The Landing (from a Facebook post from August 11, 2019)

The Landing (from a Facebook post from August 11, 2019)

When I was in high school and bored of all the grungy things that were popular at the time, I'd get all hipster dressed up, drag some friends downtown, and walk down to the Landing. I remember sitting up in the balcony thinking I was a lot cooler than I actually was, drinking coffee and listening to Jim Cullum. I think I felt like I was Holden Caufield or some character in some Jack Kerouac book (I remember I'd read Jack Kerouac's The Subterraneans that year, so this is very likely). Hopefully I wasn't too insufferable.

I'm usually reminded about all of this when I listen to the Jonathan Richman song "My Affected Accent" but today this came to me when I heard the news of Jim Cullum Jr.'s passing. Much love to his family and to all those in the city who loved him. RIP to the great Jim Cullum.