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Bus operator By Day Blues man by night


MRChiCity

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13 hours ago, MRChiCity said:

Good evening,

Check this out.  Pretty cool, wouldn't you say? 

 

And he's a Chicago Garage operator as of the time of the story as shown by the 81xx bus he took the wheel of for those who might not be familiar with the layout of Chicago Garage given how far off the street the garage facility itself sits. And yes it is pretty cool. Just as Steve Sanders mentioned, you do wonder how he sleeps. xD

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1 hour ago, jajuan said:

And he's a Chicago Garage operator as of the time of the story as shown by the 81xx bus he took the wheel

Considering that the story said he was driving on Laramie (where he got the inspiration for his lyrics), and a bus has a 57 Laramie to Grand sign, one didn't have to go to those lengths.

But maybe in BusHunter's honor, he'll write the "8189(?) Blues"

"I gotta close this sneeze guard

I gotta punch the Clever Device

This bus better not catch on fire

The seats better not be covered with lice.

This bus was just delivered last week

I wonder what's the price."

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14 minutes ago, Busjack said:

Considering that the story said he was driving on Laramie (where he got the inspiration for his lyrics), and a bus has a 57 Laramie to Grand sign, one didn't have to go to those lengths.

But maybe in BusHunter's honor, he'll write the "8189(?) Blues"

"I gotta close this sneeze guard

I gotta punch the Clever Device

This bus better not catch on fire

The seats better not be covered with lice.

This bus was just delivered last week

I wonder what's the price."

He would probably feel like singing the blues if he worked out of FG. He could always drive the #85. xD Not much to feel blue about at Chicago.

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33 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

He would probably feel like singing the blues if he worked out of FG. He could always drive the #85. xD Not much to feel blue about at Chicago.

Subject to what jajuan has said about Route 90, he would be short of material, but he could always transfer to 77th. His hand grenade reference, while overkill, would take care of the gun problem near St. Sabina.

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5 hours ago, Busjack said:

Subject to what jajuan has said about Route 90, he would be short of material, but he could always transfer to 77th. His hand grenade reference, while overkill, would take care of the gun problem near St. Sabina.

We should call you Big Pun.  Grenades.  Overkill.   Guns. 

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8 hours ago, Busjack said:

Considering that the story said he was driving on Laramie (where he got the inspiration for his lyrics), and a bus has a 57 Laramie to Grand sign, one didn't have to go to those lengths.

But maybe in BusHunter's honor, he'll write the "8189(?) Blues"

"I gotta close this sneeze guard

I gotta punch the Clever Device

This bus better not catch on fire

The seats better not be covered with lice.

This bus was just delivered last week

I wonder what's the price."

Perhaps, but the shots of him driving a #57 wasn't until after the garage shot, which is why I referenced that instead. After all the shots of the #57 bus wouldn't necessarily be him driving given how WGN cobbles CTA related stories together.

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8 hours ago, BusHunter said:

He would probably feel like singing the blues if he worked out of FG. He could always drive the #85. xD Not much to feel blue about at Chicago.

#91 would also give him some source material. As for Chicago, you are incorrect about him nor having much source material there. Besides the #57, has #20, #65, #66, #70 and #72 on the east-west routes and #53, and #54 on the nort-south traveling in some of the same demographic environment he has written songs about. As for Jack's 77th reference, that is not the only garage with routes in rough neighborhoods. All seven garages have at least a couple of rough area routes.

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6 minutes ago, jajuan said:

#91 would also give him some source material. As for Chicago, you are incorrect about him nor having much source material there. Besides the #57, has #20, #65, #66, #70 and #72 on the east-west routes and #53, and #54 on the nort-south traveling in some of the same demographic environment he has written songs about. As for Jack's 77th reference, that is not the only garage with routes in rough neighborhoods. All seven garages have at least a couple of rough area routes.

Yeah but I was talking in context of the age of the buses.

