~ Malden Musings ~ Happy 100th Birthday to Nick Angelo

By Peter Levine

This week, I take yet another stroll down memory lane with a Malden slice of life. Quiet reflections on the soul of a city that once thrived In corner stores, in familiar faces and front porch conversations — just small glimpses into what made, and still makes, our little five-square-mile hometown something truly special. Names and places from today and yesteryear echo in our hearts like the chime of a distant ice cream truck on a humid summer evening at Devir Park (Eddie the Ice Cream Man, anyone? LOL). Reminders of a time when neighbors were family and every street/neighborhood had a story to tell.

“Malden Musings” celebrates Maldonians who left their fingerprints on the fabric of our city and those who still call Malden home — not with headlines or grand gestures, but through their everyday grace, hard work and neighborly spirit. They made/make Malden a place worth calling home. They worked, played, laughed and leaned on each other through thick and thin, something that feels all the rarer in today’s fast-moving, fractured world.

In “Malden Musings,” we remember. And we pay tribute. We hold dear those who came before us and those who still make a difference in our lives, the friendships that shaped our youth, and those still waiting to be made. Because here in Malden, memories aren’t just things we carry, they’re threads that stitch us together for the whole ball game.

With that said…Happy Birthday to an original “Son of Edgeworth” — our very own 100-year-young Nicky Angelo. A surprise party at Win Ho Palace (ain’t that place grand?!) had Nick smiling ear to ear as he destroyed plate after plate of boneless ribs, crab Rangoon and a bucket of Mai Tais! Insert smiley face!!

Nicky is a proud son of Edgeworth. I MAY have written about Edgeworth once or twice in this column over the years, but I don’t recall if I did nor not. Anyway, Edgeworth defined who Nicky was — a place where family, friends and neighborhood are the defining words in our lives. This Army Veteran raised his family here along with his beautiful wife Beatrice and never left the green, green grass of Ward 2. Just for the record books, Nick single-handedly kept the San Rock Festa alive (with a little help from his friends, I must add) for many, many years through sheer determination, love of tradition and just because he was Nicky Angelo!

When Mayor Christenson asked Nicky his secret for a long, happy and healthy life, he said that “spending time with his family and friends” is what keeps him young. How ’bout that!! Love ya, big guy.

I put together a few words for Nick, about a place called Edgeworth where his heart is buried deep, very deep. “Malden Musings” readers — I hear tell through the Maldonia grapevine — want more stories about Edgeworth in this column, so to please the unwashed masses, here ya go…

Edgeworth…It’s not just a section or a name,

But a tradition, forever the same.

In hearts it lives, through joy and pain,

A piece of the past that will always remain.

From sons and daughters, raised with pride,

To stories shared, side by side,

Edgeworth’s more than just a place on a map,

It’s home, a heartbeat, a lifelong trap.

So, whether neighborhood lines are clear or blurred,

It’s the love we feel that goes unheard.

Edgeworth lives in every breath,

A part of us that outlives death. Happy birthday, Nick.

Hot diggity dog! I LOVE Win Ho Palace! (It ain’t China Garden but it could be some day. LOL) Said in my very best Tommy Heinsohn voice (for those under 40: Do the Google, learn about “Tommy Gun,” and thank me later).

A recent visit with brother Frankie, his gal pal Karen, sister Barbara and her hubby Mike (aka Hawk) has officially crowned me their newest Number One Fan. Frankie and I absolutely destroyed a couple bowls of rice, and the spareribs on the bone (well done, of course) didn’t stand a fighting chance either. Gone. Vanished. No survivors.

Sure, the ghost of Tiki Island hovered lovingly over the table but make no mistake, Win Ho Palace is converting us all at a rapid pace. Delicious, gosh-darn food.

Before din-din while posted up at the Tiki Bar on the edge of the dining room, we ran into local bon vivant Dommy “The Prince of Panache” Settemio, who made sure the Mai Tais arrived with admirable consistency. Thank you, Dom. A true public servant.

Then came Joey Martino of the legendary Martino clan from Malden Street, dining with his beautiful wife and daughter. When the pork strips landed at his table, Frankie and I politely excused ourselves, made the long journey back to our own seats… and then responsibly continued ensuring that no Chinese food went to waste anywhere in the building. Welcome to Malden, Win Ho Palace. Yeah, yeah — I know they’re technically in Meffa… but as a lifelong Maldonian, I’m officially calling dibs on this soon-to-be iconic spot.

