Blue Tail Fly
Q: What does “Jimmy crack corn” mean, and why does he not care?—Matt, Columbus, Ohio
PG was trolling stupidquestion.net when there was a convergence of stupidity. (The site does not exist in 2012.) All his life he had heard “Blue Tail Fly”, and been embarrassed. And there, in (pardon the expression) black and white, was someone who wondered the same thing.
It seems as though “Blue Tail Fly” started out as a minstrel song. For those who don’t know, minstrel shows were white people putting on black makeup, and imitating African Americans. Minstrelsy is not well thought of these days.
The story of BTF involves a slave named Jim. A fly bit the pony the old massa was riding, the pony was offended, and threw the old massa off. He was hurt landing, and died. Jim still has to crack corn, but he doesn’t care anymore, because old massa has gone away.
Dave Barry took a poll once to find out the stupidest song of all time. The overwhelming winner/loser was “MacArthur Park”. The combination of over the top show stopping, while singing about a cake left out in the rain, makes this ditty a duh classic.
In the spirit of corny convergence, the video is a karaoke version featuring Donna Summer . Miss Summer is a talented singer, who happened to connect with Giorgio Moroder. Lots of singers could have hit the big time by fronting those records. Donna Summer hit the jackpot.
For a proper post, there needs to be a third stupid song. This is not about stupid bands, singing about being D U M B. Even though they totally don’t belong, there is a video of the Ramones included. PG saw the Ramones at the Agora Ballroom in 1983. This was after their prime, and before a homeless man caught the Ballroom on fire.
We still need a third stupid song, and PG wants to get this posted with as little research as possible. Just like some writer was once given twenty minutes to write a song, and he decided to do the worst song he could think of. The result was “Wild Thing”. PG used to have a 45 of someone who sounded like Bobby Kennedy singing “Wild Thing”. This video (of the Troggs performing “Wild Thing”) has the late Casey Kasem, and Portuguese subtitles. Let the good times roll.
This is a repost. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. This was downtown Atlanta in 1941.
Witch Part Two
PG went to a poetry reading on May 21, 2015. It was a very positive night. Nobody reading was angry, or at least none of the poems were angry. The star performer went on last, and that was that.
PG wrote Witch abut the evening. There was soon a comment on facebook. “i am frequently misgendered throughout this article and it makes me angry.” PG went back, and tweaked the gender references in the post. There is only so much you can do.
The only indication that PG had seen about trans status was a line about pronouns on twitter. The poet said that their pronouns were they and their. The last thing the poet said in the reading was “I am a fricking witch.” Maybe this was a clue.
A few days later, PG went to a building to work. A group was going to use the building… a former elementary school, now used by artists … and the grounds, for a party. In exchange, some people from this group were to come by and work in the building. Although PG had misgivings about the party, he was happy to make a contribution by working in the building. The job this Sunday afternoon was painting a room.
The story of the poet was told. PG was using he/him pronouns to describe the poet. One of the other painters was “aggressive” in objecting to this. PG protested, but wound up not using he/him pronouns. At least that is what PG remembers. The “aggressive” painter says that PG continued to use he/him pronouns. Two people do not always remember a dispute the same way.
The concept of using a plural pronoun like they, to describe a single person, did not make sense to PG. Apparently, this is a common practice. PG appreciates that gender based pronouns can be problematic. However, PG does not feel that redefining they, for use in describing a singular person, is a good solution to the problem.
The rest of the afternoon went by. PG gave the “aggressive” painter a ride home after the work session. PG did not think much more about the incident.
On thursday, the “aggressive” painter sent PG a facebook message. One of the other painters identified as trans. The “aggressive” painter said “You played the role of oppressor … with your intolerant remarks.” The message exchange got nasty and nastier. The “aggressive” painter lost control of their temper, and said some hateful things.
In the week before the poetry reading, PG had tried to promote the appearance by the poet. This mainly consisted of placing notices in facebook groups. PG was irritated that his reward was to be chewed out by the pronoun police.
The poet had said things on twitter that made PG question any trans status. The overall sanity of the poet also came into question. After the incident with the “aggressive” painter, PG kept an eye on the poet’s twitter feed. There was little information about trans status. Most of what PG saw had to do with a cross country poetry reading tour.
