Author: Charlie Monte Verde

Appreciating Ali

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Appreciating Ali: FILE - In this Feb. 18, 1964, file photo, The Beatles, from left, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison, take a fake blow from Cassius Clay, who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali, while visiting the heavyweight contender at his training camp in Miami Beach, Fla. Ali turns 70 on Jan. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/File)

Muhammad Ali, the fifth Beatle. Image from Wikimedia, labeled for reuse.

Appreciating Ali wasn’t always easy for me. Media portrayal of the man didn’t make it easier.

As a young, impressionable, eldest-son-type, I was all ears when my father yelled “why don’t you turn your hat around like ‘The Mick’?” at the television as though Ken Griffey, Jr., could hear him. Here in 2016, following trashy tell-all books and perjury in front of congress all recognize Junior as being ‘one of the good ones’ in comparison to his ‘roid-raging contemporaries.

Which is as good a segue as any into race’s role in my late-come appreciation for Muhammad Ali.

I can say without a doubt that racism played a role in my snarling ‘what else is on?’ anytime a channel surf churned up a clip of The Louisville Lip.

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As Seen at the Flying J, Lake Station, IN

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Things move quickly at the Lake Station Flying J. If there’s a line at the front register the Cinnabon Lady can cash you out too. She can do everything the regular cashiers can, she shouts in a way that sends a message to regular cashiers everywhere. Can you work the scale too, a trucker asks. Sure can, honey, what’s yer number?

The action is hot outside too. A lady of an age to know better seeks assistance. Well God Bless You anyways, she tells me. She moves over to two road hogs and they aren’t as friendly. The trucker in the Pink Floyd shirt shakes the other’s hand when the announcement comes over the P.A. that number 29, your shower is ready, I repeat your shower is ready.

There’s another world here that you hold your nose at if you’re not a part of it. If you don’t have to be a part of it, pardon me. But something tells me that their world is the real world in a way our world will never understand.

route 66 museum dwight il on a steamy summer day. lake station

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For more short stories from Charlie’s trips across the Heartland, check out our Enjoy the Journey archives. To never miss a new journey, follow Cult of Americana via email.