June 3, 2008

Philadelphia.

Filed under: Uncategorized — Jim @ 9:15 pm

Alas, peeps, I will be away from the keys, through the end of the week, on business in The City of Brotherly Love. I know, when people think of Philadelphia, they usually think of Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. All that makes perfect sense, but you ought to leave some room to think about Mummers String Bands.

Years ago when I was a yoot, my parents took me to Philadelphia to see the Mummers Parade on New Year’s Day. I recall that it was absolutely bone-shattering frigid that day. The temperature didn’t bother the string bands much, because every band was followed by a station wagon full of booze.

As I recall, damn near half the people in Philadelphia seemed to have a load on and virtually everyone in the parade was shitfaced. In the parade, between the string bands and floats, regular peeps, some in clownish costume of varying degrees of completeness and some in street clothes moved along.

The common thread running through the all the marchers in the parade was the Mummer’s Strut – an arms raised walk/dance (a tad like Jackie Gleason’s “Travelin’ Music” dance) that rhythmically propels the drunks down the street. (The guy walking in front of the band in the You Tube clip above has it down.) I recall seeing one guy in the parade (wearing sort of a clown hat), who was obviously plastered, do a face plant on the street. His only-slightly less stewed buddies dragged him to his feet and saw too it that he got right back to strutting.

These two guys appear to be practicing for January 1.

I loves me the Mummer’s Strut.

Play nice while I’m away.

13 Comments »

  1. Holy shit, that was the best! Boo & Vinny are completely inexhaustible, and the 1:40 point in the video, where they start singing, “Oh play me some mountain music,” and then segue into “Little Brown Jug” – that was sweeeeeet.

    Nesiyah tova (safe travels).

    Comment by Erica — June 3, 2008 @ 9:36 pm

  2. Now, you are talking my neck of the woods! YAY! I went to a Mummer’s Parade with my dad once and one of the “clowns” puked right in front of my dad.

    My neighbor’s grandpop was a mummer. I once danced the polka with a captain when they made their yearly visit to our local mall. He pulled me right out of the crowd. HA!

    When I think of Philly I think of soft pretzels, sports, South Street, street musicians, and the old department store buildings (like Wanamakers’s Christmas show).

    (Oh, and the very obnoxious, drunken mummers.) WHO DAT FROGGY CARR?!?!?!!

    Comment by RT — June 3, 2008 @ 9:59 pm

  3. Just make sure you haven’t been imbibing too much chocolate vodka… we wouldn’t want to see you turn up on youtube with the Mummers now would we. *grin*

    Comment by Teresa — June 3, 2008 @ 10:13 pm

  4. There are always mummer bands at Princeton reunions. I love ’em. And SWMBO’s stepfather – formerly of Philly – is a past master of the Mummer’s Strut.

    Mummers! Yeah, baby!

    Comment by Elisson — June 4, 2008 @ 9:48 am

  5. Play nice? F*ck that!

    Comment by Dave S. — June 4, 2008 @ 2:51 pm

  6. …. safe trip, Jimbo!…. I never knew until now what it was called, but I did a ‘Mummer’s Strut” the day I heard that we’d captured Saddam….

    Comment by Eric — June 4, 2008 @ 4:15 pm

  7. CHEESESTEAK CHEESESTEAK CHEESESTEAK

    Comment by Shamrock — June 4, 2008 @ 7:14 pm

  8. Good luck with those Mumzers. I have a friend that lives in Wilmington, De., and he pronouonces it Phil O’Deathaya. Whats with that?

    Comment by Cappy — June 4, 2008 @ 7:19 pm

  9. Jimbo,
    Have fun in Filth-a-delphia!

    Comment by Jerry — June 4, 2008 @ 10:44 pm

  10. I am interested to visit this Mummers Parade.Thanks for sahring about this from your childhood.

    Comment by event gewinnspiel — June 5, 2008 @ 3:34 am

  11. Ooh. He’s gone to Philly. Perfect time for me to copy a chunk of lyrics from “1776” into a comment box and kill yet another PRS thread:

    Someone oughta open up a window!
    No, no, no! Too many flies! Too many flies!
    But it’s hot as hell in Philadelphia!
    Someone oughta open up a window!
    Can’t we compromise here?

    Oooohkey. Feelin’ better now thanks.

    Comment by dogette — June 5, 2008 @ 7:21 am

  12. “yoot”….
    I want to go to New Joisey just to hear people talk.
    Is it possible to say “duuuude” in Joisy-speak, because that’s all I can seem to call anyone anymore, after years of Californication.
    Dewd.
    Yeah.

    PS… Dogette.. I have to keep Henry away from this comment page or he will leave my sorry uncultured arse and search the planet for you… he farookin’ LOVES that movie.

    Comment by LeeAnn — June 5, 2008 @ 1:56 pm

  13. 1. Dude is very much a South Jersey word, and I use it all of the time.

    2. Dogette: I LOVE 1776!

    “Sit down, John!”

    Comment by RT — June 5, 2008 @ 5:10 pm

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