Living with Legends

Its taken two months of close scrutiny but we finally spotted a guest who must have booked his room while Stanley was still in charge. I’m sure that many of you who live here have noticed the tall skinny guy dressed in hippy garb sitting in the lobby for the past couple of weeks.  Well, it’s none other than legendary Chicago poet and Guinness Book of World Records holder Lee Groban.  When I spoke with him Saturday evening, Lee told me that incredibly enough, this was the first time he had ever been to the Chelsea.  He was off to spend the evening at an underground poetry gathering on Bleeker and the Bowery and after the reading over to hang out with a couple of artist friends in the East Village. Just like the old days!

Lee gave me copies of a couple of his poems before he headed out into the night.  As you can see, Lee figures if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. It seems he’s still using the same typewriter that he used in 1981. Below is an excerpt from The Cure for Insomnia.