Issue 21 • November 2019 • Facebook.com/TalkArts
IT’S ALL ABOUT
ARTS
Supporting Local Arts and Culture
DOMENIC ESPOSITO
Domenic Esposito Creating Dynamic Dialogues with His Avant-Garde Sculptures By Janice Williams
Artists create, and the impact is felt by those who view the art. Some artists create without deliberate meaning, but there is always a message to be shared. Other
methods such as blacksmithing, iron working and sand casting with modern day industrial design utilizing computer-aided design (CAD)”. That Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi is a favorite of Esposito is evident. As stated by the Guggenheim Museum about Brancusi’s 1935 war memorial in Târgu Jiu, Romania, “the idealization of aesthetic form; the integration of architecture, sculpture, and furniture; and the poetic evocation of spiritual thought”. All these
artists use their creative skills and talents to deliberately and passionately awaken and bring visibility to social crises. Domenic Esposito is the artist of the latter. Born in Boston and now working and living at his studio in Westwood, Esposito is blanketing the country with his unique sculptures and message. According to Esposito, “Most of my art is in the form of metal sculptures in varying materials and processes. Early on I employed more traditional processes such as metal fabrication and blacksmithing and recently moved into casting sculptures. I have used many different types of metals including steel, aluminum, stainless steel and bronze”. Esposito has attended metalworking and design classes at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Stonybrook Fine Arts, Artist Asylum and Prospect Hill Forge. Esposito goes on to say, “Drafting and designing sculptures out of metals is a passion that fits my need to combine engineering accuracy with artistic creativity and I find the technical aspect of my art almost as stimulating as the emotional and aesthetic intent. The process I employ marries older sculpturing
accolades and descriptions can be applied to the evolution of Esposito’s artistic achievements. In the past year, Esposito has embarked on an ambitious guerilla art campaign to bring his sculptures to as many people as possible to raise the alarm for extreme activism for change. In June Esposito dropped his 10 feet long, 800 pounds, “Opioid Spoon” in front of OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma and so was born the “Opioid Spoon Project” now a national symbol of drug activism. Esposito says, “The purpose of my work is to create haunting, sometimes dark but always memorable sculptures symbolic of injustices to humanity within our society. My goal is to create a deeply visceral disturbance in the soul that calls out for help”.
It’s All About Arts Magazine November 2019
Domenic Esposito - Creating Dynamic Dialogues with His Avant-Garde Sculptures By Janice Williams continued
Esposito has been crisscrossing the country, bringing his art in the form of the “Opioid Spoon Project” to the public to help narrate the urgent discussion for the need to stop the massive killing epidemic of drug addiction. He leads rallies, panel discussions and teaches classes on activism such as one recently at Boston University where the “Spoon” was
also exhibited. According to Boston University, “In exhibiting the FDA Spoon, the BU Art Galleries, the Department of History of Art & Architecture and the BU Arts Initiative recognize the work of Esposito as operating at the intersection of art and social change. Esposito has been part of Saloon 29 at MOMA in NYC, part of SOFA Chicago Art Fair, exhibited and spoke at Canvas Fine Arts Gallery in SoWa, Boston and recently spoke at MFA in Boston on art and activism. One of his sculptures (he makes small metal spoons as well as his large ones) was in the Cambridge Art Association National Prize show 2019. He will be participating in the REEL Recovery Film Festival & Symposium® that takes place from November 1-7, 2019 at Village East Cinema, NYC. Esposito will be participating on November 5. More about this festival at https://reelrecoveryfilmfestival.org/2019-rrff-new-york To learn more about this amazing artist who shares his artistic talents to bring social justice to our world, visit his web site to listen to podcasts and see videos of art in action. Domenicesposito.com - Domenic.esposito70@gmail.com
It’s All About Arts Magazine November 2019
NOVEMBER 2019 In This Issue DOMENIC ESPOSITO
Creating Dynamic Dialogues with His Avant-Garde Sculptures by Janice Williams
SUSAN O’CONNOR
The Past is Now by Janice Williams
KRISTIN JOHNSON Last Call @ Doyle’s Cafe
MICHAEL GALLAGHER
Humor, Verse, & Stories by Curt Naihersey
MICHAEL GALLAGHER
Whiskey in the Jar and Empty Threats of Extreme Violence - Poetry compiled by Curt Naihersey
PERRY PERSOFF The Local Music Corner
TESS McCOLGAN
To Do Around Town in November
EDWARD MORNEAU
Art and Poetry Already Seen Too Much from IGLOO Special • MIT Endicott House, Dedham • Centre Cuts Salon and Spa, Roslindale • Boston Compass Artists at BNN Neighborhood Art Gallery • Veterans Turkey Giveaway by Arredondo Foundation • Happy Thanksgiving Eleanor Avery’s Squash Pie Recipe • The Little Art Lending Library at Art Studio 99 in Roslindale Support local artsts and buy from them whenever you can! It’s All About Arts Magazine November 2019
IT’S ALL ABOUT ARTS www.itsallaboutarts.com facebook.com/TalkArts ROSLINDALE ARTS ALLIANCE www.roslindalearts.org facebook.com/Roslindale-Arts-Alliance-129685993761701 ART STUDIO 99 www.artstudio99.com facebook.com/Art-Studio-99-145566388819141 Twitter @artstudio99 Instagram - janice_art_studio_99 Published by It’s All About Arts by Janice Williams, Editor Copyright 2019 - All Rights Reserved Glenn Williams - 617-543-7443 glennsmusic.williams@gmail.com Janice Williams - 617-710-3811 janice@artfulgift.com TO ADVERTISE - REQUEST OUR MEDIA KIT ALL ADVERTISING REVENUE GOES TO THE IT’S ALL ABOUT ARTS YOUTH ART SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. MORE
On Exhibit at BNN Neighborhood Art Gallery
