Upcoming Texas Shows:

Thursday 5/9 – Vibes Underground – San Antonio

Friday 5/10 – The Black Magic Social Club – Houston

Saturday 5/11 – Kick Butt Coffee – Austin

Sunday 5/12 – Three Links – Dallas

 

Richard Blum known by his stage name Handsome Dick Manitoba, is an American punk rock musician and radio personality. He was the singer of New York City-based band The Dictators from 1974 to 2008. With The Dictators, Manitoba sang on the albums The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! (1975), Manifest Destiny (1977), Bloodbrothers (1978) and D.F.F.D. (2005). Manitoba also sang with a reunited version of MC5 from 2005 to 2012.

Join us as Dick Manitoba performs Dictators songs and others from his extensive catalog.

HANDSOME DICK MANITOBA – Confirmed for Rebellion LIVE Stage 2024

For over 40 years, HANDSOME DICK MANITOBA was the lead singer, frontman and face of the DICTATORS, MANITOBA’S WILD KINGDOM & THE DICTATORS NYC. He did stints on the road singing with the legendary MC5, ran his own New York City tavern, MANITOBA’S, for 20 years and did a national five night a week rock ‘n’ roll radio program on SiriusXM satellite radio. Coming out of one of the richest, most notorious scenes in rock ‘n’ roll history, punk rock, and CBGB’s, Mr. MANITOBA has decided he needed to breathe in more oxygen, via live rock ‘n’ roll.

He has now put together an amazing band out of the great city of San Francisco featuring Craig Behrhorst (Ruffians, ex-Two Bit Thieij-guitar, Michael Butler (ex­Exodus and ex-JetBoy)-bass, Alex Kane (Life, Sex & Death and ex-Marky Ramona’s Blitzkrieg)-guitar and Scotty Slam (ex-Circus of Power and The Stoning)­drums.

Line up so far: https://www.rebellionfestivals.com/line-up

Weekend and limited Day tickets available now!

TICKETS: https://rebellion.keekmerch.com

PAYMENT PLANS: https://rebpp.keekmerch.com

HANDSOME DICK MANITOBA – Confirmed for Rebellion LIVE Stage 2024

We are delighted to start confirming some of the people who will be appearing on the Rebellion Literary Stage in 2024, another mix of varied interviews, discussion panels and possibly the odd film.

Handsome Dick Manitoba made his live debut as singer of the Dictators in 1975 at Popeye’s Spinach Factory in Brooklyn. The band went on to become synonymous with the early Punk scene before splitting in 1979. He went on to form Wild Kingdom and in 2012 Manitoba, who eventually rebranded as Dictators NYC, between times singing for a reformed MC5. More lately he released a solo album, 2019’s ‘Born in the Bronx’, as well as having turned his hand to DJ’ing and having been the proprietor of his own dive bar, aptly named Manitoba’s.

Line up so far: https://www.rebellionfestivals.com/line-up

Weekend and limited Day tickets available now!

TICKETS: https://rebellion.keekmerch.com

PAYMENT PLANS: https://rebpp.keekmerch.com

A MAGICAL COLORFUL FREINDSHIP

There are 365 days a year for some strange reason my surgeon is doing a hip replacement on me picked February 5 to do the surgery but I’d still like to say a word or maybe 1000 for my good friend Scott

had I’ve been able to make it to the event, well, here we go

I welcome you to this event, which I consider a be-in
A term hippies often used
simply as excuses for celebrations of life
and to share and express our joy and love

and in this case,for a wonderful man,
Scott Kempner.

A man with a super big heart
a man with a great musical talent
a man who was extremely intelligent and when Scott was on, he was
as funny as fuck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
there are all kinds of magic people in this world
there are rock ‘n’ roll magic people

The Beatles and The Rolling Stones
are examples

it HAD to be THOSE people and those people only

there are magic mates
that special thing that happens when you meet someone new
and it’s thrilling
and exciting and you
realize….
“oh shit, this is it”

there’s the magic of the love between a parent and their child, possibly the strongest love of all.

and here’s something we all know,
as we travel through life,we’re gonna make friends
its An integral part of the human experience
our family of friends,as they are sometimes called

we’re gonna make lots of friends
there will be acquaintance friends

there will be pretty good friends
and then
there will be Asshole friends who you make believe are friends

if you’re lucky

there will be one or two or three magical friends

besties, as I think they call them these days

our true brothers and sisters.

