Sykes (1974)

[Music] they all yours yeah all in all I I don't like the neighborhood as it is we don't have very many good stores around here Garts is one of the finest Little Stores of course it's a meat market naturally I I think they have the best meat on the North side but they just they can't have everything because they don't have the space Mr stanberg is 372 oh I've known s for several years and he's always been a very nice customer and he's a wonderful pist Sai lives uh about a block down the street on on hon and Dickens in the senior citizens building and uh I guess ever since he's lived over there he's shopped at our Market you want about like that oh good boy thanks a lot eat while I wait oh this is good mhm that's the that's the thickness that's good one slice you yeah one slice that's for sure oh I I just barely got up Sunday I didn't not after Friday and Saturday oh boy that oh looks like I'm having a Chicago throat I came in uh Chicago October 17th 1944 and we met January the 1st 1945 I had a girlfriend who had a little two-year-old boy and I was taking care of him and uh she went to the nightclub where Sykes was working and she said oh there's a blind man over there where I went tonight and I'll bring him over to the house so she brought him over and he kept on coming over in the half a year we were married after we met if I were to sit over there in that place and just draw Social Security yeah the Social Security that my wife and I both get lot of people do that too yes they do and how they live I don't see how in the name of Common Sense they live I really don't and they just sit there they just I think they're afraid to get out well I don't see and and I said well I'm going to get out and do something well I had been working all my life anyway in uh show business and piano and in clubs and what have you and when did you work on bour street I worked there in 1939 and I worked to and I worked there in 1940 through 44 and I didn't start right away I I worked in some of these joints where you've got a buck a night and damn play get it you know dollar night you played for dollar night I sure did all you could eat or what see I was studying in the conservatory s which Conservatory was that I went to the New Orleans Conservatory it's a Lola College of Music now they joined Lola and uh it was very it was a very good Conservatory they were very F uhhuh and you picking up some money on the side and I was picking up some money on the side in the Gin Mills and boy it was a hell of a switch because it took me about a year well because of the money was in the desk 84 s okay s 84 85 five all right yeah yes sir oh you got that's good enough thank you s yeah thank you uh singer why don't you move you are intelligent that you can prove you are not stupid and you're not loky I'm without my too good eyes and I haven't really Fallen but once in this neighborhood and it was on a hole on the sidewalk and I hurt my leg it was nothing serious but it could have been serious if I hadn't uh kept my balance cuz I could have fallen on my face and there are other older people here with their two good eyes that have fallen on their face this this young lady is coming out of the store to go this far with me down the block all because the city won't fix the sidewalk we've gone to Alderman singer and he has refused to do anything about it the sidewalks here's what I wrote to godamn rough every time I use them I huff and puff I get my cane in every Groove yeah let's stop right here you see ladies and gentlemen there is that hole this is how deep it is look at it ladies and gentlemen observe what you see right here this is the hole all right we'll go along and dear thank you very much for uh for uh well listen I guess you can go back now if you want to cuz uh yeah here yeah I can take it yeah okay see you later yeah all right thank you honey I've lived on the North side all the time and to come are down here wasn't so comfortable oh yeah we put in an application and then we had to move in a hurry well it were different things uh at first you could only have so much money in the bank then after we were allowed to have what we had then it took a long time before we were on the list well you know they always found something wrong you know they they can they can do that when they want to it seems I'm just going home and home and you're going out yeah there Bessie just going out yeah yeah going out to do a little shopping well MoneyWise it's uh the rent is move there yeah the rent is a lot cheaper and some of us pay a little bit more than others it depends on if working a night or two a week you're going to play you're going to pay a little more rent I mean is that tough to pay for with just tips well yes yes it is so I had to get out and work the the couple of nights a week that I'm working and it is it is tough we'll do a sing along then a little one here it goes like this when [Music] you and a big red when you rest me was in heaven bless me what a blessing no know [Music] [Applause] everybody and if run into two covered with diamond rings and all those things life it is I know a tear would I [Music] could Heart of My Heart folks I'll be back in just a few minutes [Music] yes sir thank you very [Applause] much y we were coming along and four four boys one of them says give me that beer I said f I said we don't have any beer in our bags and they they got a hold of the bag and I held on to the bag well they could have taken it away from me I know that they could have killed me I know that they could have done anything to us but they were naturally they were a little bit afraid to try it because cars would be coming along dick someone and somebody would see it why sure oh hello how are you all of you oh so you're all here huh [Applause] well we're going to the I'm going to the butcher son I'm going now I'm a girl girl oh you what's your name Al Avita oh Al aita Alita oh Alita yeah what are you going to do Halloween are you going to uh you going to do tricks and treats or what yeah we yeah you going to do fix the tree well you know I wish that we could uh let you in our building but we can't because we don't know who's there at the door you see but we'll we'll see well you see I work at AOS on Halloween uh tomorrow night is the Halloween anyway well they have some parties tonight I guess have some I found out when I was around 11 or 12 years old that I could play a little bit I decided that maybe I would play a few concerts few programs now and then mostly then it uh it turned out [Music] h we are there we are well well thank you I see you you you have a nice Halloween I say listen don't don't you run in front of a car [Applause] now a musician really never retires he cuts down on his kns with the high prices now the way things are going we just can't get along unless I work the couple of three nights a week that I work because we just couldn't live on the Social Security I hope they can raise it enough to where we can live and then make something on the side because there are so many of the senior citizens that can work that would work if they could make a little bit on the side there are so many that are afraid to do anything that are just sitting there waiting to die and and I can't do that hi Jud so how are you very good son well let's see what number have we got today this is you want a lucky one yeah yeah yeah 21 21 huh 21 62 62 oh yeah that's 62 for