Art Work from Boston Compass Artists Brain Arts Organization, a 501(c)(3) non-profit brought to you by the musicians, artists, writers, and enthusiasts of the Boston area. Your daily guide, strictly focusing on the independent & underground music / art / film scenes and communities in Greater Boston and New England at large, and the often marginalized cultures that comprise and support them. The Boston Compass is a 4-page free newspaper distributed monthly to over 300 community spaces across the Greater Boston Area. With approximately 6k issues printed monthly, each issue serves primarily as a directory of curated music, art, and film events, focusing on non-commercial and under-represented artists in our community. https://brain-arts.org
November and December 2019 Reception on Thursday Dec. 12 6-9pm RSVP: mdouglas@bnnmedia.org It’s All About Arts Magazine November 2019
BNN Charles J. Beard II Media Center 3025 Washington Street Egleston Square, Boston, MA 02119 http://www.bnnmedia.org
Susan O’Connor – The Past is Now by Janice Williams
Susan O’Connor has a passion that she eagerly and expertly traverses like a true explorer. Since 2000, O’Connor has delved into the world of genealogy and has made a research mark not only for her own family history but has assisted and educated many others in the pursuit of their lineage. She lectures, teaches classes, chairs meetings and conferences and is available to consult with those who want to discover their family history. According to Wikipedia, genealogy is “the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members.” O’Connor likes this informal definition: “I seek the lives and history of dead peoples. It allows me to know them better and allows them to be in my heart.” During our interview O’Connor told me, “I always knew that one of my uncles was killed as small child in a car accident, but it wasn’t talked about much in the family. One of the first times I used Genealogy Bank I found a clipping that described the details of the accident.” She has always been curious about her own family. As a small child who shared a bedroom with her grandmother, she asked many questions and It’s All About Arts Magazine November 2019
listened intently to learn all she could about her family history. “Being around my grandmother was like a puzzle. I never grew tired of hearing her tell me the family stories with my favorite being how she left Ireland and came to America.” Genealogy is finding and placing lots of pieces together in the right order to tell a personal lineage story. O’Connor belongs to many genealogical
societies. The ones in which she is most active are the Massachusetts Genealogical Council (MGC), the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists-Bristol Chapter, and the New England Association of Professional Genealogists (NEAPG). There are many more of these societies in Massachusetts and more can be found throughout the world. They provide networking and educational opportunities to share data and resources. O’Connor recommends two online resources to find out more about genealogy and how to get started:
Susan O’Connor – The Past is Now by Janice Williams continued
• Family Search (www.familysearch.org)--it’s free and has many, many records. The Family Search Wiki is a treasure trove of information on almost all aspects of Genealogy • Ancestry (www.ancestry.com)--Ancestry has a free library version that’s available at the Boston Public Library. This version has all of the detail as the paid version (up to $397 per year) except that you can’t use it for tracking DNA results or building a family tree. There are specialty sites to use depending on the locations and times in which one’s
the dates, names and places to find your heritage and personal family story. It can be as simple as a family tree or more extensive like putting together a website or book with data, stories and photos. She also adds that while today’s technology offers relatively easy access to more data than ever before with thousands of records being added to online repositories every day, the first step is getting a library card. Not only does this provide access to paper documents but to many of the online sites for free as well. O’Connor urges everyone to document and share
ancestors lived. Other online sites that O’Connor uses include FindMyPast, Fold3, Find a Grave, PRDH, My Heritage, and Genealogy of Canada for records about her Irish, Australian, and French-Canadian ancestors. For physical repositories (where you can go and look through volumes of data), she uses the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) and the Boston Public Library (Copley) in Boston and the American French Genealogical Society (AFGS) in Woonsocket, RI. While at first glance, getting involved in genealogy may seem complicated, O’Connor says that once you learn where to find information, the rest is spending time to connect
information and memories for future generations to have and cherish. While data we research can tell us many things, the real stories come from talking and listening in the now.
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Side Note: A cousin of mine has put together an extensive family history tree and website (on my father’s side). It has been fascinating and revealing. I am inspired by O’Connor to do my own lineage research, if only to tell the other side of the story (my mother’s side). To contact Susan O’Connor smoconnor@live.com
LAST CALL @ DOYLE’S CAFE
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- by Kristin Johnson
When one daughter became two daughters, I apologized to the waitstaff with my eyes every Friday night. I tried to clean up after them as best I could. From the chaos of working and raising a family, we were building a scaffold of traditions to create some structure in our messy lives. Doyle’s was a break from the neverending cycle of work and parenting.
We’ve had weeks to process the news that our beloved Doyle’s is dying of Stage IV Capitalism but the passing of time hasn’t made it any easier. Every moment that we can, we crawl inside the warm body, knowing this will be one of the last times we feel the familiar comfort of a place we’ve come to know as home and cherish like family. As the days and hours run out, we watch the giant clock on the wall of Doyle’s tick forward with dread. The beloved staff do what they’ve always done, though they’re grieving just the same. They take care of us.
