| NAME | MESSAGE |
| Harley |
posted 01/10/03 12:55 AM Central Time (US)  no email address given
The article on the death of guitarist Eddie Lang (Salvatore Massaro), which Steven has recently posted on the What's News page, is a fascinating and moving piece. For those who do not know, Eddie Lang was Bing Crosby's best friend, and Bing wanted Lang to appear on ALL of his recordings. Bing was also Eddie's roommate, along with their two gals. Bing's relationship with Eddie Lang even extended to the point of Lang frequently backing Bing live, and even in film (Bing seems to have wanted Lang in all of his films as well). Unfortunately, Lang's friendship with Bing, and Bing wanting Lang's role in his films to extend to include speaking parts, had something to do with Lang's untimely death. Eddie Lang was the father of jazz guitar, and he and violinist Joe Venuti provided the model for the more famous Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelly. It may have been Gary Giddins who called Eddie Lang Bing’s "jazz conscience," an ever present force keeping Bing’s career in touch with the music he loved. Anyone who loves early jazz, the Boswell Sisters, early Bing, or any number of other folks Eddie performed with, know how great he was. Unfortunately, Lang is hardly remembered today, and certainly not given the credit that he deserves. One can only wonder what fame Eddie Lang would have achieved (he was already quite in demand) had he lived, made more recordings, and acted in films with his best friend Bing Crosby. This article has finally gotten me to post something which I've been stewing on for a while. Seeing as Bing was so unabashedly close to Eddie Lang, and had an unfortunate (though utterly accidental) hand in his death, I wonder if his (Bing's) further relationships were impacted by the incident. Over and over we hear people who knew Bing tell how he never really let anyone in, and was very hard to know. Maybe it would be too neat and tidy to pin Bing's tendency to be distant on the death of his most beloved friend, and the terrible guilt he must have dealt with in the aftermath, but I think it's worth serious consideration. I'd like to hear anyone's thoughts on this issue. |
| Howard M. |
posted 01/10/03 06:27 AM Central Time (US)  contact the author directly
I would tend to think that it had a tremendous effect on Bing's future relationships, Harley. I would think, however, that it was more a precipitating factor which drove Bing into his inability or lack of desire to form close relationships. I don't know if there is a great deal of knowledge about Bing's childhood and early youth as well as his personal relationships during those periods. But there is a possibility that there was a problem and the Lang affair simply pushed him to the point where he no longer could risk close relationships. Or it could be none of the above. It's too bad Giddin's didn't spend more time on Crosby the person. By the way, all of the above statement is from the fevered mind of a retired social worker who also has thought about the impact of Lang's death on Crosby. |
| Tom Degan |
posted 01/10/03 08:17 AM Central Time (US) contact the author directly
A very thought provoking topic, Harley. There's no question that after the death of Eddie Lang, Bing never again became as close to anyone (maybe even his wives) as he was to the virtuoso jazz guitarist. Many people believe that Bing and Bob Hope were very close friends but even that relationship was based primarily on a professional association. According to Bing's daughter the two men rarely socialized. By the way, it's notable that this March will mark the 70th anniversary of the death of Eddie Lang and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Bix Beiderbecke. |