95 North. . . The Newspaper

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"Light snow falling/ on the muffler shops and lumber yards". James McMurty, you got me. The folk master somehow describes my neighborhood in Middletown, CT perfectly in his winter-scene setting tune "Outskirts". I live in the place where the residential zone and industrial zone meet- with an old Remington factory, a tow truck stop, the town dump, a freight train line, a working class neighborhood, and the Coginchaug and Mattabesset rivers all converging within a stones throw of my dwelling place. It's perfectly New England, with the spunky downtown, industrial decay, and Dunkin Donuts all living together as one. McMurty's from Texas, but it doesn't matter. He documents a the emotional landscape of a New England winters day with as much precision as Robert Frost (sorry about the hyperbole). Here, a steady acoustic guitar along with a full band of drums and bass follow the story of a winters day, of muffled heat inside and wet snow out, as the landscape...

Some quick hits on some books I've read this summer. . . Cache Lake Country: Life in the North Woods by John J. Rowlands While I quite enjoy hiking, camping, and generally being in places of natural beauty as much as the next person, I am not and will not embark on the type of outdoor experience documented in Cache Lake Country . John Rowlands details his life in the deep north woods of Maine with only a sketch artist and an "Indian Chief" as his companions. Rowlands works for a timber company, thinks no man is meant to live alone, and has a deep appreciation for Native American culture despite the outdated language he uses throughout this 1957 book. He particularly admires "the Chief", who he says has taught him everything about living the great north. There's no high drama here, just a practical and enjoyable guide to living in the wild. Here, you'll find recipes for raspberry drinks, fishing tips, a guide on how to sleep outside in the middl...

A fantastic map produced by Slate Magazine details all of the locations that Bob Dylan has mentioned in his songs. It can be found  right over here.  Sadly, Connecticut is no where to be found, however, he does show up in New England at one point (in Boston at some restaurant). Manhattan References abound.  While they might not literally reference specific geographic locations in New England, there are other songs that conjure up New England for me in some way. Don't be alarmed that things get specific. It's all for the sake of the exercise, and the locations are particular to where I've been: Heatin' up those coffee grounds amidst the snow. . . "On a Night Like This" = Cabin in Vermont's Northeastern Kingdom (Canadian border) Walking down the road with a fishing pole in your hands and your jeans rolled up to your knees. It might rain. . .  "Down the Highway" = R oad in Eastern CT, perhaps Rt 16 A scene is observed from a 5th floor a...

Dunkin’ Donuts owns Connecticut, and New England for that matter. But what explains the dominance of Dunks over Starbucks, and even independent coffee shops? To find the answer, I think you have to look at the origin story of each company. Assuming that people tend to attach themselves to larger narratives, brand loyalties in CT start to make more sense. In short, I think Dunkin’ represents a certain cultural element that New Englanders feel comfortable identifying with. Recent picture of New Haven, CT: home to 10 Dunks locations. Starbucks: Cultural Identifiers Starbucks appeals to a sort of post-hippie capitalist/left coast individualist spirit. After all, it is a Seattle institution, the place that monetized and sanitized fringe art movements, grunge rock, and coffee. The Pacific Northwest was founded by New England Yankees, so the culture carries an inherited sense of Yankee habits and customs, with much emphasis being placed on education, hard work, and usi...

The late 1980s. . . before Bob Dylan was on his "Never Ending Tour". . .he came up with some awesome tour names: Alone and Together,  Temple in Flames and True Confessions.  Temple in Flames Alone and Together True Confessions In the 1970's, it was the famous Rolling Thunder tour in New England. . . Rolling Thunder Since the late 80s, he's been on the Never Ending Tour (not an official name):

A beautiful shot of a Metro North train on the New Haven line.