Carl Stokes, We Hardly Knew You

October 3rd, 2011 by Mau Lanese

I know this site is supposed to hip people as to what’s happening in town, but seeing as how I’ve been the only contributor in say six months, this has become my personal blog about my life here in Cuyahoga county. With that, I’ll reminisce some more about the things I loved most about this time of year in Cleveland. These are the things I miss most from my twenties:

1. The Ghoul- The local late night horror movie host heir apparent after Ghoulardi left town. He was on channel 55 during most of my twenties. He’d make personal appearances( especially around Halloween) at local bars and sci fi convos. The show has been gone for years now and the appearances have pretty much dried up except for the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Fall just isn’t the same without him.

2. Kick Out The Jams- This was the thirty year old college radio show airing on WJCU( John Carroll) on Saturday mornings. It featured nothing but guitars. Hard rock, metal, psychedelic hippie rock, garage rock and foreign heavy guitar music. It was a Saturday tradition to either lay in bed hungover from Friday, cruise around running errands, cruise around on my old dry cleaning route, or just doing household chores while Mitch Capka logged in four hours of painstakingly handpicked mindblowing broadcasting. He did it for free. For thirty some years. Purely because he loved the music. He went off the air sometime last year, and Saturdays just haven’t been the same without him.

3. The Memphis Drive In Movie Theater- Most of my friends are probably sick of hearing me moan about this place. I might have even mentioned it on here sometime. It was located in the heart of the west side at Tiedeman and Memphis. Three screens of unadulterated summer/ fall cinema sensation. Now the only drive ins left are out in the boonies at least forty minutes away. Back then we lived on the east side. After every movie there was the twenty minute drive home past our beautiful nightime skyline. Now I see it weekly coming home from Lake County on Sunday nights. But those nights at the Memphis were a great tradition. I’ve lambasted the local card company that ultimately spelled the end of this family and freak friendly love fest all over the internet, so I’ll refrain from mentioning them. But you should be ashamed of yourselves for depriving the core city dwellers of a proud institution.

4. Old Cleveland bands reuniting at the Beachland. During the 2000′s, we saw the greatest frequency of this activity. Sure we get maybe one or two a year now, but back then it seemed like every other week a long forgotten Cleveland legend dusted off their amps and got together to delight their old fans. Damnation of Adam Blessing, Glass Harp, the Choir, the Raspberries, the James Gang and Tiny Alice were some of the greats I had the pleasure of seeing. Some still play the Hessler Street Fair or the odd bar here and there. And yes they are that much older now, so playing out would be a hassle. Just glad I was there at the time.

5. The National Record Collector’s convention at the Rock Hall- It was only around for a handful of years, but was always the highlight of my summer. It usually took place around my birthday in late July and featured dealers from all over the country. Parking by the hall was even scarcer than it is now for free concerts. The place was jam packed with memorabilia, collector nerds(myself the biggest) and regular rock hall patrons who were drawn into the vinyl swapping frenzy. I don’t even go to the hall much anymore. That show was a guaranteed visit. Both days(Saturday and Sunday)! We still have the long running local record convo in Fairview Park, but that one downtown was ten times as fun.

Other things I miss are the plethora of shopping on Madison in Lakewood(where I now reside), efforts to resuscitate Euclid Beach Park, Assholier than Thou on WCSB(the best talk radio show ever), better variety of music venues(Agora, Jigsaw, etc), the old Majic 105 FM(the djs and music were so comforting, not like satellite oldies radio), and yes, even LeBron. It seemed like when that narcissist maniac was flying above the rim in Cavs colors, that everything would be alright. We had a champion. Now everything feels more abandoned and broken than ever. Just my opinion.

What do we really have going for us now? The foodie scene is taking off, people are coming back home from more expensive locales, and our medical community is thriving. That means little to a low rent such as myself. I hate to sound like a Debbie Downer, or even a Mopey Moses(Cleveland reference),but my twenties were the funnest this city will ever be for me.

Category: Miscellaneous
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