Well, maybe not really hidden… but I have always wondered where the rock tunes on Greenwich were coming from, then usually I would spot Steve Migden, a longtime resident of Independence Plaza, and I finally got a bit of his story.
Migden, who is 67, has lived in the neighborhood since 1979, when he moved with his parents from Alphabet City. Migden came with his record collection.
“Music was my first love,” he said — he was playing the Allman Brothers when we spoke. “I am a music buff, but not a musician. I would have loved to learn all that.”
He has hundreds of records, plus CDs and cassettes, across several genres: rock, blues, jazz, fusion, Motown. He listens to music at home too, where he has a Newmark turntable, Sony cd player, Pyle double cassette deck, Kenwood receiver, Sansui and Sony speakers — two in the living room and two in the bedroom. His wife doesn’t love it — “the only American music she likes is Michael Jackson and Jennifer Lopez” — but she tolerates it. He gets a new boom box when they break, which is about every two years; he travels with a handheld Bluetooth player.
He comes outside to “break up the monotony and the boredom and the depression.” He’s never worked, he said, so he has a lot of time on his hands.
“I know some people complain about this but this is New York City. Would they rather hear construction noise and fire engines?”
Thanks for the story.
Personally, I am not a big fan of his, but I agree- this is fair game in NYC.