Political Quotes

“Mr. President, Oregon is mourning a Portland treasure, Dave Frishberg, who passed away on November 17. While perhaps best known for writing the song ``I'm Just a Bill'' for the iconic Schoolhouse Rock television series, Dave was also a virtuoso pianist with a songwriting gift that reached far beyond his work for that classic series. During his career, Dave worked with a wide array of talented musicians, including Rosemary Clooney, Gene Krupa, and Zoot Sims. A versatile composer, his compositions ranged from melancholy ballads to satirical ditties, and his wry wit was well known as one of the sharpest in the business. Dave has left an indelible mark not only on Capitol Hill, where one frequently sees references to ``I'm Just A Bill'' on floor charts and in press releases, but also in the minds of generations of young Americans lucky enough to grow up watching Schoolhouse Rock with the lyrics still etched in their memories decades later. David Lee Frishberg was born on March 23, 1933, in Saint Paul, MN. He took an early interest in jazz, bebop, and boogie woogie as a teen, while playing as a house musician in Saint Paul. Noting in his memoir, ``Jazz musicians were hip, they were funny, they were sensitive, they were clannish, and they seemed to have the best girlfriends.'' In 1957, Dave moved to New York City, where he established himself as a pianist in the vibrant music scene of Greenwich Village.…”