Scott Kempner was one such magical friend in my life
A Bloodbrother

Scott lived in the Bronx about 10 blocks from Yankee Stadium. He moved up into my neighborhood in the north Central Bronx an area called Williamsbridge,
when he was 10 years old,
same age as me

we were both in the fourth grade
same class
PS 41

we had a singing teacher named Mrs. Korman
she had terrible uncontrollable under arm wetness.
Even Mitchum didn’t work,
the school song started thus way:
“PS 41 leads the Bronx in education”

but WE changed it to
“PS 41 leads the Bronx in perspiration”

another example of Bronx grade school brilliance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
our friendship didn’t take long to click . It didn’t seem like it took any work. It just seemed like it was there for us. It was meant to be
Scott was the brother I never had.

Scott and I went to the same Hebrew school
we would get out of PS 41 and walk about seven or eight blocks to Hebrew sorry to hear about your father school.
We were not really good Jewish students
We no like

we would usually talk
about things on the way to Hebrew school like our favorite marvel comic heroes and who we thought was the coolest
Scott, being the more cosmic person than I was went for Dr.Strange
I went with the human torch, Corvette stingray, cool blonde hair, and a blonde shiksa girlfriend ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Russell Wolinsky of sick fucks fame lived in my housing project Gun Hill Houses
a block away from Scott.
I lived two blocks away from Scott.
It’s amazing that the three of us who knew each other for so long lived so close to each other

the large intersection which I was not allowed to cross by myself was Gun Hill Road and White Plains Road
around the corner from Louis restaurant
where Michael Corleone shot Solozzo the drug dealing Turk,and McCluskey the police captain,who was on the take
i’m speaking, of course of the godfather

once my family got to know Scott’s family
and me and Scott were good pals it was OK
I could cross the big street by myself.
I was 27 years old
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now here’s something that might make you question your atheism or agnosticism

im not trying to turn you into a fan of God

just saying

somethings in life are so uniquely weird I just think there is no way you could figure out why

early on, I explained how Scott’s family moved from closer from near the south Bronx up into the mid central Bronx where I lived

his family,moved two blocks away
.Now
the County in FL. above Miami is called.Broward County
and beside having world class mixed martial art gyms they have about 500 areas you can buy a condo and retire. The place is probably 95% Jewish. There are literally I would guess, at least a million places for Jews to move down from New York, and retire, and they did

each place had a swimming pool and plenty of space to take your morning powerwalk
in the afternoon
the old Jewish men would sit around the pool boobs facing South, playing pinochle

My parents retired, moved down to one of these places,
soon thereafter Scott’s parents retired and out of everywhere in America to retire, they moved down the road from my parents place!

like a 15 or 20 minute walk……..,

from childhood
moving two blocks away IN THE BRONX
to going to Broward county
with all the choices, they basically moved two blocks away

There in lies the mystery of our our families, our closeness

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scott and I would both agree, as Steve Van Zandt would as well,the big bang in rock ‘n’ roll was the Beatles on Ed Sullivan
we were all big British invasion fans. We both were big New York Yankee fans
even many decades later when I was a DJ at Sirius satellite radio I’d be sitting and working on my show and Scott would call and we would talk about the Yankees for like 45 minutes,
I knew what he felt about the Yankees and he knew what I felt. It was very emotional. It was Dad,it was beautiful baseball, oh, so beautiful baseball
it was the BRONX!.

