Well, Bowie probably mentions it because Lou did, and I'm sure Tom Waits' Coney Island Baby is a hommage of sorts too, as well as a latter day Jersey Girl (who he also takes to the carnival, on all the rides).
I'm guessing it's the teenage mixed emotions of the fairgrounds; a longing for the pure innocence of childhood rides there and the new and exciting possibility of making out. And it's a refuge from the mundane/hard life in the city too.
Van's Coney Island is Irish, not the New York one, but that's also a romantic resort, and clearly his ideal of the simple life, especially with the beautiful I'm Tired Joey Boy following it on the record.
Random Thoughts
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King Hoarse
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selfmademug
Call me a sappy New-Yorker-wanna-be, but Coney Island is a pretty powerful and fascinating place in its way. Standing on Coney Island it's easy to feel you're on the eastern-most point of the continent (although you're far from it) and the amusement park(s) and boardwalk were built right there on that edge by hordes of immigrants, almost as if yearning to their homelands was part of the leisure experience.
KH-- I think Bowie mentions it because he has lived in New York for quite a long time (25 yrs at least??) and so it's a piece of received wisdom.
KH-- I think Bowie mentions it because he has lived in New York for quite a long time (25 yrs at least??) and so it's a piece of received wisdom.
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Otis Westinghouse
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It's been in quite a few films, so I have a sense of the place. Had no idea there was an Irish CI (and haven't heard Van's song for some 18 years). So obviously Irish folk named it in NY. It's always maade me think of rabbits, from Spanish 'conejo', so it's nice to see this connection confirmed:
Coney Island, is not an island as most people think, but is actually a group of cottages which are just off the winding road between Ardglass and Killough. Its name is derived from the gaelic 'coinin': a rabbit, and originated from the fact that rabbits abounded in the sandhills. Originally the cottages were occupied by inshore fishermen, who sheltered behind the pier enclosing Killough harbour. The fishermen are gone now, and their cottages are refurbished and occupied during the summer months by visitors. It is an area were peace and tranquility reigns. The surroundings are magnificent, with the Green Road and Bella's Tower to the north, the coastguard house and St. John's Point lighthouse to the south, and the blue outlines of the Mourne Mountains on the skylines.
Coney Island, is not an island as most people think, but is actually a group of cottages which are just off the winding road between Ardglass and Killough. Its name is derived from the gaelic 'coinin': a rabbit, and originated from the fact that rabbits abounded in the sandhills. Originally the cottages were occupied by inshore fishermen, who sheltered behind the pier enclosing Killough harbour. The fishermen are gone now, and their cottages are refurbished and occupied during the summer months by visitors. It is an area were peace and tranquility reigns. The surroundings are magnificent, with the Green Road and Bella's Tower to the north, the coastguard house and St. John's Point lighthouse to the south, and the blue outlines of the Mourne Mountains on the skylines.
There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more
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Extreme Honey
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Who Shot Sam?
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Then of course there is beat poet Ferlinghettis bestselling book of poems A Coney Island Of The Mind - from 1958 - which in turn gets its title from Henry Miller's "Into the Night Life."
echos myron like a siren
with endurance like the liberty bell
and he tells you of the dreamers
but he's cracked up like the road
and he'd like to lift us up, but we're a very heavy load
with endurance like the liberty bell
and he tells you of the dreamers
but he's cracked up like the road
and he'd like to lift us up, but we're a very heavy load
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selfmademug
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Otis Westinghouse
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I had some great Russian/Jewish food in Brighton Beach (next to Coney) one time....
http://www.forwardtoyesterday.com -- Where "hopelessly dated" is a compliment!
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Mr. Average
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Hiring Managers at companes always say they are looking for 'good communicators/critical thinkers'. But they continue to bypass the 'unsafe' choice, which is often the novel thinkers who can communicate. They write that they want someone who is different, who can lead, then proceed to write a position description that is so tight that unless you are straight-down-the-line aligned with the description you don't have a freakin' chance. Can't even get to the table.
And they wonder why outsourcing continues to rob everything that is even remotely consider commoditized. The creativity that is safe from outsourcing is found in all of the people that are left uninterviewed and unhired, left like fragments of film on the cutting room floor....some of the best snuppets are cut to fit the formula.
And they wonder why outsourcing continues to rob everything that is even remotely consider commoditized. The creativity that is safe from outsourcing is found in all of the people that are left uninterviewed and unhired, left like fragments of film on the cutting room floor....some of the best snuppets are cut to fit the formula.
"The smarter mysteries are hidden in the light" - Jean Giono (1895-1970)
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selfmademug
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miss buenos aires
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I got offered a sketchy outsourced headhunting job last night. The guy actually said, "Are you money-motivated?" and I answered, "Actually, no." He went on to say, "Well, I gotta be frank with you, my people make beaucoup bucks." I asked him for a business card and...he was fresh out. But he wrote his cell phone number down for me. I feel like a Bangalorean.
