MALDEN MUSINGS: Random winter thoughts

Author: Peter Levine
Click here to view original web page at www.wickedlocal.com
940110 MA_MO_levine4ds.jpg
940110 MA_MO_levine4ds.jpg

 

    · Apologies to Donut Villa and their all star lineup (John, Maria, and Dawn) for calling them Dandy Donuts in my last column (AND for calling them Dandy Donuts on a recent appearance on Ronny Cox's award winning cable TV show "Live On Tape").

    · As of this writing I am not exactly sure WHAT the "City Messenger" does, but yours truly is Malden's newest "City Messenger."

    · Walter's shoes will be IMPOSSIBLE to fill though.

   ·  I am reluctant to admit I HAVE watched an episode of Duck Dynasty, my first and probably last.

   ·  Santa Claus was extra nice to Christian Joseph Falzarano, an amazing morning with an amazing three year old.

   ·  Congratulations go out to Cathy MacMullin and the Malden Teen Enrichment Center's first anniversary.

  ·   I get a kick out of seeing the "Pearl Street Cafe" in big bold letters on Rte 1 right before The Border Cafe!

    · Always a treat to stop at Kupel's Bakery on Harvard Street in Brookline, LOVE their bagels!

   ·  Club Adriatic on Eastern Ave - what IS this place?

    · Again, very sad to hear that the beloved and cherished anchor of Malden Square closed up shop due to the competition from gigantic, "mom & pop" mass retailers killers in the area.

    · I am hoping that the rumors I hear about the restaurant looking at the old vacant bank building on the corner of Pleasant and Middlesex Street are true.

    · I never heard of Anne Nagel, but she was from Malden and she was a successful "B" movie actress in the 1940s.

    · Is there a nicer guy in the city of Malden than Director of Operations at M.A.T.V. - Mr "Around The Rim" himself, Terlonzo Amos?

    · I ran into local legend "Mac" Singleton doing some last minute shopping on Christmas eve day at Walgreens - he looks great!

    · Thank you Hsiu-yin Lee for bringing Mandarin Malden to Malden, we wish you the best of luck!

    · So long to Greg Lucey and Judi Bucci, they WILL be missed!

    · "Leshana tova tekatev v'techatem" -  May you be blessed with a good year!

 

 · Malden Musings wants to thank that wonderful Katherine Clark supporter who stood in front of Stop & Shop on election night in the frigid cold gathering signatures and urging folks to get to the polls and vote. Although it was 20 degrees out (but felt colder) and the race against her opponent was a forgone conclusion at that point, this woman showed me that old fashioned loyalty and commitment isn't something of the past. Thank you.

 

    · Apologies to Donut Villa and their all star lineup (John, Maria, and Dawn) for calling them Dandy Donuts in my last column (AND for calling them Dandy Donuts on a recent appearance on Ronny Cox's award winning cable TV show "Live On Tape").

    · As of this writing I am not exactly sure WHAT the "City Messenger" does, but yours truly is Malden's newest "City Messenger."

    · Walter's shoes will be IMPOSSIBLE to fill though.

   ·  I am reluctant to admit I HAVE watched an episode of Duck Dynasty, my first and probably last.

   ·  Santa Claus was extra nice to Christian Joseph Falzarano, an amazing morning with an amazing three year old.

   ·  Congratulations go out to Cathy MacMullin and the Malden Teen Enrichment Center's first anniversary.

  ·   I get a kick out of seeing the "Pearl Street Cafe" in big bold letters on Rte 1 right before The Border Cafe!

    · Always a treat to stop at Kupel's Bakery on Harvard Street in Brookline, LOVE their bagels!

   ·  Club Adriatic on Eastern Ave - what IS this place?

    · Again, very sad to hear that the beloved and cherished anchor of Malden Square closed up shop due to the competition from gigantic, "mom & pop" mass retailers killers in the area.

    · I am hoping that the rumors I hear about the restaurant looking at the old vacant bank building on the corner of Pleasant and Middlesex Street are true.

    · I never heard of Anne Nagel, but she was from Malden and she was a successful "B" movie actress in the 1940s.

    · Is there a nicer guy in the city of Malden than Director of Operations at M.A.T.V. - Mr "Around The Rim" himself, Terlonzo Amos?

    · I ran into local legend "Mac" Singleton doing some last minute shopping on Christmas eve day at Walgreens - he looks great!

    · Thank you Hsiu-yin Lee for bringing Mandarin Malden to Malden, we wish you the best of luck!

    · So long to Greg Lucey and Judi Bucci, they WILL be missed!

    · "Leshana tova tekatev v'techatem" -  May you be blessed with a good year!