Scott, as much as anybody I’ve ever known,
was an absolute rock ‘n’ roll maniac,
Scott’s life was devoted to rock ‘n’ roll,reading every magazine on a microscopic level, absorbing every bit of information from everywhere he could get it
I loved rock ‘n’ roll. I loved my music but I just wasn’t the collector of records and magazines and information that
Scott was
so what I did was I hung out with Scott and a few similar guys I knew
and I think it’s called…. osmosis

I loved what I loved and then I absorbed a whole Lotta shit from these guys

when I had a question to ask about rock ‘n’ roll I went to Scott
And he waxed poetic with his detailed, intelligent answers
of rock ‘n’ roll

We attended tons of amazing
concerts together over the years
and that
along with baseball were the two great cultural loves of our life
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

there was a place called Alexanders IN THE BRONX
a huge dept.Store that sold everything and anything under the sun

downstairs they had records for like three dollars or something,
albums…

down the block they had a record store called, “spinning disc” Scott would always make a trip there after Alexander‘s and he would always buy,
(he had a more gelt than me)

He would always buy the British version of The LP which sometimes Had the same songs in different order
and sometimes had different songs

Scott, ever being the collector,would make sure he had an English version of an album that he loved. He was an amazing record collector.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
we took the 15 bus from our neighborhood to Fordham Road and Alexander’s

on the way up the hill to Alexander’s. We would stop and get the best hamburgers we ever had in our lives. It was called
big burger.
There was a man in the window, cooking the burgers
we would get two rare hamburgers
and sit on our stools.
(no chairs no fries just stools) There were fake wooden buckets of sliced, sour pickles, onions, and tomatoes. Big
burger didn’t need any of them. It needed salt and ketchup

there was one moment right there which to me
was Scott
I hope you love this line as much as I did

because not only was Scott a super bright guy academically but forget that
he was a super bright guy,period And he could be as funny as anyone

he took a bite of this hamburger and so did I and we looked at each other and he said to me
“man this is like eating MEAT CANDY”. I never forgot that line

Meat Candy!

.
it was perfect .

So the next time you bite into an amazing hamburger,and you take the first bite and smell the first smell close your eyes just go
“MMMMMM meat candy!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One day “I called for Scott” that’s what we used to call it. “I called for him”.
He told me his mom wouldn’t be home
I went over Scott’s house,he shut out the light in his bedroom and put on a red light bulb, and then we would
take a kazoo, and we would put aluminum foil at the top of the kazoo Tightly covering the hole. and then with a pin we would punch holes in the top and that’s where we put our hash
we then covered the front of the kazoo with our finger

hash on top

light a fire
drawing the smoke as we opened and closed our finger at the end of the kazoo

so you got a red light and the kazoo, and hash
but we needed music
we then put on a velvet underground album

might I say we were a little bit ahead of the heavy metal kids,eating tuinals, and washing them down with Jack Daniels
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
before the dictators got started I guess the year was about 1971 when I graduated high school I bought a car
a 1964 Chevy impala for $300. Scott and I rented a room in the Borscht belt…
the Catskill mountains by Kiamesha Lake down the road from the famed Concord Hotel. We rented this little studio room. I think it was about $300 for the summer and we had three girls that we knew from the Bronx living next-door to us for the summer

three girls living next-door to us!

and we had some other friends up there that we hung out with
what a great summer it was
we were able to fit everything we owned in the trunk of this humongous car

it was when “AMERICA WAS GREAT!!!!”

an absolute boat of a car
so we head upstate and what can I tell you
I don’t think I have many better memories than hanging out with Scott all summer three girls next-door, a couple of friends in the neighborhood and we were free and away from our parents for two months

we would hitchhike back to the city every weekend and believe it or not. We were fuller brush delivery boys,

a man named Howie would sell Fuller brush products all week long and then we would take boxes of his sales and go apartment to apartment to make deliveries… yo,and we got paid, bitch!

for those of you that don’t remember Fuller brush
look it up

but

before dictators we were Fuller brush delivery boys!!.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scott was always a real clothes horse. a stylish hipster

he got girls pretty early in his life too!.
yessir, the broads, certainly liked Scott

the Dictators got started and as an aside,long story,short, I wound up becoming lead singer,and the first time I ever sang Chris Stein from Blondie and Eric EMERSON from the Magic tramps part of the Andy Warhol crew were in the audience cheering me on
it was a glorious blast off to a thrilling career

