Joel: thanks for your tribute marking the fourth anniversary of my Dad's passing. Your reminiscences brought make some memories for me as well.
Speaking of taxi cab drivers, I was surprised to hear that my Dad thought he didn't have the nerve to not tip an errant cab driver. One of my most enduring memories of him was on my first trip to Paris. Our family had gotten in a cab to go to dinner. The cab ride was supposed to be five minutes from our hotel. An hour later, after having seen most of Paris, we arrived at the restaurant, with a hefty fare now showing on the meter. My Dad got to prove to us that he really was fluent in French by vehemently arguing with the cab driver for a full ten minutes! True to his character, I think he was pretty good at cussing in French.
I also have fond memories of you practicing the cello at our house before Juilliard Quartet concerts. I was in high school at the time and I still remember you commenting that it was nice to see a teenager enjoying a normal life of friends, parties, tennis, etc. because you had spent most of your youth practicing. I think I cherished my teen years a bit more because of your remark. Your practice sessions, and the concerts at Orchestra Hall that you invited us all to, were my introduction to chamber music. At the time, the Quartet was working through the Beethoven quartets. I remember sitting in the front row right under you and thinking, quartet music is intense! In later years, at one of your concerts at the Library of Congress, I was able to discover through Schubert and others that quartet music can be pleasant as well.
Looking back on the house my parents kept at Junior Terrace in Chicago, it was a special place. We had visitors from all walks of life: you and the Quartet; pianist Etsko Tazaki, who I believe introduced you to us; cousin Bobby in his days working for the Governor of Illinois; Al Goldstein, the publisher of Screw magazine; Masters and Johnson, who seemed like a fuddy/duddy old couple until I recently saw the Showtime series about them; author Gay Talese; liberal Chicago lawyers; the head of the ACLU; an arch conservative Chicago super-lawyer; Mike Alexandroff, the president of Columbia College; and of course my Dad's many colleagues from Playboy. And many others whom I have missed.
Speaking of Playboy, the death of Hugh Hefner in September brought back lots of memories of my Dad. There was a lot of intellectual ferment and political and cultural upheaval going on in those years, and Playboy was at the center of a lot of it. I still like to rewatch from time to time the movie, "Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel." My Dad is quoted at some length in the movie.