"I'm going to Kansas City ... Kansas City here I come!" (know the song?)
Have you ever been to Union Train Station? It's smack dab in the middle of KC, a truly beautiful place. I sit here and drink my quiet coffee in these hallowed halls. Man, she's seen some good times/bad times over the years. There was a shoot-out in 1933, a massacre actually. And then it was closed for many years. Folks there told me that this classic old train house was empty and gloomy, had been covered with grime, with nothing but rats running around. Eeek! It was completely closed except for one little greasy spoon in the corner, burgers and fries. The people of Kansas City put together a Citizen's Initiative to restore the old station to majestic beauty, and she was rennovated in style. They raised millions of dollars. Someone said half a billion, but that may be exaggerated. Then again, that's what they spend in Iraq every day.
Me, I'm just a-backpackin' through town, on my way to mix more songs. I'm taking the "Southwest Chief" line of Amtrak. Choo, choo! I highly recommend it! Beats flying, and you get to see more of the land. Beautiful landscape rushing by. All the time in the world ...
"... they got some pretty little women there, and I'm gonna get me one!" (KNOW the song)
More stuff about Kansas City: It was in this town that I had sex for the very 2nd time in my whole life. We were teenagers on a church youth trip. Eeek! We were raunchy and naughty. Oh, yes. What were they THINKING putting us all together in the same church? In a bunch of sleeping bags? OF COURSE kids are gonna be having sex. Consensus was that Jesu on high approved (in his wisdom). Yes, the second time (with my first love) that I did the nasty was in a CHURCH! (Sorry, mom.)
One time I had a drummer from Kansas City. He was a good guy, and we toured all around Europe together. He told me in the middle of the tour that the other guys in the band (trumpet, sax, bass, keyboards, excellent players!) were just "students" and he was BETTER than them. I fired him ... he was my best friend.
Back to Union Station. There's a great film called, "Kansas City" made by Robert Altman, which is one of the greatest movies about the Jazz era ever made. Go see that movie! So sad that he recently died. This is an ode to the old man. A legend. The famous Big Clock in Union Station can be seen in his film, and also the "Colored Waiting Room." Eeek! Times have changed ... or have they? I think Count Basie was from KC, too. His character plays in the film. Passing through KC this time around, I saw a sticker on a car that read, "I am proud to be a union steel worker." YES! That is cool as all get-out. These people are Real. To get to the station, I took a shuttle, run and occupied by a bunch of Amish guys. (Things I've done in Kansas City in this lifetime: Had sex in a church bathroom, and ridden the Amish shuttle.) Directly across from Union Station, in all her glory (the most amazing chandeliers in the new world) is a HUGE momument from WWI. When will they ever let it go? The eternal flame burns day and night. Apparently every soldier being shipped off to the Big One had to go through this station at one point, so they say. Naw, I'll skip it and just sit here in the shadows drinking my coffee. Live in the present. Now night time is falling, and I swear there could be ghosts in here ... I feel their presence, the past infusion upon the future.
Poem:
"I don't talk to ghosts, but they talk to me.
It's not polite to interrupt ..."
You're beautiful, Kansas City. Keep swinging!
Peace, -Todd