November 14, 2001

8:09 AM

Alan Greenspan -- Dance Band MusicianWhen thinking of the best way to approach the new economy, we wait patiently for the magical words of Alan Greenspan. I don't think we expect to hear "and a one, and a two....."
posted by dwivian (8 comments total)

At one point, Greenspan actually enrolled in the Julliard.

A short bit about the band that Greenspan toured with.
posted by iceberg273 at 8:21 AM on November 14, 2001

Please excuse tangent: wow, iceberg273, you are the model citizen today, just like you promised, amplifying and enriching threads with such good and relevant links. So much so methinks you've paid your dues by now. Some of us miss your comments too, you know? :)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:31 AM on November 14, 2001

This was the subject of a "Rest of the Story." Paul Harvey said that the band didn't let him in for his chops, but for bookkeeping.
posted by TacoConsumer at 8:44 AM on November 14, 2001

Some of us miss your comments too, you know?

These are my comments. I am currently void of opinion in reference to today's threads, if that is what you are looking for.

Other interesting figures in the Alan Greenspan saga include Nixon lawyer Leonard Garment (another member of Henry Jerome's band) and Ayn Rand.

<fray>What would be the ideal jazz band made up of Washington insiders?</fray>
posted by iceberg273 at 8:46 AM on November 14, 2001

Calling the tune by Martin Crutsinger {sic} presents quite a picture:

The precocious Greenspan would sing the Depression-era anthem "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" to get spare change from his uncle and would add up three-digit numbers in his head to impress guests.
posted by Carol Anne at 9:01 AM on November 14, 2001

All that and an acolyte of Ayn Rand--oh boy, visualize Clint Eastwood on the comparative chops of Alan Greenspan and Woody Allen.
posted by y2karl at 10:23 AM on November 14, 2001

the maestro.

no one celebrates roger ferguson though, who plays arthur to greenspan's tick:

Here's one more name to add to the list of heroes who through their steady competence helped the United States and the world survive the disaster of Sept. 11: Roger W. Ferguson Jr., vice chairman of the Federal Reserve.

The celebrated maestro of the Fed, Alan Greenspan, was away in Switzerland on that terrible Tuesday when the twin towers collapsed around Wall Street. He couldn't return to Washington until Wednesday afternoon. The secretary of the Treasury, Paul O'Neill, was traveling in Japan.

So it fell to Mr. Ferguson, a quiet, 49-year-old African-American lawyer with a doctorate in economics, to hold the financial system together...
posted by kliuless at 10:35 AM on November 14, 2001

What was happening during those few days in the financial system? Banking came to a near halt, and the rest was automatic systems.... Perhaps I just don't understand, but it seems that things would run on their own for a few days without much intervention....
posted by dwivian at 10:39 AM on November 14, 2001