In the apartment below me: “Rocky Mountain High” at top volume.
In the apartment to my right: non-stop vacuuming
In the apartment above: raucous sex
I can deal with these things on a one-on-one basis … the John Denver on Sunday mornings, the vacuuming on Saturday afternoons, the sex every night like clockwork (I’m so happy for that couple! They obviously click to an alarming degree. It’s amazing they are even able to hold down jobs at this point.) But to have all 3 apartments going at full-volume all at once? I feel like I’m in a lunatic asylum!! I need to start making some noise. Maybe blast some Metallica, just to keep up with the Jones-es.
George Cukor would put on a Kabuki album to clear the guests at the end of a party – – xxx Stevie
Stevie – ha!!! would he??
Well, I know it wouldn’t be your style, but I’ve found the Verdi Requiem Dies Irae or the finale to Gottedamerung very effective in similar cases.
Ha — I am listening to Rocky Mountain High RIGHT NOW! I swear I do not live below you.
tracey?? Is that you???
Ted – HA!!!!
I was thinking that it might be time to pull out The Chipmunks Christmas Album.
When I lived in that garden (read BASEMENT) apartment on Melrose in Chicago, My neighbors had 2 chows. their names were “yogi” and “Boo-Boo”.
Every morning they would be released for thier “movements”.
The dogs would run up the gangway growling and snuffling… RIGHT OUTSIDE MY WINDOW! It would freak me out! one minute; asleep the next; snarling growling beasts two feet from me. Then, without fail after about ten minutes a chorus of: “Here Yogi… Here Boo-Boo… YOOOO GEEEEE BOOOOOO BOOOOO” over and over. chows are not known for thier obedience this was how I woke up every morning for two years!
yogi and boo boo … i’m dying!!!!
And I remember that apartment – I know right where it was! Wasn’t there some kind of strange statue – made out of stainless steel on your block? Some rather robotic gentleman? Am I making that up??
Or – no – it was a giraffe. A stainless steel giraffe?
Help??
I don’t think there were any robots I was in the shadow of “the Beat Kitchen” 2100 north on melrose
the giraffe was at the place on Mowhack in uptown!!!!
Ohhh – okay – I;’m thinking of the wrong block. You’re lucky. That robotic giraffe freaked me out.
mohawk as in last of the….
Phil – yes!! So it WAS a giraffe! I am trying to picture that neighborhood … where was it exactly? I used to go by there all the time, for some reason – i think Miles (member Miles??) lived near there … and that giraffe freaked me out!
It was near Second city on mohawk and menominie. My, near the japanese gardens next to a playground. Yeah miles I last saw him in L. A. … we’ll talk…
Hi… I was ust reading around you’re blog and saw all your references to Narragansett and RI. I’m from RI in a truly RI way know a whole family of O’Malley’s from Narragansett. The world is so TINY
Phil – Yes, we must talk – so much to cover. I saw him a couple years ago here in new York. He’s one of my favorite people ever.
Man, I can see that block in my mind’s eye right now! Beautiful, those big buildings and the trees, etc. Gotta love Chicago.
Phil – do you see what just happened with Tina;’s comment? (Hi, Tina!! Rhode Island rules!) That’s what you can expect if you do NOT blog anonymously! It’s a blessing – or it can be. Otherwise, you yourself never would have found me, know what I mean??
The giraffe was made of large chrome blocks reminicint of the early “use garbage get-a-grant” art movement of the late 80’s this movement was so profoundly illustrated by the huge sculpture of what can only be called WASTE erected in Berwyn Illinois it was cheaper to under pay an artist to stack it than it was to haul it. ahhh art in the 80’s
Tina – any Rhode Islander is a friend of mine! What town are you from? I know a Tina from Cranston.
Phil – hahahahahahahahaha “use garbage get a grant”
got it sister, i’m just struggling with my inner tigh ass.
“tight ass” that is in case there was a question
Phil – as well you should!! I just emailed you about all of this. If I could do it again, I’d be more of a tight ass probably. I do struggle with it … But in a way, the fact that I’m not anonymous has been perfect … it helps me be courageous, it helps people find me (and then I get to choose whether or not I want them to know me) … and it helps me to just keep creating, all in the same continuum.
But I am definitely (after 5 years of blogging) meaner to people immediately – if they rub me the wrong way … or if they come at me defensively, or whatever. I don’t care anymore about being LIKED … this is a whole topic in and of itself … When I first started blogging, I was all polite and kind to people, even if they were condescending the SHIT out of me… because I was afraid of making enemies or whatever. I got over that quickly … life’s too short. I know I’ve made enemies – but I’m fine with that now. My core readers, the ones who visit me daily, are awesome … they ‘get” me … and I feel like they are cherished friends. It helps me to not worry so much about the losers, or the hostile folks who still treat me like I’m an adversary or something.
anyhoo: we will discuss further!!!
