One Wit Whiz

The above is order-speak for a cheese steak with fried onions and Cheese Whiz at Pat's Steaks in Philly. Below is some history about the sandwich, and places to consider if you ever go on a cheese steak crawl through the City of Brotherly Love.

The two most famous establishments are Pat's and Geno's both
located at the intersection of 9th Street, Wharton Street and Passyunk Avenue. Many locals decry these places, but this is the corner where the sandwich started, so you have to try them.

Kristin and I will go to Philadelphia on a Saturday morning, visit the Italian Market on 9th Street and be back in Fells Point by 2pm. On one such trip we got there about 9am and had not eaten yet. Pat's is open 24-hours, so we decided to have cheese steaks for breakfast.

We ordered, sat outside, the only option, and proceeded to eat. Across from us were several neighborhood gentlemen enjoying morning pastries and coffee. They discussed sports and politics with a liberal sprinkling of foul language. Out of the side door came Frank Olivieri, Sr. Frank Jr. now runs Pat's, but his father is always there. He began to lambast these guys, "Hey, I got f@#kin' customers here. Watch your f@#kin' language damn it!" He then turned to us and said, "I'm sorry for these a**holes."

We basked in the irony of his berating them while using the same obscenities. The sheepish gentlemen apologized to us and proceeded to tell us about the Italian Market, gave directions and recommended places for the best fresh pasta, olives, cheeses, etc. I thanked them, not having the heart to explain that we go to the Italian Market often. We proceeded up 9th Street relishing the glow of South Philly local color.

Pat Olivieri with 2 of the Stooges

In 1930, Pat and Harry Olivieri started a hog dog cart at 9th and Passyunk. They picked that location because it was a trolly stop just blocks from the Italian Market insuring lots of traffic. One day, getting sick of eating hot dogs, they went to a local market for some chopped steak to grill with fried onions for their lunch. A regular saw it, asked for that, and the steak sandwich was born. A couple years later an employee, who the story goes put provolone on everything, added cheese. It wasn't until the early 60s that Cheese Whiz was introduced.

As an aficionado who has lived in many places, any cheese steak from Philly beats those from anywhere else. I once had a "cheese steak" in Iowa that was sliced roast beef with Havarti, raw peppers and onions on a hamburger roll. The Hindenburg disaster comes to mind, "Oh the humanity!" Just about every Philadelphia neighborhood has its favorite cheese steak place. Here are some of mine.
 
Gooey Looies -  several blocks south and east of Pat's & Geno's, it's a small place. I usually order and eat it in the car, or drive across Delaware Avenue (now Christopher Columbus Boulevard, but always Delaware Ave to me) and sit by the waterfront. It's huge, the onions are darker giving it a toasty flavor, loaded with American cheese, where the gooey in the name comes from, and a dollar cheaper than Pat's or Geno's.

Jim's Steaks - It has won Philadelphia Magazine's best cheese steak award several times. Located on South Street in the midst of several bars and clubs, I usually have this cheese steak at 2am after several libations. Great drunk food rivaling the cheese omelet and Italian sausage at the Melrose Diner. (Diner stories for another time)

Ishkabibbles - on South Street just down from Jim's, this was the first place I experienced a chicken cheese steak. Sacrilege to some, I find it a nice break from the standard Philly sandwich. They offer a unique drink, the Gremlin, a mixture of lemonade and grape drink. Also a good "after drinking on South Street" stop.

Tony Lukes -  the original is on East Oregon Avenue, several blocks south of Gooey Looies. Tony Lukes has expanded to include places in both the Link and Citizen Bank stadiums, Wildwood NJ, and even Bahrain. Their cheese steak is good, but try the Italian roast pork sandwich. It's the best in the city!

