Kiddie days in Evanston

Around ages seven and eight, I lived in Evanston, a small pretty town just north of Chicago. My parents had been divorced for several years. I would visit my father weekends. I was in day care Friday nights, and then Dad would come pick me up and take me to his place in the city. My dad's neighbor was a promoter for a radio station.....so he got several copies of records "Not For Sale."There were two entrances to his apartment.....I think it was 830 Hinman Ave in Chicago anyone feeling sentimental? I have nightmares about this apartment. So....off the digression. No, back to it.

So....good news!?!?!? Always welcome.

Hinman Ave is Evanston.....it's been a while. That was my old apartment with my mother. I did a Google search for it....and got the letter A and Lucky Platter. That's got to be a good sign, right? Julia Cameron wrote that she doesn't believe in luck, that that's passive. She believes in synchronicity. Good enough. Lucky or synchronicity.....in getting food tonight? Potatoes, rosemary, B vitamins, spinach. Lentils. Bay leaves. Orange juice. Peirogis how do you spell that? Healing food.






OH yes. I'm digressing again. Hinman Ave is where I first lived in Evanston when I moved with my mother from Columbus, Ohio. That place was creepy too. Our superintendent was from Yugoslavia and was there with his wife and daughter. She was only five and spoke fluent English and Yugoslavian. Her name was Bozy. She was my first friend, I think, moving there.

Starting school, we could walk ourselves home, and we all did. I did go home alone sometimes. I used to see......near the Evanshire Pharmacy, which served as a kind of retirement home among other things.....I was just entering life and they were on their way out......anyhow, this guy, an older man......with one eye. I don't think he wore a patch or anything, his skin was sewn up. I see him and I suppose where you unconsciously expect to see two eyes there .....I felt this sudden shock in my stomach and some kind of .......I knew I shouldn't stare and that of course this wasn't his fault. But I'd feel a slight fear that I would see him. It was......a little ghostly....Main Street.



Anyway.


Dad's place had two entrances: one in front and one in back. WHen he drove we'd enter through the back....and there was a kind of pantry that led to the main hallway and the other rooms. In there was a box of records. On each one was a sign or sticker saying, "Promotional Copy: Not for Sale."

Among these were.......I don't know what happened to these albums, I don't think they were released or at least didn't really hit the mainstream. One of these records....was mostly yellow and purple. The artist was Rodney Crowell. I think it was sometime in the summer that I found this one......I think I got kind of a sick feeling in my stomach, like mild nausea. I put the record on. The first song was called "Stars on the Water." I think I remember this really crazy stifling heat, dust on the windows, and this sort of dingy part of town Dad was in......a brown rug. ANd feeling like I was falling into some kind of ........

ANd I didn't know if anyone had heard this song or what happened to this singer...who I guess is well known I don't keep up with country music.

I played this record for my friend Cherish. We would do "talent show" s this is a little embarassing...... but all the time. THat and swimming.

which we did, my friends and I. This must have been a foreshadowing of the future.....to Talent Show at Bo Po Club.





Who did I listen to ? All those punk/new wave people, the more popular ones. I guess I hadn't heard of XRay spex but I did know naturally Pat Benetar, Blondie, the Missing Persons, Kim Wilde.....oh and J Geils Band. I did really worship these people....still do!

There was a film called "Roadie" or something like that, and he got the record for that. This one song by Pat Benetar "You Better Run" I listened to.....made a tape and skit out of that.....

I was obsessed with this album by Kim Wilde......I think I've listened to this around a million times. It's brilliant and beyond, I think. I really do.