It is said in “Malden Musings”…

• Teddy Spinale passed away last month. His brother (MHS Class of 1975) Frankie had these heartfelt words about his little brother: “There are really no words to fully describe my brother Teddy’s services this past Sunday & Monday up in Ipswich, with literally hundreds of people waiting in line to pay their last respects to a wonderful, kind man. Family, friends, co-workers and neighbors were lined up out the door and around the corner for almost 4 hours. There was barely a dry eye in the place and on Monday at the Cemetery on a raw, cold, and rainy New England day – amazing! Many people stood outside for Ted’s final send-off. Waiting. The support that the Spinale/Donaher families received from the Massachusetts State Police was second to none and their kindness and professionalism certainly will not be forgotten. Teddy, being a modest guy, would be thrilled to know that so many people loved him. Thanks again to all who expressed their last respects in any form it was greatly appreciated. Rest in Peace my Brothah!”
• Speaking of China Garden, old friend and former Maldonian Greg Oliva speaks: “While I no longer live in Malden, every year for New Years I still get my Chinese from China Garden. It has been a ritual for almost fifty years. Imagine my surprise the other day when I was visiting some friends in Malden when I decided to go by China Garden and put my New Years order in only to find it has closed. What the hell is that all about? Any idea when this took place and what happened. What a shame. I live in Rowley now and the only Chinese food place here closed last year. Really haven’t found a decent one around this area. Thanks for listening.”
• Edwin & Bobby Wood! Great seeing you both in December! Ed, my five-year-old granddaughter Lana just loved the handmade wooden crib you gifted her. Her dolls sleep comfortably as we speak! And Bobby, thank you for keeping me on my toes. Woodsy aka Eagle Eyes Bobby noticed I called Fitzpatrick Brothers Caterers Fitzgerald Brothers in a recent column about the old Lincoln School football dynasty from the 1920s with a roster full of Jewish boys from Suffolk Square. Thank you again gentlemen, all the best in ’26 and Happy New Year!
• Spotted recently on a detail at Stop & Splurge on Charles Street was one of Malden’s finest wearing the blue, Captain Paul Hopkins. “Hoppy” is one of the good guys in life and an ardent reader of this humble column. One of his compadres at the station is the best pizza maker Malden has ever seen (and not a bad mixologist either), Dave Angelo. Dave just adores the guy and says that Hoppy has elevated “bean busting” to an art form and looks forward each and every day to the good-natured banter between the two. “Malden Musings” salutes Captain Hopkins and the men and women of the Malden Police Department as well as good-natured bean bustin’ everywhere!
• Here’s hoping Pearl Street’s Mary “Moe” Molinari has a speedy recovery from a recent fall. Mary fills my heart with song every time I see her, and I’m not the only one (right, Barbara?)! Mary’s family are longtime Edgeworth denizens making Malden and Ward 2 a better place to live for, like, forever now! Such a great family! I remember the night I and Mary’s big brother Johnny saw the Ramones at Spit on Lansdowne Street in Boston! Oh vey! What a night, but this is a story for another day and I definitely digress. Get well soon, Mary!!
• Anybody had a coffee at Neil Sullivan’s joint Cornucopia in Malden Square lately? That first sip bursting with flavor (where does he get those coffee beans?!) — fuhgeddaboudit!! Thank you, Neil, and by the way, my holiday apple pie? Outta sight!!!! My grandson Christian made quick work of that beauty and requested another one next year. Thanks again, my friend.
• Good Gawd almighty! Arthur Skinner turned 80 years young but don’t look a day over 65! Something in this Malden water, I suppose!! Happy birthday, big guy, see you around the hood!
• Call him MPD Sergeant Sal Gennetti for now on! Congratulations, Sal!! Your pops would be wicked proud of you!!

As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” — in the spirit of keeping the wonderful holiday season going all year round, I bring to you…Christmas Time Again — A Malden Musings Reflection Revisited. “Christmas Time Again” was borrowed from my good bud Gary Cherone. Now, when I say, “good bud,” I’m not talking about the guy who cowrote a Billboard #1 hit (“More Than Words”), sold over 20 million records worldwide or commanded the Wembley stage at the 1991 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert like he owned it!

No, I’m talking about the skinny kid from Highland Avenue who once dreamed a dream that actually came true, and in the process made his mom Josephine one very proud woman. That Gary Cherone, the pre-stardom version, the one with the awkward jump shot who always left his feet too early, the one with a fierce love for Kong Gorilla, the one who never, ever forgot where he came from, Malden.

My first encounter with Gary goes back to 1979. He was standing outside my house on Charles Street with my brother David when he called out to me, “You should come see my band play sometime.” That was all it took. I was in. Hooked before I’d even heard a note.

Extreme may not have set the entire world ablaze (although they’ve been doing a pretty good imitation of that in the last couple of years). They weren’t Elvis, The Beatles or The Stones, but for those of us who still believe in the holy trinity of guitar, bass and drums (with a front man who could light up a room singlehandedly), they were/are the real deal. Honest. Pure. No gimmicks.

Music wasn’t just Gary’s career, it was his vocation, his calling, his mishigas. He went all in, heart first. And it paid off. Plenty of others shared the same dream, but few ever made it past the garage door. Gary did, and he never lost that Malden humility that came baked into him from the start.

Which brings me back to “Christmas Time Again.” Released in 1992 on A&M Records as part of the “Stop the World” EP, it’s one of those lost gems that somehow slipped through the cracks of the early ’90s rock-and-pop shuffle: a beautifully written, sentimental piece, some five minutes and seven seconds of sincerity and soul, that deserves far better than to be forgotten.

Forget the labels. Forget the “pretty-boy” image, the guitar-hero fireworks, the “heavy metal” tag that never quite fit. Listen instead to the honesty in Gary’s voice, the warmth in his lyrics. You’ll hear a hometown kid singing from the heart about his favorite time of year.

So, give it a spin. Let it play between Bing and Bowie, between Brenda and Bruce. It belongs there — a true holiday song from a true Malden son.

Merry Christmas, G-Man. And a rockin’ New Year to you.

Postscript: He was the first “overfed, long-haired, leaping gnome” I had ever encountered in the flesh. I was a wide-eyed, impressionable 14-year-old hanging around Devir Park in the summer of 1972 when Paul McKinnon came drifting in, freshly imported from our sister park, Amerige. His freak flag fell all the way to his waist, a glorious mane that made him impossible to miss and even harder to forget.

We took to our new Amerige Park friends right away, and Paul stood out as one of the kindest souls in the bunch. Easy smile, gentle spirit, always making you feel like you belonged. Those summers are etched in time, and so is he. Rest in peace, my friend.

—Peter is a longtime Malden resident and a regular contributor to The Malden Advocate. He can be reached at Pe*****@*ol.com for comments, compliments or criticisms.