...on my way home from a press gig yesterday, this homeless guy got on the subway with this big ass baby stroller filled-to-overflowing with all of his worldly possessions, he secured it somewhere and went to the front of the car, I didn't pay him any more attention as I was punching something up on the laptop, listening to my iPod but in between songs I noticed that he had this ratty acoustic guitar, that was more duct-tape than wood and was singing for his supper...which reminds me of a conversation I was just having with someone about how back in NYC I'd stopped giving out bread to every pan handler I saw but I always had and still have a soft spot for those who played music for some reason... As the Ghetto Defendant still starves in Metropolis: call it what you will but I've got to tip my hat to those who can get it together in that kind of personal shit-storm and sing, not because I used to perform but because, if I put myself in that position now, I'd be hard-pressed to get on the good foot but one never knows until said situation presents itself...it's got to ring hollow in the ears of those stuck on the streets to always hear the rhetoric of spreading freedom and whatnot all over the world-- I often wonder how can we take care of anybody else when we can't even take care of our own?...I handed dude some bread as he sang this particular song, it reminded me more of this Mescaleros cover..."people can change anything they want to...and that means everything in this world...the future is unwritten"...amen, brother Joe...I just wonder when we're going to stop standing on ceremony and start doing it.
thill says
i finally saw this video about a week or two ago on VH1 classic and it brought tears to my eyes.
lately i have been more cynical then idealistic but it only takes some joe strummer to make me believe all is possible.
CrashPryor says
cool, I don't watch a lot of TV and never caught that VH - 1 thingy but yeah...I find it ironic that bands like his would never have seen the light of day in these times...hell, they tried to putsch the Clash initially but they'd already taken root in the UK and word spread like wildfire over here in the states...crazy...
gijibae03 says
crash, i feel your heart on this post, and it's tugging hard. it reminds me of my morning encounters. i usually pass a cross-dressing bum on my way to work. she sits inside the subway tunnel dressed in a frumpy outfit with the usual tow of shopping cart goodies and her distinct look of heavy eye-liner and poorly applied lipstick, that looks more like a clown than anything feminine. i never give her money...nyc's hardened my heart in that way. but i do something that i think is more humanitary. i look her in the eye. she always looks at me and smiles, and i always return the favor. in my heart, i like to think that she appreciates this small yet genuine gesture more than a hand full of change and avoiding glares.
shayna says
oh wow...nice way to get going on a Sunday. that's a beautiful video, and I love seeing all the familiar faces. I'm looking forward to that new Julien Temple doc. wonderful post!
and gijibae - I make sure to do the same thing...look them in the eye and acknowledge that they exist. they almost always respond kindly.
CrashPryor says
"nyc’s hardened my heart in that way." maybe but not totally, gijibae at least you try...a lot of people just mumble shite like "get a job" or "get it together" and keep on going...we do what we can and it's cool that you continue to do so...shows you're human...
Jonh Ingham says
You started my day with 'Heathen' and you've ended it with 'Redemption Song'. Memories of Bob to wake up and memories of Joe to go to sleep. That's a good ellipse.
jenipop says
Nice post. Here, more and more often, I find myself referring to the experiences I had or the discoveries I made while living in New York City. It's difficult to think of another place where the all-hours fecundity is equal to the markedly dire situation of those whose lives depend on the humanity of individuals and city services - then again, I haven't lived in Los Angeles. The wherewithall to sing and stand on the corner, I don't know where that comes from either, except for the very basic will to survive. It can become innocuous, the opening of the door, the chime of the close and the passing of the hat on the Red Line and every other line, too. But we cannot allow ourselves to harden, to no longer see others as people simply because of their circumstances. Crash, thanks for affirming that potency in song - and the legacy of Strummer.
Before this, I was listening to an in-studio with Adam Franklin and Luke Temple...it's been a nice Sunday.
Rawkkiddoh says
Even here is Minnesota, the pan handlers are out in numbers. Most take their place on the exit ramps from the highways, with the mandatory signs that say any thing will help. Do you give money, or sit at the stop light staring ahead hoping not to make eye contact. While part of me feels their plight, the other part of me thinks what about me. I am out there every day trying to make it work. I am trying to get that job, and trying to make ends meet. While I have not become completely cold hearted when giving out donations, I have become selective. I have a soft spot in my heart for those in need, but the sheer number of people who have taken up panhandling makes it hard for me to choose who is more in need. I usually end up giving to organizations that are there to help people like this, and I feel good when I do it.
