This guy is like an old-school umpire. Calls ‘em as he sees ‘em, even if it hurts.
He’s the friend who’s going to give you truth, but he’s also the man in the meeting who will call out the B.S. and tell his version of how it is with no one’s fragile feelings holding him back.
Bucky Porter tells it like it is.
Now, everyone who knows Bucky knows he sure can sing a pretty song even when he’s not performing on a stage, but there is no doubt he loves where he lives, wants to preserve his versions of what’s been best in Wheeling during his lifetime, and he’s not shy to tell ya when there’s an issue with something. He’s a contractor, a dad, a son, a fiancé, a realist, and a hard worker because that’s what is dad was … and still is, in fact.
Bucky is your typical Wheeling man in his 50s. He’s just old enough to remember that once-upon-a-time thriving downtown, the Elby’s Big Boy, the Cooey Bentz Santa, rock concerts at the Civic Center, and the annual end-of-summer Park vs. Central football game, so, yeah, he’s qualified to know a thing or two.
So, why not ask him?
What neighborhood do you like better – South Wheeling or North Wheeling?
I was born and raised in North Wheeling. It will always be home. I don’t mind South Wheeling though; there are good people who live there. However, I believe we have much better representation on City Council in North Wheeling than in South Wheeling.
Also, I think we have a little more to offer in North Wheeling due to the proximity of Main Street, Interstate 70, and downtown. It definitely makes it a more accessible area.
How do you feel about the direction of the city of Wheeling?
I like the improvements I am seeing with the downtown area. We are replacing turn-of-the-century infrastructure with modern technology. Let’s not stop there, though. It would be nice to see a project similar to the stadium areas of downtown Pittsburgh and Pullman Square in Huntington, WV.
We need revitalization spread to other areas of the city, as well.
Plus, all of the folks campaigning for the rights of the homeless who do not live in the downtown neighborhoods need to come live in North, South, or East Wheeling and deal with these people on a day-to-day basis. It’s easy to campaign for them from afar, but what would they do when these street people harass THEIR daughters as they are trying to run on the jogging trail? Or steal from them or vandalize their property and vehicles?
I’m all for rehabilitation and second chances, but I believe in survival of the fittest. The reality is that no one has ever handed most of us a school degree, a job, a house, a car, etc. We all had to work for what we have. The free handouts (although necessary at times) make it too easy for some of these people.
Hopefully, we Gen X’er’s will be around to see the city grow to what it once was and see a safe city for our children and grandchildren.
Do you believe rock n’ roll will make a comeback someday? Why or why not?
I don’t think rock n’ roll will ever make a comeback. That’s not to say that music won’t progress (or continue to regress if you’ve heard some of today’s offerings. lol). I remember going out to see live music as a teenager in various clubs almost any night of the week, but those venues are gone and so are those bands. There’s not enough interest from the younger generation to learn an instrument, become accomplished, or make the effort to travel to play. It’s hard work.
The music scene has shifted to bubble gum-ish Country and overly digital Rap because that’s mainly what people want to hear now. There’s nothing wrong with those choices, but they aren’t rock music.
Not many folks out there play their own instruments and write their own quality songs of rock n’ roll genres anymore.
Where in Wheeling is best to go if you want some silence in your life?
There are many areas of Wheeling that offer silence and solitude, including sections of Oglebay and Wheeling Park. We have beautiful cemeteries here to walk through and think as well.
My favorite place to go, however, is the river. Just sitting there in silence on a summer evening is relaxing and refreshing.
What line from any song makes the most sense to you?
“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” – The Beatles.
To me, that means what you expend to the world with your energy is what will return to you. If you expend love, then that’s what you should receive in return. The same goes for hatred or indifference. What you give is what you receive.
“We busted out of class, had to get away from those fools. We learned more from a 3 minute record than we ever learned in school.” – Bruce Springsteen
And as for Bruce … there are a lot of uneducated people who are still very intelligent. They learned their smarts from living life, not from a textbook.
