Want proof positive that inspiration comes at you from almost anywhere?
Excelsior is a small western suburb of Minneapolis, on Lake Minnetonka and full of shops and tourists. I have coffee there frequently. Walking the streets was Old Jimmy….an older gent who had taken the short bus to school. Good hearted old Jimmy, dressed in overalls, was a fixture in Excelsior….maybe you have a Jimmy in your town.
Last week, Jimmy died.
But even Jimmy has a ‘backstory.’ Back in June of 1964, an up and coming rock band had a concert at the old amusement park in Excelsior. The next day, the lead singer came into Bacon Drug and stood behind our Jimmy in line. Jimmy wanted a cherry coke, but they were out of cherry juice, so Jimmy settled for a regular coke. Jimmy turned to leave and told Mick Jagger, “you can’t always get what you want.”
Sufficiently inspired, young Mick writes one of the most popular rock songs of the decade, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”
RIP, Jimmy.
4 users commented in " You Can’t Always Get What You Want "
I was all ready to call you on this one GL–then i checked —–great story
maybe there is hope for my front story—
What’s YOUR front story, Mike. I thought EVERYONE in my area knew about Jimmy, but I found a friend, a real long term fixture in the area, HAD NO idea. Every town has a Jimmy.
What a GREAT story, GL! A tip o’ the hat to Jimmy!
Thanks Robert. By the way, the rock concert by the Rolling Stones in Excelsior was seen by about 250 people, the newspaper reported. Of course, I have met EACH ONE OF THEM in the years since…
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