 

 · Malden Musings wants to thank that wonderful Katherine Clark supporter who stood in front of Stop & Shop on election night in the frigid cold gathering signatures and urging folks to get to the polls and vote. Although it was 20 degrees out (but felt colder) and the race against her opponent was a forgone conclusion at that point, this woman showed me that old fashioned loyalty and commitment isn't something of the past. Thank you.

 · Best Sparks memory: 1972 - 9th grade year at Beebe Jr High - buying a pair of  red "elephant" bell bottom pants with orange pockets on sale downstairs!

· The top 200 basketball player list continues - here is the next 50: Tony Jesi, Donny “Gipper” Nally, Vinny "The Wizard" Pagliccia, Mary Ann Smith, Timmy Carey, Jimmy Mirley, Cliff Williams, Joey Hult, Joe Hachey, Rodney Marshall, Paul Finn, Joey “Pez” Pesaturo, Mike D’Orlando, Jeff Carroll, Hank O’Brien, Ann & Colleen McBride, Susan Cicarelli, Bruce Knight, Gary Dawson, Joe Bouly, Bobby Willis, Vance Ferratusco, Billy Murray, Steve Nelson, Tommy Stein, Dane Sparrow, Mike Byrne, Billy Coleman, Larry Green, Phil Scibelli, Terry Coleman, Cathy MacMullin, Tommy O’Brien, Peter Placowicz, Paul Coleman, Bobby Foley, Freddy Cowans, Leslie Hume, Eddie Wilcox, Mike Cirino, Paul “Stats” Stathopolous, Larry White, Paul Miller, Dave Angelo, Howie Rodenheiser, Kevin Trodden, Billy & Frankie Curley, George McKay.

 ·  Malden High School Class of 1983's Chris Parcellin hopes to release his first film "Boys From Nowhere: The Story of Boston's Garage Punk Uprising" sometime this winter.

Chris documents the punk scene in Boston during its glory days with interviews of key players, new, and archival film. For those of us who came of age during this period, and who witnessed this "scene" firsthand, the film will be a must see.

Like Chris and his brothers, my friends and I would also travel into all those great clubs back in the late 70s into the 80s. The Channel to see a dynamic triple bill like The Neighborhoods, The Outlets, and Boys Life. Cantones to see Human Sexual Response. The Rat to see the Prime Movers, Lou Miami, Willie "Loco" Alexander, The Atlantics, Suede Cowboys, La Peste, and the hundreds of others lost in a Miller High Life haze.

       Congrats and good luck Chris.

 ·  Malden Musings remembers the man who brought us "The Beast That Ate Pleasant Street" former Mayor Walter J Kelliher. A brilliant man (M.I.T. and Northeastern U Law School) who was behind the urban renewal push in Malden (which certainly is his legacy) the former chief executive nonetheless made the epic miscalculation of relocating City Hall in the middle of Pleasant Street. His decision eventually created a downtown where the sidewalks rolled in at about 5:30 and made Malden Square the home of the dollar store.

· Malden Observer Editor Nathan Lamb and I were recently discussing the state of “pop music” in 2013. We both agreed that today’s music lacks that certain something special. We both wondered where the Van Morrisons, Bob Dylans, and Jackson Brownes have gone.

       A couple of weeks ago I contrasted the year in music of 2013 to 1968:  I came to the conclusion - 2013 “YOU are NO 1968”!

Who would have thought that I would even yearn for the early 1990s which, at the time, I thought was a vast musical wasteland? But I recently uncovered some notes I had taken in 1991 of concerts that I had attended that year, a “Top 10” so to speak. I was pleasantly surprised when I re-read the list that 1991 wasn’t so bad after all, live music wise at least. Here is that list:

1.       The Replacements – Feb 22 - The Orpheum

2.       The Lemonheads with the Blake Babies – Mar 15 – The Channel

3.       The Outlets – Mar 2nd – the Rat

4.       Special Beat with Burning Spear – July 28th – Great Woods

5.       Public Enemy with Sisters of Mercy – July 20 – Great Woods

6.       The Dan Reed Network – Aug 13 – The Paradise

7.       The Pogues – Sept 28 – The Orpheum

8.       The Special Beat – Sept 14th – The Channel

9.       Johnny Cash – Oct 9 – Topsfield Fair

10.   Harry Connick – Nov 9 – The Wang

 ·  In 1969 the Boston Red Sox published this awesome guidebook for their players titled “A Primer in Public Relations for Professional Baseball Players”. It is chock full of all kinds of advice - some good, some silly, some still relevant today, some not so much such as the quaint “period” passage about “Personal Appearance.”

