Rotten to the Core
Hi everybody! (Hi Dr. Nick!). I just realised that I haven't talked to you since Strummer night so I figured I should drop you a line.
Quite a few things have happened since Good Friday. D.O.A. came to the Casbah and the Steeltown Spoilers opened. A night of good music, and the Spoilers kept their mosh-pit-bully-bashing streak alive ( 3 gigs, 3 tussles). D.O.A. used to have little flyers at the door explaining their outlook on mosh pit etiquette. Punks are the outcasts of society, and yet there is always some dummy out there who wants to
stick it to us and make himself feel big by pushing other people around (excessively) in the pit. I have never tolerated this, I've been a Pit Policeman for almost 20 years now but the spring of dummies doesn't seem to dry up. I look forward to the Spoilers next gig (none scheduled at this point) as it will be Mr. Hammer's turn to take on the bullies, and he's the last one of us you'd want to cross.
I also checked out Trash Gallery last night at the Absinthe, good guys who play really loud for their hard rock fan base.
I missed the last Rebels show, heard attendance was light but a lengthy quality performance was enjoyed by those who did attend. Teenage Head played on Sataurday in (phhht!) Burlington, so I won't go.
I also went to the presentation put on by Harry Stinson at the Leander Boat Club. He is the guy who has bought the Royal Connaught and wants to build a giant glass tower next to it,
approximately 80% of the size of the CN Tower. He made some pertinent and interesting points about the city, but he is definitely nuts! Not to say he shouldn't go ahead, just you'd \have to be crazy to do it. My favourite part was when he showed some current arial shots of downtown. All the parking lots were highlighted, the statement that there is no parking downtownis a myth. All sorts of our old factories used to be downtown, they got torn down to make parking lots.
Everywhere you see a vacant lot, there used to be something very impressive there that provided hundreds of families with an income. I can't think about it too much or I'll have a nervous breakdown.
Crash!
That was another building "Falling" down. The one next to the Lister Block on King William is our latest casualty No one is willing to prove it, but I'm pretty sure the LIUNA boys knocked it down. Thanks for nothing. Next in their sights is the skinny stone building to the north of the Lister Block on James. It was built in the 1880's,
there is nothing wrong with it. But you watch, it will be the next to "Fall down". Also, if you've driven by the Lister lately you should have noticed the scaffolding that has been put up to protect the sidewalk. Protect it from what? Nothing. Just LIUNA trying to trick everyone into thinking that it's falling apart. I've been all through it,
it's made of cement. It could sit there empty for the next 50 years and not fall down. Don't buy into LIUNA's tricks. They just want to destroy our history to turn a buck. Who owns the demolition company that put up the scaffolding?
The same guy who illegaly knocked down the Dynes Tavern on the Beach Strip. Only in Hamilton.
Speaking of Demolition City, another old time drinking hole has an appointment with a wrecking ball. The Derby Tavern will be knocked down and a pharmacy will be put in it's place.
I made it to the on site auction where they were selling off a lot of the bar's contents. I didn't buy anything, but I found it sad that only one other guy was there for historical purposes. Everyone else just wanted cheap kitchen stuff.
Anyway, enjoy our old buildings while you can, because the powers that be are working against us.
Cheers!
The Hamilton Kid
ps. to Lou Molinaro, I wish I could have made it up to the 'Shwa and put in some time with you on the GM barricades.
And "Howdy" to Cal in Denver!












