October 14, 2008


A sobriquet ripe for revival

First year I got to know Cooper Renner, Old Man Reese was our history teacher. And Old Man Reese had him a way with the sobriquets (though come to think, I was always and ever simply, “Ryan!”)

But Cooper, he was Foxy. Foxy Renner.

Yep. Reynard. The Fox.

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10 Responses to “A sobriquet ripe for revival”

  1. Cooper Renner on October 15th, 2008 at 10:34 am

    Though Foxy Renner has the same stress-unstress rhythmic pattern as Foxy Lady, I am not now nor have I ever been a foxy lady. I will not seek the nomination to become a foxy lady, nor–if nominated for foxy ladydom–would I accept, though–if the Roches were to record a Rennerized version of “Foxy Lady” for me, I would most certainly listen.

  2. Cooper Renner on October 15th, 2008 at 10:36 am

    Sheila and “the gang” and I also had a history teacher in junior high who walked down the halls whistling “Jesus Loves Me” and saying “I’ll hit you in the head with these keys.” Once, after confiscating a teen magazine which included song lyrics, he read to us from the lyrics of “You Can’t Hurry Love” (or maybe it was another Supremes song).

  3. Cooper Renner on October 15th, 2008 at 10:38 am

    Speaking of the ’60s, yesterday I used “birthday money” to buy 3 discount-priced CDs at Forever Young Records:
    the 1996 expanded reissue of The Family That Plays Together by Spirit;
    the 2003 expanded reissue of After Bathing at Baxter’s by Jefferson Airplane;
    the 2008 expanded reissue of Creedence Clearwater Revival. “Oh, Susie Q!”

  4. Sheila Ryan on October 15th, 2008 at 11:13 am

    The Other History Teacher of whom Cooper speaks — the “Jesus Loves Me” whistler — once opined that “the inside of a dog’s mouth is the cleanest thing on this earth”.

    Oh — and Old Man Reese had a genuinely curious way of pronouncing the phrase “Bosnia and Herzogovina”.

  5. Cindy Scroggins on October 15th, 2008 at 11:36 am

    a history teacher in junior high who walked down the halls whistling “Jesus Loves Me” and saying “I’ll hit you in the head with these keys.”

    Ain’t nothin’ better than junior high school in Texas.

    Miss Vernon wielding her broom between her good arm and her stump, screaming “I’ll beat the tar outta you” as Stanley Nichols ran for his life. Ahhh, those were the days.

  6. Sheila Ryan on October 15th, 2008 at 11:49 am

    Cindy, “ain’t nothin’ better” or “ain’t nothin’ like”?

  7. Cindy Scroggins on October 15th, 2008 at 11:53 am

    Definitely ain’t nothin’ like, but sometimes I think ain’t nothin’ better. In a Coen Brothers kind of way.

  8. Sheila Ryan on October 15th, 2008 at 11:59 am

    “That which does not kill me makes me stronger.”

  9. Phil Bebbington on October 15th, 2008 at 12:13 pm

    Cooper, what a fine choice of music….and well, I have never been to Texas or knowingly met a Texan in the flesh (no Phil keep it clean) but those of you that frequent here seem beautifully unbalanced so them there teachers seem to have done something right.

    Exits rather hastily stage left…Pheew may have got away with that

  10. Rick Neece on October 22nd, 2008 at 8:44 pm

    Cooper, Sheila and Phil
    Last week I hired a guy named John Fogarty [sic]. He started Monday.

    Everytime I see/say his name “I’m singin’ doo, doo, doo, lookin’ out my back door.”

    Memories and elephants. He’s been late once already, today he had car trouble and couldn’t get to work. Mind you, rain was pouring like piss out of boot and only half the staff came in. Still it was only his third day. We’ll see if he lasts ’til the end of the week.

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