In other news, I am certified to do something useful!
In other news, I am certified to do something useful!
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selfmademug
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selfmademug
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selfmademug
Yesterday I told a guy I'd gone out with twice that I didn't want to see him again, which was very hard for me, cause it just seems a brutal thing to have to say to someone. But I knew no way was it going to go anywhere.
So last night he sends me this looooong email saying he totally understands, and that it's all fine, better for him too, just the way it goes with dating sometimes, etc., and he thanks me for my honesty ad nauseum, and wishes me well. Then a few hours later he sends another saying I am going to need him as a friend down the line-- he just knows, he says-- and asks would I be his friend. I answer no, I don't think that's realistic, because I hadn't been seeking another friend, and I thank him for his kindness and generosity, and I wish him well.
And this morning I got the nastiest, most graphically personal and vituperative set of words I've ever received. Obviously just sour grapes, and good riddance, but crap it was cruel stuff-- no one wants a middle-aged full-of-herself bag like you, etc. It's the always the self-styled hyper-honest ones who are the most full of shit.
I've received meaner romantic words in my nearly 44 years but still it's amazing how badly someone you barely know can hurt you (or maybe just me) if they want to.
Sorry, this is more random venting than random thought...
So last night he sends me this looooong email saying he totally understands, and that it's all fine, better for him too, just the way it goes with dating sometimes, etc., and he thanks me for my honesty ad nauseum, and wishes me well. Then a few hours later he sends another saying I am going to need him as a friend down the line-- he just knows, he says-- and asks would I be his friend. I answer no, I don't think that's realistic, because I hadn't been seeking another friend, and I thank him for his kindness and generosity, and I wish him well.
And this morning I got the nastiest, most graphically personal and vituperative set of words I've ever received. Obviously just sour grapes, and good riddance, but crap it was cruel stuff-- no one wants a middle-aged full-of-herself bag like you, etc. It's the always the self-styled hyper-honest ones who are the most full of shit.
I've received meaner romantic words in my nearly 44 years but still it's amazing how badly someone you barely know can hurt you (or maybe just me) if they want to.
Sorry, this is more random venting than random thought...
Last edited by selfmademug on Sun Oct 30, 2005 9:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Who Shot Sam?
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Well it certainly sounds like you were right to call it quits. Peel back the mask and you can see some ugly things...selfmademug wrote:Yesterday I told a guy I'd gone out with twice that I didn't want to see him again, which was very hard for me, cause it just seems a brutal thing to have to say to someone. But I knew no way was it going to go anywhere.
So last night he sends me this looooong email saying he totally understands, and that it's all fine, better for him too, just the way it goes with dating sometimes, etc., and he thanks me for my honesty ad nauseum, and wishes me well. Then a few hours later he sends another saying I am going to need him as a friend down the line-- he just knows, he says-- and asks would I be his friend. I answer no, I don't think that's realistic, because I hadn't been seeking another friend, and I thank him for his kindness and generosity, and I wish him well.
And this morning I got the nastiest, most graphically personal and vituperative set of words I've ever received. Obviously just sour grapes, but crap it was mean. It's the always the hyper-honest ones who are the most full of shit.
I've received meaner romantic words in my nearly 44 years but still it's amazing how badly someone you barely know can hurt you (or maybe just me) if they want to.
Sorry, this is more random venting than random thought...
Mother, Moose-Hunter, Maverick
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spooky girlfriend
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selfmademug
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Extreme Honey
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Some men are just assholes and the only thing they want is sex, and if they can't have it they won't care about you at all (and no, I'm not speaking from experience). Anyway Mug, although we've had our "Differences", I really hope this quack gets a kick in the ass one day.
Preacher was a talkin' there's a sermon he gave,
He said every man's conscience is vile and depraved,
You cannot depend on it to be your guide
When it's you who must keep it satisfied
He said every man's conscience is vile and depraved,
You cannot depend on it to be your guide
When it's you who must keep it satisfied
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Who Shot Sam?
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selfmademug
ExTom, thank you, and props too, cause that's more gracious a thing than I would've said.
Well from the time I've spent round that area, you live in one of the most beautiful places on earth, not merely the Northeast, so that must take a bit of the sting out; nonetheless it is a lot of motherfucking leaves. They fall and fall and fall and fucking fall some more. So if you ever get to your wits' end, I recommend moving to a city with decent parks. I took this would-be artsy picture about 2 hours ago from the park that's across the street:Who Shot Sam? wrote:I love the autumn colors in the Northeast, but I hate cleaning up all the foliage. Just finished raking the front and back yards - massive piles of lives, waist-high. Man, is my back gonna be sore tomorrow!