Tag Archives: 127 Jane Street

I Still Want You

It’s a Friday and so far so good. A lazy day at best, and the funny thing is, I am actually going out tonight. Me. On a Friday. It should be an early night, once more home by midnight. I am going to the Mercury Lounge to see Port St. Willow. A mention by Brian Eno in Mojo Magazine about Port St. Willow was enough to peak my curiosity. I trust Eno with musical choices. He was the one who hipped me onto My Bloody Valentine 22 years ago, and last year it was Port St. Willow. An affordable ticket, an early show and I am there.

But not yet, since I am still home. In all these years I don’t think I’ve been to a show at the Mercury Lounge, though I could be wrong. I do remember a friend who had a record label having a showcase with an open bar but once Rand and I got there, the bar was not so open so Rand and I wandered around the East Village winding up at Downtown Beirut instead. We had a good time there though Rand was a bit disgruntled about the bait and switch which he grumbled about.

Today has been very low key so far. I ran into the Russians in the hallway last night. Now there are 3 people plus a baby living downstairs. One speaks English. They don’t complain, and I don’t give them any reason to complain. I do try to walk light footed around the apartment. Living above Chang & Eng Kleinke for 11 years in Weehawken was a lesson learned since they were the landlords and prone to complain about everything thing I did, including complaints emailed about Bill’s raucous laughter while watching Saturday Night Live. They went so far as to restrict Bill’s visits.

They claimed it wasn’t fair to my roommate William, but William didn’t care. It was the beginning of the end for my relationship with Chang & Eng, and towards the end of the year I had moved out, back down to Hoboken. Apparently Chang & Eng were upset with my leaving and not saying goodbye as they watched through their venetian blinds. Chang Kleinke was heard to mutter that I should be glad the door didn’t hit me on the ass on the way out. Chang & Eng eventually royally screwed William and Chaz by not offering the house for them to buy.

Chaz and Kathe went one way (and then split again), William went another and Chang & Eng Kleinke have been safely ensconced in a condo a block away on Gregory Avenue in what was once some sort of factory. They will be together forever and I can only hope they are happy with that.

So tonight I am heading out. In a few hours I’ll be on the Path train, then walking through the Village to Houston and Ludlow. A Facebook friend expects a report so I suppose I will be writing one either tonight or tomorrow. More than likely it will be tomorrow.
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Oh Yeah

I Can’t

It’s been a very nice day off today. I slept really well finally. Still it would have been nice to have been off on a Saturday or Sunday (or maybe a weekend) like most people but I suppose it’s a tradeoff. I have five days off coming up and I am looking forward to them.

My sister will be in town and my nephew Earl might also be around. There will be time spent away from Manhattan, away from Hoboken which is something to anticipate. I just have to get through Thursday and Friday and it should be fine.

I spent a lot of time indoors today, throwing things out. Newspapers and other things, and lots of shredding was done. Still there is more to shred but I paced myself in the 90 degree heat. I found out yesterday that my former roommate William is in the hospital with a collapsed lung as well as fluid. I hope to pay him a visit if he is still in the hospital.

There is still some affection for him after 11 years of living together. It wasn’t all a bed of roses and we did have major fights, with the underlying theme of one trying to get the other out. I left voluntarily after finding an apartment thanks to Julio and moved back to Hoboken, specifically Julio’s now former building.

I found the Weehawken abode through William’s brother Charlie, whom I write about here as Chaz. Chaz saw the apartment on Jane Street via Blankie Blank. I knew Blankie Blank from Maxwells, one time even giving her a ride home when I still lived in Lodi.

The apartment was something of a fixer upper and that was too much for Chaz and his wife. He knew I was living in a crappy situation in Lodi and mentioned it to me. Chaz suggested that I check it out and maybe think of having William as my roommate since he was due back from Mexico and had no real place to stay.

One night I ran into William who had just gotten back from south of the border just that minute and told him about it. He was interested and I made the arrangement to check it out. We liked what we saw and that night made a deal with Blankie Blanks mother & father.

They lived on the second floor of the joined building in 129. William and I were taking the second floor on 127 with Blankie Blank and her brother Toatly living underneath our floorboards. There were ups and downs in the 11 years.

A major event occurred when William’s then girlfriend Monica believed William when he told her he was going to kick me out. Monica and I went head to head and William hid in his part of the apartment. Needless to say Monica never set foot in the apartment again, as far as I knew.

I’m sure I was no saint either and that William has his tales about me.

I’d be disappointed if he didn’t.