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scott and I were vitally important members of the dictators for decades
Scott was an excellent rhythm guitar player and was as much a part the heart and soul as anybody in the band

as the years went by. Scott started songwriting and became more and more profound and prolific as a songwriter,and started his own Americana, rock ‘n’ roll band known as the Del Lords.
they traveled the world, got tons of attention, and Scott got to sing and record with one of his all-time heroes and mine,too Mr. Dion DiMucci from guess where? that’s right
the Bronx, New York

tomorrow
February 6
Scott, would’ve been 70. I celebrated mine this past January 29

from the fourth grade and 10 years old. we almost hit a friendship of 60 years
I dare say, probably longer,
as far as I know
than anybody’s marriage or friendship,
we almost made it to the big 6-0 together
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
my way of looking at things?

so, for the better part of 60 years I had the greatest friend in the world
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
you see and experience and read all the time about life’s beauty

and all it has to offer

how sweet and delicious life can be.

I lost my cousin to ALS. I lost my best friend to dementia.

That’s also how life can be
cruel,evil, painful

Something we’ll just never get a grip on

I know people that within matter of seconds
minutes had their life changed for the worst
forever

a matter of seconds!
or minutes

and the beauty is gone, and the pain and suffering has arrived

you don’t know

you don’t know how many ticks your heart has

No more sweetness, no more laughter
no more beauty,.
There is only sadness….
sadness in seeing such a bright, charming, talented funny, wonderful friend that I had for so many decades
just pass,in the way he did, and what he went through the last couple of years
Not to mention how much his wonderful sister Robin, who I know since she was six years old suffered, as well as his loving wife, Sharon did and how much effort and love they put in to Scott being comfortable

these women went through absolute daily hell
I visited Scott a couple of times
it was strange
it was surreal. There’s no reference point in life to deal with something like
this

it’s not like you take it in and you just understand it
it’s from another planet
I tried to be animated and see if I can get through. I did get some really nice smirks and semi smiles from Scott. The first time I walked in he looked at me and in the deep almost godfather voice he
quietly said “you look good” I tell you what
you can’t figure out this disease
so I didn’t try to.
I just took what he said to me and held onto it

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I learned something many years ago when the wisest man I ever knew Stevie B , Scott knew Steve pretty well himself

Steve had given me so many philosophies, and so many ideals about life,that I find myself 25 years later,maybe 30 years later,spewing out things he had said to me
I still use them because they are the TRUTH
and here’s my point

beside the love and good feelings you will have as memories for Scott

tell stories about Scott

my little hamburger story about meat candy

maybe it’s not a big one
but it is something

you’d be surprised

how alive People become when you talk about them,

it could be a musical
story,
or an event on the road, or a concert, you shared, or any cool moment as friends that you shared
it could be a joke
it could be anything, but Scott affected us all

After all,that IS why we are here

tell the damn stories about Scott

and if you could just remember a story here and there
and tell it
it does certainly feel like it keeps him alive
and we won’t
forget Scott
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scott, you know I love you with all my heart, and I know you love me with all your heart
and I’m not the biggest God guy or spiritual guy in the world
but I like to think at this moment,I will be seeing you again and we will have a lot of laughs,and of lot of firey,New York Yankees debates
I’m glad that as I traveled through this life I traveled it with you for so many years
God bless you Scott Kempner

“SEE YOU IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD MY FRIEND,
LOVE,
RICHIE BLUM

