The Dicks were over now. I was happy to be out of a band for a while. Lynn and i were already talking about a new band with no 'kind of music'...or rather 'any kind of music' but for a while we wanted to just do nothing with band. however, the sweetness of having a house to live in came with the problen of paying rent. Phillip, rightfully had got a little sick of supporting my ass.
I head from Hilary that a night time runaway shelter was looking for taff members. Diamond Youth Shelter--a collective of diverse people dedicated to providing a safe place to sleep. A warm meal. as few rules s possible. and no judging due to color, sexuality, all the stuff a runaway shelter should be. Hilay worked at a sister shelter --Larkin Street Drop in center. Lots of x-hippies and punks and odd balls worked there....queers and sdykes and ananchist and people who wanted to help kids not fuck with them. I had never even thought of tht kind of work. a councilor..? Everyone told me to go for it. Not having a job and one being put in front of my face just made sence to at least apply. I knew a few of the people whi worked there. One of Hlary's best friend's Stacey. I met her a few times through Hil. She was a great woman. pretty much raised herself on the streets of Ney York City...Tom Alder, who had help start the anarchist book collective --bound Together. One of the guys from Crucifix worked there, too..but was leaving. the rest of the 20 or so staff members held hiring meetings to interview the job applicant. i was a bit nervous as i strolled into the old church building on Central Street....acros the paanhandle from the Haight. I lived just down the street so that was a plus right off. it was a rather odd group of collective menbers. Stacey and Tom were friendly and introduced me to the staff. A tall woman named Stephanie was the one doing mot of the talking at first. he was a beautiful person. pertty face and long hair in a braid. she poke with a kin voice telling me about th helter and what it ment to work there. I, had stuk with my long super bleached totally dead hair, no facial hair, pretty fat, tan pants and a big hite and blue hirt. meaning i had dresed up! everyone started asking questions. what if..type questions. having been in a touring punk rock band for years i had a pretty good way of dealing with all kinds of people.....all kinds of people on all kinds of drugs and all kinds of problems. the last question was 'will you to commit to working here at least a year?" of cours i said yes...not even thinking i would really work a second past when i wanted to leave. Later i saw what an important obligation that was. so they told me they would call me the next day to let me know if i got the job or not.
i left and thought about what it would be like working there. It was financed by Catholic Chairities, but the collective had a representative to go between the shelter and the CC.runaway kids. i had had some big fights with my parents in my years at home, but reunning aay had never been something i took to heart. there was a real feeling of all the people who had interviewed me as being really good people. the place, being an old church, was funky as could be. where had been the auditorium was now the sleeping quaters for the kids. half for the girls and half for the boys. the offices and eating area were now the hang out place and eating tables. and a mall kitchen. funky.
it was with in a few hours i got the call asking if i wanted the job--if i did they wanted to ask me to join the collective. my first thought was "oh, fuck...a job". then i was Ye and was told to come the next night around 8. i would be doing a 9--12 shift. two over night people and one 9--1 were the working set up for the staff. you never really knew how many kids might show up. My friend Stacey, who was one of the people being replaced since she was going back to her home in NYC was on duty that night...this was a good thing. She had been a street kid herself in NY and had been a real success story. she ran away but got her life in order and found safe places to stay...even group homes and places where she could get her education and not be a victim but an example. of course, everyone ain't stacey but it tought her how to work with other kids in situations close to her own. i got there right at 8 and the two folks were already getting food ready for the night. a huge salad, bread, tons of salad dressing, cooking and tea and a giant home made spaghetti. it looked great. i saw every type of kid that night. the seasoned 17 y/o who scamed and sold drugs to get by...just using the shelter to sleep....more that a few boys and gils who hung out on Polk St selling their bodies to men and using the money for dugs or a hotel room for the night that all the kids pilled up n in. clean scared looking 15 y/o girl who had been abused by her dad....on and on....after the kids ate taff member pulled a kid aside one on one to check in and find out what had gone on that day....it was a real trip. usually a clitent made a connection with one of the staff members and thats who they would talk to although everybody did every thing. one boy about 16 or so picked me out as an easy target to fuck with. he pulled out a knife and tarted playing with it and looking at me."i don't think you're supposed to have that", i told him, but a little uptight i showed a bit of fear of him..."yeah, who'll take it away?" he said to me in a real smart ass voice. From behind him Stacey reached over and said," i'm going to take it away...you know damn well no weapons and stop trying to scare gary...he's a punk rock singer" and walked off. he looked at me and i stared at him and started to laugh..."what and ass hole thing to do on my first night...you gonna cut off my fucking head next?" lucky, he laughed too...."a punk rock singer..." he asked. that sort of saved me and we hit it off the rest of the night....he was a sort of leader of a group of the hussler kids...girls and boys. a real sweet, but hard street wise boy. he was cute so he made more money and was famous for making enough to rent a room and let everyone stay there and part all night. he had been kicked out of his house by parents who had so many of their own problems his leaving hardly touched them at all. i ended up working at the helter for three years. i learned more on this job than i ever learned in school or on the road or anywhere. thi boy died a year or so later of aids. lots of the kids i met and worked with and got close to died of aids and durg overdoses or just never came back.
during this time Lynn and i were looking for another guitar and bass to form another band. She called me one night and said the famous and well known Ginger Coyote -- the local singer and fanzine owner...singer of White Trash Debutnts had called her to say she knew a great guitaist for our band. Ben Cohen. He played with Polkaside and with Ginger in different projects now and then. Lynn had called him and shure enough he was interreted in getting to gether and seeing how it might work out. It did work out. iwe met up at old capp Street Studios and played for hours. No bass yet but we loved his playing and he seemed to be having fun, although sometimes that was a bit hard to figure out. we set another get together up and made a commitment to try and find a bass player to come jam (although i hae that word) with us.
i wanted to get his going. Ben had a stule of playing that somehow had rock and a sort of ragged blues combined. i loved it and wanted band . I thought Brown Beach was a great name. they both gave me real non approving looks. whatever.