Thread by @SonRanto

On 9/11, I was asleep in my apartment on Madison and 66th after seeing Michael Jackson at MSG the night before. Woke up around 9:30 am and had to move our bands van north of 72nd st to avoid a street cleaning ticket. Got in van. Moved it. There was no traffic. (1)

It was shockingly easy to find a spot for our giant van too. I thought, is today a holiday? Where the hell is everyone? I turned on the radio to WNYC. There was no signal. I changed the station and all hell was breaking loose. Figured out there was an accident downtown. (2)

Tried to call my GF who I lived with. Couldn’t get a call out. I waited in the van until 11 to avoid a ticket (stupid). Walked home. My GF was up by then and watching our tiny 17 inch tube tv. A native NYr, her dad worked nearby and she was worried. We were glued to the tv. (3)

We thought of all our friends who worked and lived down there. Our 3rd floor window faced Madison. We saw cars covered with debris driving north. We saw people in work clothes walking north. Some carrying shoes not meant for walking miles in. I went to get the van. (4)

I started north and asked people if they needed a ride. Many did and soon my 1987 Chevy G20 was filled. Must have been 12 people piled in at one point. People got in and out. I got as far north as maybe 119th St but traffic was stopped as the bridges were closed. (5)

Drove as far south as I could. 42nd street. Picking up and dropping off. Did it all again North and South twice more. Then,Me and my gf got in a fight over the money people were trying to give us. I wouldn’t take it and she would. Things got tense. So I dropped her back home. (6)

The radio said busses would start going again. So I figured it would be best if I got off the road too. Our friend Peter called soon after. He lived pretty close to WTC and couldn’t get home. We told him to come over. He did and Im pretty sure we all got drunk. (7)

Peter couldn’t get home so he stayed on our couch but his cats were in his apartment still. On 9/13, we were able to go get them. We could only get as far south as Houston st. Walked the rest. No power in his apt. But we found his cats, put them in carriers and walked north. (8)

Only one person I knew died. Sweet William’s Florist downstairs lost his wife. She was very nice. Much better looking than William. Haha. A kid who came and saw my band a lot lost his dad. My gfs father lost dozens of people he knew and was inconsolable. (9)

A girl I dated briefly went back to work down there the next week and developed such bad breathing problems that she ended up moving way out in Long Island. The city stood still for months. The smell was horrible and it continued to smell like burning plastic for months. (10)

Everything stopped for awhile. We were scared. Just like now, we all lost jobs. I went on unemployment. My GF had just quit her advertising job to pursue acting full time. She had gotten a job at a restaurant right across the street from Radio City. And then Anthrax happened.(11)

Anthrax was at the radio city po. So no one came to the restaurant. No one did anything. I’ll never forget all the missing posters by the armory. I’ll never forget my gfs father bursting into tears at dinner. I’ll never forget sweet Williams wife. (12)

I’ll never forget the trust fund assholes at the dinner party a month later saying racist things about Muslims. I’ll never forget the machine guns the cops started carrying or the illegal searches to go to band rehearsal in Brooklyn. (13)

I’ll never forget the first time I laughed about it too. A few years later, Joan Rivers was performing at Cutting Room, she started talking about 7/11 and people were getting nervous because A. She meant 9/11 and B. We don’t talk about 9/11 at comedy shows. (14)

The crowd was audibly restless. Joan catches herself and says “did I say 7/11? I mean 9/11! Anyway....” The crowd groaned. Joan says. “Oh please! Those people that died, they weren’t ALL good.” We laughed for what felt like an eternity. We collectively vomited laughter. (15)

So we say 9/11. Never forget. But for some of us who were there, it’s not all that great a memory. (End)