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9 hours ago, Busjack said:

Considering that the story said he was driving on Laramie (where he got the inspiration for his lyrics), and a bus has a 57 Laramie to Grand sign, one didn't have to go to those lengths.

But maybe in BusHunter's honor, he'll write the "8189(?) Blues"

"I gotta close this sneeze guard

I gotta punch the Clever Device

This bus better not catch on fire

The seats better not be covered with lice.

This bus was just delivered last week

I wonder what's the price."

You know it's really not that hard to come up with some blues songs at FG :P Heck even the riders are inspired!!

Hoverin' in the yard, tryin' to find a bus that will last the night,
Heavy rain fallin', seems I hear the dispatcher a-callin' "This one's all right."
A rainy night at Forest Glen, a rainy night at Forest Glen
It seems like it's rainin' all over the world
I feel like it's rainin' all over the world
Destination signs a-blinkin', trans is jumpin' and I don't have any headlights,
A distant moanin' of my bus seems to play a sad refrain to the night
A rainy night at Forest Glen, such a rainy night at Forest Glen
Lord, I believe it's rainin' all over the world
I feel like it's rainin' all over the world
How many times I wondered
It still comes out the same
No matter how you look at it or think of it
It's life and you just got to play the game

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6 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

Yeah but I was talking in context of the age of the buses.

I know you were, but deliberately ignored that can of worms since that already gets beat to death as it is and really isn't relevant to this guy's cool accomplishments beyond being a CTA operator. So no need to hijack his story with that.

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5 minutes ago, jajuan said:

I know you were, but deliberately ignored that can of worms since that already gets beat to death as it is and really isn't relevant to this guy's cool accomplishments beyond being a CTA operator. So no need to hijack his story with that.

Just as long as you know what I mean't. I'm not going to get into hijack theories right now. If that is your belief that's your right. This is why we call this place America where we are free to express our feelings and believe what we want. Unfortunately you can't say the same in Cuba.

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23 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

You know it's really not that hard to come up with some blues songs at FG :P Heck even the riders are inspired!!

That ain't the Blues, though.

Also, we're past the age of the 1970s Chicago Blues, with "the Eagle Flies Tonight" and riding on "The Big Green."

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On 3/23/2016 at 11:52 PM, BusHunter said:

Just as long as you know what I mean't. I'm not going to get into hijack theories right now. If that is your belief that's your right. This is why we call this place America where we are free to express our feelings and believe what we want. Unfortunately you can't say the same in Cuba.

You have all the freedom to express what you want but you don't get freedom from disagreement on the point itself or disagreement about whether it's the time and place. ¬¬9_9:P

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On 3/23/2016 at 0:08 AM, Busjack said:

That ain't the Blues, though.

Also, we're past the age of the 1970s Chicago Blues, with "the Eagle Flies Tonight" and riding on "The Big Green."

He doesn't seem to be playing traditional blues either. I would call what he performs ghetto blues, because he's mixing in people in the 'hood in his songs. It's almost like it's a hybrid of rap and blues. As long as he can draw in a crowd, I guess that's what people want to hear, but I can't see how anyone who doesn't live in the 'hood can identify with his songs.

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5 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

He doesn't seem to be playing traditional blues either. I would call what he performs ghetto blues, because he's mixing in people in the 'hood in his songs. It's almost like it's a hybrid of rap and blues. As long as he can draw in a crowd, I guess that's what people want to hear, but I can't see how anyone who doesn't live in the 'hood can identify with his songs.

He isn't Muddy Waters coming from Mississippi, and as the story says, he sings about what he knows (which is apparently Laramie Ave.)..But the cadence. geetar, and backbeat certainly are Blues.

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  • 7 years later...
  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/21/2023 at 1:30 AM, MRChiCity said:

He is now retired as of 2020  

 

I remember seeing the WGN story of his retirement when first aired. I hope he's enjoying retirement and still having fun in music as he so visibly enjoyed doing.

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