Michal Urbaniak, New Yorker by Choice

Visits inside of Michal Urbaniak's Life In New York & In travels! Some memories of Poland!

[@alagornik4960]

Film rewelacja! Dzięki Bogu, że wpadł z sieci w moje sieci 🙏

[@danedmiston7734]

The best of any art-form has to be sought after there is certainty a lot of irritating pasteurized music today. You are a gem Michal loved your music for many many years.

[@MrTrueseventh]

I dig Michal the same way I dig Zawinul , they're tough guys with hearts of gold . Unpretentious & unique musicians.

[@tommya]

Very well put, and agree. Had the good fortune of meeting them both, and you nailed it.

[@Zebrajellyfishphoto]

I have (sort of) a confession. I worked for Michal around 1977 or 78. I was hired as a roadie through some organization that employed roadies. I remember he lived with his wife Urszula in either The Essex House or the building next to it in the city. I had an interview with him at his place and when I got off the elevator Dick Clark was coming down the hall and walked past me. Dick was pretty short. I got the job and my first gig was a show he was doing in Chicago. I had to drive a van with two band members and a bunch of gear across the country. I don't remember who the musicians were but we made a stop somewhere, maybe Harlem, and they purchased a large amount of weed. We smoked a fair amount along the way. I was driving along I-80 and the two guys fell asleep. I though had to continue driving after getting high and I remember at one point either being tired or high coming up close to the back of a semi truck. I decided to move into the left lane to get around it and came so close while driving at a high speed in the middle of the night, clipping the rear corner of the semi with the right side mirror of the van. It scared the shit out of me and the two guys were fast asleep the whole time. I could have gotten us killed. By morning I remember pulling out of a toll booth in Gary Indiana noticing lots of white smoke right behind the van in my side mirror. I also noticed the van wasn't really moving and it turned out our van had some engine or transmission problem. The band members mentioned the van had some previous issues but Michal later blamed the van/engine issue on me. We were towed nearby and waited for folks from the venue to retrieve and take us to Chicago. After the gigs a truck was rented. I believe it was a U-Haul and a couple of really crazy things happened. It was night and when I was taken to the U-Haul place and asked "you know how to drive a clutch, right"? to which I answered "of course." I NEVER DROVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION IN MY LIFE! Now I'm not only going to take a crash course (self taught) in driving a stick shift but I'm going to do it in a 24 foot truck driving from Chicago to NYC...and here's the kicker - I'm pulling the broken down van back to New York as well! So that's one crazy thing. The other was after having pulled out with the giant truck that night, I was following the folks in the vehicle who took me there. We were outside of downtown Chicago. I pulled out and while figuring out gears and such had to make a left turn into a pretty busy street. Well the vehicle I was following made the left and I ended up making the left as well but through a red light! I remember noticing I went through a red light when looking to my left I saw this small truck slam on his brakes skidding to avoid smashing into me. Unfortunately this smaller truck was carrying lots of pipes that stretched over the cab of the truck and when he slammed his brakes all the pipes came flying off and all over the road! I remember finishing my left turn and no sooner getting into the direction I needed to travel, when a police car pulled me over. Thank goodness because I believe the guy in the truck with the pipes would have wrapped one around my neck! I’m also grateful that none of this caused any greater damage or other accidents. I was given a summons by the police officer for running the light. I’m surprised I wasn’t fined further because of the truck and the pipe mess all over the road. Because I was young and from New York, the police officer said the summons had to be paid immediately and that I had to leave the U-Haul truck there on the side of the road and he was going to take me to the police station to pay the fine, which I think may have been around $200. The folks who I were to follow back to the venue from where I would pack Michal Urbaniak’s gear and then attach the broken down van had to wait on the side of the road with the U-Haul while I was driven to and from the police station! When I finally got back to the U-Haul, I drove to the venue, packed the gear, attached the van to the big truck and headed back to NYC, alone this time because the two band members who drove with me now flew back. I didn’t smoke any weed on the way back since learning to drive a manual transmission in a huge truck towing a van was going to more than I wanted to handle. I remember finally getting to The George Washington Bridge that would take me from I-80 in NJ into upper Manhattan and hitting a ton of traffic. I started to smell something not right in this U-Haul. I got into the city, dropped off the broken Van and the gear and the smell was getting worse. I think the transmission was frying and remember calling a friend, a musician who knew a lot about cars and stuff and asked him to meet me in Brooklyn to be sure I really didn’t screw up this U-Haul. He did and even drove it to the U-Haul place in Brooklyn. I never worked for Michal Urbaniak or the roadie company again! I can't believe I remember all these details - after 37-38 years!

[@Kinggg679]

Man, you were nuts lol ! Still, your testimony is such a great addition to this interesting documentary. Btw: are you still smoking weed? xD

[@lipsondasilva]

8

[@lipsondasilva]

888888888

[@Zebrajellyfishphoto]

@@Kinggg679 funny! I now live in Colorado and there's a weed shop up the street but no, I don't. I used to love it so much!

[@Zebrajellyfishphoto]

@@lipsondasilva ?

[@CLTVTvision]

Super!

[@MrWildcountry]

Free Music is FreeMusic. From Dag

[@tow.JanWinnicki]

Muzyka na wstępie jest autora Briana Culbertsona. Wypadało by dać credits.

[@NEWSITYRAP]

Ja myślałem,że w Berno się jazz narodził ;)... .