Sandy plows fiercely through czar's childhood: Staten Island, where I grew up, and Breezy Point, on the same spit of land where I worked for two summers.
Not, of course, that I think of Sandy as divine judgment, but lyrics of a certain song came to mind when I heard of the events at Breezy Point. And I want to emphasize that I don't think anyone deserved what happened here. They're just lyrics, and I can't really stop the linkages -- not that I have to report them here, either.
I wish I could find the John Miller version of "Where Shall I Be" online, but it's impossible to find any John Miller on youtube from the mid-1970s, or much at all. If you like blues, gospel, American songbook, high-quality finger-picking guitar, and a voice kinda in the range of Alan Wilson from Canned Heat, find John Miller music. (I've got all the albums, and one day I'll digitize them. Of all the albums I have, those are close to the top of the list. And Fahey.)
[I throw it open for discussion: What's the one song you wish you had a digital version of but, as far as you know, has never been digitized? The first song I digitize is Cool It Reba, "Money Fall out the Sky."]
Lyrics of "Where Shall I Be" (trad., arr. John Miller; not the song in the video below):
Where shall I be when the first trumpet sounds
Where shall I be when it sounds so loud
Sounds so loud it'll wake up the dead
Where shall I be when it sounds?
I'll be trying on my robe when the first trumpet sounds
Trying on my robe when it sounds so loud
Sounds so loud it'll wake up the dead
Where shall I be when it sounds?
God gave Noah the rainbow sign
Won't be water but the fire next time
Sounds so loud it'll wake up the dead
Where shall I be when it sounds?
Plenty of interesting versions of "Where Shall I Be" on the youtube, but none I found included the lyric highlighted above.
I heard from my brother, a Staten Island resident who thankfully lives about 400 feet above sea level. He has made it through so far with only a crushed and totaled car, 37 hours without power or hot water, and a live-in 85-year-old recently immigrated Russian mother-in-law whose cognac supply was almost exhausted. Lucky indeed.
Staten Island lost 19 people of the 94 dead from Sandy so far, and was also disproportionately the most affected locale by the events of September 11, 2001, in terms of loss of life.
Horrible events, and I'm very sad to see my hometown take another devastating hit.
[More from my brother: just received another message. His wife and mother-in-law went yesterday to be with some folks they know who were understandably upset at seeing corpses washing ashore. My brother also did some exploring last night. Said that there were 300 vehicles lined up for gas at midnight near our family's old car dealership . . . at a station that wouldn't open for another seven hours.]
In the meantime . . .
7 comments:
Sorry to hear it. My cousin in Manhattan reports all is well in his
'hood, although he's riding his bike to work. My aunts and uncles in the Bronx, likewise, and they're all in their '90s. My other cousin, who lives in Jersey on the water, reports a lot of devastation and she's still without power. Mother Nature, she doesn't care. She does what she does and we have to deal with it.
@Moi: I'm glad the older folks were unaffected. My brother works in Manhattan, and he said there's basically no way to get there -- not that it matters, because his main employer up in the W. 40s somewhere was still without power yesterday.
Folks who live on the shore on the East Coast . . . I think the fun era is wrapping up for them. I'm looking forward to an upward trend in significantly inland real estate.
Blowfish is from Staten Island. Like you he has been shocked at the devastation to the neighborhoods of his youth. He is much calmer now that he has chatted with Cousin Mike to learn all is well with his loves. No damage, power out briefly, kids all home and safe, ample supplies. His biggest challenge was to cross the island to rescue his 80 something in laws who are fine, just stunned.
The family report is the folks on Staten Island are not at all impressed with the "help". No water, gas, heat, generators, food,
but plenty of horror in the streets.... Mike stays up at night patrolling with a weapon while his family sleeps.
@ Moi,
Glad to read your folks are fine.
@Fishy: Blowfish is from Staten Island? Small world. I'm sure it wouldn't take long for some connections to be made.
Mercy! Sorry fer the horror--relieved to learn no losses of a personal nature.
Czar and Blowfish both from Staten Island?? Hmmmn...Youse an editor, he's graphic/ art design...both in publishin'--I'se shure thar'll be a connection or two or ten,
Of course, you had me at "Money Fall Out the Sky"; but I was really moved by your post.
Aunty: None of my publishing work took place while I was in New York, so I have no history working up there. And as I've told Moi, I only found out later that the guy who owns Advance Publications (which now also owns Conde Nast) was a longtime customer of the family's business -- information that might have helped a fledgling editor decades ago. But I'll bet Blowfish knows him.
Fleur: Thanks. Good to know you made it through, too. Was your family's cruise affected, or was that long over?
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