Thu 15 Nov 2007
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- Thursday, Nov 15th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
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Content copyrighted Will Raymond
Will, thanks for sharing your memories of Joe. We linked to both your posts at Remembering Joe Herzenberg – http://joeherzenberg.blogspot.com – where more recollections about Joe’s life are posted, including photos, audio interviews, and video clips.
When my father first started commuting to Chapel Hill in 1971, he took me to lunch at Hector’s, Breadman’s and Sutton’s. On these walks down exotic Franklin Street of the 1970′s, we witnessed an amazing street culture that simply is no longer there. The Hari Krishnas still sing occasionally, but reduced in numbers. The Court of King Nyle has passed into history (the last time I saw Sandy, Countess of Carrboro, he was decked out in cowboy leather in a Raliegh cowboy bar). The flower ladies have mostly retired; only one remains. Now even Squeaky’s hot dog cart is gone.
Joe and his floppy hat were really only a small part of the picture. My own father was famous for his plaid bow tie and sportcoat combination (apparently fashionable among undergrads at Dartmouth in the late 1930′s). Please remember that at that time the streets were crowded with chromed finned cars in technicolor combonations not seen in recent years. Signs tended to be bigger and flashier with bright colors and flashing lights.
Today’s street scenes are far tamer, and very beige by comparison. The same may be said for today’s people, unfortunately. There are no more regional accents, having all been smoothed over by constant television exposure. Today’s youth are conforming more rigidly to peer expectations than previous generations, and modern technology allows those peer expectations to be more rigidly inforced than ever before. Big Brother IS watching, and all his Facebook friends know instantly your transgressions.
Characters like Joe are becoming rarer for all these reasons. We definitely need the next generation of characters to step forward. Remind me to stop wearing my shoes on Franklin Street. And do your part – grow your beard longer, or wear a cape or something. Maybe I’ll wear my tail out.