Happy Birthday, FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner, and Wall of Voodoo's Stan Ridgway
Mitchell Craig "Mitch" Pileggi /pɪˈlɛdʒi/ (born April 5, 1952) is an American actor, best known for his role as Walter Skinner on The X-Files. He also had a recurring role on Stargate Atlantis as Colonel Steven Caldwell. He appeared in the 2008 film Flash of Genius. In 2008, he began a recurring role as Ernest Darby in Sons of Anarchy. He starred as Harris Ryland in the TNT revival of Dallas (2012–2014).
Early life and education
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Pileggi was a high school athlete, concentrating on wrestling and football. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, receiving a degree in business. For a while he worked in Iran as a defense contractor, until the 1979 Iranian revolution caused him and his brother to have to flee the country, escaping to Greece.
Career
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His most notable role was as the FBI's Assistant Director Walter Skinner on The X-Files. The role was originally recurring, but the part expanded, and in 2001 he became a regular member of the cast. The character gradually became the most integral character besides the two leads. He remained with the show until its end in 2002. Pileggi played the character in the 1998 The X-Files film and in the 2008 film The X-Files: I Want to Believe. He also reprised the role in the 2016 miniseries.
Stanard "Stan" Ridgway (born April 5, 1954) is an American multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter and film and television composer known for his distinctive voice, dramatic lyrical narratives, and eclectic solo albums. He was the original lead singer and a founding member of the band Wall of Voodoo.
Wall of Voodoo was an American new wave group from Los Angeles best known for the 1983 hit "Mexican Radio". The band had a sound that was a fusion of synthesizer-based new wave music with the spaghetti Western soundtrack style of Ennio Morricone.
Is there anything else I can play? I just love this tune.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Hat tip, http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/
Hite performing with Canned Heat,
Hamburg, 1974
Robert Ernest Hite (February 26, 1943 – April 5, 1981) was the lead singer of the American blues-rock band, Canned Heat, from 1965 to his death in 1981. His nickname was "The Bear".
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Death
On April 5, 1981, during a break between sets at The Palomino Club in North Hollywood, Hite was handed a drug vial by a fan. Thinking it contained cocaine, Hite stuck a straw into the vial and snorted it. The drug turned out to be heroin and Hite turned blue and collapsed. Some roadies put Hite in the band's van and drove him to a nearby home where he died.
IMDb and Find a Grave give two different dates for his death. Ultimate Classic Rock agrees with Wikipedia. I'll go with them.
Last edited Thu Apr 5, 2018, 12:30 PM - Edit history (2)
Way back when (1987) I fell in love with a really remarkable woman who got me into Wall of Voodoo. We ran off to live in the Carribean for a year. To scuba dive and sail and forget the "Reagan Revolution" for a while.
Best year of my life. Highly recommend it to anyone under 30 with no kids.
Probably my only "retirement". Did it when I was young enough to really enjoy everything.
Ridgeways later solo albums were really good too.
Can't Complain lyrics
"How you doin' bert?
"Wel, not so good Charlie. My back's gone out and I cut my finger kinda Gnarly.
The job's the same and so's the boss.
He's still a big ass and my Wallet got lost.
My wife's sick in bed she says she'll never get well
and All these kids today have gone to hell
and all that government paperwork Caught up with me,
had to hire a beancounter for an outrageous fee.
And I Don't know if the chicken or the egg is to blame,
but all things Considered, I guess I can't complain..."
"Cheer up, " Charlies said, "things could be worse."
"Well, yeah, I know, but did I tell you that my landlord's a cop, my Neighbor's insane,
but all things considered, I guess I can't complain..."
"Someone may have planned a music lesson"
