Bed Stuy gets really loud in the summer. The whole neighborhood hangs out on their stoops and talks to each other. There is a constant stream of cars down my block blaring their radios so loud that sometimes I sing along. It’s kind of like playing name that tune. But, my favorite part of the summer is the BBQ Crew. Every day, from early evening through midnight, there is a group of men ranging in age from thirty to seventy that stands in front of the brownstone three doors down gossiping and debating the politics of the day.
I am not going to lie. Most nights I come home and turn on the boob tube. I need it, it’s like my daily detox. I don’t like to be disturbed for two hours. I have done this my entire working adult life. When I moved to Bed Stuy, I thought my tv time would be even quieter. There are only five people that live in my building. Bed Stuy was going to be my quiet space. Unfortunately, I didn’t understand what living in Bed Stuy really meant. Watching TV is like going to the drive-in. You are in your own car, but you can hear people at the concession stand and in the car next to you. You end up just getting annoyed and eating your way through the movie.
There is a group of men I call the BBQ crew who congregate in the yard of the brownstone two doors down. They range in age from 35-75. The old man who hits on me hangs out with them. They spend all night discussing the news of the day and gossiping while BBQ’g burgers and drinking. There are two voices that are distinct and can be heard down the block. One guy sounds like DMX and the other guy sounds like “Cedric the Entertainer.” I never hear the story they are telling just the punctuation of the point they are making. When DMX is emphasizing something he screams “What, What” in DMX voice. When Cedric the Entertainer thinks something is really funny he just repeats “Oh Lawd, Oh Lawd.” So all of my shows are punctuated with WHAT and Oh Lawd. Imagine watching the Golden Girls and Rose has just finished one of her St. Olaf stories. Then DMX shows up and says “WHAT” It’s like being in a club with a bad DJ.
My favorite is watching the news and having Cedric Screaming and Giggling while repeating “Oh Lawd” over and over again.