HANDSOME DICK
MANITOBA

CHINA CAT
~~~~~~~~~~~~

COMING SOON: A NEW PODCAST!! HERE’S A LOOK AT THE PREVIOUS EPISODES:

Artwork by Cliff Mott

SUBSCRIBE ON iTUNES, GOOGLE PLAY OR STITCHER!

HANDSOME DICK MANITOBA "BORN IN THE BRONX"

HANDSOME DICK MANITOBA’S 1st SOLO ALBUM.

$30

PERSONALLY AUTOGRAPHED TO YOU!…MY FIRST SOLO ALBUM EVER!!!..Get ’em while they’re hot!

Album Review: Handsome Dick Manitoba – “Born In The Bronx”

Liberation Hall
The 1970’s punk rock scene in New York was corner stoned by the legendary CBGB’s, but fueled by the great bands that took their love of 1950’s & 60’s rock-n-roll and pushed it into their modernized brand of punk rock: The Ramones, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, and The Dictators. Fast-forward to today, and longtime front man of The Dictators, Handsome Dick Manitoba, solidifies his legendary status with the release his debut solo album Born In The Bronx. From the moment the album opens with “Shelly,” and continues ahead with “Back To My TV,” you’re introduced to the bop-a-long with rock-n-roll that’s been missing from the punk rock scene for far too long; a trait that’s also shown through the type of guitar riffs that would make Chuck Berry proud on “Layers Down.” But Manitoba proves he’s not a one-trick pony by including several different influences throughout this album; a clap-a-long with groove on the doo-wop styled “8th Avenue Serenade,” the blues heavy “Sour Punk King of NYC,” and the all-out, classic punk rocker “Callie May.” However, the two centerpieces of the album come when Manitoba gets autobiographical on the sway-a-long with title track, “Born In The Bronx,” and with the very smart cover of P.F. Sloan’s “Eve of Destruction” – the latter which presents a poignant protest lyric originally penned in 1964, which outlines very similar concerns for today’s world, just as much as back then. Manitoba’s vocals are gritty and raw and add that rough around the edges feel to each song and honesty to every lyric. While this album is certainly dripping with a healthy dose of nostalgia, it’s also a great showcase of the elements that came together to give punk rock its origins as it pays homage to all the different aspects of good, old-fashioned, rock-n-roll.

Yet another excellent review this from Music Republic Magazine

They like the record a lot and call me a “hot contender for best male artist of the year” we have yet to get a poor review!

“Handsome Dick Manitoba (This cult US punk legend dropped infectious album “Born In The Bronx” recently. Think The Stooges/Iggy and The Ramones plus lots of attitude and treble it! Worth checking out).”

Review from: We Are Cult

“Born in the Bronx is not as tough sounding as The Dictators. There are primal moments for sure, and Dick’s vocals retain a delicious rawness. But the hard-hitting, ‘don’t mess with us’ swagger that laced the band’s material is not so prominent.

However, this allows Dick to make an album that is free of limitation. There is an exciting variety to the styles on offer, and the lyrics are full of Big Apple references, humour, storytelling and observation. All songs bar two are written by Dick and Jon Tiven.”

Click Here To Read The Full Review on wearecult.rocks

Review from: PunkNews.org

“Listen, it hasn’t been an easy road for Handsome Dick Manitoba. Over the past decade, he’s faced lawsuits, loss of a business, getting fired from his job, and general chaos. To a degree, it seemed like the wild, hard running lifestyle detailed on The Dictators classics albums was finally catching up to him (even though one always assumed that the pro-wrestler bravado on those records was 50% real, 50% playful act). So, that’s why on Born in the Bronx, Dick’s first true solo album, it’s striking to see that, yes, indeed, maybe the wild rock n roll life, which he has so proudly toted for decades, finally did burn him back.

But, what’s even more surprising is that, perhaps for the first time, we’re getting the true Handsome Dick Manitoba. Without Andy Shernoff to write those soaring glam-punk chords, Dick recruits a number of friends and, somewhat unexpectedly, retreats back to the music of his early youth. Instead of riffs that smash and nod to the Stooges, we catch slight tinges of Bob Dylan and Ian Hunter. “Shelly,” which is driven by jangly guitar, could have come right off of Brain Capers. “Thicker than Blood” is a roadhouse rumbler that would do BB King justice . Look no further to Dick’s inspiration here than his cover of Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction,” which, considering Dick’s usual bluster, is wonderfully sentimental. Sure, Dick’s voice is still that blown out gruff howl, but this is a man who has been through battles and he sounds like it and that’s what gives these recordings such meaning. Where they could have come off as exploitative or corny, instead, we have a certain earnest quality.”