These are my rules concerning cheese steaks:
The cheese depends on my mood. I avoid American, except for Gooie Looies, and go with either Whiz or Provolone. Sometimes I'll go to Pat's and get one with Whiz and have Kristin go to Geno's and get one with Prov. We share getting a taste of both. This can be done at Jim's & Ishkabibble's too. A cheese steak must have fried onions, nothing else, not even condiments.  If you are having a cheese steak hoagie, then raw onions are acceptable. In fact I prefer raw onions on the hoagie. For the uninitiated, the cheese steak hoagie has lettuce and tomato. On these olive oil and/or a little mayo is acceptable also.

If you go down to the shore it's a sub not a hoagie. I consider the shore anywhere from Long Beach Island to Cape May, anything above LBI is North Jersey and doesn't count. The two best places are White House Subs in Atlantic City and Sack O'Subs. Sack O' has several locations. I've only been to the ones in Ventnor and Ocean City, NJ. Both are equally good. If you visit those, ignore the cheese steak and get the cheese steak sub. As ever - BB

"If you're associated with the Philadelphia media or town, you look for negatives. I don't know if there's something about their upbringing or they have too many hoagies, or too much cream cheese." - Mike Schmidt, Philadelphia Phillies' Hall of Fame 3rd baseman.

Philadelphia Story

Not the play, nor the movie, but some musings about the town in which I was born. I love it's quirkiness and panache. Founded by Quakers, full of blue bloods, yet Philly emanates a blue collar ethos. I hope the following vignettes bring to light some of the eccentricities that I love about my birthplace.

Philadelphia embraces its museums: the Museum of Art, the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Franklin Institute, to name a few. My attraction leans to the more bizarre. 

The Mutter Museum of the College of Physicians includes a collection of over 130 skulls, sections of Albert Einstein's brain, about 1,300 wet specimens of body parts, cysts and tumors in fluid...not the place for those with weak constitutions especially after lunch.

The Mummers Museum, not to be confused with the above, celebrates Philly's tradition of mummery. Mummers have marched through the town since the mid-17th century.  The first official parade was 1901. The Comics, Fancies, Fancy Brigades and String Bands parade every New Year's Day in a noisy, cold, endless procession. Not understood by out-of-towners, which could explain why it is dear to this Philadelphian.

The Rodin Museum is one of the most comprehensive collections of the French sculptor outside of Paris. Not as off-beat as the above, I only mention it here because when I was about 10, my father took me there. I was very excited to visit a museum dedicated to the Japanese sci-fi monster, Rodan. What did I know about the artist, Auguste Rodin. Guess I wasn't much of a thinker!

Philadelphia loves public art. The Liberty Bell, Billy Penn, the
LOVE statue. Then there's the clothespin. Directly across the street from City Hall was a bar where, incidentally, my great uncle, Jim, bartended for 40 years...ah digression. The bar was demolished. In its place for America's Bicentennial, the city wanted a sculpture. The commission went to Claes Oldenburg who constructed a 45-foot steel clothespin.

The city residents were outraged; how could the administration waste money this way; it's an eyesore and an embarrassment to the city. In 1984, newly elected mayor, Wilson Goode announced he would have the clothespin removed. The city residents were outraged; how could the administration do this; it's our clothespin and we love it. The clothespin still stands at Centre Square.

Philly has over 600 murals. In 1986, the city began the Mural Arts Program to fight graffiti in a positive way. Murals exist all over town. My favorite is on the corner of 3rd and South St. There sits Jon's Bar & Grill, but in 1902, it was the house where Louis Fineberg was born. Better known as Larry Fine of the Three Stooges, the owner decided to celebrate the birth of this great comedian by putting his image on the outside wall of his bar.

The only museum about the Stooges, the Stoogeum, is close by in Ambler, PA. But since it's not in the city proper, I only mention it as an aside. At least it's not in Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls...slowly I turn, step by step, inch by inch...as ever BB

"The streets are safe in Philadelphia; it's only the people who make them unsafe." - Frank Rizzo, chief of police of Philadelphia 1967-71, mayor 1972-80





Just a few of the Philly's magnificent murals:

These Are A Few

of my favorite things.

Martin D-18

Elvis with a D-18

In the summer of 1974, I was perusing albums at the Sam Goody in the Echelon Mall in Voorhees, NJ when I spied my baby. Back in those days, Sam Goody had several levels of store. This one offered only low-end stereo and discount guitars.