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When I went back to college a few years ago, each semester I would carefully avoid Friday night classes until I couldn’t anymore. Last fall, my History of Boston class met every Friday night from 5 to 9 pm. Although the professor was the best one I ever had, my heart was always with my family and I knew there was an empty seat in our booth. I did my best to honor the time away from my beloved Doyle’s. I wrote my final paper on it.
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When we moved back into the neighborhood behind Doyle’s 10 years ago, my older daughter was two and a half years old. Although it’s impossible to pinpoint exactly when, somewhere along the way we began going to Doyle’s every Friday night. Two tired parents after one long week, we’d spend the first evening of each weekend hoping no one would mind that our picky eater was still refining her inside voice.
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Owner Gerry Burke, Sr. sat down with me in his favorite booth next to the coffeemaker in the barroom to provide an interview for my paper. With boyish playfulness and sparkling Irish eyes, he recounted tales of shoot-outs and immigrants and politicians and his own family. I’m so grateful I was able to spend this time with him and I hope I was able to capture his stories accurately.
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Last winter, as we sat in the shadow of Michael Collins in the middle room, legendary Boston rocker and veteran
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server Rick Berlin asked us if our band would represent Doyle’s Café with him in the JP Bar Wars. “Sure!” we chirped, and then hoped he didn’t hear us squeal with glee as he passed through the swinging doors into the kitchen.
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have fairly reasonable inside voices. Their childhood friends have come and gone, sharing crayons and playing in the phone booth together until they fade away like a Polaroid picture developing in reverse. My nephews keep getting bigger and bigger, but some things have remained constant. My sister always lets me eat off her plate.
From there the stars aligned for us. Joined by Doyle’s waitresses Erin and Emily Keane and our good friend Mike Allen, we won the JP Bar Wars (yes, we know that having Rick Berlin in the band tipped the scales in our favor). Throughout the whole experience, I couldn’t help but think of the movie “The Commitments” where a scrappy group of misfits somehow pulls off something beautiful together.
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As our family tries to wrap our brains around what life will be like when Doyle’s is no longer a part of it, I struggle to teach my children lessons that will prepare them for the next time they lose something they love with all their heart. We talk about gratitude and living in the moment. Tonight, as we visit this hospice we once called home, I realize we’ll have to talk about death too.
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As a prize, we got to open up the JP Music Fest last month. It was a magical day. The hurricane that had threatened to ruin the festival couldn’t even land a punch, and the sun got brighter and hotter as the day went on. I’ll always be grateful that this day lives in my mind – I know I’ll go back to it again and again. I wish I had known how heavy Rick Berlin’s burden was that day; he had learned that Doyle’s was going to close the night before.
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Over the past 10 years, Friday nights have changed. My daughters, now 12 and 8,
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! Rest easy Doyle’s, and thank you! ![Also, from all of us here @ IT’S ALL ABOUT
ARTS, who have personally benefited & enjoyed all the goodness that's poured outta that sacred place. Sometimes the world changes too quickly.]
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A POSTSCRIPT:
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- from the owners @ Doyle’s - 10/27/19
I come to you with a heavy heart on this rainy Sunday morning. I have been trying to find the perfect words this morning to describe this feeling. The truth is, there are no perfect words.
 As we locked the doors last night for the very last time, I took a good look around and one thing popped into my head. "If these walls could talk" 

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If they could, they would tell stories of so many generations of Doyle's past. They would speak of the Doyle's and all the Burke's and their etch on Boston History. They would speak of all the politicans and political events. They would speak of the BPD Gaelic column and The Fenian Sons and Chris Baird Band and of course our very own Rick Berlin. They would speak of all the staff and regulars here that became family. They would speak of all the marriages and babies and families that sprouted from Doyle's roots. They would speak of the endless movies and tv shows and commercials filmed inside there. They would speak of the iconic Sam Adam's partnership. They would speak of the murals and iconic photos and newspapers articles that surround it. They would speak of St Paddy's Days and the Doyle's Road Race and golf tournaments and New years eve and Christmas parties. They would speak of all the events that have been held inside from weekly and monthly gatherings to weddings and funerals to baby showers and birthday parties and fundraisers and so much more. These walls have seen and heard it all...but most of all they would speak of the overwhelming love and support that surrounded all of us during these last days.

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Although we gave our last last call last night, the spirit and soul of Doyle's is very much still alive and beating. Doyle's will live on through all of us and our memories. Take them with you wherever you end up. We are sad to see this all end, but so grateful to have been a part of it all.

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Thank you to the most amazing staff. Thank you to the most amazing regulars. Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is not goodbye, it's see ya later. Cheers to 137 amazing years!!!

