Amos Wengler's New Song For A New Coney "Welcome To Coney Island"

Songwriter, Amos Wengler

["Welcome To Coney Island" Music Video below]

On my recent trip to New York I met up with my Coney Island friend Mr. Amos Wengler, who told me he was excited about his new song for the new Coney Island.  With not much preparation I got my field recorder and Amos played his song with heart and soul.  I found it very catchy.  For the rest of my stay and on my way back home I couldn't get it out of my head.  But I was pleased.  He asked if I could videotape it.  I wasn’t much prepared but taped him and thought I’d figure it out when I get back.  I didn’t quite know exactly what to do with the little footage and field recorded song that I now had with me of Wengler’s new pride and joy, but a promise is a promise.

Amos is sort of a Coney Island Santa Clause in a lifeguard uniform.  Though his usual attire is more the shorts and sandals garb with a guitar strapped over his shoulder, I asked Amos how he comes up with a song and he told me that the title usually pops in his head first, then he plays around with it for a while until 'it' happens.  “I grab the guitar and it just sort of comes out”, he said.  “And I’m kind of surprised myself and I say ‘hey!’ how did I do that”, he adds with wonder and a proud grin under his cotton candy beard.  He says that's the way it usually works for him.  He gets inspired by the title.  He keeps a recorder nearby for when it happens.

Amos Wengler has been writing songs since he was sixteen, about the time that he was a lifeguard on Bay 12 in 1965 at Coney Island.

When I asked him what keeps in Coney Island, he chuckles and says he’s stuck here.  But he does find himself in Coney because he loves the atmosphere and the ocean, including the many people he knows here. They’re his friends.  He feels if he goes someplace else, he’d be lost.

Amos Wengler takes part in many Coney Island events including the famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.  He is a Coney Island Polar Bear and has sort of been the music backdrop creator for many Coney Island popular festivities.  He has songs for the Mermaid Parade, The Hot Dog Eating Contest, The Polar Bears, and now for the New Coney Island. He hopes this one will catch on.  He also hopes to record the song in a studio with accompaniment and arrangements.

Like many denizens of Coney Island, Amos also feared the impending doom for Coney’s amusement district.  But the fear is over and amusements are here to stay, proving that Coney Island is a rare survivor in the face of gentrification.  Though its make up seems gentrified it has always stood up for its principals.  Wengler gives a sigh of relief, for if it were for condos to rise at the footprints of the amusements, he would probably have no more songs in him to write about Coney Island.  “That would be a bummer, if it was all condos here, I would probably write an anti-condo song.  But for sure that would spoil it",  he says.

He’s excited about the new boardwalk with the new restaurants, the big new rides, the Scream Zone, Grimaldi’s Pizza, tattoo shops, and all the re-vamped stores.  “So, people are watching”, he adds.  Which will only make things grow further.  He said you see a lot more people here on the weekends...a lot more.  It would be interesting to see how this winter will look like.

I thanked Mr. Wengler for sharing his song with me and though it comes here in the form of a modest little music video in autumn, we both agree it will be catchy enough to be heard to next summer and beyond.  The New Coney Island needed a song and this is it.

"Welcome To Coney Island" by Amos Wengler [Acoustic Version]

Posted by Omar Robau (ConeyHOP)  [Youtube]

Disclaimer: This acoustic version of this song was recorded live with a high quality H4 Zoom Recorder, but still can not compare to a full studio recording.

Amos Wengler: The Troubadour Of Coney Island's New Website

Often known as the Troubadour and the bard of Coney Island, Songster, Amos Wengler has, for the last couple of decades, provided the soundtrack for this world-famous fabled piece of land known as Coney Island. World famous himself, Amos can be seen every year at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on the big stage strumming his guitar and crooning out his love for Coney Island.  He’s also a presence at almost all of Coney Island’s events, especially those that are meant to save his beloved land.  He’s also been a long-time Coney Island Polar Bear and even has a song for that.   He’s a can’t-miss at the Mermaid Parade every year, which he has a catchy diddy for that too.

Now the Coney Island Troubadour has a new blog to get his word out.

Wengler’s bio states (MySpace):

Moved to the US from Isreal when I was 10, the British invasion caught my attention and by the age of 16 I found myself with a guitar and began the process of creating music. Started out playing on the streets of New York in the west village, then moved around and found myself in New Orleans as a Busker, then over to Amsterdam where I performed in a musical comedy that I co-wrote called “Welcome to Transylvania”. One of the tracks from the show was picked up and recorded by EMI. Eventually I returned home and made Brooklyn my home. When I returned back to the US I recorded with Henry Hirsh at Waterfront Studios, where I recorded the tracks “Polar Bear” “Mermaid Parade” and “The Same Mistake” which was published the Rainbow Collection. Today I have written over 100 songs, and continue to perform on the boardwalk as the Bard of Coney Island, where you will see me performing at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, The Swims of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, and a weekly regular at the Stillwell Ave Station as a performer for the MTA for Music Under New York Program.

Last year in May his 1989 video was featured here in KC. Twenty years ago in a before the Coney redevelopment saga a younger Amos Wengler strumming and yodeling to the tune of Coney.

The Mermaid Parade - Amos Wengler
Description:

World famous Amos Wengler sings his smash hit - The Mermaid Parade on the boardwalk at Coney Island way back in 1989. THis is from the documentary film Mermaids on Parade by Terry Murphy

Posted by ratfink43 [YouTube]

Visit the Amos Wengler Blog