Tag: history
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My Date at the Local Big Boy – Late 1960s
My Date at the Local Big Boy – Late 1960s Beaver Park Ball Room, cover band (The Four) playing top 40, Four Seasons, Tommy James, Wipe-out, and most were… Rode with Tiny D…, who having gotten lucky, as usual, left me to find a ride or hitch home. It was late by the time I…
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The New York Commune or Purple Haze (2 of 2)
The New York Commune or Purple Haze (2 of 2) There were, including my traveling companion and myself, five men and a varying number of women. I use the term women loosely, as most were obviously runaways between the ages of thirteen and sixteen. Though when asked, they vehemently claimed to be eighteen. There were…
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The New York Commune or Purple Haze
The New York Commune or Purple Haze (part 1 of 2) During the mid-to-late ’60s, I read a string of Hermann Hesse novels. There was Journey to the East, Siddhartha, Damien, The Glass Bead Game, Steppenwolf, and my personal favorite, Narcissus and Goldman. They struck sympathetic notes in me and affirmed my desire for a…
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Where Are You When We Need You, Lamont? 7 of 7
Where Are You When We Need You, Lamont? 7 of 7 But I’m old now, and the only thing that I, or anyone, can do to fight the growing darkness is to strike a spark, a match, a candle, a bonfire, when and wherever an opportunity presents itself. We make choices every day that either…
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Where Are You When We Need You, Lamont? 6 of 7
Where Are You When We Need You, Lamont? 6 of 7 I don’t often remember my dreams now, haven’t for many years. And my bedtime prayers went the way of Sindbad, Green Lantern, and the Shadow. My second wife went the way of the first, leaving me the best fruits of that relationship too, our…
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Where Are You When We Need You, Lamont? 5 of 7
Where Are You When We Need You, Lamont? 5 of 7 The December 9, 1980 entry in my journal reads: “John Lennon was killed last night. His death has taken the spotlight away from Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and Syria, for the time being at least. There have been several news specials about his passing, and…
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Where Are You When We Need You, Lamont? 4 of 7
Where Are You When We Need You, Lamont? 4 of 7 I spent much time alone reading, writing in my journal, or just sleeping, trying to recapture the innocence so long gone. Sometimes I’d see him in a dream, walking by a stream, conversing with a dragonfly about its long life, or the philosophical ramifications…
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Where Are You When We Need You, Lamont? 3 of 7
Where Are You When We Need You, Lamont? 3 of 7 The Ohio National Guard murdered four students at Kent State, and I snapped. I joined the marches, not because I necessarily believed in the politics of the peace movement or its organizers. I didn’t really trust their motives (old ‘cold war’ conditioning), especially the…
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Where Are You When We Need You, Lamont? 2 of 7
Where Are You When We Need You, Lamont? 2 of 7 Soon I saw Bobby Kennedy murdered by Sirhan Sirhan, and my thoughts of Beauty, Truth, and Justice started to disappear like morning dew in the heat of midday. Dr. King was Murdered next. Then I watched as students and news reporters got their heads…
CynOp 