This new documentary directed by Padriac Farma looks good! I have been waiting for something like this to come along.
Here’s a description from his website :
In September of 1974 the doors of South Boston High School opened to the roaring crowd of protestors and media coverage over Federal Judge Arthur Garrity’s decision that Boston had “knowingly carried out a systematic program of segregation.”
Images of Southie residents throwing rocks at school buses containing black students, and racially charged chants and protest signs gave the community a reputation as one of the most violent and racist neighborhoods in Boston. Reeling from the turmoil of Boston’s Forced Busing Crisis, Southie became even more isolated, allowing for the surge of drugs and crime in the 1980’s, teen suicides in the 1990’s, and the start of the neighborhood’s gentrification at the beginning of the 21st Century.
As Boston’s Desegregation Era approaches its 40th anniversary, Padriac Farma, a lifelong South Boston resident, details the decline of the neighborhood through three generations of his family. By sharing their experiences of attending South Boston High School, political and religious abandonment, and receiving a bevy of negative media attention, Farma’s family tells a story that is often overlooked, and rarely captured.
By highlighting the dichotomy of this community, Southie Boy takes a step back from the traditional narrative of Boston’s Busing Era, and asks, “What happens when everything isn’t black and white?”
So my buddy Jake has been chasing me for a while to create a podcast. I tried to avoid it for a while but Jake is a pretty persistent dude. So I pitched in a few bucks, we got one microphone and a mixer and now we are ready to take the world by storm. Not really, I’m not exactly “trained” in any of this like a Danny Picard for instance, which is why I was so reluctant to do it. So we get hopped on some caffeine on Saturday night and went for it. Once we started recording I actually chilled out and started to enjoy it. We kept it loose and just had convo over some music. We talked about life in general and even took a phone call from Jake’s girl…. “Karen from Brookline”. The audio is choppy because of the one mic situation….but here’s 12 minutes of our 55 we spent recording. We are totally learning this as we go and the language can be rough but we do want your opinion.
So I grew up across the street from a very proud family with roots in Nova Scotia. Not only are they proud of their roots but they are very proud Americans. Given their background in military service and service to our city I consider them to be some of the biggest Patriots in Dorchester. All of this seemed to trace back to the patriarch of the family who taught every one of his many sons how to play the pipes and instilled a fierce love of country .
So with our proximity, pipe practice became a daily occurrence in my house. I have to admit it added a lot of charm to our neighborhood. I used to hang out with one of the boys during my younger years and he let me take a shot at the practice pipe one day….complete failure I might add….not an easy instrument to play. My aunts would often stop by to hang out on the back porch with cups of coffee and listen for hours at a time. We learned all about Scottish culture from the Highland games to haggis from this family. They all seem to have this massive appreciation for Jazz, Hip Hop, Metal, Punk and even Classical music.
So I’m watching the tree lighting at the Common the other night and the they start going through the story of how Nova Scotia sends us a Christmas tree every year to say thanks for our help after the Halifax Explosion. I found it incredible that close to 100 years later they still try to say thanks. All of a sudden the Squid Percussion Group from Nova Scotia takes the stage and just blows my mind. These guys fuse their traditions with some urban American flavor….
As you can imagine, these guys made me feel like I was sitting at home at Ma’s house again. Tip of the cap to the MacMasters, you all are the essence of our neighborhood and some of Dorchester’s finest!
Also a big salute to the good folks of Nova Scotia…you are as loyal as they come!
I’m pumped to announce that Billy “Sugar” Traft will be representing Dorchester at the TD Garden on December 14th. Just like the fight at Gillette Stadium, he will be fighting on the card with Ken Casey’s boy Danny O’Conner as the main event. Should be a fun night and with tickets starting at 35 bucks it’s a great excuse to take your family! Get your seats HERE or buy them at McGreeveys, The Banshee and Peter Welch’s gym. Be sure to check back for more info!
So I’m a huge motorcycle guy….I sold my R1 a few years back but I have been eyeballing a new set of wheels ever since. I was never much of a wheelie or trick guy…. I didn’t like the idea of smashing up my bike to learn all the finer points. I was always a speed / cornering guy….and my risk was always very calculated. If it wasn’t safe…I wouldn’t do it. One of the things on my bucket list is to drive the Isle of Man on a 200 MPH bike….it’s going to cost me some dough….but I will make it happen some day.
Aside from making your toes curl, you have to appreciate the trick riders. Check out these guys bombing around Boston last summer. There was a few occasions where I thought one of them would eat pavement….
Here’s my old beast sitting in front of Walsh Park….
Why would anyone hire this dude? With a name like Boston Pizza, the owner should be wary of having P.K. on his payroll. You know this dude will end up taking a dive and suing the owner.
It’s true….even school bus operators drive like Stevie Wonder here in Boston. Check out this homeboy over in Fields Corner…
Now I will give props to the MBTA because nine times out of ten I actually feel safe being on the road with their drivers….as long as they aren’t texting. Years back I actually met a Teamster who had a badge on his truck that read “1,000,000 Miles Accident Free” and he was extremely proud of it. Most CDL holders are fairly sharp behind the wheel and take pride in being professional…because their livelihood depends on it. But, for some reason I have run into some crazy ass bus drivers around town over the years. I suppose it’s not easy dealing with a pile of screaming kids. As long as the drivers aren’t drunk, maybe I could deal with some illegal turns.
Most of us can barely remember walking out of the Hong Kong on any given night….never mind walking out with a fiance. Bostonian’s think of it more as a meat market than a place that would associated with romance. But, I suppose there is some romance with getting a draft beer for a dollar….at 5 bucks on average in the rest of the city….you know what that is right?
Of course you would have to ignore the mother from Charlestown doing the worm across the dance floor that hasn’t had a night out in 2 years. Or the drunk dude stuck on replay doing the same dance all night. Regardless, we genuinely seem to love it’s high cheese factor.
Maybe it’s the 12000 milligrams of MSG in the rice, the nose burning mustard, or the 93 octane scorpion bowls, the Hong Kong seems to be the spot to get engaged. Not sure if this has been good for business with those who hate the concept of marriage, but it seems to be a niche all their own. Personally, I wouldn’t consider proposing over a Pu Pu Platter the most Don Juan maneuver in the world…but hey…to each his own.
Check out Bill taking the plunge over the weekend.