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SlĂĄn go fĂłill
 SlĂĄinte đ&#x;?ť ☘
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photo collage: Joan Selmer-Larsen
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November 2019
Happy Thanksgiving
Eleanor’s Avery’s Beloved Squash Pie Ingredients 1 cup Sugar ¾ teas. Salt 1 teas. Cinnamon 1 teas. Nutmeg ¼ teas. Mace ¾ teas. Ginger 1-12oz. Package of Cooked Frozen Butternut Squash Defrosted in Double Broiler 3 Jumbo Eggs 1 Cup Evaporated Milk 1 Uncooked Pastry Shell Add sugar, salt and spices to warm squash and mix thoroughly. Beat eggs. Add evaporated milk. Pour mixture into squash and blend thoroughly. It’s All About Arts Magazine November 2019
Pour filling into pastry shell. Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F and bake 40 minutes longer. Pie is done when knife inserted in center comes out clean. Eleanor Avery’s (my late mother) squash pie was a beloved family tradition. She would always make two so everyone got a piece. Brother Jeffrey always tried to score two pieces! I always liked to save my piece for after the holiday when I could sit quietly with a cup of tea and not only enjoy the deliciousness but bask in the aroma of family.
MICHAEL GALLAGHER: Humor, Verse, & Stories! !
by Curt Naihersey!
Life expectancy in the US, however, is seventy eight for men.
So it would be a hard and steep path.
Figure it out; do the math
Sure, to reach one hundred would be great.
But for that to happen, seventy would have to be the new forty eight.
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"I tell the tale that I heard told: Mithridates, he died old."
! It was during the recent Roslindale Porch Fest when I met Michael. Due to a sudden rainstorm, one of the acts failed to show up for their slot. The gathered attendees started chatting amongst themselves when he modestly introduced himself as a poet. He began to read from his collection, Red Nose Mike (And Other Stories In Verse Mostly), and the clouds parted. His clever inventiveness captivated and he made an immediate impact upon us all. I was personally hooked, line and sinker.! Prescript:
For this meditation on reaching the milestone age of seventy, I consulted both the actuarial tables and Norton's Anthology of Literature. My inspiration and muse for my sonnet is the great English classics scholar and part time poet A.E. Housman (the quotations are from “A Shropshire Lad”).
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On Turning Seventy
"Of my three score and and ten, Twenty will not come again."
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Well, that's alright, that's okay.
I didn't want to be twenty again anyway.
No looking backward; it's forward for me.
I want to live to be a century.
I just want another one score year and ten.
We sat down a few weeks later to discuss his career, which did not really include being a writer-poet. That was a recent turn of events. The real story is that he wrote a joke poem for a few friends when he turned seventy. Born long ago into a family of nine children and raised in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (the heart of coal country), he schooled in Scranton, came north to Holy Cross College and U. Mass/Amherst. For many years, he worked as a union organizer for local community organizations and the national AFL-CIO throughout the country. This social activism consumed his energy and left no time for other things, so much so that he left his writing suspended for over fifty plus years. This self-published debut collection demands attention - it’s wonderful oldfashioned story-telling yarns with a humorist’s twists.
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1. Having lapsed so long between writings, were these poems percolating in your mind through the years!" It wasn't a lapse in writing, it was a 60 year lapse in making visual art. You picked that one out - the first poem I ever wrote in my life. I put it aside and did not try to write another for six months. That one was about my mother and Muhammad Ali which I had written as a very short prose piece on his death a couple years earlier. I happened
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upon the old email and thought the story might work well as a poem. After that, more ideas came to me quickly and I wrote more than a dozen poems in a very short time.! ! 2. Reminiscing is part of a storyteller's art. How did you approach your choice of memories - some more prestigious than others?! The memories came to me more or less randomly. There were some ideas for poems that I rejected (like the time I left the emergency brake off on our family station wagon and nearly killed my three youngest brothers). The subjects are mostly everyday little incidents.!
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3. The subject matter swings from family to work functions, obviously the most important part of your life. Not too many abstractions. Intentional or conditional?! A story has to have a beginning, middle and end. Almost all the poems have the same basic structure - opening lines to set the context, a recollection of what actually happened, and then the punch line. Not much room there for abstraction. Like lies, stories are all about the telling (concrete) detail.!
Homer, the Brownings, and William Carlos Williams, but my favorite is A.E. Houseman. If Homer were here today, he would tell you that poetry was meant to be heard spoken aloud. You can read Shakespeare sitting on your couch, but he meant for you to see and hear the costumed actors reciting the lines in action on the stage. You can't really appreciate Lawrence of Arabia on an i-phone; David Lean intended it to be seen on a big screen with lots of other people in the theater. You have to hear the recordings of Dylan Thomas recite his poems in that deep profundo voice to really appreciate him. I was conscious of how my poems should sound from the start.!
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4. Your structural use of rhyme varies from poem to poem - i.e. the cadence is almost like song lyrics. Can you describe your approach once you started writing these?! I wrote the poems as emails to myself, reading them back for sound as I went along. I paid no attention to meter, rhyme scheme, or any other rules. When a line got too long for the page, I ended it with a rhyming word and went onto the next line. I frequently went to a rhyming dictionary for ideas on what word to chose to end a line. I have lots of favorite poets including
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4. At your tender age, as this is your debut book, will there hopefully be future writings? ! I don't know that I have another book in me, but I have started writing again. Want to hear my latest? Well, here it is regardless:!
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Fathers, Sons and Suits
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1. Sharkskin
My father was a sharp dressed guy,
But, always thrifty, he would buy
His apparel at a discount store on The Hill
Called Racussen's. I can picture it still.
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In my high school we were required to wear suits.
No chinos, no denim, no sneakers, no cowboy boots.
One Saturday morning, in need of a wardrobe upgrade,
My dad took me to his favorite place in the wholesale trade.
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Just a kid, I had no idea what to look for.