A few weeks after all this, the poet had a long series of tweets. Twitter monologs run in reverse order, and can be a lot of trouble to read. PG left a tweet. “don’t you have blog/facebook acct? Your twitter monolog would be much easier to read in order instead of scrolling backwards”
The next few days were quiet. PG went to the poet’s twitter page. You are blocked from following @johnmortara and viewing @johnmortara’s Tweets. And so ends the story. The spell check suggestion for @johnmortara is mortarboard.
UPDATE:Read Poetry and Eventually Die was hacked by by Mr.dexter.305. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Where Was That Place?
This blog has an email address listed. It is seldom used. The host is a faded internet company that rhymes with booboo. Once proud email has become a spam magnet. The email address there is checked every once in a great while. Yesterday was one of those times. There was a surprise.
Friday, June 5, 2015, 2:52 PM
Do you know exactly where the Agora Ballroom was in the Georgia Terrace Hotel Also I am trying to locate photos of the following locations – Does you any that we can use? Please let me know ASAP – I am on an extremely tight deadline need photos by Monday morning if possible. Exteriors or interiors are great. Please let me know if you have any.
12th Gate Coffee House (located on 10th street in Midtown,) Club 112 (located at Lavista and Cheshire Bridge,) Lenny’s (either or both of their two locations in the Old Fourth Ward,) Great Southeast Music Hall (either or both of their two locations Lindberg Plaza or Cherokee Plaza,) Echo Lounge (located in East Atlanta,) Hedgens (located in Buckhead,) Agora Ballroom (located in Georgia Terrace hotel,) Muelenbrink’s Salon (located at the Underground.) Joeff Davis Photo Editor Creative Loafing
Thursday, July 9, 2015 11:12 PM
Hey I apologize for the tardy answer. I don’t use this email very often
The Agora was at the end of an alley off Peachtree. It was next door to the Ga Terrace Hotel, though not in the Hotel building itself. The ballroom was in a fire in the early eighties, and was torn down. I don’t have any of the pictures that you needed a month ago.
Friday, July 10, 2015, 11:49 AM
Thanks here is the piece we did: That was then, this is now
Friday, July 10, 2015, 1:21 PM
Hey thanks for getting back to me. The article was cool, even without my contribution. This seems like a good excuse for a blog post. I have a some comments about some of the locations listed. For instance, my mother bought groceries at the Cherokee Plaza A&P every thursday for 37 years.. I would like to use your letters, and link to your article, in my post.
Chamblee54 has had posts about four notable Atlanta performance venues: 688 Spring Street, Georgian Terrace Ballroom, The Great Southeast Music Hall, and Richards. Two were on the list of requests. As for the other two, 688 Spring Street, home of Rose’s Cantina and 688, is now a doc-in-a-box facility, Concentra Urgent Care. The site of Richards, across from Grady stadium on Monroe Drive, is now the meat department at Trader Joe’s.
The CL article, That was then, this is now, is fun to look at. There are some good pictures. There are a couple of mistakes in the piece, which this post will try correct.
The Great Southeast Music Hall is the scene of many cherished memories for those of a certain age. The post linked here has more comments than any other Chamblee54 post. There are two google earth images, one for Broadview Plaza, and one for Cherokee Plaza.
In Broadview, (now known as Lindbergh something or another,) the Music Hall was in the corner of an L shaped building. The space is currently a part of the parking deck for Target. According to google earth, the Home Depot takes up almost the entire parking lot of the old shopping center.
In Cherokee Plaza, the space where the Music Hall was is the south part of a Kroger. CL says it was in the parking lot, which simply is not so. This parking lot is too small, which is one reason the Music Hall failed there. In the nineties, the A&P expanded, and took over the space occupied by the theater. In 1998, A&P closed their Atlanta operations. The stores were taken over by Kroger.
The third google earth image is for the intersection of Peachtree Street and Ponce De Leon Avenue. This is the location of the Georgian Terrace Ballroom. This was the setting of Alex Cooley’s Electric Ballroom and The Agora Ballroom. This facility was in a fire, and torn down. An annex to the Georgian Terrace Hotel was built. This annex is roughly where the Ballroom was.