Click Here To Read The Full Review on punknews.org

Review from: AmericanaHighways.org

“Handsome Dick Manitoba, Born in the Bronx. Rock & roll has been mainly made by urban heroes, especially in New York. In the 1950s it was Dion, Lou Reed in the 1960s and Handsome Dick Manitoba in the 1970s. Manitoba actually started his rise to infamy as a roadie friend for The Dictators, but quickly found his way to the front-and-center microphone to become the punk band’s lead singer. Forty-five years later he’s still in the middle of the action on his first solo album that is all kicks and no tricks. Piloted by studio veteran Jon Tiven, these are songs that smell like the Lower East Side in the ’70s, and have the attitude of someone not known to back down from a fight but is always up for a dare. There is something so central to New York in all the songs that it feels like the howlin’ album should be bought with subway tokens, and have a coupon for Gray’s Papaya hot dogs inside. As for Manitoba, he is a full-throated singer who may not have gone to music school but definitely graduated magna cum lordy all over his pants. This guy isn’t fooling around, nor are his backing players, who sound like they might be fueled by pharma-fresh Dexamyl and endless rock & roll dreams. Take the A-train.”

Click Here To Read The Full Review on americanahighways.org

HDM~~~EL HOMBRE

Richard “Handsome Dick” Manitoba, also known as “The Handsomest Man In Rock & Roll”, and the “World’s Greatest Entertainer” (at least since Sammy Davis Jr. left us) was born Richard Blum in The Bronx, New York, January 29, 1954. Richard is a musician, most well known for being the lead singer (for most of 45 years) with the New York City legendary punk band, THE DICTATORS.

MR. MANITOBA also spent 14 years (starting around 2004) on Sirius XM Satellite Radio, hosting “The Handsome Dick Radio Program“, a national show, 5 nights a week in Little Steven’s Underground Garage.

And that ain’t all folks!. Handsome Dick has owned the coolest rock ‘n’ roll tavern in the Western Hemisphere for just about 20 years now. Oddly enough, it’s called Manitoba’s Bar and it’s located at 99 Avenue B between 6 and 7 Streets in New York City’s, East Village, on…the lush beautiful island of Manhattan.

HDM occasionally sang lead with the MC5 (at the time called DKT/MC5) which included Michael Davis, “Brother” Wayne Kramer and Dennis “Machinegun” Thompson, founding members of Detroit’s legendary MIGHTY pre-punk rock and roll band, The MC5.

MR. MANITOBA was a guest on his pal, Jimmy’s television program, “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon“. HDM was a major character on an ill-fated, half hour reality show called Barmageddon. He proudly sat with the late great chef, Anthony Bourdain chowing down on White Castles at MR. MANITOBA’S childhood Bronx White Castle.

HDM recently traveled to Nashville, TN to work on an album with the legendary Jon Tiven, recording 18 songs in 4 1/2 days with some of Nashville’s finest musicians.

“We feel confident the album will be released in 2019…. it’s called “Born In The Bronx”.

MR. MANITOBA has a new podcast:  “You Don’t Know Dick!” with Handsome Dick Manitoba. It’s available on itunes, Google Play & Stitcher.

“A podcast can reach an infinite amount of people…. because you don’t have to buy anything! All you have to do is turn on your cell phone AND SUBSCRIBE!!! AND PLEASE GIVE US A 5 STAR RATING AND GIVE US A NICE LINE OR TWO IN THE COMMENTS SECTION.

When was the last person you met that didn’t have a cell phone?…or an iPad…or a computer?…the world over… It’s all you got to do, turn it on, subscribe to it for FREE. Not only that, I’m not part of somebody’s idea, passion & dream.

I’m not filling in the holes/spaces of what somebody else has invented. I am creating the whole thing that I do. I will live and die with myself, it’s all up to me! I don’t have to push anything I don’t want to push. I don’t have to shill for a record label, for example.

I am no longer an actor in somebody else’s movie I am the director of my own movie”

HDM ~ HANDSOME DICK MANITOBA ~ 01/2019

HEY GANG,

HANDSOME DICK MANITOBA here…

My deepest own personal condolences to the death of the extension of my living room… the end of my clubhouse known as MANITOBA’S BAR.

There are so many deaths in life beside the ultimate one.

