Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Supporting Mick Jagger's Habit
Mickey you said,..."Ever tolerant, my Mom ignored the Andy Warhol zipper fly album cover but she did take a good long look around at the bongs, Bambu rolling paper, and black lights…as Emerson, Lake and Palmer blared over the sound system. She was not pleased”
Perhaps if you changed the tunes to something, ‘Nice’, Keith Emerson’s band before ELP.
Posted by joe of maine on from 04/02 at 06:24 AMThanks, Joe. Just me and you today?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 04/02 at 01:40 PMHi joe, Mickey, and all
It is cold and windy here, but the sun is shining.A Progressive has announced that he is running for governor. He supports universal health care, soooo today the dems announced that they will have to run someone against him.
Posted by RMJ on from Ward Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 04/02 at 05:49 PMHi RMJ.
We need a new word. Progressive, liberal, leftist, etc. have all become meaningless.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 04/02 at 06:01 PMI thought we already had a new word.
Expendable, right? Cool article by the way. One thing it reminded me of was how sad my girlfriend and I got walking through Hell’s Kitchen and other parts of midtown seeing how many independent shops off all sorts, coffee shops and some record/cd shops were closing up, either replaced by Starbucks or just folding. Ever hear of Future Legend on 9th Ave? Sad day when it closed its doors. These damn kids, with their online downloaded music and their four dollar cups of coffee!
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 04/02 at 06:14 PMI thought we already had a new word.
Dead on, James.As for long-lost Manhattan establishments, I could write a book. Off the top of my head, I remember cutting school and sneaking on the subway to hit the Village in 1974. We’d go to a used record shop on Second Avenue (maybe near 7th St.?) where albums were a quarter. I bought Beggar’s Banquet there. If I thought long and hard, I’d probably remember the name of that place.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 04/02 at 06:18 PMNot sure about that place on 2nd, but at least Sounds on St. Mark’s Place is there. Bought lots and lots of records there. I think Bleeker Bob’s is okay still too.
As for coffee/book shops, there’s alway Housing Works. Man, could you get a speaking night there? That would be great. The TA holiday party was held there and it was awesome. http://housingworks.org/usedbookcafe/index.html
And I just found this place on Mercer street, looks interesting: http://www.thinkcoffeenyc.com/
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 04/02 at 06:53 PMGreat story, Mick. I remember going to CBGB’s in the early 90s. It still had that magic then...it’s gone now, right?
Great win for the Yanks last night. Watching tonight again and Moose is not haveing a good night so far. Oh well…
Posted by JOS on from Oak Park 04/02 at 07:00 PMby the way...I was going to post a link to your article here, but saw you beat me to it:
Posted by JOS on from Oak Park 04/02 at 07:03 PMJames: I did speak at Housing Works in 2003...but would love to do it again.
JOS: As far as I know, CBGB’s closed in late 2006.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 04/02 at 07:13 PMYes! About Murdering of My Years, I remember. That might have been the first time we met, or that I saw you in person.
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 04/02 at 07:18 PMYep, we had a panel that night...including one of my favorite people: Sparrow.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 04/02 at 07:23 PMNo story from me but a warm ‘hello’ to Joe of Maine, Rosemarie, James, JOS, and Mickey of course from a rather cool Daylesford (64F). In Melbourne and other parts of Victoria this was happening yesterday:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/04/02/1206850948210.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1I remember reading several decades ago that the warmer it became, the more hurricanes and violent weather would occur.
James #7, that coffee shop sounds very interesting! I hope it’ll still be there when we next visit the Big Apple.
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 04/02 at 07:30 PMHi Mickey,
I have fond memories of Record Spectacular on Steinway Street and playing in rock bands while growing up in Astoria. Just a note- the great guitarist, from my band in Astoria, John Philip McGraw has passed away from liver cancer. You can find his CD, Step Inside My Dream, on CD BABY.com
Ed WysockiPosted by Ed Wysocki on from Flushing,N.Y. 04/03 at 09:13 AMMickey...6...I took the initiative to report you for cutting class in 1974...you should be hearing from the FBI, CIA and school principal in a few days.
Expendables is the correct word...the nice people hear at Wark openly practice economic class discrimination and they don’t even know it...they don’t even know what the phrase means...we have normalized incoherent,criminal,inhumane conditions...the authorities don’t even know when they shoot Themselves in the foot.
Posted by Joe of Maine on from 04/03 at 09:19 AMHi everyone… The sun is shining here again today. Snow is predicted for tonight.
