Ah yes. . . Henry. Always a hot experience for me at Manny's.
It was there in the 70's (Harry with albums and Tom on tv with
Make a Wish), that he referenced me as the "no-talent Chapin"
one occasion while Tom and I were shopping there - it was
actually very funny at the time, a Rodney Dangerfield moment.
But for the next two decades, every time I would drop $5K a pop
for PA equipment, TEAC recorders, ADAT machines, Mackie boards,
outboard gear, computer stuff, etc., I would make a point of teasing
him back - " Hey Manny . . . I mean Henry - ya seen any checks this
big recently from the talented Chapins?" He would smile knowingly
at what by then had become our private one-liner.
Side story to the obit story: While Harry was playing Taxi (as yet
unrecorded) for Henry at the store, halfway through he took a call,
and then returned to the ongoing performance - just before making
the quoted comment in the [NYT] obit.
For the record:It was Abby Forbes Chapin who originally
charmed the Goldrich family starting in
1946-7 while she was handling the business
end of her son "Jimmy"'s new book on coordinated
independence. She was dealing with name-sake
Manny himself. By the time Henry took over, the
Chapin reputation was already formed by Grandma,
who always left incredible and indelible impressions
on all she touched.
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