Gentlemen, there is one word and social necessity that is grossly overlooked in our vocabulary. The practice of this ancient action has nearly fallen off the edge of the earth. RESPECT. Respect for your woman, respect for your neighbors, respect for your elders, respect for your co-workers and respect for people who give you the same in return. Respect the Lion or he will bite the hand that feeds him.
I recently moved into a new apartment in Brooklyn which I very wrongfully presumed would be inhabited with like minded and successful individuals. As I was the first tenant in the building I had no idea what my new neighbors would bring to the table. I love to imbibe and entertain as much as the next guy and everyone knows I like to party and I will throw down harder than most in social situations.
When I arrived home late after a wonderful evening performing at Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel, my new “friends” were throwing a disco dance party in the only other apartment on my floor.
Now mind you it’s Tuesday night and I had this cold that everyone has been passing around like a blunt at a Cypress Hill concert. I also had at least a bottle of champagne after the gig and a snifter full of Grand Marnier during the set to calm my aching vocal chords. Between the loud music, the delirium of Day-Quill mixed with liquor and french bubbles it was enough to send me knocking at their door.
When I opened the door to the small hallway between our apartments my door was blocked with trash and other items that I had asked earlier in the day to kindly be removed. Still dressed in my charcoal and chalk pinstripe suit, I lowered my shoulder into the door and a half a dozen old egg shells and beer cans hit the floor. I took the two steps to the door and gave the steel a hard few wraps. The door was quickly opened by a short stocky B&T who looked all of 19 with his tank topped and barb wire tattooed “boys” behind him. I told them to turn down the music and to get the trash out of my hallway. Forcefully.
Of course he had strong tough words with all his boys behind him. Making fun of my suit and calling me a few not so clever names and insisting that the music was not going to be turned down. Now, I am not the fighting type and usually I never want to use my hands on anyone that doesn’t deserve the punishment, but when he put his hands on my suit and tried to push me, I was quickly less than an in inch away from his face. I know that they say actions speak louder than words so I grabbed him by his Polo shirt collar picking him up almost to his tip toes and said, “Listen you tiny Napoleonic motherfucker, I got tattoos too and your disrespectful attitude is gonna get you fucked up, cause tonight your fucking with the wrong motherfucker” After all his tough talk, as soon as I put my hands on him he crumbled like Blue Cheese. All I could smell was his fear mixed with Axe body spray as his “tough guy” friends retreated back to the party. I haven’t spoken to my new neighbors since as I think they are scared of what I might do to them the next time some level of infringement goes down. It was a good thing my wonderful woman Angie was there to keep me from destroying that little punks future and me from spending the night in a Bed-Sty jail cell in a custom made suit. Fighting is never good but dis-respect is one thing I do NOT tolerate. It was never tolerated when I was growing up. Not by anybody, my parents, my aunts and uncles, my neighbors. If you were dis-respectful you got what was coming to you.
The moral of the story is to Respect one another and these kinds of things won’t happen. I’ve seen this situation a hundred times whether I was working at the bar or hanging out on the streets of New York watching it happen to other people. Kids today have no respect for anyone or anything. They never worked for what they have and don’t know whats its like to struggle and make thing happen on their own. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Stay tuned for more ManLawMondays…
Man Law Mondays 