammicability regarding the rest of the community, co-existing with it in a unique way, for years before unrelated factors and forces began to bring about the efforts of special interest-catering oppression. It is worthy of noting that during that so-called grace period - discussed in this channel 4 news story, for the then- impending Cleaver-endorsed, rules in the Westport part of town; the city police (some working for the bar owners) became more and more antsy and disrespectful. So, two weeks into that "grace," a dispute arose when a rogue security cop accusing Danny of parking in the wrong place. Doing so when Danny returned to the area to a patient audience of about 50 people who'd waited as he fetched gas for his generator. This rent-a-cop, whose only actual duties were to guard property in the district, bolted into the middle of Danny's set-up as Danny had just resumed playing to the crowd, and slapped a hand cuff on him. Knowing the security guard (one already notorious for repressive random acts to associates of Danny & bucking for political points with bar owners who were jealous of the popularity of Danny's street act) was attmepting to exceed his jurisdication, Danny wouldn't allow the guard to put the other cuff on, siting his lack of authority. When some K.C.P.D. officers-also working for bar owners,off duty,in uniform-arrived, the matter was discussed and was almost resolved, however, when Danny merely pointed out that since the security guard had tipped over Danny's guitar in the shuffle, that guard was responsible if the spill had damaged it - upon hearing this, the K.C.P.D. officer in charge suddenly flew into a rage and - before the entire crowd who'd viewed Danny's show, with assistance from the other officers and the guard, proceeded to handcuff Danny, so he couldn't break his fall, then drove him head-first into the sidewalk, before placing him in jail - injured head & all. In some cities, talent like Danny's would have been encouraged to where, by now, it would have most likely ballooned out to the point that Danny would most likely have been able to re-invest it in the community, in the form of coffee houses or folk music museums or music&entertainment instruction places or whatever. Do the words greedy,self-serving, crooked, non-representative-of- the-public-it-should-serve, proud-to-have- hick-mentality-while-trying-to-pass-themselves-off-as-keepers-of-reputed-long-gone-music-historicity; or Microcosm (town) overrun by unprogressive; dangerously brutal, veritably communistic regime; denying of free market-tested self-starters to ensure it keeps in place its acquired system of hooked-on-T.I.F.F. hand outs, and affirmative action-related initiatives-ONLY mentality - poor excuse for a community; come to mind?
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