Interesting little news bit in today’s paper. The Homeland Security folks want to establish a multi-million dollar center in the middle of the State to do road blocks and check on everyone traveling up or down the road. There have been road blocks like this in NY State - 100 miles inside the US border. At one of these road blocks Sen Pat Leahy was stopped. He asked by what authority these guys were operating. The Homeland Security dude patted his weapon and said this is all the authority I need.
Nancy Pelosi is on C-Span right now. She just was complaining because the Iraqis are not picking up enough of the tab for the reconstruction needed because of US bombing. U$A’s new motto -KILL ‘EM, THEN BILL ‘EM.
Posted by RMJ on from Ward Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 04/03 at 11:50 AMJOS, #9 is a great link.
Music News: Rage has tour dates in Europe through late August. I’ve seen the same pattern with Living Colour. WTF? Is it the Euro (at $1.56!), more receptive crowds, more accomodating venues/promoters, or what? Then again, I’d work in Europe if I could…
An entertaining article by guitarist Alex Lifeson
http://tinyurl.com/2zcqlg Rush’s 2008 tour starts in San Juan, PR, in a few weeks. *That* would be a great show to see.The only concert I ever had tickets for that was cancelled was Rhyme and Reason in ‘00: Beastie Boys, Rage, and Busta Rhymes. Mike D had a bicycle accident and it broke my heart.
Hello to all the Expendables, and especially Helga in the Great Windstorm Down Under. (Peter O’Toole starring in ‘Lawrence of Melbourne’?)
Posted by Zen Prole on from Urth 04/03 at 12:05 PMRMJ..16...you said, “U$A’s new motto -KILL ‘EM, THEN BILL ‘EM”...the juvenile d.c. thugs, not taking responsibility for anything...one of my first visions was of Benjamin Natanatyu screaming it wasn’t him who pissed on the toilet seat!
Posted by joe of maine on from 04/03 at 12:20 PMCan relate to your story Mickey [and Andy’s comments in the last posting].
Over at my Dead Head sister’s Tarot site-- she is talking about the need for children to have an unsupervised and unconstrained relationship with nature this week. http://tinyurl.com/2man2w
It is really interesting-- and takes on an added dimension when I think about how today kids are more regimented than in the past--
Your Mother was reasonably tolerant with you Mickey, I think-- as were, for the most part, my parents. As kids-- we were pretty much left to our own devices, to explore and make mistakes (and discoveries)-- so long as we were all together at the dinner table each night.
Kids today seem to carry a huge burden of expectations that reduce their ability to discover themselves. I think parental guidance is important, but I am thankful that my parents were not overbearing. In the eyes of the world I am not a success-- but I am alive and have hope and curiosity-- even as society itself becomes ever more constraining, arbitrary, and destructive.
I measure success in the sense to which one is “alive” in all situations-- empathetic and probing-- curious but responsible. Not easy for me-- how much harder for the youth today!
Posted by Robert B. Livingston on from San Francisco, California 04/03 at 01:03 PM... btw.. in a commodified world… “Dead Head” is a another label that has lost any meaningful nuance-- I sort of regret labeling my sister as I did-- but she is the real thing:
Everything becomes relativistic (and less meaningful) in a world that puts a price tag on everything-- including the precious moments of childhood and “growing up”.
Posted by Robert B. Livingston on from San Francisco, California 04/03 at 01:15 PMWhat a great day of comments. Thanks, all.
Robert: Just yesterday, I was talking to someone about how kids are pushed (for a variety of reasons) into school so young these days. My mother was a “stay-at-home” Mom and I didn’t start school until I was five (kindergarten). I’ll always treasure those years when I was allowed to be a kid and not have a “schedule.”
Gonna read the Lifeson article now…
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 04/03 at 02:35 PMRobert and others...About childhood...Some of my most “connected” moments these days are when I am communicating with a 1 year old boy. There is something almost sacred about being face to face and communicating with a baby who understands everything you say to him. He does not yet speak with words, but he communicates his thoughts very well.
joe..."KILL ‘EM, THEN BILL ‘EM” - and keep voting the killers into office.
Posted by RMJ on from Ward Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 04/03 at 02:44 PMRMJ..22..just think, george bush was once a 1 year old...holy christ what a horrible thought...what did his parents do?...they created, in their image, another heinous criminal, on a lighter note, young mothers can avoid their unwanted young ones by spending hours with a cell phone plugged into their brains, I wonder what their children Feel...think?
How many george bush’s are out there waiting to change from the diapers?
Posted by joe of maine on from 04/03 at 07:29 PMForgive the poorly thought out comment (I’m seeing if this thing works).
I have a suggestion for the new word.
What about “Thinkers” as opposed to “Blinkers” ??Posted by Rick on from UK 04/10 at 12:46 PM
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