From marky@preferred.com Tue Jan  4 10:24:32 2000

Well, I'm glad you now know that Clairton, PA actually exists now!

Last year I lived in Clairton. The rent was cheap and my friend had a 
small apartment there, so I moved in with him as I pursued my 
sportscasting career, which made a few gains, happy to say.

Then someone told me that The Deer Hunter was filmed in Clairton. I had
no idea.

Just to let you know. Clairton is seven miles south of the Pittsburgh
border (as your car takes you) and 15 miles south of downtown Pgh/Three
Rivers Stadium.

Population: 1960- 18,000. 1970-15,000. 1990-9600. Disturbing trend
indeed. In fact, the signs indicating the Clairton border on North PA
837 read "City of Clairton", and the census says a "city" has to have at
least 10,000 folks. Maybe the 2000 census will indicate Clairton now has
10,000 and those old signs will be true again. And there are many "Town
of Prayer" signs up as well on other roads in to Clairton.

Now, a little essay I wrote on Clairton, in reference to someone who 
thought  "The Deer Hunter" ran too long.

I admit I've never seen "The Deer Hunter". But I refuse to stand idly by
and let anyone speak ill of a movie that was filmed in my old hometown
of Clairton, PA.

I may have only lived there a short period of time, and in actuality the
metropolis is currently a bit run down. This is the city where I was
once solicited while trying to use the MAC machine and on another
occassion was all set to get lucky with a girl, who then, at the last
possible instant before I took her back to my place, demanded $10 for
crack.

But it is also "The Town of Prayer", as the signs you read crossing over
the bridge from Glassport indicate. It is one of the last western
Pennsylvania towns to have a steel mill. It is scenicly situated along
the Monongahela River, and is the home of the Clairton High Bears, one
of the best football and basketball teams in all of the WPIAL. You've
all heard of girls basketball teams' being coached by men. Well, equal
rights proponents, I SAY LOOK TO CLAIRTON HIGH, where the guy's team is
coached by a woman.

It is the hometown of Lance Parrish (a former Detroit Tigers baseball
player who set several American League records for homeruns by a
catcher). It is urban, to the point of blight in some places, but still
has the sort of neighborhoods where kids play in the streets and go to
the corner store and folks listen to ballgames on their porches. It is
even down the street from fields, valleys, and meadows, and is directly
connected to downtown Pittsburgh on PA 885. Clairton has perhaps the
best parking laws in all of Allegheny County, and it's readily
accessible to the shopping of the Century III Mall.

Even though I'm sure the critic of "The Deer Hunter" meant no ill will,
NOBODY, BUT NOBODY SPEAKS ILL OF A MOVIE FILMED IN CLAIRTON, PA ON MY
WATCH!!! NOBODY!

I DON'T EVEN CARE IF IT'S AN X-RATED FLICK! YOU DON'T SPEAK ILL OF
CLAIRTON, CLAIRTON SPEAKS ILL OF YOU!!!

Usually with firearms.


Marky Billson
marky@preferred.com