It starts off explaining that in “this era of mod clothes, mod haircuts, long sideburns, beards, etc., this becomes a much more controversial area than it formerly was.”

Then we get to what would be TOTALLY irrelevant to our hirsute 2013 World Champs: “Simply said, the Red Sox issue no direct edict about the length of sideburns, length of hair, the wearing of Nehru jackets and beads, etc., other than to insist that all players stay within the bounds of neatness. Exceedingly long hair simply won’t fit under a baseball cap and makes the player and the club look ridiculous. No member of the Red Sox has worn a beard, since the early 1900s. In fact, no one in baseball wears a beard. Enough said.”

Here's hoping the Sox remain hairy for the 2014 season!

·  I received a wonderful email recently from Laurie Macdonald, daughter of our late beloved congressman "Torby" Macdonald. With all the talk of filling vacated political seats Laurie just wanted to put this past political season into historical perspective.

Laurie remarked: "As for the “history”, for the record, my father was President Kennedy’s roommate at Harvard, and life-long close friend. They both joined the navy, and both were PT Boat captains in WW II. My father was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart for his wartime actions. He was an usher at Jack’s wedding and an honorary pallbearer at the funeral. In fact, my father had been with Jack in Palm Beach the weekend before the assassination. President Kennedy was also my older brother’s godfather.  “Jack” and “Torby”  both died far too young; the President in 1963 and my father in 1976 at age 58, after serving 21 years in Congress. It was his death that created the vacancy that now-Senator Ed Markey filled."

    Thank you Laurie.

· Count me in as a big Will Middlebrooks fan. I am officially rooting for this young man to show the Sox he is their everyday third baseman in 2014, after I read recently that he will be working out with Malden’s Mike Boyle all winter in an attempt to get himself into the best possible shape to win that job! Let’s go Will!

· Rest in peace to Edwin Shuman 3rd - Vietnam War hero spent time in Hanoi Hilton.

 ·  "New Year's Day... now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." - Mark Twain

 

Peter is a long-time Malden resident and a regular contributor to the Malden Observer he can be reached at PeteL39@aol.com for comments, compliments, complaints, or criticisms.

 

 

940110 MA_MO_levine4ds.jpg
940110 MA_MO_levine4ds.jpg

 

    · Apologies to Donut Villa and their all star lineup (John, Maria, and Dawn) for calling them Dandy Donuts in my last column (AND for calling them Dandy Donuts on a recent appearance on Ronny Cox's award winning cable TV show "Live On Tape").

    · As of this writing I am not exactly sure WHAT the "City Messenger" does, but yours truly is Malden's newest "City Messenger."

    · Walter's shoes will be IMPOSSIBLE to fill though.

   ·  I am reluctant to admit I HAVE watched an episode of Duck Dynasty, my first and probably last.

   ·  Santa Claus was extra nice to Christian Joseph Falzarano, an amazing morning with an amazing three year old.

   ·  Congratulations go out to Cathy MacMullin and the Malden Teen Enrichment Center's first anniversary.

  ·   I get a kick out of seeing the "Pearl Street Cafe" in big bold letters on Rte 1 right before The Border Cafe!

    · Always a treat to stop at Kupel's Bakery on Harvard Street in Brookline, LOVE their bagels!

   ·  Club Adriatic on Eastern Ave - what IS this place?

    · Again, very sad to hear that the beloved and cherished anchor of Malden Square closed up shop due to the competition from gigantic, "mom & pop" mass retailers killers in the area.

    · I am hoping that the rumors I hear about the restaurant looking at the old vacant bank building on the corner of Pleasant and Middlesex Street are true.

    · I never heard of Anne Nagel, but she was from Malden and she was a successful "B" movie actress in the 1940s.

    · Is there a nicer guy in the city of Malden than Director of Operations at M.A.T.V. - Mr "Around The Rim" himself, Terlonzo Amos?

    · I ran into local legend "Mac" Singleton doing some last minute shopping on Christmas eve day at Walgreens - he looks great!

    · Thank you Hsiu-yin Lee for bringing Mandarin Malden to Malden, we wish you the best of luck!

    · So long to Greg Lucey and Judi Bucci, they WILL be missed!

    · "Leshana tova tekatev v'techatem" -  May you be blessed with a good year!

 

 · Malden Musings wants to thank that wonderful Katherine Clark supporter who stood in front of Stop & Shop on election night in the frigid cold gathering signatures and urging folks to get to the polls and vote. Although it was 20 degrees out (but felt colder) and the race against her opponent was a forgone conclusion at that point, this woman showed me that old fashioned loyalty and commitment isn't something of the past. Thank you.