The “Feast” San Gennaro1982

The “Feast” San Gennaro ’82 –
By: Julius Klein – run time 10min

I was so impressed, when I had first moved to NYC from Chicago in
1981, by the 2 week long, neighborhood spanning San Gennaro festival,
the yearly Italian “feast” that I determined to document the event the
next year.

My concept was to play guitar and sing (busker) on the street the first
week. Then with what ever I made, that would determine the format I
could afford.

In the afternoon of the first day, probably Thursday, I made my proposal
to, two young ladies who had rented a stall, with hopes of selling their
jewelry creations and they agreed to let me play adjacent to them as a
draw; it went quite well.

As the afternoon waned into evening, the flowing crowd thickened,
making it no longer practical to play. I closed up, but hung around,
helping the ladies where I could and having fun.

The next afternoon, we all set up, now fast friends (wink-wink).

I was into my now, well honed rotation of Beatles, Sinatra, Stones, Roger
Miller, Monkey’s, Rog and Hamm, Dylan, when a very thick man came up
to me and asked if I had a permit ?? “A permit? These ladies have let me
play by their stall” I responded, starting up again with “House of the
Rising Sun”. I could see that the two gals were a little freaked out, as two
other fellows approached.

I did my Chicago thing, - ya know, like it was no big deal – An older guy
in a turtle-neck and a “Member’s only” wind-breaker, says to me: “Youze
got 2 choices: #1) pack up your friggin circus and leave – or #2) we take
your friggin circus and bust it over your face – break your arm and cut off
your balls” –-

Such was the time, that time, on Mulberry Street.

OK time to leave.

When I got home, I was living around the corner, on Elizabeth St, at the
time; I counted up my money, and had made enough to buy one roll of
36 frame, ektacrome, color slide, and one 36 frame tri-X, black and white
35mm still film and a 45min Maxcell cassette tape.

I had always wanted to make a movie, but had to settle for a slide show,
which I showed occasionally over the years.

In 2018, with a year in of sobriety, I realized that with the readily
available iMovie editing possibilities on my laptop, I could actually edit
my slide show, together with sound and image.

It took another few years to finish up some details: But for now, it’s
done…