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Been awhile since I’ve been active in here. Used to regularly upload recordings to http://www.freesofree.net Still a huge fan. I still live in Amherst… thought I’d do something fun, as I’ve been taking up shooting things with my camera. Thought I’d take a photo of a bit of Rock History in town… I’ve heard J worked at the Mobil gas station in Amherst pre-Dino. Will upload some of the good ones if you want them, maybe some more when it’s less dark later! I don’t have the Dino book yet, so no idea if that part of his early life is covered, but it’s fun to walk by that gas station and know he worked there at one point. I’m sure it’s inspiring for any other musicians that ever happen to work there. J’s a god. I know from some history he also worked at the Umass Amherst radio station, I can take a photo of the place (I think) if any of you care to see that as well.
The station has probably been updated since when he worked there, but this would be where he would have pumped gas. Looking at the station straight on, the town’s Post Office is to the right of the station, and Zanna is to the immediate left (clothing store for woman). Across the street would be a view of a town church, if anyone care’s to see. It says “attach file” as an option but it’s not letting me? Weird.
That would all be very cool to see !!
Not sure on the attachments-I normally just add links – Im sure someone else will know.Also it’s be cool to see the house he painted in order to raise the $400.00 or so to buy the Start from Slimy Bob’s, but then ended up buying the Jazzmaster.
I don’t know anything about the house. If you know the address, it wouldn’t be hard to find…
Here are a few different shots from different angles of Renn’s Mobil Gas Station. I don’t know if J pumped gas, I’m assuming he did.. so I included close ups of them. The funky blue and green building is Mystery Train Records. Cool little house/record store with lots of vinyl and books, etc. It’s across the street /at an angle to the station. Pretty close.
There is also a shot of the church, which is directly across the street from the station. So he would have seen that quite a bit, when he worked there.
Another view of Mobil Gas. Side/angle view of Brueger’s Bagel’s across the street. Another shot or two of the church across the street. An evening in Amherst, in the Old West Cemetary (where Emily Dickenson is buried), which is behind-ish the station.
Lots of history in Amherst!
(all photos taken on a Nikon m70).
Hey @wakeupnow … I can’t see any pictures (although I’m on my phone) have you got a instgram account ? I’m not sure why they are not uploading….I could never get picture attachments to work…@jeremiah to the rescue ?
That’s interesting about Emily Dickenson..! I guess dinosaur are in her shadow for famous ‘Amherstens’ – Is there a term for someone from Amherst? Or is Amherstens cromulent 🙂
Yea was my mobile.
Those are great, love the funky record shop ! Thanks for the post 🙂I will vist one day, a pilgrimage.
thanks for sharing those @wakeupnow 🙂
There used to be a large record shop almost directly across the street from the gas station that I think had been there since the ’80s, but which closed sometime in the early ’00s (I lived in Noho from ’97-’00). The little green Mystery Train is a scaled-down version of a larger shop that used to be on the main drag (I think the original shop opened around ’97), next to a brewpub that’s also now gone. It was kind of shocking to me last time I was in Amherst (in 2011, I think) how many places had closed and/or been replaced by chains. Even Newberry Comics moved to Noho, which is still pretty much the same town as it was, business- and restaurant-wise, when I left in 2000 (minus Dynamite Records, sadly).
J talks a lot about going to record shops i wonder if he’s been in there ?
Is it a big place (amherst) ? – sounding like a stalker – Just hard to picture him buying food and stuff at the local market 🙂
Maybe people wouldn’t notice, I went to a dinosaur gig once and not one person came up to J or Murph for 30 mins as I stood by them before they went on stage. Or maybe everyone is cooler than me ! Please sign this ? Do you like London ? Scottish independence? – I just said Hi 🙂
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