Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Fuck yes, I'm from New Jersey

Every year my family would make our annual memorial day pilgrimage to "the shore" as we call it in New Jersey. My favorite shore city was definitely Asbury Park. We used to go to Palace amusements and ride the bumper cars. For a lot of reasons that I'm not going into, I got a picture of "Tillie", the smiling face on the side of the now destroyed Palace Amusements building, tattooed on my left arm. Yep there's Tillie, almost in my armpit. My left arm is almost all ink and there just wasn't any place to fit him in. I'd consider posting a picture but he's all nasty and puffy looking at the moment.

Thanks to Devil Dick for this swell song. DD is a great guy and a Jersey patriot.

I Like Jersey Best- The Phil Bernardi Band (Definitely no longer in print.)

11 comments:

Birdsong said...

Glad there's still a place somewhere near your heart for Jersey <3

Your driver said...

Long story. Let me cut it short. I just finished a ninth step. It was all about family. Jersey's been on my mind a lot lately. Of course it wasn't all bad. I never said it was. I felt a powerful need to affirm that.

Madame Pamita said...

I love that face! Its like its enforcing mirth in a slightly menacing way. I can see kids being a little freaked by it as I was by the Pep Boys sign. I had to cover my eyes when I went by it as a kid because the guy with the glasses and no eyes (Manny? Moe? Jack?) scared the shit outta me!

Your driver said...

The Pep Boys were pretty freaky. They had those giant heads with the tiny bodies. "enforcing mirth in a slightly menacing way". I like that.

@eloh said...

I'm still mulling over this armpit tattoo.....

Your driver said...

@eloh, he's not in my armpit. He's partly on the inside of my upper left arm. He's almost in my armpit. There's no armpit symbolism going on.

@eloh said...

I was thinking of the pain.

Even high on the arm, I would think it would hurt more than elsewhere... but I've never had one so what would I know.

I had my ears pierced once.... then found out I was allergic to metal.

Devil Dick said...

ur a-ok w/ me 2 sir jon!!!
and indeed i am an NJ patriot!!!Fuck yes, I'm from New Jersey TOOOOOOOO!!!

ib said...

My awareness of Asburk Park is limited to a few songs by Bruce Springsteen. Actually. It is a pretty good album, still.

Tillie is a creepy little fuck.

The Pep Boys I had to look online for. They look like Devo.

Fairgrounds are odd places. The Candyfloss and the barkers with their flat eyes. There is one astouding photograph from Coney Island with two middle-aged women with beehives and a small child trapped between them. I forget who took it, but it evokes the the smell of a fairground prfectly.

I spent a weekend or two with my grandparents on Millport, a tiny little island in the south west coast of Scotland. You can cycle right round the place in a couple of hours or less, I am told. They had a little fairground with bumpers cars; the dodgems, we call them here. I went on them one bleak Saturday night. Not only was I the only kid there, I believe I was their sole customer. I drove around in circles for the duration of my ticket, vaguely humiliated at persisting with the routine of negotiating nothing but empty space.

I can still see the lights reflected in the lenses both my grandparents wore. Like that dude in The Pep Boys.

dearkitty said...

Hi Jon, off topic, about ukuleles, see

here

(scroll to the bottom)

Your driver said...

Hi Kitty, still following your feed on Google Reader. I'm happily busier in retirement than when I was working. Thanks for stopping by.

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