The manager explained that the regional center sent him the Martin in error. It came with no paperwork and no case. Bureaucratic logic determined that since no paperwork existed sending it back would cause more problems. So among the Teiscos and Hondos, sat this Martin D-18.

Throughout that summer, whenever possible I would visit the store and play this holy grail. Either my incessant visits to play the guitar, or the manager's desire to rid himself of this albatross, caused an offer to be tendered. The guitar listed for $750. Since it had no paperwork from Martin, he quoted $400. My liquid assets combined with items taken to a local pawnshop provided the means to purchase the guitar.

Despite a Passport Scotch bottle through the soundboard in 1985, scratches, and sundry other issues, I play this baby everyday and at all my gigs. It is still my favorite guitar to play.

Jujyfruits
I cannot resist these wine gum candies. Wine gum is the confectioners term for a firm, corn starch,
gum drop like candy without a sugar coating. There are Swedish fish, gummy bears, Dots, etc., but in my eyes, they all dim in comparison to Jujyfruits.

Film Noir
I won't go into the influence of German Expressionism, or the lighting and composition that give these movies their allure. But, when I stumble upon one of those films from the 40s-50s, no matter how far along the movie is, I must watch.

Like I discovered the blues of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf through bands of the British Invasion, I discovered hard-boiled detective novels through these movies. Without them, I never would have read Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain who led me to Elmore Leonard and James Ellroy. Thanks to them, my vocabulary includes gams, gat, roscoe, yegger, gumshoe, butter & egg man, banging the gong and other colorful patois.

Baths
Nothing soothes the soul like a soak in a hot bath. No matter what situations
have caused me turmoil, be it mental or physical, a restorative bath is the answer. It cleanses both body and the soul.  As ever - BB

“Under the thinning fog the surf curled and creamed, almost without sound, like a thought trying to form itself on the edge of consciousness.” - Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep

Extra, Extra!

Before radio opened the door to instantaneous information, newspapers would produce an Extra. This special edition informed the masses about events that happened after the paper had been published, but were too important to wait until the next issue.

This extra to my blog concerns a very special event that occurred at Leadbetters Tavern, this past Saturday, January 17. Local musician and songwriter, Joe Scala, held the release party for his CD, Skin & Bones. The exceptional thing Joe did was invite several local musicians to open the show with their versions of his songs.

Those lucky enough to come out experienced a magical evening! I was honored to be included.

Leadbetters was packed. I would guess that about one-third of the audience were fellow players attending to give their support. One who just moved from Baltimore to Manhattan looked around, then turned to me and said, "This is what I miss. This place is like a musicians' clubhouse."

After such a fantastic Saturday, I felt impelled to write a brief piece thanking Joe for his generosity and complimenting him on this unique and clever idea for a CD Release Party.

Hopefully, the positive vibes generated on Saturday will keep that musician's clubhouse feeling going. As ever - BB

In place of the usual quote, I'm ending this blog with a link to Joe's website. You can purchase the CD there, and I strongly recommend it. 

 http://josephscala.com/

Vive La Difference!

I have always felt more attuned to the past. This affinity requires the legerdemain of avoiding nostalgia's deadfall. Looking back with rose-colored glasses leads to sentimentality and self-delusion. As humorist, Finley Peter Dunne said, "The past always looks better than it was. It's only pleasant because it isn't here."

Two unique characters from those thrilling days of yesteryear comprise the subject of my latest musing. Born in the ebbing of the 19th century and despite less than salubrious habits, they both lived into my lifetime.

Gambler, hustler and con man, Alvin Clarence Thomas, better known by the moniker, Titanic Thompson, spent his life making wagers, hustling golf and pool. The nickname arose after one of his bets. A by-stander asked, "Who is that guy?" The loser answered, "He's Titanic; he sinks everybody."

