1984 European Trip Journal CoverWhen I met with Stan Borys in Lake In the Hills in the summer of 1984, I told him I’d be visiting Europe soon and I’d like to see Poland. He offered to give me the names and phone numbers for his ex-manager Ray Dabrowski, and his ex-wife Ewa, and he asked that I deliver a personal message to his daughter Patrycja. In late September with the end of my European trip nearing, I left Vienna and Western Europe, crossed the border and entered the Communist world. I had been delayed a couple days after losing my train ticket to Krakow. My entire 10 week European trip had been a contemplation of what was hopefully to come in Poland, though I had no guaranty of successfully entering into the past world of Polish rock legend Stan Borys. When I arrived in Warsaw, I managed to locate Ray Dabrowski’s office and was told he was returning from London in a day. The next day I met Ray, and we talked. He contacted Ewa, who was initially opposed to meeting the stranger, her ex-husband’s friend from Chicago. Ray persuaded her to change her mind, and a meeting was set up. The following day, I met Ray and we drove to a suburb of Warsaw where we met with Ewa and Patrycja Borys, Stan’s 13 year old daughter. Using a cassette deck loaned to me by Ray, I recorded our conversation, which is above. The morning after the meeting, I boarded a train and began my return to the States. Had I not been delayed by my lost train ticket, the meeting of Ray, Ewa, Patrycja and myself would not have taken place.
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