Joe Jones In The Bagel Shop

Plot was buying bagels on 24th St. today at the Korean-run bagel shop. He shows up there every Saturday morning, sweat pouring down his face after pedaling up and down Liberty Hill, and when the workers see him propping his bike against the door they put six poppy seed bagels in a bag and it waits for him at the cash register.

But today, instead of being behind the cash register as usual, the owner was sitting in the back having a cup of coffee and talking to an elderly Korean man -- perhaps his Dad?

Plotnik knows these people pretty well by now, so he walked into the back of the shop, interrupted the conversation, and said to the owner: "c'mon, don't get lazy, get back to work," or something like that.

The older man laughed, pointed at the owner, and said "You talk-a too muchee."

(Plot doesn't know why Korean-Americans often add those 'ee' sounds after certain words at the ends of sentences, but they do.)

Plot laughed and then the older man repeated "You talk-a too muchee" and added "you worry me to deathee."

Plot realized he was singing that great old Joe Jones song:

(Here's the link: Plottie tried to link it to this page but was unable to.)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBrKDpNAVSU

So Plot said to the bagel shop owner "You just ta-a-a-a-a-alk," and the old man and Plotnik finished up together with "You talk too much(ee)."

You never know where your morning chuckle is gonna come from, do you?

But here's the interesting part. Plotnik looked up Joe Jones on Google, and found this obit. It is a little microcosm of what happened to so many writers and singers in the early days of rock and roll. Here it is, and God Bless-ee you, Joe Jones.

You've got to love those song titles.

Joe Jones Obit