One of the places CL mentions was Backstreet. A picture of Lang Interiors, on Peachtree Street at Sixth Street, is included today.This is the building that became Backstreet. This building was a series of nightclubs in the early seventies. Backstreet opened in late 1974. It was the premier chacha palace in Atlanta for many years. When the property became valuable enough to attract the money of developers, the city discovered enough violations to shut down the party. (1974 was somewhat of a golden age for Atlanta nightlife. The Great Southeast Music Hall, Richards, and Alex Cooley’s Electric Ballroom were all in operation in 1974.)
Club 112 catered to an African American clientele. The space had been many businesses over the years, with a Fred Astaire dance studio next door. Around the time Backstreet was getting started, the space was called the Locker Room. A drag show, featuring the Hollywood Hots, performed there. The Locker Room was a “private club,” and was able to stay open on Sunday night. It was the only place open on Sunday, and was packed. The Locker Room was owned by Robert E. Llewellyn, who was later convicted of having a business rival murdered.
The 12th gate was in the middle of the block, somewhere on tenth street. It was not on the corner of Spring Street. A seedy Jim Wallace gas station was nearby. This place was mostly before PG went out much. There is a hazy memory of seeing the Hampton Grease Band there. After the show, Mr. Hampton walked up to PG, holding a thumb and finger making a circle in front of one eye. Mr. Hampton asked PG what sign he was.
By the time Lenny’s was in business, PG was a retired drunk. He seldom went downtown after dark. Somehow, the party went on without him. Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Erick Erickson Wants Donations
@EWErickson Trump’s rise is part of the unintended consequences of the GOP trying to compress the Presidential primary cycle. This message was retweeted. Blue Gal/Fran! Excuse me I gotta go buy more popcorn. (The spell check suggestion for retweeted is regretted.)
Erick Erickson is a piece of work. He is the grand wazoo at Red State, a “conservative” web site. RS gave Chamblee54 a 601 Database redigestation error onetime. This required a visit to the computer shop to get the malicious code off the machine.
Today’s tweet linked to a post at Mr. Erickson’s current blog, Stop Complaining About Donald Trump. If you want to see it, you can follow the link. This post is not going to concern itself with “conservative” commentary about the latest golden boi of the wig party.
The last five words of the post are “think of another “F” word.” Below that, you are encouraged to “Support the work at Erick on the Radio.” You can “Select an Amount” and click “Next.” At this point credit card numbers become involved. Never give a credit card number to someone who has given your computer malicious code.
Erick Erickson has a daily radio show on WSB. This is a 50,000 watt clear channel am station. WSB is part of the Cox media team that dominates Atlanta. His show is sponsored by advertising, and is probably a profit center for the Cox bean counters.
Why does Erick Erickson feel the need to ask for donations on the Internet? Is the free market, advertising based, model of talk radio not working for him? Apparently not. Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Comedy Sketch
There is a comedy video on MTV now, Was that Racist? An Inside Out Parody | Decoded | MTV News. It was created by Franchesca Ramsey, who is famous for the viral video Shit White Girls Say…to Black Girls. In the credits, it says: “Brought to you with love by: MTV Other.”
A young poc lady goes into a coffee shop. The barista is on the phone, and holds up a finger to indicate that he will wait on her in a minute. The young lady is escorted by her emotions: Shade, Paranoia, Weariness, Fury, and Hope. All except Fury are ladies. Shade, Weariness, and Hope are wearing tacky wigs.
At :57 the young lady asks the barista if they have iced coffee. The barista ignores her. Paranoia asks if this seems a little racist. Hope says he is busy. At 1:01, Fury looks straight into the camera and says the barista is busy organizing a klan rally.
At this point, PG turned the video off. Yes, this is satire. But many people are encouraged to let their emotions out. It is highly believable for someone to say the barista is busy organizing a klan rally.
Lets turn the tables around. Lets say it was a pwoc customer, and the barista was a poc. The customer doesn’t get waited on immediately. The customer says the barista is busy planning a robbery. A lot of people would think that goes too far for a comedy sketch.
