New Jersey
I’ll try to rest my voice for a while.
In what I’m guessing was summer 2003 (I was a new cellphone owner, and we were at war with Iraq), my friend-since-junior-high Jeff was visiting from San Francisco. We would be meeting up later with our other friend Steve. I was greatly looking forward to the day. The only problem: I lost my voice! I […]
Could You Make It Out to Jack?
“[Random public figure] replied to my Tweet!” gushed an otherwise austere friend. Socioeconomic levels be damned—there’s a bit of starf*cker in us all. These days, the methods of choice seem to be: • the aforementioned realm of social media, and • if we actually encounter a celebrity in person, a photo—due to the fact that […]
Daniel Johnston Day
Yesterday I wore my Daniel Johnston t-shirt. No special reason; it was near the top of my t-shirt drawer. (T-shirt drawer #1, anyway. I have a lot of t-shirts.) I first learned of Daniel Johnston when I was a college DJ at Pittsburgh’s WRCT. The station had a recording of Daniel doing an impromptu over-the-phone […]
A Monday Mitzvah
Teaneck would have to wait. First there was some minor auto repair to resolve. Last night, I’d noticed a burnt-out marker-lamp on my ’91 Corolla. So this morning, armed with a replacement bulb, a Phillips screwdriver, and a little old-fashioned elbow grease, I popped the hood outside a nearby strip mall and got down to […]
Memoir I Have No Intention of Writing, Chapter 1
I’ve been astonished by the onslaught of memoirs, in general but also specifically. Why would we as a society care in the slightest about a detailed account of random people’s lives? I suppose it’s tied to the prevalent oversharing that gave birth to the blogosphere (yes, I know where I’m writing this), the realm of […]
My First Job
Many people might think that I was born at my current place of employment. The truth is, I did have a previous job at a different company for 10 long months. “I can smile about it now, but at the time it was terrible,” as Morrissey once crooned. I’d been hopelessly unemployed the summer after […]
Jersey Boys (State)
In my life, I’ve been generally well-regarded. With the distinct exception of one week in the summer of 1986. Prior to that, respect and acclaim followed me wherever I went. Mr. Skadden, my third-grade teacher at El Monte Elementary in Concord, California, dubbed me “Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy.” In fifth grade at Candlewood Elementary […]
Bard of the Turnpike
My friend said he was attending a production of Hamlet at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Sometimes the jokes write themselves. TAYLOR HAMLET by Billy Shakes • Dis ting, ovuh awl udduh tings: Be true t’ yuh’self. Capiche? • Lenduh? Borrowuh? F-ck dat, chief. • Frail? Wutt uh you, a woman? • Sumpin’ is […]
So Long, Skyway: A Christmas Memory
I was recently listening to my favorite radio show, The Glen Jones Radio Programme Featuring X.Ray Burns, when X.Ray shared some sad news: The Skyway Diner had gone out of business. My thoughts immediately went back 5 years, to December 26, 2003. I was returning from a holiday visit to some great friends in central […]
Jack Silbert, curator