You might need an umbrella on the moon.

lets paint this town red and light it on fire

Harmonica Tom

Tom plays harmonica all over Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA. I had the pleasure of meeting him this evening in between a couple of songs. We got to chatting about everything under the sun and after about 20 minutes it finally donned on me to interview him for this project.


Brynn: Do you mind if I ask how old you are, Tom? You don't have to tell me...
Tom: Let's just say I was on the streets in the summer of love; '69. I was doing a lot of drugs and a bit of soul searchin. I didn't know what to call myself until I read the term "hippie" in the paper. "Oh," I thought. "That's what I am." That was year the term "hippie" came to be.

B: How long have you been playing harmonica?
T: I've been playing this thing for over forty years. As I set out on a long hitchhiking odyssey, a buddy gave me one and I haven't put it down since.

B: Tell me about your travels.
T: Oh, I've hitchhiked over 40,000 miles. From Florida to New York to Colorado to California and then to Florida again, through Philadelphia. I've been to a number of festivals and met a lot of other musicians and street people.

B: What has been your favorite live musician?
T: Either Woody Guthrie, or I always loved the Rolling Stones. Saw them at Woodstock.

B: And tell me about your involvement with the homeless community.
T: For about eight years I've had an hour long spiel on an NPR carried syndicated radio station where I talked about the homeless and policies regarding the homeless. I've also hosted an informal newsgroup for the street papers of North America. There are a lot of really good ones out there.

B: What is a piece of advice you think everybody should hear?
T: Celebrate, don't dominate. Life is short, let's be kind to one another.

A bystander: Is that like, your motto?
T: No, I just made that up.

Tom is going to be giving me harmonica lessons later this week!

Everything I think

Brother Wayne

I met Wayne today at Cheapo Records, my new spot for vinyl shopping. They happen to have an abundance of fine LPs at affordable prices, as you might have guessed by the store's name. Wayne works at this shop and helped me find some good records; Peter, Paul and Mary ($4), Glenn Miller ($2), Count Basie and Duke Ellington ($4) and Bill Rays and Red Mitchell ($2). Wayne is also on the radio station WNBR. Being new to the Boston area I'm not familiar with the radio stations, but I'm excited to check it out. I was lucky enough to catch Wayne on a cigarette break outside the shop to talk to him. When reading his interview, I hope you hear his voice as one of the most enthusiastic people you've ever met, because he sure was in my book.


Brynn: How long have you been working at Cheapo Records?
Wayne: I've been working here for eight years.
B: What are some of your favorite albums in your collection?
W: There is no way I could tell you. It changes by the day, honestly. By my mood. I have thousands and thousands of records I've collected and I don't really have a favorite.
B: There isn't anything you're always in the mood for?
W: As far as a favorite style, I'm usually in the mood for funk. There are always new surprises and they're always done well.
B: If you could travel back in time to see any musician live, who would it be?
W: It wouldn't be so much of a question of who as of where. There used to be a club called the Sugar Shack right here in Boston. Everyone played there in the 70's... Parliament, Funkadelic, Kool and the Gang; everyone played there. The crowd was 80% pimps... the other people were freaks, too. A few normal people. As far as traveling back in time, I've seen almost anyone I'd have wanted to live. I do wish I had been born ten or so years earlier so I could have collected more records. For cheaper prices, too. 65-75 was the big boom for music, for good music. I was 3 years old in 75. I could have collected so many more records.

Thankful for the cab driver

Cecilia and the Birds