Stories
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I could smoke my cigarette and drink my coffee and meditate on the disconnect of the action of the corner and the complete serenity inside. A bit like a fish bowl but the fish were outside. On one particular visit something somewhat strange occurred. There were about 5 guys in there all alone like me, sitting at separate tables, nobody talking or even acknowledging each other. It was different this day because the radio was on and tuned to some top hits AM station. What began to occur was that the music playing was coinciding with real events.
The corner of 22nd and Mission was always very busy in the daytime. Mission Street was the main commerce corridor running from 2nd down-town, all the way out to 30th street in the outer Mission, with probably more buses than any line except for Market Street. So for instance, while the song 'A Boy Named Sue' by Johnny Cash was playing, an extremely effeminate gay guy came into view and walked by. This in a neighborhood where this was extremely rare. Made the connection but neither here nor there. Then a black guy came along, jive walking to apparently music from a portable radio, and on came 'Soul Man' by Sam and Dave. Then came 'Down on the Corner' by CCR which seemed to somewhat describe the situation. After a street preacher stopped on the corner and began gesticulating and sermonizing, handing out leaflets, the song 'Son of a Preacher Man' came on by Dusty Springfield, a song that was not even all that popular. It was becoming apparent that something extraordinary was happening.
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