A white customer shows up. The poc and pwoc smile at each other, acknowledging the poor customer service. One of the emotions says “he gets it.” Fury says something about showing basic human decency, and should be buy him a cookie. In case you don’t know, when a pwoc points out that they do not engage in “racist” behavior, this is known, with derision, as asking for a cookie.
The barista comes out, and looks in the direction of the pwoc customer when he asks for the order. Fury says “this guy is officially the most racist barista in America … it’s because we’re black.” Flames are coming out of Fury’s head.
The pwoc customer says that the poc was here first. One of the emotions says we are living in a post racial America. At 2:09, the barista hands the poc the coffee. Under the edge of his shirt sleeve is seen a stars and bars tattoo. Fury raises his arm and says “called it.”
This is supposed to be entertainment. Probably some viewers will get a kick out of Fury, and his mouth. There will be some who think this is a bit much. Most will just shrug it off. Many people have encountered others, who do not have the grace to keep their emotions under control, and say foolish things. It is not pretty. PG did not think it was funny
@chamblee54 would a coffee shop allow a barista to have a visible csa tattoo? i doubt it
@chescaleigh @chamblee54 is it possible to suspend your disbelief for a 2 minute comedy sketch?
Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Only The Dead
@EdDarrell “Only the dead have seen the end of war.” Who said that? Contrary to what Black Hawk Down says, this quote is not in any of Plato’s writings. The student of Socrates may have said it, and it may sound like something he would have said. However, nobody has been able to find it in his work.
George Santayana was a writer, philosopher, and sayer of smart things. “Only the dead…” appears in Soliloquies in England and Later Soliloquies, number 25 (1922). The signature quote from Mr. Santayana is “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It is found in The Life of Reason, vol. 1: Reason in Common Sense.
“Only the dead have seen the end of war” is an aphorism that sounds good until you think about it a bit. It was written by a living person. It has never been confirmed by conversation with a dead person. For all we know, the dead see plenty of war.
A google search inspired by the original tweet turned up a dandy post, Quotes Behaving Badly: 9 Quotes That Are Wrong, Dishonest, Mis-attributed or Idiotic. As the reader(s) of this blog know, quote debunkers are much needed on the internet. The first of the Four Principles of Quotation puts it another way. “Whenever you see a quotation given with an author but no source assume that it is probably bogus.” It doesn’t matter if the inspiring words are calligraphied in front of a breathtaking mountain backdrop, or if credit is given to a dead white man.
The Four Principles page cited discusses an old warhorse quote, “Whenever you see a quotation given with an author but no source assume that it is probably bogus.” Thomas Jefferson is one of those accused of saying that. Quotes Behaving Badly also mentions this chestnut.
To begin with, no one seems to know who originally said it, and what the exact words were. Worse is the way this quote is used by demagogues. So called leaders use this quote to manipulate others. Often, these people do not know what they are talking about. Their actions make the situation worse, rather than better. But they are doing something.
Quotes Behaving Badly takes on more versions of the misused quote. There is the quote from a character in a novel, which is strawmanned into representing the thoughts of the author. There is also the quote taken out of context.
“Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst.” This is in Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. PG has never read ST, and does not know the context of the quote.
Quotes Behaving Badly implies that the quote is from a villain in the story. “The problem is that an author cannot take ownership for the dialogue of the characters he creates. If two characters debate, does the author then believe both sides of a debate? And would the author have to support the views and opinions super villains, serial killers, dictators, and even child molesters.”
There is a humongous archive dedicated to Mohanda Gandhi. If he said it, then there should be a written record. That does not mean that people will use the quote properly.
