Tag Archives: Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten

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Once again, I can’t go on/I’ll go on. I wonder if anyone has figured out where that is from? It’s been a beautiful day today. So pleasant, sun has been shining, a nice breeze wafts through the air.

Bill came home, safe and sound from Amish County bearing bagels and the paper and went right to bed. He’s off again driving the bus down to North Haverbrook.

Some sort of whoop dee doo happening down there tonight. I don’t ask questions, I don’t get involved.

I stopped by the bibliothèque as I walked over to Pier A for more of my strumming. I returned Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten. I’ve seen it before and ultimately it’s sad. But it’s a warts and all look at Joe.

I had another Joe Strummer DVD called Let’s Rock Again by Dick Rude. I lent it to my brother and when I asked for it back a number of months ago he didn’t know I lent it to him, he had forgotten.

I hope to see it again, but chances are I might not. That’s karma I suppose. A small price to pay. I sat under a tree on a granite bench and played my guitar in the usual spot.

Tariq is still MIA since he was featured online in Hoboken Patch. I texted him the link to the story but got no response. It was fine playing guitar on my own though.

Up to a point that is.

After about an hour of playing guitar up comes the Mister Softee truck, not playing his chimes, but actually quite worse, parked with the loud hum of the diesel engine going.

I knew if nobody bought ice cream they would move on but a few people did. On top of that, about 30 feet away from 2 mandolin players and a guitarist set up, case opened for cash and just started playing.

Not paying any attention to me, and I was there first. Twenty-something scumbags with no sense of protocol. I mean, I move on if I see someone playing nearby. Sometimes even rebuffing their invitations to play.

These Holy Anal Wankers just did their faux bluegrass or whatever it was. And people dropped money in their case. It’s a good thing I’m not in it for the money.

I did my best to play loud enough to throw them off, and eventually they did move further down Pier A and set up shop there.

I don’t know if I would have played with them if they asked me to, but my playing Elton John’s Hercules seemed to be the number that shooed the Holy Anal Wankers away.

And not too long after the Holy Anal Wankers moved away, Mister Softee gave up the ghost and moved on somewhere else.

By that time it was going on three hours that I was out strumming. Bill mentioned that he had to be awake at 4:15 so I decided to make it on home and wake his bus driving ass up.

And he was stirring when I walked through the door. Now he’s been gone about an hour.

And then there’s me, trying not to write and failing in my attempt.
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Ring Them Bells

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Well it’s quite balmy out. It’s in the 70 degree range. On Washington Street hundreds of costumed children and their costumed parents are hitting up all the store owners for candy. They don’t go ringing bells in Hoboken.

In Weehawken, for the longest time (during the 11 years I lived there) the kids wouldn’t come to 127-129 Jane Street since my late landlady had a mean reputation. When she passed away that was when they finally started ringing the bell, after the crossing guard told them that it was safe to ring those bells.

It was initially startling to have the bell ringing every couple of minutes. But I indulged them with candy.

I myself haven’t gotten dressed up for Halloween for years. I think the last time was when I had a Darth Vader helmet that I bought for $40.00 in the 1980’s.

I went to the costume party at McSwells where I thought I stood out since my costume was mainly store bought, and everyone else seemed to have costumes they had made themselves.

The only costume that stands out in my memory was Steve Fallon dressed up as Mr. Peanut from Planter’s peanuts. Obviously it was a great costume if I’m remembering it 25 years later.

Last night there was a Halloween Karaoke at McSwells attended by Rand & Lisa and Lois & Fred. Roda was there too, managing the place. I didn’t go, wound up staying home. Bill came home and we had a good talk, then his phone rang and he was in the other room talking acting stuff with a playwright he is working with.

I just turned down the volume on the TV and played music until the news came on. Then I watched a documentary about the Beatles’ Love show in Las Vegas. That was actually very good and made me want to go to Vegas and see the show. That’s not going to happen at this moment in time though.

Then I watched another documentary on Joe Strummer, The Future is Unwritten. I had seen it before and it’s quite good and very sad, since Joe Strummer is no longer with us. I watched the whole thing, going to bed a little after 2:00.

As usual Bill was up before I was. He had me up for a while with his snoring. If I’m asleep first it’s no problem. But if I’m trying to sleep that’s when it gets difficult. I guess after an hour of trying to fall asleep, I feel asleep.

Bill went out and got bagels and the paper for me which was nice. I got myself out of bed and showered and tried to think of something to do.

Got a text from Rand asking how the computer was holding up and since you’re reading this you can tell that it’s holding up just fine. I asked him how McSwells was and he texted back ‘Twas OK’. I actually entertained the idea of going up to McSwells last night wearing the Mexican Mil Mascaras wrestling mask, but obviously I didn’t go.

I did go to the library this afternoon though. Picked up the Hoax, starring Richard Gere, based on from what I gather Clifford Irving and his fabricated biography of Howard Hughes. Also Rock N’ Rolla by Guy Ritchie. I figured since Snatch was an alright movie, this might be a good movie to watch tonight. Bill loved Snatch, but then again he is a sucker for a brogue.

Other than that, I’m rebuilding my music library, somewhat illicitly. I’ve always liked Who’s That Lady by the Isley Brothers of Teaneck NJ, but never got around to getting it. I remembering hearing it back in the day when FM radio wasn’t segregated.

You’d hear the Isley’s, The Who, Jimi Hendrix and lot’s of others mixed in. Nowadays I guess you don’t. I really couldn’t say since I don’t listen to the radio anymore.

I did download an excellent Kate Bush song, called Aerial. It’s really an interesting song and has birds chirping in it. I read somewhere a few months ago that when the writer would play the song, birds would flock to his window.

Now it’s getting too dark out, but I would like to see it happen sometime, just to see if it’s true. If it doesn’t happen I’ll still have a good song in my library thanks to Kate Bush.