Dirty Water
So, after the Phillies' win we had to hear the theme from the film Rocky. Of course, right? When the Red Socks stomped on the Angels, Fenway Park resonated to the guitar from "Dirty Water" by The Standells. No other song says Boston, right? Well, that got me thinking about city anthems, whether organic, manufactured or imposed. And in particular it reminded me of what my friend Jesus Velo tells me about "Dirty Water."
Velo's Eastside (here I mean east of the L.A. river) credentials are impeccable: marched in the Chicano Moratorium in 1970, Garfield High School '72, and toured for a couple decades for the punk rock band Los Illegals.
In the mid 1960s the Standells played in East L.A. The show was huge for him. He was too young to get in. It was huge in symbolism; that a popular group would play in his neighborhood, a section treated as a backwater by city leaders. The song's lyrics sealed the deal.
Yeah, down by the river
Down by the banks of the river Charles (aw, that's what's happenin' baby)
That's where you'll find me
Along with lovers, fuggers, and thieves (aw, but they're cool people)
Well I love that dirty water
Oh, Boston, you're my home (oh, you're the Number One place)
Sure it's a Boston song, Velo says, but it reminded him and his friends that L.A.'s far from perfect too but they loved it. In his mind the River Charles easily morphed into the L.A. River. Maybe "Dirty Water" hits closer to L.A.'s noir reality than Randy Newman's L.A. theme song.
Growing up, Velo says, he remembers all kinds of contests to come up with a theme song for Los Angeles. Nothing ever stuck, until the 1980s. It took more than a decade for Jesus Velo to change the record and embrace "I Love L.A." as the anthem for his city. Even though it's hokey, he says, it's a drive through his city and his streets and a glance at the people rooting for the same team.
Photo credit: David McNew, Getty Images
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The Standells
Los Illegals
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