I was born in Chicago

By Lee David Groban

I was born in Chicago & have lived in Chicago most of my life. The neighborhood I grew up in was on the south side (Merrionette Manor – nowhere near English Bay or Strathcona). In fifth grade when the teacher tried to teach us the names of the earth’s elements, I couldn’t stop laughing (during that time I was going to a private school). Because of that, she suddenly jerked her body, bowed down on the floor & screamed, “Allah Boodhah!”

In sixth grade (my first year at the public school in the neighborhood I grew up in (Luella) I used to tell my classmates I came from MaaaAAAaaars. At one point 2 teachers had me come into their office to ask me if I “really came from there”. Amazingly enough, some years later, Jimi Hendrix said he “came from Mars” in the introductory part of his album, “Axis Bold as Love” (he didn’t have to “worry” about being confronted by teachers questioning him on his “claim”, though).

After high school I graduated with a B.A. in Russian language & area studies from the University of Illinois in Urbana & an M.A. in library science from Northern Illinois University. Since then I couldn’t find work related to my university degrees. I also couldn’t find work when I tried looking for other more “desirable” white-collar jobs (for jobs of that type I mainly had no training or experience). So I “drifted” into the arts (I decided that that was the best way to spend my time). I sometimes sell my artworks, have had some of my artwork on display at a few big-name entertainment clubs, had one of them published as an album cover for a rather obscure jazz group (title of album: Jockey Jack Boogie).

I used to go out with a girl whose name is not Ramalamalamadingdong, sometimes others off & on during different stages of my life.

Some of my poems & other writings have also been published in various small-press magazines & local newspapers (I also got into writing after high school when I was an undergrad university student). One reason I’m also still working on the promotion of that is because making it in the art business is not so easy (especially in the world of fine arts). I have also read my poems at entertainment clubs & on videotape.

A movie a friend produced which I’m the main character in (which I also read excerpts of my major written work in) made the records in the Guinness books as longest movie ever made.

These days I spend most of my spare time rocking back & forth to music in cheap restaurants. The highly complex art of rocking back & forth to jukebox music requires the deepest concentration & thought.