Chicagowains - (transplants) where ya from?

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If you live/lived in Chicago, where did you move to Chicago from & in what neighborhood do/did you live in Chicago? (and maybe how old were you when you moved there?)

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Grew up in Houston, lived in Austin for 10 years, then moved to Chicago. That was a little over a year ago -- last September. I lived in Andersonville my first year, then moved to the West side, a little bit southeast of Wicker Park.

― Pears can just fuck right off. (kenan), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 17:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, about 45 minutes southwest of the city. I went to college in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and then moved to Chicago proper in October 2000. I was 21. I first lived at Belmont and Western (close to Roscoe Village), and then, in May 2001, moved to my current apartment, on the border between Andersonville and Edgewater.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 17:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Grew up in India, France, Maryland, Yugoslavia, India, Maryland, and Virginia, in that order. Moved here after two years in Richmond, Virginia. I was 24 when we moved. We live in south Wicker Park.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 17:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I used to live there. I miss it still. I was born in DC, lived a lot of places for many years, then moved to Chicago from DC in 1999 and lived for 2 years just off Lincoln Square, near the Western el stop.

― sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 17:24 (twenty-one years ago)

and I was 21 when I moved there.

― sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 17:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Wait, you're American? (I did know you lived in Chicago at one point.)

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 17:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Oops, put Florida and Virginia before the first instance of India in my list of places I grew up.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 17:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Why should Oops do that?

― adam... (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 17:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Because he's my bitch.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 17:28 (twenty-one years ago)

jaymc--yep, I sure am.

― sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 17:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, I'll be.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 17:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not American, by the way.

― adam... (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 17:31 (twenty-one years ago)

moved here from the boston area when i was 13 (to the burbs). i live in another suburb now, though i much prefer the city.

i was calling a drugstore-but-not-quite-drugstore kind of place once to ask if they had pads. i meant CHICK STUFF. they didn't know what i was saying. so i asked if they had tampons, and they did, so i assumed they'd have what i wanted more or less. they didn't, when i got there. grr.

but i found it kind of amusing that they didn't understand my pronunciation of the word "pad". i don't have the nasal a thing going on.

― JuliaA (j_bdules), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 17:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Ah gots muhself a 'merkan! Yeehaw!

― Jesus Christ, Paraplegic (Mark C), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 18:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I lived in Greensboro, North Carolina. Moved here 4 months ago. I now live in Andersonville

― Jeff-PTTL (Jeff), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 18:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Don't know if schooling counts as transplantation. I grew up in Colorado but moved to Chicago from Michigan, in 1995. Lived in Evanston (4 years), then Rogers Park (1), then Wicker Park (3); left, for school again, in 2003.

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 18:56 (twenty-one years ago)

(Arrived in Chicago, obviously, at 17.)

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 18:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Grew up in Southeastern Michigan; moved to Chicago in 1990 at age 18. Lived in Hyde Park (and Kenwood) for 10 years. Moved to the South Loop 4 years ago. Have lived all 14 years south of Roosevelt Road and wouldn't have done it any other way.

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:00 (twenty-one years ago)

(Obviously at 17: obviously at 18, geez.)

― doogie nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I lived in Oak Park, IL from age 3 to 5 and went to kindergarten at Longfellow Elementary School. I had two kindergarten teachers. Not really Chicago, but hopefully close enough.

― youn, Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Incidentally I think some of us need to have a long thread about Chicago's early and mid-90s alt-rock culture, including but not limited to: Belmont Avenue, Q101, Loud Lucy, multi-colored leggings, the (Cabaret) Metro, the Alley, Veruca Salt, Material Issue ...

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I totally count schooling as transplantation! Otherwise I'd never move. I moved to Chicago for (my first) grad school.

― doogie sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I've been looking for Material Issue stuff! I used to watch their videos on 120 minutes, but never tracked anything of theirs down the whole time I was there.

― sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember the Wesley Willis song about Material Issue better than I remember Material Issue.

― Pears can just fuck right off. (kenan), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Valerie loves me!
Diane!
etc.

I remember liking the guitar choppiness and the running-in-striped-shirts thing the videos had going on.

― sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I never liked 'em for some reason. I never really got why they were so big...

Some of the best shows I ever saw were at Cab Met though. ...

I expected to see more people from Madison, WI .. Because everyone I ever met in chicago came from Madison...

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:23 (twenty-one years ago)

The first time I heard Material Issue was "Kim the Waitress," which I could've sworn was sung by a woman with a husky voice (like Carla Bozulich), and I thought it was a lesbian-crush song.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Their first album -- International Pop Overthrow -- is just teenage terrific; I listened to it so much during my two years in Michigan that I got well and truly misty when I learned Ellison killed himself. (I learned this from a magazine in the waiting room of the Northwestern financial aid office, and they were very nice to me when I came in looking broken.) If you've got an email that can handle the files, I'd be happy to send you a copy on the album on Friday. Or at least "Valerie Loves Me," for a briefer nostalgia trip. Or, hell, their weirdo last-show-at-Metro recording, which I seem to remember finding in Michigan (?) as opposed to Chicago.