My dad, however, was familiar with the store
And went right to a light-grey, shiny sharkskin ensemble
And held it up for me with a lengthy preamble.
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Maybe I didn't know what I wanted, but this suit seemed all wrong.
Skinny lapels, Continental double vents in the back,
It was something you'd see on Sinatra or the rest of the Rat Pack.
"I Did it My Way" was Frank's signature song.
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But Frank's way was not mine.
Oblivious of my discomfort, dad touted the suit's best features.
I guess in a way we are all creatures
Of our parents and their ideas of what looks fine.
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We got the suit, but I hardly ever wore it.
It sat in the closet. Dad may have bought it, but I paid for it:
For years after, whenever the subject of the suit arose
I had to withstand my friends' and siblings' teasing about my taste in clothes.
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2. Electric Blue
Flash forward 7 or 8 years later, now I'm married and living in the Windy City
(That reminds me of "My Kind of Town," another famous Sinatra ditty)
Jerry, a first year University of Chicago law student, neighbor and friend
Had lined up a summer job with an elite downtown law firm - very high end.
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(Parenthetically, does anyone know why they call such law firms 'white shoe?'
Wearing white shoes seems like something no partner or associate would ever do.)
Anyway, on a weekend trip to Cincinnati, Jerry's home town.
He, his father and I went out shopping for a suit. Dress up, not down.
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Like a moth is drawn to the flame, Jerry went straight away
For a suit the salesman called "electric blue" - a garish color, his father and I would say.
If we were saying anything; we were too subtle our misgivings to voice
Instead we tried to gently steer him toward a more conservative choice.
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Minus the Western piping and bric-a-brac, the suit was the same shocking blue
As the ones Porter Wagoner wore in his duets with Dolly
But Jerry loved it, so you couldn't call it folly
Because he wore it that summer often... and looked damn good in it too.
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Postscript:
Mark Twain said clothes make the man; you don't see a lot of naked people with influence in society. He was kidding, of course, but he has a point. Clothes are one big way we outwardly present ourselves to the world. He wore a pretty mean white suit himself.
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All I wanted to do as a teen was just fit in with my peers. Sharkskin was not fitting in - unless you were running with Frank, Sammy, Peter Lawford and the rest of the Vegas group.
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That's what I loved about my friend, Jerry Randolph. He knew what he liked, did not care what others thought and so wore his suit all summer with elan and confidence. The law firm was Jenner & Block, a big Lasalle Street outfit with scores of partners and associates all dressed in stylish suits. Jerry went on to become a respected lawyer in Cincinnati. Sadly, he passed away at a too young age.
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For more info, or to acquire his book, contact: mgallagher615@gmail.com
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Here’s another signature piece, but do go to our Poetry Page to enjoy more Michael Gallagher poems. Wahoo!!
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Red Nose Mike
My grandfather could quote from Shakespeare all day long.
His favorite was Portia in the Merchant about mercy and strain.
Mine was not a speech but a very brief song.
Ariel, at the beginning of The Tempest, sings this refrain:
"Full fathom five thy father lies, of his bones are coral made.."
All those alliterative sounds and internal rhymes
Had an echoing power that would not fade
And I begged him to say it again many, many times
!His real skill, though, was in telling a story.
Tales of the revenging Molly McGuires and the great 1902 anthracite strike
Best of all, however, was the one about Red Nose Mike:
!One day at afternoon shift change, the mine
owner pulled up to the adit.
His fancy carriage bore evil news -- a pay cut all around.
The miners were immediately angry, they had had it.
Mike got so crazed, he dragged the owner to the ground,
And beat him to death with his bare hands.
Hundreds saw Mike do it, hundreds more filed the stands
As Mike was hung on Wilkes-Barre's public square.
Folk hero? Murderer? My grandfather was always fair.
He did not draw a moral, for that he was too reserved
But I think he meant that each man got exactly what he deserved.
!Aside from not being appropriate material for
the ears of a six year old,
It turns out that this bloody story, in the way my grandfather told,
Was not true. I googled " Red Nose Mike" before writing these lines
Just to get some more detail about Mike's life and times
Well, Mike was Italian (not Irish as I always thought)
He shot two guards in the back, robbed the payroll and got caught.
Mike was hung, alright, but in a lonely prison yard
And not in full view of a sympathetic crowd.
Based on a true story? Very loosely it now appears
But having carried this story with me down through all the years.
I will cast no doubt or fling aspersion
and cling to my grandfather's version.
Alternative facts. Fake news.
Like a Trump voter, I will believe only what I choose.
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Most of them were dark and gory.
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Whiskey in the Jar
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My father was a doctor, an old school GP.
Hospital in the morning, office hours in the afternoon, quick stop for some caffeine.
More office hours in the evening with house calls spread out in between.
Long day done, home at last to watch Gunsmoke on TV.
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But the day was not over. The office phone rang often in our house.
My father would always answer, only sometimes moan or grouse.
The family could only hear his side of the conversation.
He would listen closely for what seemed a long duration.
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If we heard him say it once, we heard it a hundred times or more
At the end of the patient's recitation, his frequent first question
No matter what the symptoms seemed to call for:
"Do you have any whiskey in the house?"
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Baby having trouble teething? Whiskey on the gums.
Grandma can't sleep, Give her a shot of the magic elixir that numbs.
Whiskey for whatever ails you. A teetotaler himself, never set foot in a bar,
For my father it seemed there was always whiskey in the jar.
