Tonight, I'll be heading to the Towne Crier Cafe in Beacon, NY to see
and listen to a friend of my grandfather's.
The great rocker, Garland Jeffreys will be doing a show
and I'll get the chance to introduce him to my daughter, Angelina.
Things are still happening and the circle is still widening….
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Exactly 55 years ago, Israel Goodman Young was involved in sparing and downright
restoring free speech in Washington Square.
A good friend, Mitch B -the Hypnotist Collector- feels that April 9, 1961
deserves much more attention than has thus far been devoted to it.
NYC Parks Commissioner Morris ordered the NYPD to
halt music being played in Washington Square on Sundays.
It was clearly not a welcome ordinance.
Izzy Young was the man most pointed to as their 'leader' to voice their opinion to the police.
In the end, it was Izzy who sued the City and WON.
Free assembly and drum circles were saved!!
Izzy can be heard saying:
"Commissioner Morris is trying to say that Folk Music
brings degenerates and bad people.
IT'S NOT SO!"
WATCH FOR YOURSELF
Filmed April 9, 1961
by Dan Drasdin
Look for Izzy Young's mother marching
and Happy Traum being harassed by police
ELSEWHERE
That very day, Bob Dylan was nervously rehearsing for his first professional gig.
He was about to open a week of shows for the Country Bluesman
Earlier that week, on April 5th, Zimmy and Mike Porco
went to the local 802 Musicians' Union hall to
file a contract.
Mike signed as Dylan's legal guardian since Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerman were in
Hibbing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And exactly 40 years ago,
released himself from this world.
His words and music live on beyond anything
his friends or family could have envisioned.
Well respected by his peers, he was called ''one of the greatest
poets who ever lived'' by Neil Young.
Released today
on the 40th anniversary of Phil's passing:
In the words of the keeper of Phil's flame, the man who released this exceptional recording
Dave Peller:
This recording took place Christmas Eve 1975 at my apartment in Soho that I shared with Larry “Ratso” Sloman and Phil when he felt like it. Phil picked up a guitar and started to sing and I decided to record it. For the time being it seemed that Phil’s psychotic episodes during the dog days of the summer of ’75 had reached a zenith at Gerde’s in October and with Che, and Phil had now moved to a different and calmer place on the bipolar spectrum. He had not been drinking and had been writing obsessively. He was planning an album that would be an unflinching narrative of his psychosis over the past year and had at least ten songs in various states. Five of those songs are represented here. The working title for the album was Duel In The Sun. Soon after the New Year Phil started to come around less until he eventually moved in with his sister Sonny in Far Rockaway. We would talk on the phone but I would never see him again.
This is dedicated to Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin and Mike Porco; three of the best friends Phil ever had and to Sonny Ochs for keeping Phil’s music alive all these years.