My first encounter with Fuzz was hearing him growling an expletive like "turkey shit" or "You look just like death warmed over" or "there goes some sex on the hoof..." at someone in the Innis College Student Society office in the "old building" of Innis College on St. George St.
I soon learned that Fuzz spoke this way all the time, but only to those he knew and liked or were in some way close to him.
I was good with my hands, and pretty soon I found myself doing handy work and house renovations with Fuzz during summer vacations, winter breaks, and any other free time I had when I could help out.
Fuzz taught me all the little professional secrets and tricks of the trade, as well as imparting much of his grass-roots life wisdom - and he had plenty life wisdom and plenty experience to base it on.
Mike was 13 years my senior, and had been a professional auto mechanic and a Narcotics Detective on the Toronto Police force before arriving at U of T. so, you can imagine how worldly and experienced he was in contrast to students who had just left home for the first time and/or were fresh out of high-school.
Many of the skills Mike taught me carried me through a renovations and handyman career for many years, safe work habits kept me from harm - it was Mike's insistence that we secure ourselves with strong rope that saved my life once when I fell off the side of a three story house we were painting.
Mike and I became good friends, and within the space of a year we were also a good work team that was in demand six months in advance each summer to fix, renovate, or re-build homes in the Toronto area.
On one particular job, we were putting up new drywall, and I had scribbled the words "Fuzz 'n' Eli" on the wall as a sort of signature of our "masterwork", well from that day on, Cathy - the wife of the family who's home we were renovating, referred to us as "the Italian firm of FUZZANELI".
Mike also knew how to enjoy himself with simple pleasures, like sitting at the Old Brunswick House bar in the main hall downstairs with friends, and drinking those little 40 cent glasses of beer that they would serve us by the dozen.
I can recall one very peaceful and quiet Christmas vacation weekend at the Innis College "InnisFree farm" out in the country, where Fuzz cooked a nice pot roast for us, and enjoying the company of a Fuzz and Sue and a few other friends out there.
Mike loved animals, from dogs (like the legendary "Guppy"), to birds, to reptiles. Through his live snake and reptile collection, Mike taught me and others to understand these reptiles, to not fear snakes (at least not boa constrictors), as well as providing himself with a hobby that he dedicated so much of his life to.
Mike loved Country music, but also appreciated many contemporary Canadian Folk and Rock artists. He certainly was not shy about speaking his mind or telling us what his likes or dislikes were.
On my recent two visits to Canada, in summer of 2001 and last month (July 2007), I was very glad to have had the chance to visit Mike and Sue and spend the evening with them.
Under that growling rough exterior, long hair and fuzzy long beard, Mike had a heart of 24 Carat gold.
"You Turkey Shit!!! You look like death warmed over!!!"
Rest in peace Mike - you've done your part, you deserve the rest!
4 comments:
I so loved reading about "Fuzzaneli" - how fitting! For me, Fuzz was like the godfather of Innis - big, growly, scary guy with, as you said Eli, a heart of 24 carat gold. He left an indelible impression on my one day when I was working in the Innis College Pub (back in the 70's) and he was tending bar. Always with a quick quip and lots of colourful comments, he sometimes scared the bejesus out of me but that one day, when I got hauled over by the cook (Mrs. Jolly - who I never thought was very jolly...)he quietly watched until she left the kitchen and said to me "Don't let her get to you - she's a tough old bird but she's a good person."
And so were you Fuzz, so were you.
It's funny but I never really thought of Fuzz as any tough old bird; to me he was more like our own local incarnation of Ronnie Hawkins, if that makes any sense, the guy who'd been around so long there wasn't a question that could come up that he couldn't, or wouldn't answer.
I somewhat remember him from my own stint in the early (70's) pub days, seems he was always tending bar when I was dishing out cappuccinos, but what I really remember most clearly was the informal gab around the student council offices or the asides at the council meetings, and overhearing other undergrads quizzing him about courses and professors because, well, he'd been there, done it, and, as you say, wasn't afraid to tell anyone what he'd thought of it. Fuzz seemed to me far more the image of what I thought of Innis than anything old Harold Innis might have been. He was smart, relaxed, world-wise, centered and balanced, and I wanted to grow up to be just like him.
But that said, y'know, I don't think I ever heard him dissin' any of them. I heard a caution or two, a couple of "you better watch out for ..." bits of advice, but I just can't recall any outright condemnations. Mind you, there's a lot about the 70's that I can't quite recollect precisely ;)
thank you for the comment,
you sound very familiar,
were you at the McLuhan Monday night sessions?
Were you by any chance a contributor to the Innis Herald under the leadership of Carl Scharfe?
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