Living in Manhattan in the Seventies I used to wander into Manny's (I played
guitar in my high school band "The Shags" out on Long Island) and was all too
familiar how Manny's was not just a "guitar store" and there was certainly an
understood accepted behavior when you entered that store.
You did not ask to try out a guitar and start jamming on some riff you could
slog through as kids do today in music store. Not happening there.
So as I quietly moved about the store marveling at some of the used beauties I
could not afford, and then I was shocked, and I mean shocked to hear some
horrible guitar playing coming from the back of the store. First off, the amp
had to be pegged at 8 or 9 because it was just so loud, but the "guitarist" was
doing some power-like chording which made absolutely no sense. I look around the
room for some sales guy to pounce on whoever was responsible for this noise, but
no one made a move. In fact, they just did not seem to hear anything!
I move towards the back, towards the source behind a row of amps. I see someone
kneeling down, guitar in hand, head almost pressed to the Fender Twin Reverb
which was blasting this "music". I move in a bit more and see.......Patti Smith,
dressed all in black, pounding on the guitar. I just shook my head and pass out
the door as my ears were really beginning to hurt. As I push through the front
door, I pass two sales guys from the store sharing a cigarette and overhear one
say to the other, "Any time she's in here, I'm out here." The other guy just
nodded.
David Hughes
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