Sunshine Dimmed

Remembering Rock Critic Dennis Metrano

By: Charles Giuliano - Jan 24, 2015

Sunshine Dimmed

Back in the day
Daisy Buchanan’s
Newbury Street basement
Watering hole for rock and jock
Rotund red headed
Dennis Metrano
Bartender to the stars
Passed out fanzine
Sunshine
With tag line
Surf’s Up
Loved the Beach Boys
Happy times
Wrote for me
Boston Herald Traveler
Later when between gigs
Filed for his rags
Paisans of rock ‘n’ roll
Worshiped Brenda
Who didn’t want their baby
Broke his heart
Dennis raised Dylan
An arts prodigy
Single dad
Busting with pride
Hunkered down these many years
Newburyport by the sea
Town once dead
Enormous captain’s mansions
Local libations
Waterfront saloons
Hard times
Long illness
Ended yesterday
Glitter in the dust

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Reader Comments

"âŒ‚ Home ðŸ‘¤ charles âš™ Help Press ? for keyboard shortcuts. Dennis (2) People me Roger, David Remembering Dennis. Best Charles Sunshine Dimmed - Berkshire Fine Arts Sunshine Dimmed - Berkshire Fine Arts In a colorful era rotund, red headed bartender to the stars Dennis Metrano was Jan 24 at 11:32 AM Phil Gardella To jazzboston@aol.com fens67@gmail.com CC Roger Lifeset me David Bieber Today at 2:44 PM Thank you Charles. BRUCE: HOT OFF THE PRESS. JUST SENT TO GLOBE, NBPT DAILY NEWS AND THE CURRENT: NEWBURYPORT: Mr. Dennis G. Metrano, 72, of Newburyport, MA died Thursday, January 22, 2015 at the Merrimack Valley Hospice House in Haverhill, MA. Mr. Metrano was born in Woburn, MA on October 21, 1942. He was the son of the late Charles and Doris Metrano. In the 1970â€˜s, he lived in Boston, where he tended bar at Daisy Buchananâ€™s while writing for the Boston Phoenix, Globe, and Herald. He also founded several independent weekly alternative papers, of which he was the publisher, editor, and a writer. Inspired by the gonzo journalism style of Hunter S. Thompson, he was a fixture in the Boston music scene for years, interviewing such favorites as Aerosmith, David Bowie, Lou Reed, and countless others. In the late seventies, he moved to Newburyport, a city that he truly fell in love with, and championed the cityâ€™s cultural renaissance. He founded the seminal weekly papers The Current, The Paper, and The Port Planet. Under the nom de plume Muggsy Barnacle, he was especially interested in detailing Newburyportâ€™s restaurant scene. He could often be found tending bar at the Starboard Galley, with a big smile and a Hawaiian shirt, collecting stories for his next column. His writing was always positive, and it brought him great joy to write of Newburyportâ€™s growth and ever-expanding arts scene. In recent years, he continued writing for a new paper, also called the Current, and online for the Newburyport Today website. He loved holding court on Fridays at the Grog, a favorite spot, where he once hosted poetry readings and performances. Mr. Metrano was happiest spending time with his friends and family in the city he loved. Newburyport wonâ€™t be the same without him. Mr. Metrano is survived by his wife, Barbara Metrano; a sister, Charlene Metrano of Gulfport, FL; a son, Dylan Metrano and his wife, Mandy of Biddeford, ME; and a daughter, Elizabeth Metrano of Hamilton Square, NJ. and countless friends, whose continued love and support he was humbled by."

Posted By: Phil Gardella on 01-26-2015, 03:03 pm
"Farewell to a great guy. I met Dennis "back in the day" when he was working the bar with Donna Wolfe at Daisy's and I was working at the Bull & Finch Pub (later to become the "Cheers" bar) and backstage security at the old Music Hall. Dennis listed me in his Sunshine masthead as "Security". I actually located Donna Wolfe in anticipation of our Dennis Appreciation Day and she came to the event! Seeing those two together again after all these years was just great!"

Posted By: Bruce Dean on 01-26-2015, 02:30 pm
"Suiting words, or fitting them, to the thoughts of a life-- his own, or another's-- are what this poet does well, and achieves again."

Posted By: Stephen Rifkin on 01-25-2015, 01:05 pm
"you did the man good...we all loves him."

Posted By: roger on 01-24-2015, 05:06 pm