Saturday, October 10, 2015

My Favorite Martin

A few times in each person's life, you encounter someone who leaves an indelible mark on you.  Obviously, everyone we meet is special, everyone is unique, and everyone brings something different into your life.
But occasionally, you meet a breath of fresh air, someone who adds a smile to your face, an energy to your conversation, and a renewed passion for life, just through his/her exuberance, vitality, and perspective.
That was Martin Brewer.
He passed away very suddenly this week, after a very brief battle with an insidious disease that has claimed far, far too many lives.
I don't even recall the exact year I met Martin Brewer, but I DO know, that it was because of Bruce Springteen.
Martin was an English teacher from New Hampshire, who came into my life via Barry Scanlon, who met him while covering high school soccer during a gig at Foster's Daily Democrat newspaper in New Hampshire.  He hailed from a city outside London, England, but made his home here, and proudly shared the news when he became an official U.S. citizen a few years back.
Barry and Martin immediately bonded, and not surprisingly, that friendship blossomed because of their mutual passion for all things Springsteen.
It would only be during the long car rides, or the pre-concert feedbags that Martin and I realized how many times in our lives we had been at the EXACT SAME CONCERTS throughout the decades - whether it be Bruce, the Clash, the Moody Blues, Fleetwood Mac, the Kinks, David Bowie, U2 - hell, name just about any concert tour, and chances are that Martin and I were in the same building at the same time.
But it was Bruce that brought us all together.
And by us, I mean the far-extending group of friends who've collectively come to be known through the years as the E Streeters. 
What does it take to be an E Streeter?  Hell, nothing.
Just be a friend to any of us, and you're one of us.  There's no dues, there's no requirement to love the music of Bruce Springsteen.  You don't have to be a runner.
You just have to be a friend.
In the pictures to follow, you'll see Mr. Brewer mugging it up with any various collection of E Streeters at any number of shows throughout the last 20 years.
Before every Hartford show, there was a tradition.  We had to stop at Angellina's for one of the most gluttonous, indulgent Italian meals to be found on the East Coast.  Sometimes I think Andrew and Mike O'Connell would go to these shows just to partake in the chow-down
But always, without fail, there was Martin.  Not always hoisting a pint, sometimes just a pint of Sprite. 
Elsewhere, Andrew posted a link to Springsteen's song Blood Brothers, which speaks to this unbreakable bond between friends that exists, without having to be spoken.

We played king of the mountain out on the end
The World come chargin' up the hill, and we were women and men
Now there's so much that time, time and memory fade away
We got our own roads to ride and chances we gotta take
We stood side by side each one fightin' for the other
We said until we died we'd always be blood brothers


Jackie said it perfectly this week when she said that one of the most energizing things about Martin was his infectious passion for life.  He LOVED teaching, he LOVED literature, and he LOVED reaching out to youth to help invigorate their passion for the written word.  Just ask Andrew and Lyndsay about the influence he brought to bear on them.
But another great characteristic that Jackie recognized was Martin's zeal.  If he wanted to go to a concert, he went.  He didn't fret about the rest of life getting in the way.  If he wanted to go somewhere on vacation, he went.  Sometimes, he went alone.  Sometimes, he went with his mom.  It didn't matter.  He just went because it was someplace he wanted to see.
Jack Minch, Tim Bradley, Susan Bradley, everyone was pulled into Martin's infectious laugh and storytelling.
One of the more hysterical outings we shared together was a Bob Seger concert at Mohegan Sun, the same day as the Kentucky Derby.  It was a thrill to experience it with Martin.  Not just because he found a way to climb into pictures with the ladies and their Derby Hats.
Not just the opportunity to hoist a pint waiting for post-time
No, it was his glee at picking the winner and claiming his jackpot prize, one that he happily flaunted for all to see.  It was a whopping $3 payout. 
We'd return to Mohegan Sun last year for what sadly prove to be the last concert experience we'd share together, another Springsteen show, this time with John along for the ride.
Where, as was wont to happen at these shows, we'd meet up with Jimmy and Candy, thereby sparking another long conversation with Jimmy and Martin over not just Springsteen, but their mutual fandom for Bob Dylan.
Rocking out to Born to Run with Martin screaming in my ear is one of those indelible Martin moments that I'll keep forever.
The truth is, there are literally dozens more pictures, dozens more stories of Martin that I could share from throughout the past two decades.
Just about all of them bring a smile to my face, and ALL of them make me realize how much I'm going to miss the guy, even if we only saw one another less than a dozen times a year.
This week, by some divine nudging, I found an email Martin sent to me years ago.  It contained an essay about Springsteen's influence on his life that Martin wrote in 2004.  The contents of the essay speak to Martin's voyage through life, 

Here's one excerpt:


I have been getting rid of so much junk in my life lately as if to say that more room needs to be created for the things that truly matter.  Big things seem small to me now, and the smaller things are what is really big - a phone call to my mother, initiating contact with a friend, appreciating the beauty of nature, saying a prayer.  Growing old does not have to mean decay.  I am bracing myself for considerably more turbulence, but although I am piloting my own plane, I have a pretty good cabin crew that includes God, family, friends, and a certain musician who speaks to me as seasons change and generations shift.





