"Angels"
... we have heard on high....
I first met Scott Alger when he lived at the Hotel Maplewood,
a three-flat in Humboldt Park
where I rented the top floor (and roof. )
He had his own floor too.
(His brother owned the building- but that's another story.)
(Humboldt Park urchins in front of the"Hotel Maplewood" (circa 1986)
I thought I was pretty good with kids but Scott was like the pied-friggin-piper.
He took in whole families. Black, white, Puerto Rican, didn't matter. He practically adopted them. He took care of them, fed them, housed them, befriended them, made them laugh, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera ....
...and he still does to this day.
Last week I paid Scott a visit at his beach house. We hadn't seen each other for a couple of years and he gave me a cd of songs. I popped it in the cd player for the ride home.
"Song 4" on the disc hit the air and I sort of heard it.. and repeated it. I played it again,
and again...
"Holy (expletive), I thought, this is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard."
The sights along the road with the horizontal December sun setting along the streets of Joliet, Illinois provided a suitable backdrop.
A school bus in front of me, some geese, an empty lane, a few dozen traffic signals, the semi-bleak visuals, the solitude.... so simple and serene....recorded in high def...
... just the same as the first time I heard it myself ...
...became video and memory.
I called Scott to find out the name of the song and give him my complements. He said that he wrote it about 24 years ago and that I am one of the few who has actually heard it! He gave me free reign to distribute it for him and I didn't even steal the copyright...
so here it is...
after 24 years ...aging like vintage wine.
A school bus in front of me, some geese, an empty lane, a few dozen traffic signals, the semi-bleak visuals, the solitude.... so simple and serene....recorded in high def...
... just the same as the first time I heard it myself ...
...became video and memory.
I called Scott to find out the name of the song and give him my complements. He said that he wrote it about 24 years ago and that I am one of the few who has actually heard it! He gave me free reign to distribute it for him and I didn't even steal the copyright...
so here it is...
after 24 years ...aging like vintage wine.
"Angels" is dedicated to those who died in Connecticut
but really was written for any child who you love and protect.
Thanks Scott.
but really was written for any child who you love and protect.
Thanks Scott.
Joe Pumpkin
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