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Postscript:
My father had thousands of patients scattered all over the Back Mountain area where we lived. Sometimes in the late afternoon, my mother would ask him to take at least some of the nine kids on his house calls to get us out from underfoot while she made dinner. So off three or four of us would go in his Chevy Impala (which my Aunt Mary won in a grocery store drawing -- the only thing I can recall ever winning) over hills and hollers, through countless townships and boroughs visiting the sick. You would think we'd have been bored stiff, but no, it was always an adventure to see how other people lived.
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His office was across the street from the house, next to the movie theater and the Dodge dealership. The restaurant where his got a cup of coffee every afternoon and held court after finishing office hours was next door to the house.
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The Irish ballad "Whiskey in the Jar" dates back to the early 1700's. There are many versions: In one it it Colonel Farrell who is robbed by the highwayman, in another his rank is Captain; in one version the outlaw's girlfriend is Molllie, in another Jenny; she betrays him to the authorities and in one version fills his pistols with water and in another merely hides them. For some reason (probably to do with the CornTax) the colonists used the song to taunt British soldiers during the Revolution. The song has been covered so many times over four centuries that there is even a heavy metal version (Metallica). "
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- Michael Gallagher
! ! *************************** ! ! Empty Threats of Extreme Violence
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I was with aloof my siblings two weeks ago and read this poem. All recalled my father's outburst but none could remember my mother's threat to rip of an arm.
Our parents were mild mannered people
They wouldn't hurt a fly or a mouse.
6PM: recorded bells coming out of the steeple
of the church in back of the house
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Meant dinner would soon be on the table
Better get home quick, wash up and take your seat
A loose leg made the table unstable
As nine kids and and two adults simultaneously cut up their meat.
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When the din at dinner once got to be more than he could abide
Our father looked up from his stew
Grabbed a knife and at the top of his lungs cried:
"Shut up or I'll run you through."
!
He never did anything such thing of course
But for a moment at least the threat of violence was effective
We all got terribly quiet; our father got terribly hoarse,
His bloody words a timely if short lived corrective
!
Our mother, when exasperated, used a different figure of speech
No yelling, no histrionics, no voice at a fever screech
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It’s All About Arts Magazine
November 2019
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When unnerved by her kids' lack of charm,
She would not slap us around or smack us on the rump.
Instead she would quietly hiss: "Cut it out, or I'll tear off your arm,
And beat you with the bloody stump."
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Postscript:
I think my father's threat was spontaneous and original (maybe he got it from watching pirate movies), but my mother's turned out to be an old expression, some say Southern in origin. If so, I can imagine that the Scotch-Irish brought to Appalachia and it moved on from there. In any case it produced the intended terror (the first fifty times it was used at least)
! ! - MIchael Gallagher ! ***************************
! Misanthropy
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I am about to embark on a new career of misanthropy
So I will ask not what I can do for my country, but what my country can do for me.
I will show malice toward all and charity toward none.
While it is doubtless true that there is nothing new under the sun.
!
I shall write such bitter verse as killed Houseman's cow.
Because I was so much younger then, I'm older than that now.
Mae West said a hard man is good to find.
So I will be a crusty old poet, mocking and unkind.
When the tough get going, the going gets tough.
What could be tougher than trying to write such awful stuff?
!
So leave the cannoli, take the gun.
Don't pet the sweaty things.
Kick the dog, give the cat some overhead swings.
Who knew that being rotten could be so much fun?
!
Donald Trump will be my example
And here is just one pitiful sample:
What could be more depraved and defiled
Than incarcerating a little motherless child?
! !
- MIchael Gallagher
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It’s All About Arts Magazine
November 2019
photo: Ms. Donna
The Local Music Corner
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- Perry Persoff
As the weather inevitably gets cooler…as conditions continue to change from T-shirts and light button tops to fleeces, layering, boots and parkas…music with a summer-y feel becomes more something to embrace. That would be one of the benefits of The Wolff Sisters. Much of their past music has a Summer-like vibe. And you will find some of that on their newly released album Queendom of Nothing. After only a couple of listens, I can tell that this is the sort of album that will grow on you more over time, revealing layers during the listening experience. Over the past two years, the Wolff Sisters seem to play out a lot. I mention that because I recently saw them for the first time. And I recommend you check out the live Wolff Sisters Band Experience. With only three releases under their belt, they played for two hours. The first set was the new album, top to bottom. You might think they probably filled in the second hour with a lot of their favorite covers. Nope. Not this band. Only two cover songs, as far as I could tell. Otherwise, great energy and communication with the audience. And what appeared obvious, great enjoyment of playing (which generally makes the audience enjoy the show more). www.TheWolffSisters.com
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************************* Music that is good for a long drive - or that feels like it takes you somewhere even if you are just sitting at home with the headphones on - has always appealed greatly to me. This is a good time of year for an album that does this, the newly released Chris Hersch & The Moonraiders CD, Space Lasso. While