Via Dylan:
May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young




Anyone who knew Martin knew of his propensity to grab a kip, even in the most adverse of circumstances.  And for those of you not up on your urban slang, for Martin, grabbing a kip meant catching forty winks, stealing a catnap, or just catching up on some sleep on a moment's notice.
In our circles, some of Martin's most legendary kips include the poolside slumber he snagged in Philadelphia, October, 2004, just before the Vote for Change concert.
My personal fave was the limo ride back from Mohegan Sun after an epic Bob Seger concert.  Martin managed to not just grab a kip, he managed to grab every sheet and pillow and sprawl out in the limo while the rest of us crowded into another corner of the limo. (see pic below)

So with that, Martin, I hope you're in a place where you can grab a kip anytime you want.  Where you've got reserved front rows for all the best concerts.  Across all of time and space, where the greatest Doctors reside.  And where you've got an endless libraries of the greatest works of literature that you can read to your heart's content.

To quote a line from Hamlet, written by one of your favorite authors, that crazy old Bard of Avon himself, Shakespeare:
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.Now cracks a noble heart.  Good night, sweet prince, 

From the churches to the hails
Tonight all is silence in the world
As we take our stand
Down in Jungleland

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Patrick,
I wanted to thank you for posting this. I taught with Martin for a few years back in the early 90's, and we hung out quite a bit together (once took a trip to Graceland). We both moved on to other schools and gradually lost touch. I was so shocked and sad to hear of his passing. I came across your post while I was looking online for news of him. This is such a nice tribute - you captured so much of what I remember and admired about him. He was a fantastic teacher and coach = he really brought excellence out of his students and players. Kids appreciated him and knew he cared about them. He was a good man and a good friend.
By the way - I've seen one Springsteen concert, and it was with Martin - on the Human Touch/Lucky Town tour, in Worcester.
Thanks again. I'm sorry for your loss.

Marc LaForce said...

Hi Patrick--thanks for this wonderful post. Martin & I taught together at Oyster River for the last 18 years, although I first met him through my wife when they were both teachers at St. Thomas Aquinas. Martin and I shared an affinity for music. . .he was an endless fountain of information on popular music and I was proud to have helped him discover an affinity for American Jazz, particularly the musical collaborations of Miles Davis and Gil Evans. We had a longstanding tradition of meeting monthly for breakfast (or brekkie, as Martin would say) mostly at the Wooden Spoon in Dover, but also Benedict's in Rochester, Abercrombie & Fitch in North Hampton and Week's Kitchen in Dover. I will sorely miss talking music, school, tennis and movies with him as well as ability to answer any question about Shakespeare that I ever had! We shared a lot of crazy escapades over the years. . .helping him move into his home in Rochester, 4:30 AM trips to the airport when he would fly back to England each summer, a crazy experience with Duran Duran in Boston and an interesting road trip to Portland, ME with several of our colleagues from ORHS--he brought out the best in students and adults alike, I will never know another like him, he was truly one of a kind. In closing, I'll leave with a Bond quote from "Goldfinger" that I used to always use to bid him farewell for the summer when I dropped him at Logan for his flight to England. . ."Happy Landings, Old Boy"

Farewell Old Friend, may you rest in peace

Bhbreen said...

Thank you for posting. I have been searching for some connection to Mr. Brewer since hearing of his passing. He was my soccer coach and teacher over 20 years ago at STA back in my "glory days" but he was so much more. He became a part of my family as he spent many Thanksgivings with us over the years. Mr. Brewer was the person I was always hoping to run into, now as adult, to buy him a beer and catch up. He was always so gracious when seeing old students and truly enjoyed re-living the days of STA soccer. I appreciate seeing his face again through all of your pictures and he will be missed tremendously.

Cheers to you Mr. Brewer! I will miss you.

Anonymous said...

My thoughts & prayers are with you Patrick. I am a former student of Martin Brewer's from STA in Dover, NH. His wonderful smile & British Accent will be missed. He was an awesome coach too.

Unknown said...

What a beautiful and perfect tribute. Martin was a teacher of mine over 20years ago at STA. I was honored to take Freshman English in his class. We had only 4 girls in our class. He immersed us in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and I have to say we were the only freshman class that enjoyed Romeo and Juliet. I'll never forget him having us act out scenes in modern day terms. Let's just say the balcony scene was hilarious. Did I mention we only had 4 girls?!? He had 2 boys acting out the scene. It stuck with all of us. I could go one about the many lessons I still remember from his class, but there is just so many! I am a teacher now and he is one I will always measure myself by. Whenever asked if there was anyone who influenced me I always remember Martin Brewer and his wonderful English accent reading "To Sir with Love". His amazing connection to all of his students and his love of life.
I am so sad that there are future students that will miss out on the opportunity to be taught by Martin.
RIP Martin!!

marjke said...

Thank you so much for this beautiful post, and for the joyful photos. Glad to see the fun that he had. I had a rough day today thinking about him. I will miss him, and I do. Thanks.

Becky said...

Really enjoyed reading this post about Martin and the good times you shared. Having met you, Barry, and your son makes this story all the more meaningful. The pictures tell me he had a blast with you guys. Thanks for bringing so much happiness and good music into his life. God bless, Ai Leng.

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for this story about Mr. Brewer. He was my teacher and my coach while I attended STA back in the 1990's and he was wonderful at both. He made you really think about what he was teaching, he kept it relevant for the students and also kept lessons interesting because he was teaching something he was passionate about and it showed. Was surprised and saddened to read of his passing, but there was comfort in reading your story. Thank you so much for writing and posting it and thank you Mr. Brewer - for all the lessons in the class room and on the tennis court and caring about your students, it meant a lot.