Roger Stone's Really Secret Past

CPAC event director Lisa De Pasquale (yes, she helped bring GOProud to that dance) spends some of her time interviewing politically connected folks for a regular feature in Human Events called "De Pasquale's Dozen." Her lastest installment is with political operative Roger Stone:

4.  What pop culture souvenir do you own that people would be surprised to learn that you cherish?

STONE:  My bong in the shape of Nixon's head—a head shop souvenir from the '70s.  An ebony cigarette holder that belonged to Tom Dewey or a homburg owned and monogrammed for Al Jolson.

5.  What's your current "guilty pleasure" non-news television show? 

STONE:  "Boardwalk Empire" on HBO.  It's terrific.  The costuming is great.  If those producers study history, when Boss Nucky Thompson goes to jail there is internal GOP struggle for power in which Atlantic City's flamboyantly gay Mayor "Two Gun Tommy" Taggert tussles for power with square-jawed Catholic and local sports hero Assemblyman Hap Farley to get control of the Republican machine….

7.  What was the first rock concert you ever attended and where did you sit and who went with you?

STONE:  1976,  The Young Rascals, Staples High School, Westport, Connecticut, with my ginzo cousins and some cute WASPy preppy girls from Wilton.  Felix Cavaliere kicks ass on the Hammond Organ.  Dino Danielli—one of the great unappreciated rock drummers in history.

Whole megillah, including a Milton Berle shlong joke, here.

Given both Stone's age and rock-star carbon dating, I'm guessing that the 1976 regarding the Young Rascals concert should be 1966. By about 1968, the band had dropped the prefix Young in deference to reality and hipness. The Rascals--young, middle-aged, or otherwise--are one more piece of evidence that Italian Americans run the world, as three of the foursome had names ending in vowels. But Stone's love for Dino Danelli is, to my half-ginzaloon genome, as misplaced as Fredo Corleone's loyalties.

Here's 13-minutes plus of evidence, in the form of "Boom," a cut from the band's epic (read: bloated like Marlon Brando circa The Island of Dr. Moreau) double-seems-like-quadruple-god-make-it-stop-did-I-really-buy-this-just -for-that-Freedom-Train-song lp, Freedom Suite (1969).

Members of the jury, I rest my case.

Reason.tv has featured Stone in many interviews. Here's some of them, all worth watching.

De Pasquale was good enough to do a Dozen with yours truly. Check it out here.

Comments

[Dooby Skoo]

"Stone's love for Dino Danelli is, to my half-ginzaloon genome, as misplaced as Fredo Corleone's loyalties."

Fuck you, Dino Dinelli was a great drummer.

[Alan Vanneman]

My comment? The horror! The goddamn horror!

I'm sorry, but anyone who knows this much about "The Rascals" (young or otherwise) should not be allowed to bear arms, or, indeed, sharp objects of any kind. Maybe baby scissors, if they're really small.

[Eddie Brigati]

What part of Groovin' don't you dig, Vanneman?

[SugarFree]

It should be "De Pasquale's Wager." She could ask an eternity of questions.

[Peter Bagge]

Dino was a great drummer to WATCH. He was quite the showman. On record he was just another drummer.

[HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN]

TRIATHLON RETURNS!!!!

[MISSION INTO WISCONSIN]

Now, We [TRIATHLON] have been absent from (Www.reason.com/blog) for the past few days, well, let Us tell you, this wasn't any lark, no sir, we were on a mission [OPERATION CHEESEPACKER], that brought us into the Heartland of the [Empire] Israeli American Empire, to observer the [PSU] Public-Sector Unions, who are fiscally strangling the [Empire] even though most [Empire] Imperial Citizens are still See Nothing, Hear Nothing, Know-Nothing Robots and will not sacrifice!

[OPERATION CHEESEPACKER: PHASE I]

Now, we began by driving due West on Road [17] Seventeen, from our [Headquarters of the TRIATHLON] Sudbury, Ontario Province, [CC] Canadian Confederation, later, then We came to the Empire-Canadian border, and crossed into the Heartland of the Empire.

[MICHIGAN]

Now, the first part of our journey we entered into the Empire State of Michigan very lovely state yeah its the heart of the [Empire] American-Israeli Empire automobile industry recently bailed-out by the [FED] Federal Empire Israeli Reserve Bank so [GM] General Motors made some profits that is in the cards it's true but not without cost such as the coming Super-Hyper Inflation like [ZIMBABWE] the true Cost will be known soon enough, we know it's true.

[UPPER PENINSULA]

Now, the part We [TRIATHLON] entered is knowns as the [UP] Upper Peninsula Occupied Territories, they dream of seceding and joining our [CC] Canadian Confederation but their Overlords in the State of Michigan Empire Capital of Lansing will NOT LET THEM, this is a travesty, the [UP] Upper Peninsula is the West Bank of North America.

[LODGING ACCOMIDATIONS]

So We kept driving and driving and driving in our [1999] Nineteen-Ninety-Nine Honda CR-V until We saw a sign on the [IHS] Interempire Highway System for a Motel in the Imperial Township of Gladstone [MI], the [LMI] Lakeside Motor Inn so We came into the office such as it was and told the fine young lady at the front desk that yes indeed We are Hercule Triathlon Savinien she laughed but we still signed in under Our name and went to Our room, tomorrow you WILL read [PART II] of our travels to Madison, [OPERATION CHEESEPACKER]!

HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN

[Zeb]

Is this how all Canadians are?

[Episiarch]

one more piece of evidence that Italian Americans run the world

God damn it, we told you to keep quiet about that, Fredo!

[Rhayader]

I wouldn't call Boardwalk Empire a "guilty pleasure" exactly. It's a legitimate drama that has a lot more to say than your average network procedural show, let alone "reality" tv.

[Rhayader]

Also, I want that Nixon-head bong.

[Johnny Longtorso]

I want one made out of his real head.

[Anomalous]

The producers of Futurama keep it in a jar.

[alan]

I miss my Cartman bong, some bastard took it, along with my sonic the hedge hog pipe!

I notice that everyone is being asked what there first concert was, and for the record, The Police, Ghost in the Machine tour.

First R rated movie in the theater, Dressed to Kill.

[alan]

And oh, yeah, Italians even run my neck of the woods. That's why there are no dry counties close by, and several decent strip clubs.

Beats the Hell out of the so-con Baptist running things.

Oh, and local Italian American sports hero, Rocco Scarfone. Took the local high school to the state Triple A championship for a victory.

http://www.google.com/search?s.....tnG=Search

If his name is familiar his dad use to be a boxer.

[Strayhorn]

I believe it was the Rascals for whom the term "blue-eyed soul" was coined - even though none of them actually has blue eyes.

[alan]

I would consider Smokey Robinson the original blue eyed soul singer. Get a good look at those peepers sometime, they are gorgeous.

[Rock Action]

Garage. I don't want to dismiss the Rascals, but...Them. Hands down. The double album import that went out of print absolutely kills if you love blues/blue-eyed soul. A lot of filler, but the great moments are downright beautiful. If you want American stomp, Paul Revere and The Raiders, or if you're more outre and need to prove it, or you just are, the Sonics.

NW kicks, England rolls, Germany thinks.

The Monks...forced admiration. Leave me flat.

[ipshay]

Stone is a self defeating, narcissistic SCUMBAG. Even his wife can't stand his cocsucking. STONE IS A TOTAL HAS BEEN who smokes pot and snorts ice.