The King Of Chicago
I was going through (i.e., getting rid of) a bunch of stuff I have in storage, and ran across this photo I thought I'd lost of Mayor Daley & myself. If you think about it, it's somewhat amazing how he's stayed in office all these years, and how nobody seems willing or able to give him a run for his money come election time. To me, he pretty much exemplifies how most people would agree how Chicago (and, in fairness, every big city in the world) is run: dirty politics, payoffs, indictments, backdoor deals, patronage picks, blameshifting, mutual backscratching, phonies, con-men, union thugs and cops looking the other way BUT... there's one thing nobody disputes about the Mayor: He loves the city, and it shows. If the city weren't well-run and clean (mostly), or the snow didn't get removed, etc. - he'd be gone pronto.This photo was taken by the Mayor's official photographer at some kind of Gold Coast homeowner's event I was catering. His office only releases photos approved by them, which I understand regarding "brand control." Obviously, the homeowners had enough clout to get the mayor to speak at their event (you can bet he doesn't do that for just any group). Beyond that, I found it interesting to witness the dynamic that happened leading up to this shot.
I had appeared with my band at The Taste Of Chicago not long before the event, and I had a program booklet with my photo next to Mayor Daley's on the inside booklet. I thought it might not be a bad idea to get an autograph on the booklet, with my photo as the entre to that request - and it worked.
I first spoke to one of his thick-necked, suited security personnel, and showed him the booklet, and asked if I could meet "da Mayor"; He pulled up one of those little security microphones to speak to one of his team standing next to Daley, who I could see down the hall a bit. And that's when I witnessed the "ripple effect."
The second thick-neck next to the Mayor whispered in his ear after he got the call from the first one I spoke to, and Daley's gaze went to me; I could see him nod yes, and the message came back to our end of the hall. From there, I could imagine how it felt for some medieval subject to be recognized by the king - and how that also affected his cadre of high-end hangers-on.
When the word came in that Daley would be speaking with me directly, the schmoozing (butt-kissing?) began immediately. And it was a strange sensation indeed.
A few of them came over to me preceding the Mayor, but the one I remember best was the owner of a very high-end "Viagra Triangle" downtown steakhouse called Gibson's rolling over to introduce himself, and checking me out; My feeling was he was sniffing around to see if I were someone he could "work," who he then would be then able to curry favor for him with Daley.
After that, it really felt like I was meeting some kind of Chicago royalty - he was very pleasant, his photog was snapping away, everyone was watching - kind of fun. He signed my program book, we shook hands goodbye, and that would be my first & only brush with the Da Mayor.
Labels: king of chicago, mayor daley, Richard Daley, rock n roll chef