Chris has added an excellent lead vocalist to the band over the last few months, this is an all-instrumental record. The first six tracks are Chris Hersch originals. The last three are covers that Chris arranged. On the website, the album is described as “an interstellar journey of Western Swing, Country Jazz, and Rock & Roll.” My version of the Space Lasso listening experience? It was like a cool trip to a roadside bar owned by Tim Burton and managed by Tom Waits, probably located near Roswell, New Mexico. >> The album goes from boisterously energetic to reflective grooves. The standout track for me is “Blues For Aria,” which Chris had been playing out live for I think close to a year. I’ve also been digging on “Minor Moon” and the peppy cover of “After You’ve Gone.” And if you are a fan of good album closers, Space Lasso lands you gently back to earth with a very nice rendition of “Polka Dots & Moonbeams.” Chris Hersch’s name is on the cover, but all the players are outstanding throughout the record. You’ll find their names listed on the website. Space Lasso is a terrific listen (especially on headphones…). www.ChrisHersch.com/the-moonraiders. ************************* Good news from Quincy’s Jesse Ahern. He’ll be in Europe this coming February. That may be nice enough. But he’ll be on tour with the Dropkick Murphys and Frank Turner. Jesse being with those two is a musical no-brainer. His newest recording is an EP is called My Truth Only. He is recording with some familiar names on this one: Jim Haggerty on bass and Chris Anzalone on drums (they work with multiple bands in the Boston area music scene), and guitar slinger Cody Nilson from Ward Hayden & The Outliers and Cody’s other band Honey Talk. Haley Thompson
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November 2019
King sings with Jesse on two songs. Jesse is heading back into the studio: watch for three new songs to come out in the winter. www.JesseAhern.com. ************************* October 13th at The Burren in Somerville saw a pretty tremendous send-off to Christian McNeill, who is planning on moving back to his native Ireland. It was a gathering of so many of the musicians he’s played and recorded with over the years. It was a gathering of some of the first people he’d met and worked with after he arrived in Boston over 20 years ago. So what was billed as “The Long Goodbye” was at times an emotional affair for the players as well as the fans. >> Things started with an acoustic set that began solo, and gradually grew. While he was still performing solo, Christian explained that he’s been having bureaucratic problems with the move. So he may be in town for a while longer. Although it wasn’t clear if he’ll be performing live in the area in the near future. What was clear was that this shouldn’t be the final goodbye. He’s working on a new album for a possible spring release and whenever that happens, he intends on coming back to Boston. >> But back to “The Long Goodbye.” So Christian began the concert solo. Then Tim Gearan joined him. Then Jimmy Ryan… Dana Colley…Duke Levine. Dennis Brennan came on for a cover of his “Government Johnny McKee” (I would guess that maybe it’s one of Christian McNeill’s favorite Dennis Brennan songs and that’s why they performed it). It occurred to me before the show even started at 7:30 that with the lineup alone, it could run until Midnight. Well before this acoustic part finished, Christian said that they were already running long. But it was quality. Nobody minded. >> The next part
of the show brought drummer Jeff Berlin and bassist Jeremy Dryden to the stage. They were the rhythm section of McNeill’s band Hybrasil. It was good to see Berlin looking and drumming so well. He’d had several strokes around 2015, and there have been a number of benefit shows for Jeff over the years. It was during the Hybrasil set that the crowd first lit up, especially during the song “Lock And Load.” >> The following set brought me back to the first time I ever encountered Christian McNeill, which was with Orchestra Morphine in Central Square, Cambridge, three weeks after Mark Sandman had died on tour with Morphine in 1999. Members of Orchestra Morphine took the stage with Morphine saxophonist Dana Colley (and Ally McGuirk on vocals). Many memories came back with those bass lines, from many of the same songs Orchestra Morphine performed that day in Central Square. There were a few songs that sounded like the end of the show, with the crowd going crazy over “Top Floor, Bottom Buzzer,” and feeling the communal buzz of “You Look Like Rain.” As the Orchestra Morphine set came to a close, it occurred to me that the Sea Monsters were on the bill but not on the show. Just then, Christian said, “don’t go away, coming up next, the Sea Monsters.” >> It was 11pm at that point. Except for three hours’ nap, I had been up since 6am - after taking an overnight flight from the west coast. My body started to send me signals that it was beginning to fade, so I headed home at that point. Word has come to me that the show finally ended at 12:30am. Thanks to all the bands and musicians for such a tremendous send-off to Christian McNeill. I wish him the best with his plans…and hopefully a return to a stage in Boston in the future.
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November 2019
Join us at the Mansion, for some outstanding upcoming events!
Writers’ Retreat Weekend
January 18 - 19, 2020
Writers Workshop with Hank and Paula as your personal mentors. This exclusive workshop will focus on honing your opening pages, strengthening your plot, polishing your writing, and pitching your work.
Valentine’s Weekend
February 15 - 16, 2020
This Valentine's you deserve a romantic evening away with the one you love. Escape the bustle of the city, in the old world charm of the MIT's Endicott House Mansion. Enjoy the culinary creations of Chef Edward Cerrato and apres dinner drinks by the fire.
Jane Austen Afternoon Tea
March 7, 2020 Celebrate your favorite author for a delightful afternoon tea at our lovely turn-of-the-century estate. Invite all your friends for a wonderful day, as "one cannot have too large a party."
Advance Registration Required: mitendicotthouse.org/themed-events
The Little Lending Art Library at Art Studio 99 in Roslindale Looking for donations of art books (especially for kids), art magazines, poetry, etc. Drop by at 99 Belgrade Ave., Roslindale or email: decoupagejan@gmail.com for pickup.
