Sounds of the Shore

One night last summer, obviously before COVID-19 hit, I was walking down 96th Street when I bumped into a piano-playing, singing buddy of mine by the name of Roy McCutchen. Way back in the day, I used to run these insane cabaret nights at a still-open-for-business bar called the Khyber Pass on Second Street in Philadelphia.

Anybody could walk in off the street and end up on stage doing, well, anything. Tell jokes, sing a song, do standup, juggle fire, it was a lot of fun. No one got paid at all. Wayne Cotter, who ended up being Jay Leno’s head writer on “The Tonight Show,” Tom Wilson, who ended up playing Biff in the “Back to the Future” movies, among many others, hopped on the stage.

The night would always end with Roy, who was blind, taking over the piano. The show would usually end around 1:30am, and one night when I was leaving, I saw Roy hailing a cab. “I can give you a ride,” I said, and the next thing you know I was dropping Roy off at his apartment building. Roy lived in a rough part of the city and, as I watched him enter his building, I was a little scared for him. “What a tough guy,” I thought to myself.

So, to see Roy some years later walking down 96th Street which, in my opinion, is one of the prettiest streets around was, disarming. Roy said to me, “I love the Disney World-like sound that comes from the street.” And I thought that was a really cool way of looking at that street. Appreciating the sound of it. So, I thought to myself, what are the sounds of the Jersey Shore?

The Ocean

Let’s get the Big Kahuna of sound out of the way first. The ocean. It’s practically taken for granted, but let’s face it, it’s the No. 1 reason we even come down the shore. It’s a beautiful sound, a hypnotic sound. I live a block-and-a-half from the beach, but there are lazy afternoons and nights when I lay on my deck and I can hear that surf as clear as a bell. At times, that sound can be peaceful. I have friends who fall asleep on their beach blanket within minutes of their arrival. However, that same sound can be exciting. I’ve been a dedicated boogie-board rider and body surfer most of my life, and there were times when I am walking onto the beach and I can hear the surf before I can even see it. And if it sounds wild? Let’s just say I just can’t get on that beach quick enough.

Radios on the Beach

It’s beyond cool when the Phillies are playing a really important game, or simply playing the Mets or the Braves, two teams that I detest, and the beach is dotted with radios all tuned in to the game. You decide to go for a long walk on the beach to get your steps in, and you can listen to four innings strong, the entire length of your walk. Scott and “La,” thanks for helping us on our journey.

Music, however, is a bit tricky. Music is my No. 1 love in life. I absolutely could not live without it. But let me get this out of the way: Anyone who brings a radio to the beach and then proceeds to blast either Megadeth or country music should be sent directly to the slammer. Even that’s not enough! Let’s make it solitary confinement for life!

Sorry, I might have gotten a little carried away there.

Decks

I love decks. Think about it, you rarely have a bad time sitting on a deck. Whether you’re just lying out catching some rays or having a drink or three, or finishing up a good book, decks are just sensational. I particularly dig it when your group is walking to a club and then you pass a deck that has a party going on and it’s really whooping it up. They yell down to you, “Come on up!” You yell up, “We’re meeting up with some people at the Princeton.”

After three drunken hours, it turns out these friends are over at Rock’n Chair. So, you stumble over, but it turns out there’s a long line, so you go, “What the heck, let’s go back home.” So, what happens on the way home? You pass the same deck, and now the party is even more insane. So, up the steps you go, and down the steps you go at around 3:45am. Great night!

Seagulls

On no single sound are people more divided than that of seagulls. When I first motor into town, I adore the sound of those squeaky birds. It’s very welcoming. When they wake me up way too early in the morning? Brother, I hate that noise. When some tiny, snot-nosed kid starts to feed them on the beach and all of a sudden you are living out Alfred Hitchcock’s “Birds”? Horrifying!

So, keep those ears open.