First, I had a dream last night, that I was walking down the rubble-strewn corridor of an old hotel that was vacant and seemingly under renovation. Down the end of the long hall, there was one room still in it's original condition; plush with dark wood, warm lighting and bookcases. There was a dark haired older woman in there who said she had lived there for forty years. That's when I was awakened by the big lightning storm that blew through here last night. Big boomers! One strike was literally within yards of the house.
As I laid there with the storm going, I was haunted by the dream. Then it occurred to me that, long ago and for a brief time, my band House of Joy actually rehearsed at the Buckminster . Yes, Hotel Buckminster, the famous vintage hotel in Kenmore Square with the Pizzeria Uno on the ground level. Who knew that rock bands used to rehearse there? I mean, I had nearly forgotten it.
This must have been '89? '90? I DO think there were people living there on the upper floors. There was literally plaster rubble all over the place. You'd walk in and there was a front desk with a guy at it, take the crappy elevator or stairs up to, I'm pretty sure it was the second floor we played on. There were several bands playing in the old rooms up there. In fact, 'BCN DJ Shred's band was in the room next door to ours. They were kinda cow-punk, as I recall. Anyway, our room was on the Brookline Ave side, just about 10 feet above the street, and our window looked out across the pike at the lights of Fenway. It was summer and hot. Between songs we could often hear the cheering crowd coming from the old ball yard. Because there was a constant flow of people parading up and down the sidewalk below our window, and it was too hot to close the window, now and then a couple people would actually stop and listen to us from out there. We'd wrap up a song, and there'd be impromptu clapping from the street below.
Good times at the old Flop-House Fuckminster.
Obviously the "Bucky" was restored and polished back to glory, and it still stands today, offering elegant and pricey accomodations to visitors to Bean-town. (And I guarantee you there are no bands practicing there anymore, and likely never will be again).
"Hello?....No! For the hundredth time, this is NOT the HOUSE OF CHOY!" Glammy Times on a rooftop, HOJ, circa 1990.
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