~ Malden Musings ~ WMEX 1510 AM & Extreme’s Hole Hearted

By Peter Levine

  It is said in “Malden Musings”…

• How cool it was on Wednesday, February 25, to hear Extreme’s “Hole Hearted” played on 1510 WMEX! I posted on WMEX’s Facebook page that I was happy they have included HH amongst their “greatest hits of all time,” and by the reaction of a couple of rabidly dedicated ’MEX followers, you would have thought I kidnapped the Lindbergh baby! I stand by my comment; it was so very awesome to hear Extreme continue to get recognition in their hometown of Boston!
• Speaking of the band Extreme, Highland Avenue’s Gary Cherone and the song “Hole Hearted,” I remember hearing it for the first time and saying, Good Golly Miss Molly this song is so damn good! It was at the Channel in Southie, but I am not sure what year. It was before their second album, “Extreme II: Pornograffitti,” was released in 1990; I do remember that much. A couple choruses in, I turned to my brother David and said, “By jove, we have a hit on our hands!” (Yes, I actually talked like that at rock concerts.) David nodded in agreement. All the hard work paid off: no more grinding it out for Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt, Pat Badger and Paul Geary; no more cold January Wednesday nights at Club 3 in Somerville. Next stop, Wembley Stadium! Insert smiley face.
• Mark Nolan’s little brother and one of the Boys of Edgeworth’s Bygone Summer, Billy, passed away recently at 68 years of age. Billy was one of the good ones. Loved by all. One of the Devir Park boys from those long, hot summers of Maldonia yesteryear, Billy was an Irish American Club guy, played for the Cardinals in Little League on Bruce Field, a 1976 MC grad, 35-year conductor at Amtrak, a four-year Navy vet, and a sweetheart of a guy. Rest in peace, my friend.
• And just like that Malden Firefighter Jimmy Connolly is about to retire after 32 years on the job. Jimmy is a well-known and beloved Maldonian running the streets of Oak Grove/Malden with his little rascal pals as a child before becoming an outstanding wrestler at MHS prior to his stellar career on the MFD. Congrats, Jimmy, wishing you a long and happy retirement!
• After 15 years on the job, Malden Veterans’ Services Officer Kevin Jarvis sets sail into retirement sunset. A very sad day for Malden no doubt because his shoes will be literally impossible to fill. Kevin not only bleeds Malden but his love and devotion to veterans of the armed services is stuff of legend. Much more on KJ later.
• Dr. Richard Klayman, 77, of Swampscott, formerly of Malden. May his memory be a blessing.

“Throwback Thursday on Friday — Ghosts of Malden’s Past” — speaking of Richard Klayman… A year or so back I wrote of Rich Klayman and his book “The First Jew,” which brought (at the time) this remembrance from Malden’s baseball ambassador himself — the late great, “Mr. Malden BRL” — the original hardball sage, Bob Rotondi: “Rich Klayman – some things you might not know; Rich grew up in the old Suffolk Square area. He played for me in 1959-1960 and was a catcher. This was the old Athletics in the Central Little League. Smart as a ‘whip,’ Rich would later become a college professor of history at Bunker Hill and was called Dr. Klayman. He had a brother Melvin, and I remember his lovely mother well who spoke with a little bit of a Yiddish accent. Rich couldn’t have been 5′ tall but was a hard-working ball player and a pretty good one as well as being utterly charming. As an 11-year-old he was behind Jim Hennessey, later Ward One Councilor, so he played mostly outfield. He took over the catching duties as a 12-year-old when Hennessey moved up to Babe Ruth League. I have an autographed copy of Rich’s book signed to me at a book signing at the Malden Public Library. Hadn’t seen him in nearly 40 years at that time.” Thanks again for sharing, Bob, we’ll never forget you or Dr. Klayman.

As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” — just a reminder… “Malden Musings” isn’t just a roll call of long-gone landmarks and half-forgotten names — it strives to be a celebration of the memories that still live and breathe through the people who shared them. It’s about the fun times that once echoed down Newland Street, Highland Avenue and Suffolk Square, and the store fronts of the old Square. The friendships forged on cracked playground asphalt, and the stories that continue to hold Malden together, generation after generation after generation, are the ties that bind. My hope is that the stories you read here capture a little of that spirit — the magic of remembering not just where we were, but who we were with. With that said, Arthur Kahn, may your memory be a blessing. Yes, I throw the word “legend” about quite capriciously in this column, but if you knew Arthur or his father, the word legend doesn’t do them justice. Arthur was Malden. His wife Barbara is Malden. His dad Barney was Malden. They and their family are the Maldonia ties that bind. More on Arthur in the future.

Postscript 1: Dana Brown speaks: “This past winter season I found myself in the Salemwood gym on Saturday mornings, with Paul Joyce, Danny Gilligan, Anthony Fowlkes, and many, many others, volunteering with the Malden Recreation basketball program. It feels like coming home. Malden Recreation — under the thoughtful leadership of Joe Levine — has become the heartbeat of much of the city’s basketball life, alongside our public and parochial schools. I hope some kid catches the basketball bug the way I did. The game has given me friendships, mentors, purpose, and memories that never fade. Ten weeks of Saturday morning basketball — over in a flash for this season but producing memories lasting a lifetime.” Thank you, Dana! You were so spot on about the wonderful game of basketball giving you friendships, mentors, purpose and memories that never fade. Many of us feel the same way. Very well said.

Postscript 2: In this ever-changing world in which we live in (sounds like a Paul McCartney lyric!) one constant remains: kindness. “Join the fearless in being kind” and at the very next opportunity, make somebody happy. Which reminds me of the Jule Styne 1960 composition, “Make Someone Happy” — stylized as only Jimmy Durante can: “Make someone happy, make just one, someone happy, and you will be happy too.” With that said, I’d like to wish my sister Barbara — one of the kindest human beings ever to inhabit planet earth — a happy (mumble, mumble) birthday. Thank you for being Barbara Levine Scibelli. We are very, very fortunate to have you in our lives.

Postscript 3: On a side note, I heard the BLS birthday bash theme — come as Barbara Levine Scibelli — was a stone-cold blast! Insert smiley face and pictures to follow.

—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.