Oh, snow. Every once in a while B'ham gets some decent snow. To the right of the frame is the apartment: CE3 (Aka, the Basement, Aka The fly-house--because there's graffiti of a small house fly on the wall across the alley, Aka Stef's apartment). And further up, there's Film is Truth, where I spent too much money and time renting "hard to find" foreign and domestic films...and where I first discovered the lovely Mumblecore films, and became obsessed. They also have an amazing selection of Iranian films. From 11:30am to 12:30am, we could hear the footsteps of FIT employees and customers (quite a pain when recording anything with audio). After a while, we got used to it. Though, they'd constantly complain that we were too loud (if we were singing or playing music too loud) or if the store smelled like Weed. (I was never a part of this, but Chad and the boys never learned their lesson. They smoked Weed and played music/movies too loud all the time, and eventually, they got a notice or two from the landlord and FiT.I first went to that apartment when I became friends with Stef after working with her on Nate and Natalie and then she started singing with The Braille Tapes. Anyway, before I moved in with Chad (it was supposed to be with David Woods, but that is another story for another time...sorry Dave). But when I think of B'ham I think of two "homes." One being the original Coat Exchange on the corner of Indian and Ellis. If you've ever lived or been to B'ham, you've passed it. Two being the CE3. I had poetry readings there, shot some films, had parties, and a couple records were recorded there (Plus many other things). The Keaton boys moved from Southern California and all (but Bill) moved in. I used to get paranoid. I was never on the lease, and once, the maintenance guy, Richard, found me sleeping in the closet (my room), and freaked out. I pretended to be asleep, and Stef had to call him and tell him to watch out for her friend who's visiting and is sleeping in the closet. He said, "I thought you had got some dude fucked up on psychedelics and locked him in there to trip." No, Stef said, "That's just Josh." So, when I moved out and in with Emily it was like I was never there, legally, and my friend Tamara who wasn't living there, and never did, put her name on the lease, and then the Keaton boys moved up. I'm glad I moved out. I would've been a panicky-mess. While I was living there, I'd walk home the back way, double check for Richard or anyone's truck. I don't think I would've survived the paranoia with all the boys leaving shit around the house that screaming, "HEY THERE ARE AT LEAST FIVE OF US LIVING HERE! AND NO ONE NAMED TAMARA." When I'd say things to Chad, he'd just say, "It's not a problem" or "You worry too much." Then they started getting notices. But I'd go over there and they'd still be playing music loud and smoking Weed in the kitchen (which was basically right below the office upstairs." I was surprised they never got evicted. When we lived there with Stef, she was clean. I'm not a clean person (ask my wife), but living with here, I tried extra hard to be clean, while Chad got messier and messier. Stef was gone a lot on vacations or on tour with Idiot Pilot (or other bands), and Chad seemed to think that it was OK to be messy as long as she wasn't home, though I'd always end up cleaning it.
Now, someone else lives there. Chad and the boys moved out and into Bill's place. They had been practicing there for a while. The cops had come out for their midnight practices to tell them to shut up. The funny thing is that right across the street is the Wild Buffalo, where concerts go till 1ish. So, when I lived there, we never had any problems. Though, I guess we weren't as loud, nor did we play as long. It feels weird to think that two other dudes are there, living where a big part of my life had taken place (same goes with the Coat Exchange--I think hippies live there), and that they're probably using my old closet-room as a closet. The apartment, though a basement level was huge! HUGE. And a perfect location, minutes from the Horseshoe, steps from Film is Truth ( got a job offer there right after I started at Bramble Berry...God that would've been awesome!), a block from Old Town Cafe, and a couple blocks from the Bus Station.
We were downtown! And rent was CHEAP.
Anyway, I better get to writing my endnotes for class today. I got a lot to say. Later Gs,
Joshua
6 comments:
I am always shocked when I drive down Ellis and find that 1218 is not only occupied by new residents, but they have furniture! I lived there with four buddies when I as 20/21, and the place was mostly empty except for our bedroom furniture, a table, a TV and a shitty couch. These people have plants and lamps and books and it looks semi-respectable. We lived with rats and mold and a terrifying basement--the wall had collapsed years ago and decades of residents threw their trash back there. We found crumpled up newspapers from the seventies. We set up a shooting gallery in that basement with empty beer bottles and my friend's BB gun, and we always had to wear safety goggles because the BBs would ricochet off the concrete and come back at you. Ah, nostalgic Bellingham.
You people are ghetto. My "college house" had a hot tub. (No joke).
Fuck you, Chelsea! (Imagine me saying this with Matt's voice)
-Joshua
No need to open the old can of worms you hinted on in the second paragraph. All has come to pass.
Yeah, I know all has come to pass...I don't see it as a can of worms, so much as a bump in the whole thing. It is weird to think about, though. I'm trying to find pics our old haunts, but I can't find any.
Agreed. Wrong metaphor on my part. I don't know about pictures either. There must be some floating around somewhere in someone's collection.
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