Bagels-n-Boots
Jo cracks me up. Her eulogy for her favorite boots has made me wistful for all of the great pairs of boots I've owned over the years.
There were the white go-go boots that zipped up the back in 1965. I thought they were the BOMB. Until I wore them to the beach (shut up, it's cold where I'm from) to hang out with my pal Tracy, whose brother Clay was two years older than me and awfully cute to a 10-year-old. We were climbing on rocks and, of course, trying to shove each other into the water. He managed to push me in...the boots got wet...the zippers rusted...life was never the same.
There were the seriously slutty black leather knee-high boots with stiletto heels. Those babies were BAD. My boyfriend at the time picked them up in N.Y. for me. Of course, once I started dating THIS boyfriend he forbid me to wear them.
I had a pair of red and black suede, Beatles-style ankle boots in the 80's. I'm just grateful they couldn't talk...
My mother bought me a pair of chocolate brown, plastic(?...some weird material unknown to nature) knee-high boots when I was 15. I wore them to death with a peasant print dress that had a dark brown cinched waist and puffy sleeves. Wanna see J.V. cheerleaders in street clothes? Check the 1971 yearbook and look for that outfit.
There were the fake leather black ankle boots that laced up the back above the stiletto heel. I think I may have paid all of $15 for them. Amortized over the length of their shelf life, I figure I paid about a penny a wearing.
In Portland, right before we moved here, I had a pair of dark brown and black suede ankle boots. They looked awfully tasty with my dark brown and black suede jodphurs. (Like I'd know a horse if it bit me...)
Aaaah, my mid-calf, flat heel, black leather die-hards. I wore and wore and WORE those suckers. I can't even remember how many times I had them re-soled and re-heeled. They were SO comfortable. Portland uniform: turtleneck, 501's, those boots, long black coat. Done.
I've got a pair of yee-haw! real-live red cowboy boots (with white inserts) boxed up in my Dad's attic right now. Bought 'em at the boot store in downtown Petaluma. $125 boots...got 'em for $25.
But the boots that belong in the Marilyn Hall of Fame are my first pair of red cowboy boots. They weren't even real cowboy boots. They were Capezio and I bought them in a shoe store in Noe Valley in San Francisco. Those boots did some LIVIN'!! (And, oddly, they invariably drew compliments.) I finally let them go when I left Portland. They were like a car that had over 200,000 miles on it. But, man, I almost wish they could have talked. San Francisco uniform: long shirt, 501's, red cowboy boots, long black duster. (St. Thomas uniform: t-shirt, 501's, flip-flops...picking up a pattern here?...)
If you're wondering about the title of this post, it refers to one of numbers I had planned for my musical. I've never mentioned the musical I was going to write about 15 years ago? It was called "Elvis Schmelvis." About a nice Jewish boy who really just wants to be the next Elvis. I had the lyrics to the "Elvis Schmelvis" song. A good drummer friend (this was when I lived in San Francisco before I knew my REAL drummer man) said he'd write the music for it--he was thinking sort of countrified version of Hava Nagila. But we never got around to it.
Boots - R.I.P.
There were the white go-go boots that zipped up the back in 1965. I thought they were the BOMB. Until I wore them to the beach (shut up, it's cold where I'm from) to hang out with my pal Tracy, whose brother Clay was two years older than me and awfully cute to a 10-year-old. We were climbing on rocks and, of course, trying to shove each other into the water. He managed to push me in...the boots got wet...the zippers rusted...life was never the same.
There were the seriously slutty black leather knee-high boots with stiletto heels. Those babies were BAD. My boyfriend at the time picked them up in N.Y. for me. Of course, once I started dating THIS boyfriend he forbid me to wear them.
I had a pair of red and black suede, Beatles-style ankle boots in the 80's. I'm just grateful they couldn't talk...
My mother bought me a pair of chocolate brown, plastic(?...some weird material unknown to nature) knee-high boots when I was 15. I wore them to death with a peasant print dress that had a dark brown cinched waist and puffy sleeves. Wanna see J.V. cheerleaders in street clothes? Check the 1971 yearbook and look for that outfit.
There were the fake leather black ankle boots that laced up the back above the stiletto heel. I think I may have paid all of $15 for them. Amortized over the length of their shelf life, I figure I paid about a penny a wearing.
In Portland, right before we moved here, I had a pair of dark brown and black suede ankle boots. They looked awfully tasty with my dark brown and black suede jodphurs. (Like I'd know a horse if it bit me...)
Aaaah, my mid-calf, flat heel, black leather die-hards. I wore and wore and WORE those suckers. I can't even remember how many times I had them re-soled and re-heeled. They were SO comfortable. Portland uniform: turtleneck, 501's, those boots, long black coat. Done.
I've got a pair of yee-haw! real-live red cowboy boots (with white inserts) boxed up in my Dad's attic right now. Bought 'em at the boot store in downtown Petaluma. $125 boots...got 'em for $25.
But the boots that belong in the Marilyn Hall of Fame are my first pair of red cowboy boots. They weren't even real cowboy boots. They were Capezio and I bought them in a shoe store in Noe Valley in San Francisco. Those boots did some LIVIN'!! (And, oddly, they invariably drew compliments.) I finally let them go when I left Portland. They were like a car that had over 200,000 miles on it. But, man, I almost wish they could have talked. San Francisco uniform: long shirt, 501's, red cowboy boots, long black duster. (St. Thomas uniform: t-shirt, 501's, flip-flops...picking up a pattern here?...)
If you're wondering about the title of this post, it refers to one of numbers I had planned for my musical. I've never mentioned the musical I was going to write about 15 years ago? It was called "Elvis Schmelvis." About a nice Jewish boy who really just wants to be the next Elvis. I had the lyrics to the "Elvis Schmelvis" song. A good drummer friend (this was when I lived in San Francisco before I knew my REAL drummer man) said he'd write the music for it--he was thinking sort of countrified version of Hava Nagila. But we never got around to it.
Boots - R.I.P.
posted by Marilyn at 7:41 PM
3 Comments:
I was *just* thinking last night about the kickass boots i use to wear when i was tending bar in NYC. They were a cross between elf boots and motorcycle boots - a little elfin hell's angel action! Oh they were wonderful . . . (Elvis Schmelvis! wahhhhhhhh!) :)
What a great boot list :) I miss the white patent-leather go-go boots, too.
And I'm waiting to see the lyrics for Elvis Schmelvis...please please please pretty please?!!!
You know.... as I was perusing zappos.com for my next pair of boots I found a lot of really cool go-go boots. White, orange, red, yellow... I have to say, I was tempted.
I did find some new boots by the way. More on that later.
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