Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Song of the Day: 'Jimmy Hoffa Jokes' by Aimee Mann


I was 8 when Jimmy Hoffa went missing from a restaurant in Oakland County, Michigan, not far from where we lived. The year before I became obsessed with Patty Hearst, but the close proximity of the Hoffa case was like cat nip to this junior detective, who pretended (thought???) the Sambo's (!) my family used to go to was the scene of the crime. Aimee Mann's b-side is a melancholy affair that always makes me sad I never got to eat at Machus Red Fox, the tony joint where the Teamsters leader actually ate his final meal. 

 

3 comments:

Tom W. said...

While back in MI a few years back, I was at a Goodwill store and scored two coffee mugs from a Sambo's Restaurant. I believe these restaurants morphed into the current Denny's Restaurants. Is that true? Also, remember the Clock Restaurant chains?

Blobby said...

It's a great song. Her new disk is due in September

SFRowGuy said...

We use to have one in Oakland (California) I enjoyed when I was a kid. It's where the Denny's is now ... so in regards to Tom W., I'm not sure, but could be.

I still don't understand why the company had to change it's name (or go out of business). I remember that Black people would say the name is racist, but Sambo and the depiction on the sign is an Indian boy from an Indian story, neither black or African.