CrashPryor says
cool, Kiddo...I don't (give to organizations) and cut out the middlemen; neither do I shell out to everyone who bums a dollar either, I'd be broke too (which is a lesson learned shortly after moving to NYC). Having said as much, I still try to do my part, if I don't have the bucks, I'll do the what gijibae above does and see what's up with 'em if they're not outright crazy...it's a judgement call that, unfortunately, not everyone's willing to even try to make, conversely, there are still those out there who do-- my man had more than a meal's worth of dough when he got off the train yesterday...you do what you can
Rawkkiddoh says
So true crash, and I still find it hard not to give when asked. I know in Minnesota, I dont see the large numbers that you must where you are at. During the summer, we do get more of it, and I find it hard not to give when I can. In Minnesota, there has been a big movement to not allow people to panhandle. We used to have a lot of gutter punk kids, who have since moved away over the years. Same thing in Ottawa, Canada. They were known for their squeegie kids who would camp out at every busy intersection and wash windows for spare change. Last time I visited they were no where to be found. I have always found being homeless a mystery. They are the unseen a lot of the times, and on nights like tonight when its 35 below, I can only imagine how tough it is to be out on the streets. There was an article in our local paper that you might find to be an interesting read. http://www.citypages.com/databank/28/1363/article15061.asp It gives a good insight as to the homeless situation here in Minnesota.
Iren says
I stopped handing out stuff a couple of years back... I was just sick of the BS and the hard press and all of that , when I am just making ends meet for myself... Plus I realized that where I grew up, there were 7 free meals a day for those in need, and we had a .10 deposit on bottles and cans, it's like way 30 or 40 you have to find and return to get a few bucks for what ever...
What really tore it for me was that a guy I went to high school with, started working at the homeless shelter and then started to live there... he was telling me about the free meals and how he got by on 600 or 700 bucks a year from cans and bottles...
B42 says
Garcia's only known artwork titled after a Grateful Dead song lyric was "August West (Wharf Rat)" measuring 8.5 x 5.75", offered on eBay at $55,000 in November, 2001.
I play it by ear, and try to make time to hear the story, but I usually share the wealth if it feels like the right thing to do -
Wharf Rat 79-02-03
mickimicki says
Look at blessed Europe... in Germany, beggars are so few that theorethically, everybody could afford to give at least a small coin. I don't always, but I do at least once a day if I'm not _very_ tight with money. I'm teaching my son to give to "bums", too, if he has anything to spare, because whatever personal shit put them in that position, it's not our place to judge, but it is always good to help. And, to look the person in the eye and give them a non-condescending smile. That's actually what my mom taught me when I was little: as long as we're fortunate enought to have in abundance, we are supposed to share, even if it's not much. - Of course that's not a must, but it's a
And of course, if somebody's playing music (that is at least recognizable as such), they might even get my last change.
That's living in a true "welfare state", it's really affordable to be soft..
kat3260 says
I was in Baltimore the other night, and had a dude come up to me with one of those "I'm Deaf" fliers. He reeked of booze and I'd wager that he also _wasn't_ deaf. If anyone's buying drugs with my money, it's gonna be me. I'd much rather him have handed me something that said, "It's cold and I wanna buy some booze" I'd also rather give someone food or drink than money. But I, too, have a soft spot for the musicians.
...on my way home from a press gig yesterday, this homeless guy got on the subway with this big ass baby stroller filled-to-overflowing with all of his worldly possessions, he secured it somewhere and went to the front of the car, I didn't pay him any more attention as I was punching something up on the laptop, listening to my iPod but in between songs I noticed that he had this ratty acoustic guitar, that was more duct-tape than wood and was singing for his supper...which reminds me of a conversation I was just having with someone about how back in NYC I'd stopped giving out bread to every pan handler I saw but I always had and still have a soft spot for those who played music for some reason... As the Ghetto Defendant still starves in Metropolis: call it what you will but I've got to tip my hat to those who can get it together in that kind of personal shit-storm and sing, not because I used to perform but because, if I put myself in that position now, I'd be hard-pressed to get on the good foot but one never knows until said situation presents itself...it's got to ring hollow in the ears of those stuck on the streets to always hear the rhetoric of spreading freedom and whatnot all over the world-- I often wonder how can we take care of anybody else when we can't even take care of our own?...I handed dude some bread as he sang this particular song, it reminded me more of this Mescaleros cover..."people can change anything they want to...and that means everything in this world...the future is unwritten"...amen, brother Joe...I just wonder when we're going to stop standing on ceremony and start doing it.
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