who shot bill mann?

lp and i grabbed a slice at ray's. and headed to midway for a beer and a friend's show. only to find that our friend wasn't among the evening's artists after all. or was he? as he got up on stage, he introduced himself . . . by another name. lp and i could only exchange inquisitive glances. and conspiracy theories.

leaving midway, lp suggested a cup of coffee. strolling from the alphabets toward the east village, we were prepared for a short walk. only to find that many local coffee shops had been closed. another twist in our evening's events. amidst all of this strangeness, lp warned that he may rip his clothes off and begin barking at the moon. i could only respond that it would seem fitting given the evening. and his history of being such a captivating companion. always dynamic and magnetic. this is something i figured out long ago.

but we found a place. for a little pick me up. and grabbed a table outside. lp walked our lattes to the sidewalk. and we settled in for good conversation and good people watching. and we didn't wait long for either.

soon after cozying up to our drinks, tony walked up. a small, talkative black man with a very small radio that was no more than 6 inches long. he interrupted us saying, "this next song goes out to you two." and - as if on cue - marvin gaye's "mercy, mercy me" began crooning from the unimposing radio as tony carefully perched it on our table. gently adjusting the antenna.

lp and i were instantly engaged. and before we knew it, tony, lp, and i were huddled together around the radio singing along. snapping our fingers. our bodies swaying to the music. . .

". . . ooh, mercy mercy me. . . oh, things ain't what they used to be . . . nooo, no . . . "

lp offered tony a dollar to leave the radio with us until the end of the song. tony bargained that the slice of pizza he'd been eying would cost $2. so i pitched in the second. introductions followed. shaking hands as he reminisced about seeing marvin gaye. and curtis mayfield. and smokey robinson and the miracles. and all the rest of those legends. live and in concert. he began passionately belting out some of his favorite tunes. some we knew. some we didn't. some we belted with him. some we didn't. the song had ended. and tony was hungry. so he thanked us. and we thanked him.

and as lp and i returned to conversation - feeling brightened from tony's company - lp looked passed me. casually nodding his head, saying, "geesh. look at those clowns." i nonchalantly turned my head. and there on the corner. were indeed two face-painted clowns. in character. miming. and disrupting those around them with some trippy routine. lp and i stared at the clowns and then each other with dumbfounded and incredulous expressions. and began laughing.

lp observed, "i don't know if they're on drugs. . . or if they're trying to make me feel like I'M on drugs."

it's a tough call. especially in this neighborhood.