“I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence… I would rather have India resort to arms in order to defend her honour than that she should, in a cowardly manner, become or remain a helpless witness to her own dishonor.” The next line contradicts the first part. “But I believe that non-violence is infinitely superior to violence…”
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Coercively Assigned Male At Birth
I sense that this is greatly exaggerated. Hank Aaron is simply not a big deal anymore. ~ If he is like most of the professional Jesus worshipers I have known, Mr. Hagee routinely violates the third commandment. ~ Hairy Krishna Hairy Krishna Hairy Hairy Krishna Krishna Hairy Rammer Hairy Rammer Hairy Hairy Rammer Rammer ~ don’t you have blog/facebook acct? Your twitter monolog would be much easier to read in order instead of scrolling backwards – In comment orgies like this, and the recent SFQP bash, there seems to be a few people who do the bulk of the talking. I wonder how many people actually wade through the comments, but never participate. I do know that ” social ridicule and ostracism” are very real parts of these discussions. Then there is this: “I’m willing to sacrifice the comfort of white folks in order to work towards the incredibly radical idea of a space with less white supremacy.” ~ if man is not liberal @ 20, he has no heart if man is not conservative @ 40 he has no brain does this describe you at 40? ~ BHO is a good mimic ~ @TooMessedUp My fat friend forgave me for laughing at his weight problem… I guess he really is the bigger person. ~ I don’t think a shart circle is a good idea. ~ Nothing is more dreaded than the national government meddling with religion. John Adams ~ Crazy — a nonscientific term meaning that the person to whom one applies that label has a world picture differing from the accepted one. Robert Heinlein ~ If lawyers don’t make money on something it doesn’t happen. ~ Maybe some anti spam action is appropriate. ~ I saw a tweet saying “we should start treating all white supremacist groups as the domestic terrorists they are #WhoIsBurningBlackChurches” While it is highly probable that ws are responsible, it is also possible for something else to be going on. Rival church groups. Insurance. A gay person alienated by the anti gay rhetoric of the jesus worship church. ~ They got a one pointer. ~ @whittmman He puts today out of himself with plasticity and love, ~ @nihilist_arbys Draw the blinds. shut out the sun. Cry. The pile of meat has been on the table for weeks. Just eat it & go back to bed. Arbys: edible. ~ @ChrchCurmudgeon Today is Canadian Fourth of July on the metric calendar. Celebrate politely. ~ When the CVS burned, some media perps commented on sports fan rioting involving PWOC. ~ Why would a sign about stealing and lying be in a government building? ~ The verbal abuse culture of the Jesus worship church, both black and white, needs to end. ~ They are the ones who can afford to fly. ~ 35741 ~ Donald Trump is an idiot. ~ Most of them are jokes about LaToya Jackson. She has a similar last name to Maynard Jackson, the former mayor of Atlanta and the co-namesake of the facility. I suspect LaToya Jackson moved out of the ghetto a long time ago. ~ The Hartsfield part of Hartsfield-Jackson is former Atlanta Mayor William B. Hartsfield. He is the namesake of “Willie B.” the gorilla at Zoo Atlanta. ~ It might not be racist, but it is not very funny. This joke is worn out. ~ Was it gift wrapped? ~ Truman Capote was on the couch when Lester Maddox was a guest on the Dick Cavett show. After the Governor walked off, Mr. Capote talked about the time he went to the Pickrick. (The fried chicken restaurant owned by Lester Maddox.) “All I’m going to say is, it was not finger licking good.” ~ smiles work better in lower case letters ~ How do jokes about Hartsfield Jackson airport contribute to systemic oppression? If they do not then they are not racist, according to some people. Or maybe it is time to put the expression racist on the shelf, and think of a new insult for people you don’t like ~ Can you, or will you, odd? ~ Did the founding fathers foresee the day when the descendents of their slaves would have easy access to handguns? ~ Is it racist to complain about watermelon oreos? ~ This is a graven image, installed in a facility where stealing and bearing false witness are routine. ~ @nihilist_arbys Today, celebrate a crumbling empire by shoveling fistfuls of Arbys meat into your bloated face and then drunkenly blowing off your toe ~ “CAMAB is an acronym. It stands for Coercively Assigned Male At Birth. ~ The past few years, I have been picking up flags that have fallen to the ground. Today, I put my rescue flags on display. ~ @whitman632 I’ve never encountered a leprechaun who I didn’t want to kick in the nuts. ~ government by organized money is just as dangerous as government by organized mob ~ The quote is legitimate. Mr. Roosevelt made the comment in a speech during his 1936 reelection campaign. A certain amount of hypocrisy can be expected in an election speech. It should also be noted that this was a few years before World War Two. ~ I hope this person was visible. Riding a bicycle on Hiway 92 is risky. ~ Mr. Roosevelt was a good performer. In this speech, he denounces war profiteering. (2:25) A few years later, he wanted America to get into World War Two. We played hard ball with Japan, who took the bait and attacked. Germany declared war on the United States after Pearl Harbor, which insured our entry into the European conflict. Mr. Roosevelt saw that World War Two would mean the end of the depression. As for BS, it is too early to know what to make of him. I suspect he is playing the role of an alternative to Hillary. If Hillary is elected, she will probably reward BS with a position in her administration. ~ That is a Brookhaven lawn. Whatever was planted sixty years ago is still there, along with whatever weeds have taken root. Just keep it cut short, and it is all green. ~ @falwellinhell How can you tell if it is false doctrine? Are the preacher’s lips moving? ~ pictures for this inappropriate use of bandwidth are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. ~ selah
Rescue Flags
A few years ago, a well meaning real estate lady put American flags on lawns. Her business card was attached. This is a violation of the flag code. “The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever.”
