When the Rat went down to the wrecking ball, man, no one seemed to care
Those hard hat guys had no idea the Clash had once played there
They should have saved that dressing room wall, inch thick with graffiti
Every band that ever laid claim to R.O.C.K. City
Now some candy-ass four star hotel stands on that hallowed ground
On windy nights in the heating ducts you still can hear the sound
The Neats, the Lyres, the Neighborhoods kickin' out their dirty jams
As the restless crowd chants "one more song" at the stroke of 2 AM
So dig out
that leather jacket
Comb back
that silver hair
Tonight
we'll rock it one more time for the
ghosts of Kenmore Square
Tonight
we'll rock it one more time for the
ghosts of Kenmore Square
Now the tribes have all been scattered, the Deli Haus long gone
The punks have all got Starbucks cards and latest Android phones
But some of us still walk these streets, extend our middle finger
At anything called progress that keeps a band from singin'
So dig out
that leather jacket
Comb back
that silver hair
Tonight
we'll rock it one more time for the
ghosts of Kenmore Square
Tonight
we'll rock it one more time for the
ghosts of Kenmore Square
("Ghosts of Kenmore Square," (c) 2013 Terry Kitchen, from Songs from "Next Big Thing")
I've been thinking a lot about the Rat, and the '80s Boston rock scene, which are at the heart of "Next Big Thing," the novel I've been working on for the past few years (and is finally coming out this month). And I'm not the only one - Boston filmmaker Andrew Szava-Kovats is doing a documentary called Let's Go to the Rat!, and a bunch of us from the scene are doing a benefit concert for the film at Johnny D's, on Wednesday August 28. It will be my band Loose Ties' first official gig since 1988, and it's been fun listening to and re-learning our old songs (some of which are actually pretty good, not that I'm biased). Our drummer is even coming in from Michigan for it.
It will also be fun to hear the other bands, all survivors of the scene - Rick Berlin, who's one of the local artists the book is dedicate to, old friends The Schemers, LIzzie Borden and the Axes, Men and Volts, and Jamie Shaler (plus some special guests). None of us got rich, but we all feel we were a part of something special. If you're in town, please come celebrate with us on Aug. 28. And keep your eyes open for Andrew's movie. And, oh yeah, buy the book (which comes with a bonus CD/download key - www.terrykitchen.com/nextbigthing).
In the meantime, here's "Ghosts of Kenmore Square" -