It’s All About Arts Magazine November 2019
T
ess’s November To-Do List Do Something Artful Today
Boston’s Holiday “B” Design Contest Application Deadline: December 2nd The City of Boston is launching another round of their Holiday “B” Design Contest. Last year, 11 new designs were featured from local artists. The deadline to submit designs for consideration this year is 11:59pm on Tuesday, December 2nd. Representatives from the City’s Digital Team, the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, and other City departments will review each proposal. They plan to select up to 25 new designs this year! Visit their website for more information & to access the application: https://www.boston.gov/news/celebrating-our-community-boston-b-logos Sparks for Arts: Masquerade Gala Friday, November 1st, 6:00-10:00pm Hibernian Hall, 184 Dudley Street, Roxbury, MA 02119
Madison Park Development Corporation welcomes you to a festive masquerade gala at Hibernian Hall! Don your favorite masquerade attire and enjoy dinner & small plates from local restaurants, dancing to the tune of George Russell III Band, and exciting performances by Roxbury artists. Complimentary tickets for residents of MPDC housing. Learn more and get tickets here: http://www.madison-park.org/sparks-for-arts-2019/
Do Something Artful Today Boston Art Book Fair Friday, November 8th through Sunday, November 10th Cyclorama, Boston Center For The Arts, 539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02116
Do Something Artful Today
It’s All About Arts Magazine November 2019
Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) and Bodega are teaming up again to present the third annual Boston Art Book Fair from November 8th through the 10th in BCA’s historic Cyclorama. The second largest Art Book Fair on the East Coast, this curated event will feature over 100 exhibitors, artists and publishers. The art-filled weekend includes art installations, DJs, workshops, and a chance to mingle with innovative artists and creatives of our generation.mLearn more about the schedule of events and get tickets here: https://bostonartbookfair.com/
Tess’s November To-Do List (continued) Do Something Artful Today Multiverse Concert Series: Hidden Worlds Thursday, November 14th, 7:30-9:00pm Charles Hayden Planetarium, Museum Of Science Driveway, Boston, MA 02114 Explore the unseen beauty that exists in our present world during this multimedia experience that fuses together live music, science and stunning planetarium visuals. From the fractal patterns of nature to the dance of living cells, prepare to be immersed within these hidden worlds and discover the splendors that are all around us. Fluid dynamics researcher Irmgard Bischofberger, Multiverse resident composer David Ibbett and cell biologist Alexey Veraksa will guide you on a narrated journey through the structures of life and non-life, revealing how the principles of chaos and order interact to produce the symmetry and flux of our surrounding world. Featuring original live electrosymphonic music for piano and chamber ensemble. Learn more and get tickets here: https://www.mos.org/public-events/multiverse-concert-series-hidden-worlds
The 25th Annual Dickens Festival Holiday Craft Fair Saturday, November 23rd, 10:00am-3:00pm All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 196 Elm St, Braintree, MA 02184
The Dickens Festival Holiday Craft Fair is a beloved Braintree tradition. Held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Braintree’s All Souls Church is transformed into a festive Victorian marketplace decked out for the Holiday season. The Festival is a touchstone for the holidays that offers a traditional holiday experience filled with cheer and fun. Learn more about the event on their website: https://www.allsoulsbraintreechurch.org/dickens-festival.html 35th Annual Roslindale Holiday Tree Lighting Saturday, November 30th, 3:00-5:00pm Adams Park, Roslindale, MA 02131
Join Roslindale Village Main Street, friends & neighbors for the 35th Annual Holiday Tree Lighting in Adams Park. This much-loved event always draws a crowd, featuring live musical performances, ornament-making, hot chocolate, and visits with Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Santa, who arrive on the Ladder 16 truck. The Mayor will officially light the tree, and visitors are welcome to make an ornament to decorate it! Saturday, November 30th is also Small Business Saturday. Small Business Saturday is a national campaign to help spur business for neighborhood merchants. Show your loyalty and support at the many local Roslindale shops, salons, and restaurants on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. Special events and offers are available at participating shops. Learn more on the RVMS website: www.roslindale.net
Do Something Artful Today
It’s All About Arts Magazine November 2019
ABOUT
Tess McColgan comes from a big family full of artists and has always enjoyed embracing local talent.She’s lived in many places throughout New England including York, ME and Dover, NH, and moved to Boston at age 14. In 2015 she moved to Roslindale where she found a sense of community that resonated with her. She started as the Program Manager for Roslindale Village Main Street in April 2018 and loves being a part of the volunteer-driven organization that works so hard to support local businesses and to make Roslindale Village a destination where everyone wants to eat, shop, play and collaborate. Tess’s background includes customer service, clinical research, volunteer management & recruitment and Human Resources. In her free time, she doodles and plays with acrylic paints on canvases, writes in her journal, attends yoga classes, and gets out in nature as often as possible. Photo: Bruce Spero Photography at brucespero.smugmug.com
Roslindale Village Main Street
www.roslindale.net RVMS was established in 1985 as one of the first urban Main Street Programs in the nation, with the help of then City Councilor Thomas M. Menino and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Today, Roslindale Village is a thriving commercial hub, with free public wifi in Adams Park, and a fabulous Farmers Market. And, there are now 20 Main Street Districts in the City of Boston. We are proud to have been the first one!
It’s All About Arts Magazine November 2019
It’s All About Arts Magazine November 2019
It’s All About Arts Magazine November 2019
It’s All About Arts Magazine November 2019