Many of these flags stayed 24/7/365. The sun and rain took what toll they could on the synthetic fibers. Many of the staffs began to tumble over, leaving the flag in the dirt.
One day, PG was riding his bike. He stopped to look through some boxes. In one of these landfill bound containers was an American flag. PG decided to save this flag from the indignity of being buried under coffee grounds.
PG saw more flags laying in the dirt. He began to stop, and pick them up. A collection of rescue flags began to accumulate.
Meanwhile, the real estate lady saw the error of her ways. The unwanted flags no longer arrived the first week of July. Sometimes there is change.
The rescue flags were displayed July 4, 2015. It rained the first part of the day. The sun soon came out, and dried the rescue flags. Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
July 3, 1981
July 3, 1981, was another day before a holiday. The new President, Ronald Reagan, was recovering from gunshot wounds. There was talk of an era of conservatism, with possibly severe repression.
There was an article in the New York Times. RARE CANCER SEEN IN 41 HOMOSEXUALS. “Doctors in New York and California have diagnosed among homosexual men 41 cases of a rare and often rapidly fatal form of cancer. Eight of the victims died less than 24 months after the diagnosis…”
This was the media debut of AIDS. It would not have that name for a while. Almost nobody thought, on that summer day, just how bad AIDS would be. In five years it was obvious how serious AIDS was.
PG was on another trip to the west coast. It was becoming obvious that this would be a vacation, rather than a relocation. He was riding a bicycle, with a milk carton overloaded with camping gear. Some kids told him to get saddle bags, and carry the weight lower. If you have the weight on top, you would lose control coming down a big hill. PG did not listen to the kids.
On July 4, PG left Patrick’s Point state park, about 300 miles north of San Francisco. Coming down the first hill on highway 101, the bike shook, shook harder, and flipped on its side. PG was thrown off. The front wheel was bent beyond repair. PG gathered his gear, left the bike behind, and got a ride into the nearest town.
PG got a bus ticket to Seattle. That city was in an economic downturn, with less than half a page of help wanted ads. PG found a auto delivery service, and got a VW bug going to Oak Ridge, TN. In a few days he was in Atlanta. A few days later, a temp agency came up with a job as a driver for a blueprint company. PG worked for that company, in one form or another, for the next 24 years.
As for the gay men with Kaposi’s Sarcoma … in all probability, the patients mentioned in that article were all dead within a year. AIDS has become a dominating story in our time. At its worst, it was claiming 50,000 lives a year. With the advent of wonder drugs, the death toll has been greatly reduced. The impact of AIDS on American life cannot be adequately described. This is a repost.
Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Two Hundred Yards Behind
In 1985, PG went to work for Shaky Blueprints. The real name was a Japanese word that nobody knew how to spell. Two of the previous hires were an athletic young lady, and a fat man. Until better nicknames arrive, we will call them AYL and FM for this story.
AYL was trying to get FM to go jogging with her after work. This was an ongoing conversation, with FM always turning her down. One afternoon, PG wore an old pair of jogging shoes to work, and said that he would go running with AYL.
Shaky was just off highway 400, in what is now part of Sandy Springs. There was a road leading away from it. The road went over the highway, and went in a wooded semi circle for a couple of miles. The plan was to go on this loop, and take sidewalks on Roswell Road back to Shaky.
