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Writer's pictureThomas Tittmann
Jul 29, 20237 min read

A.J. & Kilroy was here...there...and everywhere...

Updated: Aug 27, 2023

Posted 8/27/23


Snapped this "handiwork"...underground art...on the dock before a recent tai chi session with some friends at Hempstead Lake State Park.


Immediately, I thought of A.J. at Witches Brew Coffee House in West Hempstead. Besides being a Superb BrewMeister, this "youngster" is my SME: Subject Matter Expert on all things related to a certain band we both dig...He's also introducing me to Phishing...



This past week, Smokey the Conservative Conservationist Park Ranger Bear erased the former art work that graced this railing... : ((((



GONE...But not forgotten...There's hope...


This next message appears on a light pole by Witches Brew. I always liked it's defiant message...BUT, after "A.J." was erased, I'm seeing the message in a new way...


"Social media will outlive underground art"



No matter how it "a piers"...this social media post is keepin' the A.J. vibe ALIVE!


Teach a man to PHISH


A.J. has been encouraging this ol' "friend of Jerry" (me) to take up Phishing - Yeah, you read it right.



It's not that I'm a FUN-LESS-damentalist and ONLY follow the Dead (Hmm...OR, are they following ME???). In my youth, I enjoyed NRPS - New Riders of the Purple Sage. In case you "have two good eyes but still don't see" - I did NOT type "Purple HAZE." "Jimi crack corn and I don't care..."


The New Riders would open for the Dead in cool places like the Manhattan Center Ballroom on 34th Street in NYC.


One "deep and dark December" (i.e., winter) My friends and I were on 34th Street waiting to get admitted (I know what you're thinking...You're mistaken, Bellevue Hospital in on the East Side). As we waited for the doors to open, the heavens broke out into a thunder and lightning display complete with cold rain and snow. One of our fellow Deadheads exclaimed,


"WOW! Their light show even works OUTSIDE!"


One of the HIGHlights of these NRPS/GD events was the seamless transition from NRPS to DEAD. One-by-one, the Riders sloooooowly turned and left the stage and were replaced by the walking Dead. In our "state of heightened awareness," we thought it was pure magic...


And, to support my case that I don't follow any other jam bands, I also really dig LI's premier Dead cover crew: Half Step - see post link at the end.


All this to my credit...I never waded into the Phish waters...As I said above, I'll be listening to this "new" band and "dewing" a post to share my catches...That said, because I have so many draft posts pending, I'll drop a few lines here in this post's waters...



Door-to-Door for Jerry (Jerryovah Witnesses)



A Public Service Announcement: Not like other bears...


Borrowing the vibe from "Scarlet Begonias" I press on...


OKAY, I guess ol' Smokey at Hempstead Lake's got to play his tune straight and narrow...BUT, some Madison Avenue Madmen (admen) he found a way to still have some fun:




Now, on the other hand there are these other bears...






Bear sighting in West Hempstead


Today (8/20/23) as I was returned from a "Come to Jesus" event in Malverne (post to follow), I spotted this bright sign advertising a lemonade stand and garage sale...So, because I enjoy meeting and helping young entrepreneurs, I wandered in.


The mint lemonade was terrific. The adult homeowner invited me in to look around. As we chit-chatted, I learned that he was from Egypt. This figures into what happened next. I spot this cool tie-dyed bear and it was love at first sight. I showed him and nearby family members, that I had to have Beanie the Bear because of a certain band I follow...OR, follows me???


To illustrate this, I show them by dancing bears mask on my belt clip. And pointed to the Grateful Dad bear on my tee. Not sure they got my point...so, I figured there was no point in telling them about Egypt '78 and the Dead's "trip" to the Great Pyramids.




Introduction to Phishing


First...a sign from heaven via Anderson Windows...Every so often when I open a specific kitchen window...this image appears on our driveway...See "further" down this post for takin' off the limitations imposed by a SPECIFIC window...



Some days it comes complete with halo...aura...energy field...



It resembles one of the symbols on my wedding band...Eileen's has two different signs on hers. See, she's also "not like other girls..." I'm blessed!!!



FYI - That's a Half Step poster in the background.


And this next is a Phish poster...or at least their logo...Looks like it belongs in "Yellow Submarine"...More art follows...



Intro: Phish's music blends elements of a wide variety of genres[4] including funk, reggae, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, folk, country, jazz, blues, bluegrass, electronic music, and pop.[2][5] The band is part of a movement of improvisational rock groups, inspired by the format of the Grateful Dead's live performances and colloquially known as "jam bands", that gained considerable popularity as touring concert acts in the 1990s.[6][7] Phish has developed a large and dedicated following by word of mouth, the exchange of live recordings, and selling over 8 million albums and DVDs in the United States.[8]








They regularly give back...Here's a current example:




[from article] "The rock band will play two shows at the Broadview Stage at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY, where 100% of proceeds from shows and merchandise will go to the WaterWheel Foundation’s 2023 Flood Recovery Fund."


Phish Music


--All song links in this article worked except one...so, I've included it below:





The words and the setting reminded me of several rock classics...









"Look out of ANY window..."


This next find (Bruce Hornsby - way down below) is why I love my job - the DISCovery of new ideas, new music, new ways of SEEING...




On my way to find a specific Grateful Dead tune about "look out of any window"...I uncovered this wonder-filled tune. As I watched the singer tell his tale, I thought that I had seen Bruce playing Dead...See, I'm still discovering this band from my youth...




I meant to say, "Playing with the Dead"... To hell with those naysayers who say:



Bruce's song that follows - "Look Out Any Window" - is both a tribute to the men and women who work with their hands to feed us AND a wake up call to all of us about the destruction of this Earth that nourishes us...


...ANY window...









"Box of Rain" - another with "look out of any window..."


"Box of Rain" is a song by the Grateful Dead, from their 1970 album American Beauty. The song was composed by bassist Phil Lesh and lyricist Robert Hunter, and sung by Lesh. In later years, the song was a favorite and the crowd would shout "Let Phil sing!" to hear the song.[1]


"Box of Rain" is a song that is drawn from American folk and country musical roots. This is true of many Grateful Dead tunes, and most of the songs on American Beauty and their other 1970 release Workingman's Dead. As the first song on American Beauty, it was also the first Grateful Dead song released on record to feature Phil Lesh as the lead vocalist.[2][3]

The song also featured two musicians who are not in the band. Dave Torbert played bass, while Lesh played acoustic guitar. David Nelson (of New Riders of the Purple Sage) plays the lead guitar with a Fender Telecaster, while Jerry Garcia plays the piano. Bob Weir sings harmony with Lesh and Garcia.


Source: Wikipedia (more links in article)


Enjoy the playfulness of the band...





"There’s nothing like an old truck to start off a video, especially if you’re reaching back in time to begin with. Last year I recorded “Box of Rain” along with ten other favorites and called the collection Early Morning Rain. If you like this version of the Grateful Dead classic, you’ll like the mood of my album. Supposedly composer Phil Lesh wrote the melody to express the loss of his father. This was the first song he ever wrote!


Honoring our Dead...Living and Dead...




This next video clip and this scene followed the above induction video in my search results...It shows that they're still clowning around like their Merry Pranksters roots...




Look who's in the audience:




This came up in some search results so I had to find a place for it. This is pretty close to how my brother Mike's '61 surf van looked. My '65 was GREEN...like the ocean...



Who was Kilroy that was mentioned at the beginning of this trip?






For FURTHUR exploration...








This next clip highlights part of my youth...my VW Bus...hanging out with other "bozos on the bus...and more. Rightfully so, this is a "Grate" example of rolling Americana street art...






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