Christ I found a link to the sculpture I was talking about I’ll send a link
bwahahahahahah yes!!! send it on immediately – this is hilarious.
check your email for the link I don’t know how to do it on the blogorama
Phil – holy shit – what a monstrosity!!! It seems like there was a huge controversy about it, huh?
Here’s the link you sent me …
Garbage as art!!
//Mrs. Topinka was additionally quoted as saying, “I, like others, watched
this thing going up in disbelief. I cannot believe that in a time of
economic crunch, when merchants everywhere are trying to enhance business,
that this pile of trash can be conducive to good retail economics. Surely
the $25,000, which was invested in artistic rubbish heap could have been put
to better use in beautifying Cermak Plaza — providing benches, shrubbery,
fountains, or whatever other shopping centers use to attract customers. If
nothing else, there were Christmas decorations to be considered.
//
hahahahaha Oh no!!!
//”Is this the image that Berwyn wants to present to the world, a portal on a
major thoroughfare? Instead of rejuvenation, revitalization, beautification
and progress, the message that is being sent is that we’re riding high on
the scrap heap.//
Oh man. I love stuff like this.
THAT’s IT it was Junk! but it was Berwyn and so it worked… IF YOU WERE FROM BERWYN!
My buddy Mark and I had a plan to blow it up! we had everything we needed but common sense got the better of us at the last minute.
(escape routes were scetchy at best, too much light on the monster)
WE HATED IT. even as beer addled teens we knew it was crap! I used to connect to a bus there across the street from it and resented having to look at it it was “nasty” as I heard one woman describe it on the bus!
Is it still there?? Did public outrage win out? who actually likes the thing, besides the artist??
did you see the cars on spike yet?
I think it’s gone. stay tuned
try this link to see other brilliant works featured by berwyn
Mrs. Topinka will be VERY pleased.
Oooh, lovin’ the one called “Drum Yard”.
I love the description of the art beneath “Drum Yard” – it goes like this:
This is a place for playing music. Discover how many sounds you can make and where you hear them!
Try these ideas:
–sit on drum seats and play side drums with hands
–play earth drum with feet
–sing and speak into the parabolic dish while sitting on drum seat.
Bill and Mary Buchan have created sound parks, wind harps, and works for electronic media for sites throughout the U.S. and Europe. Their work integrates music, computers and the visual arts into Sonic Architecture.
Steve Gerberick’s sure been keepin’ busy, I see!
Phil, that site is a goldmine – I don’t even know what to say.
I will speak and sing into the parabolic dish whenever I damn well feel like it, thank you very much.
Stick with me kid, have I ever steered you wrong?… OK there was that one time but I apologized for that!
Phil – hahahahahahaha!!! Yes, yes, you did.
Okay, I’m looking at the one called Auto Pelts now – and I want to put a bullet thru my brain.
from petri dish to parabolic dish the first test tube babies are in consert this weekend in Berwyn!
concert, typing in mittems up here
what the hell is going on in Berwyn????
Berwyn is the art capital of Balderdash, apparently. I had no idea.
Berwyn is to Chicago what Pacoima is to L.A.
Berwyn is to Chicago what wall drug is to South Dakota
capiche?
I had no idea.
Kitsch, kitsch, Kitsch the whole damned town is three bohemians short of a candle stand!
I ask the folliowing question with dread: Is there a Berwyn Renaissance Faire?
Put me out of my misery right now, and tell me the truth.
Or is that too … authentic … even for Berwyn??
haza m’lady there dost be no faire in berwyn for in order to have renaissance dost one first not need to go through enlightenment?
hmmmm
I have a strict rule that any man in the 21st century who refers to me as “m’lady” must be assassinated, Immediately.
they have a hell of an octoberfest however!
I can’t believe I’ve never been to Berwyn – I BARELY left my own neighborhood in the entire 5 years I lived in Chicago, let alone go to Berwyn. Going up to Milwaukee and Kenny’s farm was the farthest away I had ever gone since I moved there.
Berwyn is west of the city. south of Oak park on Harlem. a real working class Polish neighborhood. great meats, delis and sausages. not so much wit da art doh dontchknow
gotta go sister visions of kielbasa sculptures soon to dance through my head t.t.y.s.
virtual hugs
I want to go to their Oktoberfest now!
Hugs back atcha. Talk soon!!
sheila–
you and phil crack me up. stop it. [[^_^]]
Tramadol hcl.
Tramadol. What is the street value for tramadol.