Murray McLauchlan Lady Luck

Lady Luck is a song by Murray McLauclan it begins. I remember shooting craps at Gary's Bar where the money disappeared on every roll. So I had a drink on someone else's paycheck and Lady Luck stayed with me no more. Murray showed up on Friday night with Jim McCarthy. Jim was an old friend and married then to Elizabeth Ashely.
They were having so troubles and here I am on a busy Friday night. Murray says Jim is very depressed and I think a crap game would cheer him up. I didn't have crap games anymore. But what the hell find a room up stairs. I 'll find some guys and we will have one. So I round up a couple of rounders and we have it. Jimmy is on a lucky streak and soon it is down to the 3 of us. Murray has his weekend money. Jimmy makes 6 straight passes and cleans him out. I cover. 7 passes he cant do it again I run down to the bar and get a couple of hundred dollars more. He makes 8 straight passes. I quit. Jimmy must have taken us for about 2 thousand dollars. We have a drink or two.
Jimmy isn't nearly as depressed he as was. haha

I could almost write a book on Murray stories. We were good friends for quite a while and had many adventures together. Murray and I had dinner a while ago and argued a bit about who's version was right. I am sorry Murray but I know my versions are truer because I wrote them down shortly after they happened.

Murray McLauchlan New York My Birthday with Murray McLauchlan in New York 1976 ⁠In 1976 I invited Murray to come to New York with me for the July 4th weekend and the tall ships. I had to fly down to pick up the van for the SORC sailboat Bonaventure V. The boat was racing in the Onion Patch in Bermuda and coming in to New York to go up the Hudson River and Erie Canal etc. back to Toronto and they wanted me to drive the van back. Besides July the 4th is my birthday and where else to celebrate but new York for America's 200th birthday.? An added goody was an invitation from the Canadian Norwegian ambassador to have a sail on the Christian Radich. ⁠(This was compliments of my sister who worked at Harbourfront in Toronto) we were using Murray's agent to book tickets. The trip got complicated, my bartender Laura wanted to go home to New York so I got a ticket for her, and then Krash's girlfriend Wendy wanted to go to meet Krash who was sailing to New York, (so I got a ticket for her. We no sooner were in the air than somebody phoned Murray's wife and told her Murray and Gary were going to New York with 2 women. (this caused serious problems) ⁠After much ado, we got a hotel room and I went to pick up the boat's van for transportation. As it happened I got a free parking spot around the corner from the Hotel. In New York on July 4th weekend etc etc. so we never moved the van until we left and took cabs. Laura took us to her old studio and the bar she used to work at. It was right at the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge which is a great place to hang out. ⁠This was beside the Fulton fish Market which was having a fair so we ended up spending the evening at the fair that was run by the mafia. Spending was the operative word for Murray he went a little crazy. One of the Hanky Panks had a life-sized stuffed bear as a grand prize. Murray decided he had to have it. After about 5 hours and 3 hundred dollars he finally won it. So there we were 2 o clock in the morning going back to the Hotel trying to stuff this giant bear toy into the cab. It wouldn't fit so after 15 minutes of trying Murray took a long look at the bear and said What the hell do I want with this for and threw it on the street. As we drove off the streets were empty. ⁠The fireworks at the Statue of Liberty were beyond belief. it was an adventure getting there. We hailed a cab to the end of The Battery' but when we got a couple of blocks away all the cars just parked in the middle of the street. The cabbie stopped and got out and said Cant go anywhere no charge and walked away. We followed towards the shore of the Hudson. Entrepreneurs had cleaned out some garbage bins and filled them full of beer so we got a dozen. finally, we got to the shore where there was a gate and grandstand seats for $10.00. Some guy said that's a rip follow me. We followed him through a hole in the fence. It was crazy it was marshland with grasses and rushes up to 7 feet tall. So here we are New York City following a complete stranger n a winding footpath through an unknown jungle. 5 minutes later we are at the shore in the best possible spot to see the fireworks. We give our friend a beer and wait. Without a doubt the longest most spectacular show I have ever seen The finale was a giant helicopter dragging the biggest Stars and Stripe flag i have ever seen Spontaneously 6 million begin to sing "Oh say can you see ... " Shit I never got such shivers up my spine, they wouldn't stop I reached down to get a beer hoping a big gulp would stop them. i clunked heads with Murray who had felt the same thing and the same idea. ⁠New York was crazy. We could not get to the Christian Radich for our sail. it was across the harbour and we couldn't get there. Idiots would throw shopping bags of lighted fireworks off the tops of buildings and everybody would have to run for cover. Boots and Spurs was not a country and western bar. Murray took me to the Bitter End where he used to play. he wore a white leisure suit. Krash and Wendy came with us. Krash split an entire jug of Sangria over Murray. The night before we left about two in the morning Murray climbed up a fence for one last look at some of the ships docked under the Brooklyn Bridge and a cop stopped us. Canadians I caught ⁠a Canadian with some pot the other night. he told me it was legal in Canada so I let him go. ⁠The ride home is another story. ⁠Made up for the Ship ride when the Christian Radich got to Toronto⁠Made up for the Ship ride. ⁠I spent a couple of weeks visiting The Christian Radich almost daily with Murray Mclauchlan. First, my sister arranged a trip on CR in New York which fell through. To make up for it The Norwegian Ambassador arranged a trip through the Welland Canal. I took Murray with me and we got through the canal alright but couldn't sail to Toronto because of the weather. To make up for this We were invited aboard for a sail with Lieutenant Governor Pauline McGibbon's party aboard a few days later. With all this time we became good friends with the Captain and crew. We had carte blanche aboard for the next week or so. Murray gave them a copy of all his records when he found out they only had Gordon Lightfoot records aboard. I invited them to my ' after-hours club' Where some came every night. When they left the Captain gave me a bottle of Aquavit and I can't remember what I gave them. It was a great time from sail to Party. (1976 My sister Gaille was a principal secretary at HarbourFront at the time.

8/5/07

by LeDrew

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