At one time, PG went running every day. He was out of the habit by this time, and always a slow runner. When the work day was over, PG tied his glasses on with a rubber band, did a few stretches, and was ready to take on the course.
AYL and PG left the parking lot, and started up the road. PG trudged along with his head down. When he got to the bridge over the highway, PG looked up. AYL had taken off like greased lightning, and was already two hundred yards ahead. PG hollered for her to slow down, and finished the course.
Pictures for this repost are from Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library.
Midtown
The neighborhood along Peachtree Road has always been a great place to be a freak. For a long time it didn’t have a name. It is north of downtown, between Piedmont Park and Georgia Tech. Sometime in the early eighties, people started to call it Midtown, and the name stuck.
In the time after the War Between the States, this area was a shantytown called “Tight Squeeze”. It evolved into a pleasant middle class area. In the sixties, hippies took over. The area was known as the strip, or tight squeeze. Many stories could be told.
After the flower children moved on, the area went into decline. Gays started to move in, with the battle cry “Give us our rights or we will remodel your house.” Developers, worshiping the triune G-d of location, location, location, began to smell money. The neighborhood became trendy, then expensive, then more expensive. The freaks with money remain. This is a repost. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
The Kinks
Dangerousminds brings the sad news that Pete Quaife, the original bass player for The Kinks , passed away yesterday. He was 66, and had been in dialysis for several years. Maybe it is time for Chamblee54 to do a post about The Kinks. This is a repost.
Battling brothers Ray and Dave Davies are the core of The Kinks. (The name is pronounced like the american Davis, as though the e did not exist). Ray was the vocalist, writer, and rhythm guitar player. Dave was the lead guitarist, and sparring partner for his brother. The fisticuffs were not restricted to the brothers. This led to the band being barred from performing in the United States between 1965 and 1969. The sixties happened anyway.
There were several hits in the early days, most notably “You really got me”. (This later became a signature tune for Van Halen). The band had numerous adventures, but never became the superstars that other British bands of that era did. Ray Davies developed as a songwriter, with many witty tunes, full of social commentary and britishness.(spell check suggestion:brutishness)
In the seventies The Kinks kept trooping on. They did an album called Preservation Act, which became the basis of a theatrical presentation. The next album was called Soap Opera, with a theater like production. This is where PG got to see The Kinks.
It was sometime in the spring of 1975, at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium. Elvin Bishop was the opening act. The Kinks had started when PG arrived, buying a $4.00 balcony seat. Alex Cooley was in the box office counting money, and broke open a roll of quarters to make change for a five.
The band was playing “Celluloid Heroes” when PG walked into the auditorium. There was no one on the door checking tickets, so PG walked onto the floor and found an empty seat on the 13th row. The next number was “Lola”.
Ray Davies introduced the song by saying ” If you are a man, sing LO. If you are a woman, sing LA. If you are not sure, clap your hands”. The next number was about demon alcohol. There were lights shining on the crowd during this number, as Ray Davies asked if there were any sinners in the audience. The band did several more songs, ending the first half of the evening with “You really got me”. Dave Davies got some spotlight time with a rave up intro to this number.
The second part of the show was a theatrical presentation of “Soap Opera”. The band wore rainbow colored wigs, and stood at the back of the stage while Ray Davies told the tale. “Soap Opera” was about a rock star who traded places with Norman, who lived a boring life. The flat Norman lived in has pictures of ducks on the wall, which drove Ray/Norman to scream “I can’t stand those f*****g ducks”. This led into a rocking ditty called, predictably, “Ducks on the Wall”.
As the show dragged on, Ray/Norman was embarrassed by the mess he was in. “You can’t say that in front of The Kinks, they are my band, and that is my audience.” The audience lights were turned on again, and the band played a medley of hits from 1964.
Finally, the real Norman came back to reclaim his wife, put the ducks back on the wall, and kick out The Kinks. The band gave up on theater before much longer, and were popular for the rest of the concert happy seventies. Ray Davies was the babydaddy for Chrissie Hynde . Eventually, the band quit performing, and continued to cash royalty checks.
Pictures are from the “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Chamblee54 
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