Natural athletic ability and extraordinary hand-eye coordination explained his skill at golf and pool. However, not all of his wagers were above board. Thompson would cheat and finagle to give himself
every advantage. My favorite one - days before he came into a town, he would move the sign giving the mileage to reach the city limits. When he got to town, he'd bet everyone he saw that the distance marker was incorrect. Of course he'd win. This would lead to more wagers and usually more losses for the locals.

The other subject is more familiar - Mae West. This dynamic female pushed the envelope of censorship, and in a era of male-domination controlled her life and career.  I first became aware of her through her movies. However, she didn't go to Hollywood until she was 40. By that time she had sang and danced on the New York stage and had written provocative, successful plays for almost 20 years.

The first play she wrote, directed and starred, was Sex. The play drew crowds, but got her arrested on vice charges. Her next play, Drag, focused on homosexuality, but the authorities closed it during rehearsals. She continued to write titillating works which thrilled audiences and upset the status quo. When asked if censorship bothered her, she laughed and said, "Not at all, it makes me money!"

On the set of her first film, Night after Night, she complained about her lines. The director let her improvise. That provided her first memorable movie quote. A hat-check girl says "Goodness what beautiful diamonds!" Mae's reponse, "Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie." George Raft, star of the movie commented that West stole that scene and everything else except the movie cameras.

She challenged discrimination on all fronts. West moved into a plush apartment building in Hollywood. Her paramour at that time was William "Gorilla" Jones, an African-American boxer. Management barred Negroes, not uncommon in the 1930s. Mae proceeded to buy the complex and remove the ban. She owned it and lived there until her death in 1980 at 87.

Some examples of Mae's prowess:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJS670okmZc

There is a shortage of true individuals like the aforementioned. Technology advances at warp speed, but uniqueness languishes. At times, I think we've transformed into a society of lemmings taking selfies of ourselves as we rush over the edge into oblivion. As ever - BB

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." ~Mark Twain

Nothing Lasts!

The original bus in the swamp at Kesey's Oregon farm

The intrepid band of Merry Pranksters left Ken Kesey's ranch at La Honda, CA on their continental trip to find a kool place on my 10th birthday, June 17, 1964.  This psychic, seismic wave triggered the tsunami which sweep across the world in the mid-to-late 60s. As Hunter Thompson said in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: "We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. . . ."

 The Pranksters realized that life is ephemeral, and the title of this musing is their motto,"Nothing Lasts!" That phrase has echoed in my head since I learned that my favorite, neighborhood dive bar, Leadbetters, had been sold. Rumors and gossip as to what will happen are rampant. Like a supernormal surfer, I will ride out this uncertain undulation accepting whatever may occur.

However, the memories and friends I have gleaned from the denizens of this den of drunkenness will never wane. I had not performed in public or almost 35 years. Leadbetters gave me the opportunity to once again tootle the masses with my ol' guitar. That in itself is incredible. More impactful is the embrace I have felt from the community of musicians this tavern attracted.

Being a musical autodidact, true players have always intimidated me. But,
 my fellow musicians at Leadbetters not only accepted and encouraged me, but corroborated in my endeavors. When Kristin added her harmonic vocals, the support was electrifying. Of course the support came with the offbeat, irreverent humor which hallmarks Leadbetters.  Once her voice was heard, others would invite her up to sing with them. Unrestrained jokes and jibes of stealing the best part of my act became de rigueur.

Eschewing auguries, what the future holds for this beloved, gritty, diamond-in-the-rough, musical oasis is uncertain. But with a certainty that seems archaic in the modern world, I affirm that while physically Leadbetters may not last, its essence is eternal. As ever - BB
"If you pour some music on whatever's wrong, it'll sure help out." - Levon Helm

Merry Christmas

My Friends I have been lax these past months. Much water has passed under the bridge, but I have thought of you often. I will begin anew with my musings and doggerel in 2015. For now, please enjoy this Walt Kelly, POGO classic. Have a very Merry Christmas and to all a good night. as ever BB

 

"But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight—

'Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!'" - Clement Clarke Moore

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46u50qJY0GM