You Can Have the Apartment, Over Her Dead Body

Last night's storytelling show at Professor Adam Wade's Graduation Soiree was so good, I got up at 6am and rode my bike to Coney Island and did a five mile Boardwalk run. I was four miles into the run, right in front of the Wonder Wheel, when I remembered I had my hips replaced eight years ago, and Doctor Zuckerman told me not to run, and I thought, "he's going to kill me," but I didn't care, because last night's story telling was that good. The six killers last night: Celeste Arias, Chrissy Brown, Dan Diggles, Megan Gray, Erin Kilkenny, Miguel de Leon

I finished the run, now I'm going for a swim, and after the swim I'm going to tell my story to the birds, and if the birds like it, I'm going to repeat it tonight to an audience @ 8pm @ tonight @ Magnet Theater @ 259 West 30th Street, 2nd Floor, with four other terrific storytellers.
Kelly Wallace-Barnhill, Lindsay Gentile, Henry Johnson, & Rachel Pertile.

Come down to the Magnet Theater, hear our tales, throw rotten fruit at our heads if we fail to please. Hit Adam , too.

My story's called, "You Can Have The Apartment, Over Her Dead Body."

"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," by the Buckinghams, the song playing on the Coney Island Boardwalk during my first visit there in July 1967.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSfKb-WQFR8

All Mobbed Up On The Coney Island Boardwalk

Last night, I rode the N train out to the Poor Man's Rivera. Dying of thirst, I went directly from the Stillwell Avenue station to Abb Ganny Deli on Mermaid and grabbed a 20oz Doctor Pepper. Waiting to pay, I heard this exchange between a customer holding a dollar and the clerk behind the counter.

"Give me two."
"That's $1.50."
"Give me one. "

The clerk gave the guy a quarter back and one cigarette. A lucy costs 75 cents in Coney Island.

Coming out the Deli's door I intercepted a pass between two young brothers playing catch with a football while running up the street. I put the soda in my knapsack and tagged along with them for two blocks. Nice, kids still let you break into a throw. And I could tell they liked each other. Made me think of Rory. I never played catch with my brother, but we played stick with an ice cream stick and a Spauldeen, you know, stand apart, throw the ball towards the ground, hit the stick get a point.

It was deep twilight, I walked over to the Parachute Jump then started walking east. The show was about to begin.

"It's Now or Never," "Summerwind", "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," "Sunshine of Your Love." How's that for song progression? Well, if you were at Cha-Cha's last night on the Coney Island Boardwalk that's what you heard. Every Friday night for the rest of the summer, All Mobbed Up is playing terrific music, what style of music defies description, all I promise is you will enjoy yourself. The band, the audience, the boardwalk crowd all look like they stepped out of a group photo taken, than drawn, by Robert Crumb. My friends, Barry and Brian Stabile are in the band, and Baby Doll dances fast on stage throughout the show. Doesn't matter what song, what speed, Baby Doll dances fast. I smiled all the way home.

For a good time: All Mobbed Up @ Cha-Cha's @ Stillwell & the Coney Island Boardwalk @ every Friday through Labor Day @ 930pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtFN6YQOhj0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSwJlv0Bljg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGmkM4v9AaY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqh54rSzheg