Studs Terkel's Chicago by Studs Terkel

Author:Studs Terkel [Terkel, Studs]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, United States, State & Local, Midwest (IA; IL; IN; KS; MI; MN; MO; ND; NE; OH; SD; WI), Photography, Subjects & Themes, Regional, Social Science, Sociology, Urban, Travel, Midwest, East North Central (IL; IN; MI; OH; WI)
ISBN: 9781595587930
Google: yYs4AAAAQBAJ
Publisher: New Press, The
Published: 2017-05-02T00:27:53+00:00

The Picasso. A young Maryknoll nun softly murmurs, “It’s just beautiful. I can’t explain it. It’s airborne. And so graceful. Astonishing.” Amazing Grace, perhaps?

On the bench, the wizened old-timer has some difficulty with my question, as I shout in his ear. My mike dangles, hopefully. What do you think of this statue, sir?

“Heh, heh.” This one really cackles. “I’ll bet you I’m the oldest person here. I was ninety just last week.”

Congratulations.

“Yep. Do you know, I delivered Western Union messages on roller skates. Lake Street, just down there.”

Terrific. I’m shouting, What do you think of that statue?

“Heh. You know what they’d pay for that?”

For what?

“A telegraph boy. It wouldn’t buy a pack of chewngum today. Oh, yeah, them were the days. Yep.”

That’s by a famous artist, Pablo Picasso.

“Yeahhh.” He breathes, with some effort. “How come it’s crowded today? I used to have this bench all to myself. Y’know?”

Yeah, I know. Well, that’s how it goes.

Somebody in the crowd motions me toward a blonde of indeterminate years who appears to be lecturing to a group near the statue. She’s a cross between Sophie Tucker and Zsa Zsa Gabor.

“Watcha got there, dahlink? Your lunch?”

My Uher tape recorder does bear a vague resemblance to an old-time lunch bucket.

“Dahlink, I’m in show business, too.”

What do you think of it? I point at the Picasso. She follows my finger.

“You know vat I told the people here?”

Vat?

“I said, Vere’s the American flag? I don’t see no flag. I said it just like that; nobody told me. See, up there, there’s a flag now. Salute the flag, everybody.”

She salutes.

Two men standing toward the rear back off slightly as I approach. “We work for the city,” one says.

What’s your opinion?

“Could be worse. Could be Hoagy Carmichael or somep’n.”

Stokely C had been raising some sort of fuss in town a week or so before.

The other says, “You want my opinion? If it’s good enough for Maredaley, it’s good enough for me.”

A few years later, I asked Annie. Or was it Bertha? Call her a bag lady, if you’re so inclined. She was seen on more than one occasion near the masterwork.

Holding up pretty well, isn’t it?

“Oh, yeah. It’s great to snuggle under at night. When it ain’t too cold.”

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