Jon Wurster and I met up this week in Albany, NY right before he was to play a show with The Mountain Goats. As I drove into town and pulled up to a stoplight in front of the venue, the very first thing I saw was Jon signing an autograph for a 10-year-old music fan dressed in a shining gold lamé long-sleeve pantsuit and full glitter face makeup. J’adore. Jon later set aside a pair of animal print headphones for this same young fan to be picked up at the sound booth. I could have easily turned back for home right then, satisfied I had seen all that I came for that night.
We got ourselves settled into Nippertown, ate some salad and granola bars, left a bouquet of flowers in a juice bar, took a self-guided tour of the grounds of the State Capitol/low-key skatepark, and filmed Jon opening up his very own copy of LATCHKEY TOWNSHIP.
Over the next several newsletters, I will be be sharing excerpts from LATCHKEY TOWNSHIP. The stories, lists, and poems in this book are true blue and I think you might want a copy to have and to hold.
This next latchkey story I want to share is by Jon, who is one of the only reasons I still check twitter. I first met Jon in 2010 when we were both ordering the same appetizers from the Ladies Luncheon menu at a cafe in Vermont, introduced by a mutual friend. We became fast BFFs, deep bonding over offbeat dream interpretation, a love of Maude, children’s naming gone haywire, and hoagie eating as Pennsylvanian youths. I was so psyched when Jon was one of the first to answer my call for stories about growing up as a latchkey kid because he is one of the funniest people I know.
To read Jon’s submission to LATCHKEY TOWNSHIP, become a paid subscriber.
LATCHCAKES
BY JON WURSTER
Both parents worked full-time jobs for a good portion of my childhood, so I was home alone a lot. One of my favorite things to do was make pancakes using Bisquick mix and eat them as I watched a cavalcade of Gilligan's Island, Brady Bunch, and Monkees reruns. Years later, my girlfriend would refer to this delicacy as "latchcakes." One of the most embarrassing moments of my life occurred one day after school when I was playing air guitar with a wiffle ball bat (probably while listening to Boston), and I turned around and realized at least four of the neighborhood kids were watching me through the sliding glass window. I can't imagine how I faced them at the bus stop the next morning. Clearly, I'm still not over it. I had a rich fantasy life, and I enjoyed my own company, so I honestly don't recall ever feeling that lonely. And once I got a set of drums, I was in The Clash/Police/The Who from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Not bad for thirteen!
Jon Wurster is a drummer, air guitarist, male model, radio personality, comedian, and writer. Here is a Substack story about him stealing Bob Dylan's tissue.
Thanks for letting yourselves into LATCHKEY TOWNSHIP. The Saltines and peanut butter are in the cabinet over the stove. Help yourself. xo, Jacinta
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