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:24 (twenty-one years ago)

(That xposted offer is to sgs, obviously, but open to anyone else as well. Kim-the-Waitress-era Material Issue is not worth going into. It’s just that first one: kinda remarkable. I kept waiting for someone, in reviews of the Exploding Hearts record, to be all like “they’re a less sappy Material Issue!”)

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I would love that nabisco! I have a NEW AND BIG yahoo account--I wonder if that will handle it. If not I'll find out if you can send it to Mark's address. What the file size(s)?

― sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I moved here from Madison, WI where i spent many a year finishing some degrees. but i was born & raised in Screw Capitol of the World: Rockford, IL! Since moving here I've lived in Edgewater, Sheridan Park, North Center/St. Ben's and now Andersonville. 60640 represent. Yo.

― jennpb (jennpb), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:43 (twenty-one years ago)

(sgs: I'd have to bring in and burn the disc to see -- hence the Friday -- but the usual mp3 album comes out to what, 50 megs? And another 20 if I can track down that live-at-Metro thing.)

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:44 (twenty-one years ago)

chicago-born and -raised!

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Jennpb! You pop up like once every six months, don't you?

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:46 (twenty-one years ago)

(Hey Jenn! I'd draw hearts but I can't.) I was gonna comment how many Andersonvillians there are on here!

Nabisco, remove the obv and this address is a goer.

― sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Andersonvillains, more like.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:50 (twenty-one years ago)

you should consolidate into a gang of street toughs.

― sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm an Andersonvillian too!
I lived mostly in a small, small town in Michigan (Carson City) and then Delaware briefly. When I first moved here four years ago I lived in Hyde Park, then Rogers Park & now Andersonville.

― kelsey (kelstarry), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:52 (twenty-one years ago)

I've been to Carson City! Had the misfortune of spending two years in Big Rapids.

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:02 (twenty-one years ago)

carson city michigan?!
why?????

― kelsey (kelstarry), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Whoah geez: before you guys get too excited, I should rephrase the "to" in that sentence to "through." If I remember correctly the idea was to find some sort of time-saving diagonal path from Big Rapids to Lansing. It accomplished nothing, but we did wander through a lot of towns over there.

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I was only excited for Kelsey by proxy.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:12 (twenty-one years ago)

And now she's got one up on me next time I complain about living in Big Rapids. Which in the end was not so terrible, what with the hilarious music scene and the Erlewines everywhere.

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:14 (twenty-one years ago)

the Erlewines everywhere

...as in Stephen Thomas??

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:16 (twenty-one years ago)

big rapids is a serious city compared to carson city. you really only ever go through carson city.

― kelsey (kelstarry), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:18 (twenty-one years ago)

You never know, Kelsey: we may have stopped for Twinkies.

(And yeah, J, the AMG started in Big Rapids. I think there are three nuclear Erlewine families up there total, three brothers & so on. I have probably already talked too much on this board about how they tended to have disproportionally cute daughters. There are still reviewers left at the AMG with whom I more or less went to high school.)

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I lived in different parts of Virginia growing up, then Greenville, SC, then Shreveport, LA, then back to college in VA then to Richmond, VA, then Wicker Park like Nick said. In high school I was obsessed with Chicago, mostly because of the Smashing PUmpkins and Veruca Salt. I'd love to hear VS stories especially. Then right after college, I got a job here and almost moved here, but then decided not to at the last minute. It was my destiny to get here eventually.

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Jennpb! You pop up like once every six months, don't you?

Yes! It's marked on my calendar for today: POST ON ILE!

― jennpb (jennpb), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Ha: I used to hear occasional Veruca Salt stories, but they all had to do with their one-time touring bassist, who went on to be "in" B@st@rd, C0urtney L0ve's failed band with L0uise from Veruca Salt, and then eventually -- this is where I'm going with this -- wound up fronting a Chicago band called r0ck!t g!rl, with some friends of mine. Said friends have left the group for various reasons, but if you go to www.r0ck!t-g!rl.com you will see, left, the person in question, who is evidently still working it in Chicago, and who you, Fake Fictions, may one day for some odd reason wind up gigging your way into. And so you, Sarah, can get all the stories you like!

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:35 (twenty-one years ago)

I worked briefly at Minty Fresh, but I never really heard any stories, just the guys in the office constantly telling people on the phone, "Remember that first Veruca Salt record? That was us."

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:39 (twenty-one years ago)

(This was in 1998.)

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:39 (twenty-one years ago)

(Which means I have Komeda stories!! ... okay, never mind.)

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm shocked and appalled to hear they weren't bragging about the first Papas Fritas album.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:40 (twenty-one years ago)

i read "r0ck!t g!rl" as "r0ckcr!t girl"

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I have seen posters for that band around and I think Sarah wanted to go see them but I refused on the grounds that they have THE WORST FUCKING BAND NAME EVER.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:48 (twenty-one years ago)

one of my good friends plays (played? I have no idea) guitar in the reconstituted Veruca Salt (i.e. the one with only one of the women.) I met them a couple times, once backstage at a Weezer show. I don't like Weezer, my roommate scammed free passes so I said what the heck. I basically drank their beer and talked to the drummer dood about Buffalo. But Veruca Salt were there hanging out for whatever reason. This was probably '97 or thereabouts? Anyway that's about the extent of my VS interaction.

