Friends in the Athens community who remember Dennis Lindsay and his friend and caretaker Lenny Gredel will gather at Hendershot’s Coffee Bar on Friday, Aug. 15 for Dennis-Palooza, an all-day, noon-to-late, celebration of Dennis. Lenny is visiting Athens and will be at the epicenter of the occasion, which will include Lowdive, The Starlite Devilles, ¡Moyuba!, Carl Lindberg = JANKA, MrJordanMrTonks plus Timi Conley and Kite to the Moon. In addition, Cortez Garza, LeeAnn Peppers and John Miley will tell stories of Dennis.
If you lived in Athens between 1968 and 2002, you may remember—or have heard of—the legendary Lenny and his counterpart, Dennis. Lenny is the central figure in a wonderful circle of friends that revolved around his amazing, profound massage and healing work. He is known and loved for maintaining “The Garden Home,” a house near downtown Athens where all were welcome, and the door was never locked, and where Lenny gave shelter to any who needed help, guidance or just a friend.
One of these people was Dennis. In 1977, Dennis wrecked his car while drinking and sustained a massive, debilitating head injury. He barely lived. At that time, Lenny took it upon himself to rally his group of friends to assist with Dennis’ life. Eventually—when faced with the reality that if no one took responsibility for Dennis, he would end up institutionalized—Lenny assumed his legal guardianship.
This action resulted in Lenny’s constant care of Dennis for the next 31 years and a beautiful, lifelong, yin-yang companionship, until Dennis’ passing in their Hawaii home in 2008.
The number of lives Lenny has touched in Athens is practically immeasurable. His positive reverberations have echoed through the population in ways that you have probably felt, whether you knew him or not. His care of Dennis: What can be said? Would you do that?
Dennis, head-injury handicap and all, was a force all himself. Do you remember this character in a bandana and black leather jacket on the front row of Athens rock shows? Or maybe you encountered him drinking coffee at Gyro Wrap all day or hanging out downtown cussing like a pirate?
Dennis touched perhaps as many lives as Lenny with his hilarious vulgarity, unrestrained outbursts and savage wit. He didn’t take shit from anybody, and he didn’t care “who the fuck” you were, he would tell you to “Eat shit!” He once yelled that at me at The Grit—top of his lungs, of course. Dennis was a rabble rouser, and he was the cause of riotous laughter due to his personality.
It may be news to many who knew him in Athens—since Lenny and Dennis moved to Hawaii in 2002 and maintained limited contact afterward—that Dennis died of natural causes on Nov. 4, 2008. Now, all these years later, Lenny is back, and he is eager to join together in celebrating, through an event that would have thrilled his friend, the life of Dennis Lindsay.
WHAT: Dennis-Palooza
WHERE: Hendershot’s Coffee Bar
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 15
HOW MUCH: TBA
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