(This is the story as I remember it. Please allow a 20% margin of error to account for false memories, half-truths and bald face lies. Mine or someone else’s.)
I started going to Meshuggah back in high school when it was called Café Chaos, the ceiling tiles were all painted by different local artists and there always seemed to be a chess game going on. Back then it was owned by Nick and John. Within a couple years of opening, Nick sold his half of the place to John who changed the name to Meshuggah Shack; I wanna say this was around 1993. People who were down with the whole brevity thing just called it Meshuggah, and eventually the name was officially shortened. A few years ago John moved to New York and sold the place to Patrick, the current owner who just in the past year or so added food to the menu and moved the place from a hole in the wall on Melville to a two-story place across the street from the Tivoli.
I have a lot of memories of the old place. Did a great deal of writing there. In 1993, I broke up with my girlfriend of two years, Andrea at Meshuggah and in 2003; I went there the night I knew my engagement to my then fiancé Caryn was over.
On one particularly strange night at Meshuggah, I met a kid name Dean. He was a few years younger than me, a writer, poet, junkie and hard drinker. He was something of an unofficial expert on the beat generation writers. The kid was much better read than me. Now that’s what I call an over achiever, a drug addicted alcoholic who still manages to read more and write more than my completely sober ass. He always seemed to be entertaining a group of followers. He was one of the brightest and most intense kids I’d ever met and he was still a teenager.
I used to go to Cafe Chaos (my favorite panel was the one with the underwear), but only stopped in once and a while after the name change. I have some stories to tell, but I think they would all sound vaguely familiar. Stories surrounding the coffee house scene always do. I think I remember this Dean that you speak of… St. Louis is a very small world. *hugs*
Did you ever go to Haven?
I went to Haven. Not a whole lot, but some. I was more of a regular after they moved and changed their name to Caffeind. That was a whole other chapter in my life. There was once a nude photo of me in a show at Haven. My sister was friends with one of the owners, so I had to warn her not to go there until the show was over.
Why was it necessary to warn her to stay away? If you’re willing to pose nude and have the photograph shown in a public place, why should it matter whether or not she sees it?
I went to Haven a lot. Probably too much for my own good. I’ve only been to the new place twice. I think I might remember that picture. *smirks*
Hey – I found the link to this in the stlouis community, and I read the whole thing. You’re a very good storyteller. I can see it all happening before me, and I miss Dean also, though I never knew him. How I love people.
First of all, dude, she’s my sister. Secondly, we’d made a deal, years before that if nude photos of me were ever going to be anywhere she might see them, I’d warn her. Neither of us thought it was likely to happen, then it did.
Thank you.
Just like above, I found you through perusing the St. Louis community. Dean’s story is so very sad…
… and so I friended you.
The two kids just stared at me. Didnt you hear? one of them said. Deans dead.
Fresh out of jail, off smack and the fucker gets run over by a car. The kids told me he hadnt even been drinking at the time. His was the first funeral I ever attended for someone I wasnt related to. It was the first funeral I ever went to alone.
We know the same folks, and went to that same funeral. Talk about memories, huh?
Remember Ronnie the Bum?
Wow, great story. I miss Dean already, too, even though I never got to meet him.
I haven’t been to Meshuggah since they moved. I keep meaning to stop in sometime, but haven’t …
Cool.
That’s sounds familiar. For some reason that makes me think of this guy you used to dance around the Loop with a walkman and maracas, but I’m probably thinking of someone else.
Nah, he was an old fella with a beard that lived in one of the abandoned buildings. We used to keep him in malt liquor.
I remember you from Clayton High, The wall and haven and caffeind.
My goodness. Were you in my class at Clayton? The Wall… I loved it there… good memories. And Haven… wow, small world. Most people from Clayton just remember me as “that girl who’s boyfriend died senior year”.
I miss St. Louis sometimes.
actually I think you were ahead of me but we hung around a lot of the same people.
Oh man I remember that. Most of the people at Clayton knew me as the girl who tried to kill herself at Wydown. Don’t you hate that shit?
I do hate it… that’s why I moved far far away. But I liked it when I was at Webster University. *shrugs* It’s still the only place I’ve lived for a prolonged period of time.
I was also “that girl that transferred to CHS her Junior year”. I graduated in 1995. People didn’t understand that I transferred from Crossroads the private school, and not the rehab center or furniture store. 😉
Mind if I add you?
Not at all, I already added you!
I bet that if you saw me you would recognize me because like I said we hung with some of the same people and in the smoking lounge.
I would have been class of 97 but I didn’t finish and I ended up going to Columbia for part of my highschool.
I myself had met several kids from Crossroads before I realized that school and the rehab center were not one in the same.
An LJ reunion , brought to you by 69 1/2 Classic Love Songs (cue the the music)
If you know people from Crossroads, we just might have more friends in common than we realize.
*licks you*
Oh wait, I think that was a different musical cue. *giggles*
I knew them!
I was reading your story, then it hit me, you were talking about Dean Reject, he was supposed to take my viginity, he told me that I looked like Nancy with brown hair. He was crazy. Then he died. I also know Yumi, I still have one of her phone numbers in a box. She wrote her name, then underneath it she wrote, “dose’nt the name say it all” She invited me to get wasted with some friends of hers at this loft downtown, wich we did. Then me and Yumi took our shirts off, and peed on the roof, we thought that the wind felt nice. Yumi had the nicest breasts, I drew a picture of her reclining on a sofa that night. Saddly, I don’t have it any more, but yeah, I knew Yumi.
Re: I knew them!
Yeah, Yumi was something else. She lives in Ohio now and is getting married this fall.
I do.
I talked to him from time to time and he told me about his lady. Something about the stars. I was a lot younger then. Also hung out at Meshuggah. That place formed my teenage years.
Re: I do.
Yeah, me too…