The Streets I Used to Walk
Sometimes you need to get above your raising. My arrival in Boston, the day before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 1985, allowed me to do just that. Once I got settled, I stepped out onto Mass Ave. I looked around, lit a cigarette, and went to myself, “Yeah.” I knew no one. I really knew nothing about this place but I was thrilled to be here. I still am.
In 1985, the Orange Line was still elevated running down Washington Street where Skippy White was still selling records in its shadow; ‘The Curse’ hadn’t been broken; the Puritanical Blue Laws were still in place; Mr. Butch was still holding court in Kenmore Square; and The Real Book dude and his dog were ubiquitous, especially on the Berklee Beach. These are just a sampling of what I was introduced to in 1985. I’ve written about the used record stores, bookstores, and radio I discovered. There were so many clubs. I could lament the passing of the stores and clubs but all things change. I still celebrate their memories. And spirit. The clubs, the stores, and the streets I used to walk are part of what made me (and plenty of others, too) who I am today.
For almost as long as I’ve lived in Boston, the highway has been my home too. I’ve spent a lot of time in other places. Lately, Boston has been a great influence and inspiration on my writing – both words that you’re reading now and melodies for another day. But, I’ve come to understand that it’s not really the place that’s the muse. The place, wherever that may happen to be, amplifies or suggests the ideas, but the creativity is inside. I had a conversation with a friend just before a recent trip to Nashville:
“Nashville, that’s one of your happy places, right?”
“Yep. But, I’m getting to the point where my happy place is wherever I am working, creating.”
“Love that.”
It’s akin to the solitude at 3:00am. Focusing on the quietness let’s one’s thoughts flow freely. And, it’s not quiet, it’s just that we humans ignore the sounds and noises that we don’t make. To slow down and listen, only requires doing it. And, yes, there’s a happy place, at least for me. What’s also true is being happy with the things you have rather than coveting the things you think you want. We could use a whole lot more of that in this world. Coveting material wants and coveting solitude are almost mutually exclusive pursuits.
By 1985, once grand buildings had become dilapidated, condemned structures, some of which are still standing – the old Hotel Alexandra at the corner of Mass Ave and Washington Street for one. I swear that some of the potholes today are older than 1985. I think it’s important, as maddening as it can be, that the City of Boston doesn’t rush into demolition. Some cities or towns have torn down historic buildings in the name of progress. It doesn’t matter if it is coal mining, as John Prine sang about, or potentially razing an iconic studio in the name of progress (i.e., more unaffordable housing), destroying history and historic places is incredibly short-sighted, and in my opinion, just wrong. The study of history is vital to learning and growing. We need to be well-versed in history so we don’t commit the atrocities of the past anew. In its attempt to erase and change history, the current administration, trying to kill democracy, will ultimately fail. History will judge them harshly.
I still spend plenty of time on the streets but they are not once what they were – for better or worse. Boston, and the world, have changed mightily over forty years. I am happy to report that Little Stevie’s Pizza has returned to Boylston Street. That place was a haven in 1985 for all sorts of night creatures at 3:00am – pimps, hookers, pushers, junkies, and Berklee students. Two monster slices and a coke for a measly $2 back then. I’m very happy to see it back. I hear that there is a restoration project getting final approval to bring the Hotel Alexandra back, too. Now, if I could only find Louie from Looney Tunes.
One thing I’ve learned through the years on the road and living in various places for extended periods: I’m a New Englander, and more specifically a Bostonian, through and through. There are worse things that could be said.
(I will be posting photos of Boston courtesy of the Library of Congress each day following today.)
For those of you in Cambridge and the greater Boston area, I will be leading a music history and appreciation course at Cambridge Continuing Adult Education on Thursdays in June and July at 6:00pm. It is called The Gathering. You can find out more and sign up here. I look forward to seeing some of you over the summer.
Catch me on the radio dial every Saturday afternoon 4-5pm EST with Crooked Road Songs on WICN 90.5fm locally in Central Massachusetts, and globally at wicn.org. My playlist from Saturday, May 10, 2025:
Frank Stokes “Downtown Blues”
Guitar Gable “This Should Go on Forever”
Percy Mayfield “The Big Question”
Ruth Brown “Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean”
Charles Brown “Fool’s Paradise”
Snooks Eaglin “Lipstick Traces”
Red Foley “Midnight”
Ray Charles “Midnight”
Nina Simone “In the Evening by the Moonlight”
Wes Montgomery “Moonlight Serenade”
B.B. King “Night Life”
Kim Field and the Perfect Gentlemen “The Man That Got Away”
Toot Thielemans “Body and Soul”
Little Walter “Fast Boogie”
Jerry McCain “Steady”
James Cotton “The Creeper”
I live in the St. Louis suburbs but have Boston on my bucket list. The recent Radio Kings reunion cancellation nixed my first attempt. Hopefully there is still time......