Bronx Gangs Documentary Diary

October 14th, 2007 entry:
Boston w/ some Ducky friends and the lead singer of the Ducky Boys musical band!

Well, this is my first journal entry since January, 2007 and that's pretty embarassing. I'm sorry that I haven't updated it in so long, but thats the way it goes sometimes. I have been updating the main page tho if thats any consolation.

First the Bad News...

The question I get the most is "Aren't you guys done yet?"

Sadly, I have to say "Not yet" - And while I hope it will be soon, I can't promise that it will be in 2007... I realize thats not what you want to hear and I'm sorry, but making a documentary is a HUGE task, and there are only me and my co-producer Leon Leybs working on it (and not full-time either). So please be patient with us... It WILL come out and will be worth the wait...

Now the Good News...

In the last few weeks, Leon & I were up in Boston interviewing some more people for the Ducky Boy documentary.

First we interviewed brothers John & Ed C. They lived right in the heart of the Ducky Boy neighborhood, and they were friends of some Ducky Boys from various years. They knew the Ducky Boys as people and as how the neighborhood saw them - They went to school with these kids, and saw the changes to the gang over the years (the Ducky Boys of the late-60's were a LOT different than the Ducky Boys of the early 60's).

John & Ed were excellent interview subjects. We covered a lot of info and I learned quite a few things about the gang, and the neighborhood. And they were nice guys too - So Thank you John & Ed!

The second interview we had up in Boston (actually Charleston), was with Mark Lind who is the lead singer of the punk band The Ducky Boys.

As many of you already know, whenever you do a Google search on the Ducky Boys, you have to wade thru many pages of Mark's band information before you find the gang stuff...

I "thought" I would get an interesting interview about why Mark named his band "The Ducky Boys" - especially when he never even lived in the Bronx. I did get that story, but I also got more than I expected... It seems that thanks to his band being called the Ducky Boys, Mark has been hearing stories about the real Ducky Boys for years...

And it really paid off when he told of one of the stories he heard about the origins of the Ducky Boys gang name... It was by far, the most creative story of how they got their name - and it made some of the original Ducky Boys laugh hysterically when I retold it. But thats how it is with the Ducky Boys - There are plenty of legends like this out there...

I wouldn't be a good salesman if I didn't say "Buy the DVD (when it comes out) to find out what Mark's legend was", but if you really need to know, e-mail me and I'll tell you off-line... Ok, maybe I wasn't cut out for the salesman way of life.

Now the future good news...

It seems like in the last month or so, Bronxites started networking and I'm starting to find more and more of the original members of the Ducky Boys...I can't explain why - For months at a time, its been dead, but now I got quite a few more that are willing to be interviewed... I've also got some experts on the Bronx of the 1960's who are willing to help as well. I will definitely post blogs as they come in, so stay tuned...

As always, thank you for reading these blogs and keep those comments coming in to
jameshannon@lantern-media.com

-=James

A repeat request for my current and ex-Bronxite Readers I'd also like to put out a request for any old video clips or pictures from the Bronx -- particularly if it relates to the following: Botanical Gardens & Bronx Park The Fordham Road to Gun Hill Road section between Webster & Jerome Avenues. Anything related to Bronx Gangs of the 1960's - particularly the Ducky Boys. Here's the deal: We're poor independent film-makers and really can't pay you for these clips & photos, but if you contribute something that I can use in the final product and you are willing and able to sign the proper release forms, here's what you will get in return: Two passes to the premiere of the documentary to be held in NYC. A DVD copy of the final Bronx Gangs documentary. Your name prominently displayed in the credits of the documentary as a contributor. Our undying gratitude.