What If We All Helped Mel?

October 25, 2012 By Mickey Friedman I spent Thursday and Friday mornings with Mel Greenberg. Mel Greenberg feeds people. On Thursday, I went with Mel and Jurek Zamoyski to Big Y, Berkshire Co-op Market, to Guidos, The Marketplace, and Mazzeos,…

The Best Town Manager We Ever Had

October 22, 2012 By Mickey Friedman Like icebergs, only a small portion of what goes on in a small town is visible. So much of what really happens, happens beneath the surface. The Great Barrington Selectboard finally acted on what…

The River: It Ain’t Over

October 2, 2012 By Mickey Friedman A loyal reader admonished me recently: “You haven’t written about the River in a while!” Sometimes thinking about the thirty year fight for a PCB cleanup makes me want to go to sleep for…

No to Mimes, Yes to Bill

September 6, 2012 By Mickey Friedman I’ve been sleeping a lot more easily these days. Ever since Lenox banned street performers. I’ve never met Ms. Hagenah, the “living statue” who asked for a permit to statue on the sidewalk. And…

Hard Times High

August 25, 2012 By Mickey Friedman In the old days, doing nothing cost you nothing. And there was a big difference between doing nothing and doing something. Somehow, now, doing nothing costs forty-two million dollars. I know squat about building…

Four More Years

August 15, 2012 By Mickey Friedman I’m still shaken. Only my fellow Olympians understand what it’s like to train for four years and have your Olympic dreams shattered. I realize most people probably don’t even know about the event I’ve…

The Small Stuff

July 28, 2012 By Mickey Friedman I’m trying not to sweat the big stuff. Like the end of the world as we know it. I mean, if God wanted us to have arctic ice and antarctic penguins, he wouldn’t have…

I’m Bringing It Home

June 21, 2012 By Mickey Friedman I’m bringing it home. That’s what Bob calls finishing the song or the gig. I’ve been doing what I said I wouldn’t ever do again. Making a film. When my friend Beth began her…

Going, going, gone

June 7, 2012 By Mickey Friedman Things are different since Vladimir left. Now when I rant, mutter, or converse in more measured tones, there’s nobody listening. Vladimir responded in his own unique Quaker Parrot way and most of it went…