Each one takes a little piece out of us.

Each time we experience something that we love and it goes away, it’s another little chunk of life taken away from us.

It is in essence, a death of some sort..

At my age, we don’t hang out at pizzerias anymore.

We don’t hang out at schoolyards anymore.

We hang out at bars.

And to the people from all over the world, especially western Europe and all over America, I’m sorry I couldn’t keep the bar going longer.

Just last week, there were six people from England having a great time, talking about how their friends and their hometown mates love this bar.

It was one of Jimmy Fallon’s favorite bars, it was one of Drew Carey’s favorite bars, Tom Morello LOVED Manitoba’s… the Sopranos were known to stop by from time to time.

I never went to the newspapers with the stars that came into the bar. This bar was so iconic that we didn’t have to wave our flag to the media.

I always thought word-of-mouth was cooler anyway…

There are so many places called “bar” in New York City and if they closed, people wouldn’t give a shit … there is rarely a passion or a sadness when people’s average, generic bar closes…

They will go to the next “bar” and the next “bar”.

Folks came in and expressed the love and the passion that they felt about the bar… it gave me great joy, nachas in Yiddish, of having a bar that felt like it was something SPECIAL… like I created something that COUNTED… After all, you can sell anything…. what I tried to sell was atmosphere, spirit, history, and hopefully, a special New York City camaraderie.

An endless amount of people would come up to me, look me in the eye and say: “please keep this bar open”.

It meant so much to them.

In a neighborhood I have been hanging out in and living in for 50 years…

A neighborhood, whose culture I have known intimately for many of those 50 years, has now died, for the most part, as we know it.

I can honestly say I feel I did my part to keep OUR culture alive.

“It felt like home, it was unpretentious and relaxing and cool”. IT meant so much to THEM. I can’t tell you how many dozens and dozens of emails I’ve gotten ALREADY. Each one with a specific story about what MANITOBA’S meant to them, during their visits.

So in essence,

Like I helped create THE DICTATORS …like I helped create THE DICTATORS NYC …like I helped create MANITOBA’S WILD KINGDOM …like I helped create the HANDSOME DICK MANITOBA radio program on Sirius XM Satellite radio….

I created a unique bar: MANITOBA’S. That meant something to people and that will give them great memories… and for that, I am proud and grateful.

As far as all the haters go…

You are what’s known as keyboard gangsters.

It’s all good
It’s all good

AND….

A 95% positive rating after 20 years makes me feel a lot better than your anger and your hatred.

NOW

HATERS, GO AWAY!

I will continue to live the creative, productive life I have always cherished.

I also have the joy and love filling my heart I get from taking care of my son, JAKE.

I will put the same love, energy and passion I had with MANITOBA’S into every single thing I do in my life.

I will mail nothing in, whether it be a recording artist, songwriter, live performer, radio DJ, podcaster, author, etc.

So what’s next?

Who knows…Stranger things have happened than another MANITOBA’S BAR opening…

A live one man show on the horizon?

A book based on my thrilling 65 years?

Please keep a lookout for my first ever solo album.

A record deal is imminent!

The album will be called:

“BORN IN THE BRONX”

All coming…

THE MIGHTY MANITOBA SHALL RETURN

We had an amazing 20 year run and my desire now is to keep

MANITOBA’S.com

online.

So not only will you have a memory in your head

and in your heart,

But with our website, you can put your arms around an online memory by checking out the permanent photo COLLECTION that immortalized MANITOBA’S BAR.

Telling stories about the photos…

Photos that were given to us by the world’s great rock ‘n’ roll photographers.

It can be a living breathing thing if you want to send in your pictures…

Please enjoy the website… please let it add a dimension so that when you look at it,

You have a little extra joy.

To go along with your memory,

It’s been my pleasure

Entertaining YOU…

Laughing…

And listening to great music…

Watching Yankee games…

And having fun the way you’re supposed to have fun in a bar

in your clubhouse,
in my clubhouse,

I will miss it.

I will miss you.

ONE LOVE,

HANDSOME DICK MANITOBA

❤️⚾️❤️

BAR: MANITOBAS.COM

SITE: HANDSOMEDICKMANITOBA.COM

PODCAST: “YOU DON’T KNOW DICK!”

Websites by:

ALEX ROSAS
@alexrosas_art

PHOTOS