Tag Archives: tony toni tone

I Know Shuggie Otis

Well I was home by 9:30 last night, but decided not to write. Hope you weren’t waiting up for more. Ha! I came home Bill fast asleep in bed. I’m glad I got to the South Street Seaport when I did. Caught the last half of the last song by Endless Boogie, who sounded interesting but I only heard a minute and a half. Not many people there.

Raphael Saadiq was added to the bill on Wednesday so there wasn’t much promotion. I found out from subscribing to rivertorivernyc.com . Raphael is quite a soul singer and has such a great presence on stage. I guess that Tony Toni Tone (TTT) disbanded so that Raphael wouldn’t have to share the spotlight with his brother and cousin. Unfortunately his spotlight wasn’t working properly last night.

Choreographed moves ala Motown, great songs reminiscent of songs from way back then and he still has a killer smile on stage. Probably off stage as well. He played for about 50 minutes which was a bit short, did medleys of his hits from TTT. But it was all over too soon.

Prior to Raphael hitting the stage I was off to the side by a four masted ship docked at the pier having a smoke. A woman approached me with that, ‘Can I get a light’ look. She complimented me saying that chivalry wasn’t dead. She asked what I was doing there and I said I was waiting for Raphael Saadiq. She didn’t know who he was so I explained.

She hoped that he was better than the first group who ‘sounded good if you were 12 years old and deaf’. I told her that I thought they were interesting. Then she asked if I was there to pick up girls and I said no, that I was gay, ‘cruising for sailors but my ship hadn’t come in’ as I was sitting next to a ship. She told me that she wished she was gay, and I told her it wasn’t as glamorous as it seemed.

She then said that her brother was partnered with the same guy for 20 years. I lifted my plastic cup of Stella Artois and said ‘Cheers’. She asked how long Bill and I have been together and I told 8 years. She was impressed and then ran off to join her friends for a boat ride around New York harbor.

I must have the kind of face that people are comfortable with since after she left 3 other people came up to me after the show and asked for directions to Chinatown, Wall Street and midtown Manhattan.

I remember a few years ago, I was between jobs and feeling down about it. I was whining to my friend Miriam about my lack of skills, and she was surprised saying that I have a great skill not many other people have. The ability to talk to just about anyone. It’s true. I do.

One time when I was a kid, my parents and my brother Brian and I went into the city to look at some new furniture. We left some showroom and were out on the street waiting for the light to change. They went ahead as I stayed on the corner talking to some street person about who knows what.

Last night all I had to do was point to the left and say Chinatown was about a half mile from where I was, or point south and say Wall Street that way, or even pointing out the right train to get on when the World Trade Center train pulled into Hoboken station.

Woke up this morning, Bill on his feet like nothing happened. He had on the memorial service for Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones who died last week of a brain attack. That’s basically what it is, an aneurysm. I read that last year when visiting my brother Frank in the hospital. That really gets your attention.

She was a good fighter and a friend of the LGBT community as well as other groups that are discriminated against. Bill left to check in with his mother and I just left it on listening to it more than watching it. Great gospel groups, and heartfelt speeches from her family as well as various democratic bigwigs who have been in the headlines all week.

The forecast threatened rain and so Chaz wasn’t into the beach today. Of course, it hasn’t rained all day. Last night it did and it drizzled towards the end of Raphael’s set. But that was it.

Also missed karaoke night at McSwells. Rand and Lisa went, Rand singing You’re No Good in a punk style. Roda reportedly sang a Barry White song and Lou Rawl’s ‘You’re Gonna Miss My Loving’. Still haven’t tried karaoke yet. It seems likely somewhere down the line.

Balloon Lady

(Lay Your Head On My) Pillow

It feels like winter. It’s cold and a little bit of sleeting going on. Well at least it was going on when I went out a few hours ago. Wandered around Hoboken under gray skies. Typical November Sunday afternoon. Ran into Julio this morning as I went out to pick up some of Harpy’s least favorite food. He was running out for Stine, who being pregnant had a hankering for a sausage and egg sandwich that she just saw on a commercial for Dunkin Donuts and Julio being her husband and the father of her child had to get it together and feed his woman. He asked and I told him all about last night, who was there, who asked for him, stuff like that.

It was fun to see Andrea Harbison. She’s great and still as sexy as ever, even after three kids, four if you count Scott her ex husband. She has the patience of a saint though, that’s for sure. Scott is/was definitely a handful. Nice guy, but one or two beers and it’s so long Scott, hello misadventure. She put up with it for as long as she could and I along with other people were happy for her when she put her foot down and walked out the door. It had been a long time coming.

Steve Fallon’s partner was there as well, Arnold LaSpina. He’s a cutie and it’s heartwarming to see both him and Steve still together, to the point now where if you see one of the two, you have to ask where the other one is. I remember one time years ago, living in Weehawken, I was going to meet Bill at the Lure in the meatpacking district for a suit and tie party, sponsored by Foot Friends, a foot fetish group. Annemarie was in town and drove my well suited ass to the Path train. I got in a car, one other guy in the car with me.

I didn’t pay him much attention nor did he pay attention to me. He got off at 9th Street, I rode to 14th Street. I get to the club and there is Arnold. It was him who was in the Path car with me. He didn’t recognize me in my suit and tie, and I didn’t recognize him since he moved away from Hoboken a few years before. He found out about my suit fetish and I found out about his foot fetish.
I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to Arnold last night, but Chaz got his email which I could get from him later this week.

Another friend at McSwells last night was Ally. Ally is a real sweetheart, living in Hoboken. I run into him around public transportation. Either by a bus stop, or on a bus or by the Path train. He’s a good friend of Steve and Arnold and goes to visit them fairly often. I usually hear about the latest endeavors from Ally. And it’s always a treat to see him.

Brother Frank called this afternoon. He was sorry he couldn’t make it but it would have been a pain in the ass for him to come down, and then there were a lot of people there he’d have to talk to which would make anyone exhausted and he’d definitely stress out trying to find parking which is oh so rare in Hoboken this time of year.