CRYING LOTT “Inside” b/w “The Beast” (Lott Records .01 Oct. 1982)
Ocean View, Virginia is a seaside community bordering the north shore of the city of Norfolk, nestled in the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.  At the start of the 20th century, the OV resembled sister east-coast beach resorts like Coney Island and Asbury Park;  folks from all walks of life flocked to the shoreline to breathe in salty air,  bathe in seaweed-heavy waters, and dine on corndogs and onion rings (or fresh spot, flounder and steamed blue crabs) while enjoying an amusement park, a casino and a bevy of fine hotels.
Also like its northern counterparts, Ocean View fell into decay in the ’70’s & ’80’s, becoming a blown-out shell of its former self. Transient military personnel, shipbuilders & longshoremen traded fisticuffs with drunks, bums & derelicts on D-View Street. Dark, unidentifiable sludge was washing ashore at Sarah Constant Shrine. Burned-out motor lodges stood empty like rows of old shoeboxes along the coastline. Old movie theaters like The Rosele and The Showcase became what are now remembered as “grindhouses,” showing 3rd-rate gore and grade-B softcore to near-empty seats. This was not by any means a breeding ground for new independent alternative music, nor any art of any sort, for that matter. This, my friends, is where I grew up.