I pretty much spent the early 90s buying James Gang and Nazareth records and exploring the city's wonderful jazz scene (RIP SouthEnd Music Works, RIP Bop Shop, RIP original Hothouse location on Milwaukee), so i never had any use for the likes of Loud Lucy or whatever.

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 20:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Nobody had any use for Loud Lucy, that was the whole beauty of them. I believe they split up as soon as they signed with Geffen, shocking everyone who thought they’d be the next Pumpkins or something. And yes, the aforementioned band name leaves a whole lot to be desired, as do other things about the project. On the other hand, my favorite band name ever appeared to be showing up on posters right before I left Chicago: am I insane, or was the actually a band called Pony Magic gigging around? (For a moment I thought the Ponys had gotten confused, but no—I’m pretty sure the posters said Pony Magic.)

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 21:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I have not heard of this Pony Magic, but I do like the name!

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 21:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Google image search results for "pony magic" (abridged):

http://dreamvalley-mlp.com/graphics/new/n1-canopy.jpg
http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/an/animal-hospital-animal-hospital---pony-care-set.jpg
http://www.jcracek.com/ponyplayhouse/pic_archive/holidays/pony_moon.gif

"Pony-Care Set!" When I return to Chicago I will take up this task and start the pony-core revolution.

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 21:38 (twenty-one years ago)

born SF, moved to ID then OR where I graduated HS, MA for college and social work, NYC to teach. wife got into U of C so we moved to Roscoe Village in 1993, lived there for a few months until we realized (like Kenan) that we were being charged for electricity in common-use basement. moved to Malden Ave off of Lawrence for another 1 1/2 years, where I did school and family counseling all over teh South Side. Moved to WI, back in Chi 2 or 3 times a year for visits but I never manage to see anyone.

― Haibun (Begs2Differ), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 22:15 (twenty-one years ago)

All Andersonvillians street thugs have to wear blue and yellow.

― Jeff-PTTL (Jeff), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 22:31 (twenty-one years ago)

lived there for a few months until we realized (like Kenan) that we were being charged for electricity in common-use basement

Happy ending to that story: our electric bills have gone from about $100 a month to about $15. And since the electric company screwed up something unrelated when we moved into our new place, they gave us a $100 credit. We haven't paid a dime for electricity yet.

― Pears can just fuck right off. (kenan), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 22:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Kalifohnyah all of my life till this year in Hyde Park in September.

― Leeeter van den Hoogenband (Leee), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 22:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Grew up in the north and western 'burbs since 1969, moved to the city in 1988. First moved into Boystown (near Addison/Halsted) not knowing it was a gay neighborhood (duh); it was close to Cabaret Metro and the El line that came to be known as the Red Line (yes, I remember when the lines had unwieldy names based on their destinations).

Moved down to western Ukie Village in 1990 (near where Black Beetle is today) and then Bucktown, East Village, Uk. Village proper, Logan Square and Wicker Park between '91 and '03, and finally settled in Mayfair (NW side) where I bought a house last year.

My Loud Lucy story is going to see Elastica at the Vic or the Riveria in '94 or so and sitting in the same comped balcony with obvious relatives of the members of Loud Lucy, who opened the show and were incredibly dull, so we couldn't say anything catty out loud. I think we bought one copy of the Loud Lucy album for the store I owned at the time, and sold nothing.

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Thursday, 2 December 2004 01:24 (twenty-one years ago)

BBT: That was 1995 and I'm pretty sure I was there! It was on Halloween, right? And Elastica were in costume? At the Vic? And in the end they invited the audience to take over the stage, which was not appreciated by the establishment. (Later on in the evening Justine gave me a kiss on the cheek.)

― nabiscothingy, Thursday, 2 December 2004 17:52 (twenty-one years ago)

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 2 December 2004 17:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Nabisco, guess it was 1995, because it was definitely a Halloween show. I vividly remember Justine's large-soled shoes... ::swoon::

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Thursday, 2 December 2004 20:52 (twenty-one years ago)

I grew up in the south suburbs, lived a summer in Hyde Park, took a new years day dip in Lake michigan for four years with a buncha other crazies. Now I'm transplanted to Boston (But I'll be back for a few days around christmas! O chicago)

― nora (nora), Thursday, 2 December 2004 20:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh: IT AIN'T WHERE YOU'RE FROM, IT'S WHERE YOU'RE AT!

― n/a (Nick A.), Thursday, 2 December 2004 21:07 (twenty-one years ago)

a four year dip in the Lake? that *is* crazy

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 2 December 2004 23:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Born in Chicago, moved to VT when young, moved back to Chicago around the age of ten, lived in Evanston, went to high school there, now at school in ohio, graduate this year, moving back to the city. Probably moving in w/ friends in the Logan Sq. area.

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Friday, 3 December 2004 04:49 (twenty-one years ago)

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