Al Goldstein and Me

In the early 1990s? (the exact year escapes me) I would go on Sundays with another teacher, Angela, to a NYC restaurant (long closed) called Mulholland Drive Cafe. It was on Third Avenue and about 64th Street and it was owned by Patrick Swayze. 

The place was not that big and it was a weekly hangout for Al Goldstein and his hangers on... and plenty of porn stars surrounded him. It was "Al this and Al that" and even though it was 1PM they dressed with a lot of sparkle and glitter and like they were going to a disco. Plus, I never saw heels so high. He was the center of attention and he sat on his throne there at some long table at literally a higher level at the top of a few steps. Al Goldstein, (of Screw magazine and Midnight Blue, on public access TV) was sort of famous back then in NYC. 

After a few weeks, Al became more interested in me and Angela than his regular crew. So he sat with us and after we gave him some back story and information about us, he said (one of his ex wives) was a teacher. So then the conversation became all about the schools... a subject that always got me talking. It still does. So by the way, if the schools returned to a more traditional learning model with students seated in rows (not social groups) and a basal reader (not a leveled library with books grouped by genre) and textbooks in the subject areas and a strong phonemic awareness program with quiet classrooms instead of "productive noise" and again allowed teacher directed lessons instead of reducing the teacher's role to that of a facilitator, there would seriously be no child left behind. I think I would be a great U.S. Secretary of Education. I would bring back a Scott Foresman basal reader with a comprehension workbook and remove Common Core standards from the paradigm. But, I digress.

Years after that, Al was living near me... on 8th Avenue and 15th Street, and when he would pass my building, if I was outside, we would stand on the sidewalk and talk for a while... always about the schools. He seemed lonely and he would talk of his son. He was so proud of him, but talked about other issues with him. In 2004, he started working at the old Second Avenue Deli. Then, he fell on very hard times. He was unrecognizable. And soon thereafter, he passed away. 

Here is a comment posted on YouTube: "I was walking down Broadway in Jackson Heights on (sic) summer night in 2004 when I passed Al. I turned around and said "Al?" He turner (sic) around. By that point he was broke and down on his luck. We had a very nice chat. Seemed like a nice man. No airs." That's the Al Goldstein I knew. 

Here is an article about Al Goldstein worth reading. But the writer gets it wrong, unless there was a different "legendary brunch" restaurant on Lexington Avenue where he held court at a different time. We definitely met him at Mulholland Drive Cafe on Third Avenue. 

https://pleasekillme.com/al-goldstein/

Years later (in about 2010), I was sitting with Robyn Byrd, at a Comic Strip comedy club holiday party. We talked about the old channel J... and even about Steve Gruberg, who I also knew from the neighborhood... and whose show I would call into from time to time. Steve also passed away. Time passes so quickly. The world keeps turning.

This is a photo I took of Robyn Byrd.

WARNING!! ADULT CONTENT!!!

Do not open and watch if easily offended by mature content and words and references which could be considered offensive or tasteless. It is Al Goldstein, so expect Al to be Al. 

RIP Al Goldstein (1936 - 2013)