DJ Ric Addy a/k/a/ Iggy Yukum

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: Weed, abortions and a bookstore owner's other tales of interest : 58 | RAVENSWOOD MANOR OWNER OF SHAKE, RATTLE AND READ : February 3, 2010 : BY MARK J. KONKOL Staff Reporter : Ric Addy a/k/a Iggy Yokum says: : I grew up in Caseville, Mich. It's strictly white people and a bunch of churches. No diversity. : I started smoking cigarettes when I was about 15. I know I should quit smoking. But I haven't quit. I probably won't. : When I was 17 I wanted to be a hippie. I used to cause trouble. My dad was more than happy to put me on a bus to San Francisco. : I lived in a commune in Haight-Ashbury with eight like-minded people. We wore silk baroque outfits. We were glitter hippies. : Our commune was a good thing. We shared the bills. Shared the food. I think in today's economy they should bring back communes -- if people could just get along. : In 1971, speed and heroin were introduced. Bad guys started breaking-and-entering and robbing. I had to get out of there. I called my sister for help. She sent me money for a plane ticket. I came to Uptown. : I found like-minded people. That's very important. Passion for art, music, literature, smart conversation. That makes everything better, from sex to day-to-day relationships. It's just common sense. : When I got the store it had 20 years worth of stuff in it. Now it has 44 years of stuff in it. : What I get a kick out of is that every day and every week stuff comes in and you never know what's going to be in a box. It all comes from people, you know. It's a big city, right. People die every day and move every day and stuff comes in. : We've had a "free" box for 24 years now. We tell people we have more books propping up furniture in Uptown than anyone else. : Timothy Leary, you know, the acid guy, came in here. He said this place is like a museum. He let me take a picture of him and I used it as a Christmas card that year. : There's a huge dividing line at Broadway and Lawrence. Night and day. As soon as you cross Lawrence and walk [south] a block or so it's like a war zone. : My family won't even come here to visit me. They're afraid. That's good for me. : I was a popular DJ during the punk days, when it went from hippies to punk and new wave. I went from the long hippie hair to spiky with color. : I stopped dying my hair around age 50. Blond streaks. : I've done a lot of drugs. : Do I do drugs anymore? No. Pot these days is too strong. Maybe if they legalize it they'll make a light marijuana and I'll start again. Seriously. : I'm 58. Fifty f------ eight. I hate saying it. : I'm single. I was a player. I had many, many beautiful women in my life and I played too long. [He laughs.] One girl I asked to marry me twice. She said "no." : In the '70s, I paid for some abortions. I shouldn't have, but I did. That's a small regret, not having kids and family and stuff. : I'm a lousy driver. I have, like, um, you know, concentration problems. : I live two blocks from Blagojevich. When I see him out jogging I always think ... he should just keep running. : I think I voted for him. Bad decision. I hate politics, especially in Chicago. They're all crooks in my book. : I'm getting kind of respectable. I'm a board member on the Uptown Chamber of Commerce. It's scary. They still know they're dealing with a wild card, but I think the rest of them find it refreshing, actually. You can't always be a yes man. : I hope everyone can find a passion and be able to make that your work. You don't have to become a cog in the wheel. Do your own thing and make it pay. To me, that's true freedom.

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