A collection of six short stories about life and friendship in the late ’70s

FILE MILES TO THE TURNPIKE – The Tale of the White Whale

Seven guys in a customized van, including a full keg of beer, are heading down to Great Adventure in New Jersey for a Southside Johnny concert. What could possibly go wrong?

IT’S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY – Studio 54 and the Wino

A trip into Manhattan includes a stop at Studio 54, a public bathroom encounter to forget, a rumble in the back of a taxi, and a mad dash to Penn Station to make the last LIRR train out of town.

CRAWLING FROM THE WRECKAGE – Super Bowl Weekend in the Poconos

As guests in a house loaded with adults, kids, and skiers, we never intended to ski. We never intended to end up in the emergency room after spending the morning playing floor hockey with fruit, get kicked out of the house, or drive home in a snowstorm with a car that was losing electrical power. But we did…

MEETING ACROSS THE RIVER – The Night Matty Almost Bled to Death

It’s hard to imagine that after drinking unlimited beer at Beefsteak Charlie’s, stopping off at another bar for Happy Hour, and then walking uptown, a bartender at Rosie O’grady’s would refuse to serve us. How dare he? This incident led to a series of serious yet comical misfortunes.

AND SO IT GOES – The Excommunication of Jeff Luft

A full weekend of partying led to a Sunday afternoon trip deep into Staten Island to interview Southside Johnny before their concert at The Factory, the single most out-of-control venue we had ever experienced. Who’s Jeff Luft, and why was he Excommunicated? What was he excommunicated from? What the hell is excommunication? This is a story you have to read to believe.

SPIRITS IN THE NIGHT – Meeting Bruce Springsteen

Another impromptu trip into New York City ends up at the Palladium, where Springsteen was performing, but what’s a person to do without tickets? A mysterious stranger and a crooked security guard combine to get us inside (for cash). Afterward, we discovered that our car (parked around the block by a warehouse) was across the street from the backstage entrance to the Palladium. After a long, long wait, our hero emerges…