I'm Not As Thrunk As You Dink I Am

I'm Not As Thrunk As You Dink I Am

Just got back to my parents'. Katie is asleep in some impossible position. Apparantly she watche Bambi tonight. Mmmm...venison...

I took the time to thank each and every person that came to the gig during the last set. Took about 14 seconds. We had our usual crowd of band wives and hardcores, and about that many more up at the bar. I doubt if there were ever 30 people in there tonight, including us, and I'm three of them.

This doesn't usually bother me. I'm in this to make money using 14% of the neck of a Fender Precision. Play a tune I like every once in a while. I could give a fuck who's out there unless it's a hot woman. Yeah, I'm a shallow fuck. It's rock and roll, baby. If I was in this for ART, I'd be...working during the day for a fucking temp agency and barely making the rent.

Shit.

It has its perks. Along with a nice supply of Amber Bock and rum, i got to watch a couple lovely young women (band relatives, of course) dance, and when a song came along I cared about and got to sing on, I sang my ass off. One of our better moments is one of the few '80s things we do, Midnight Oil's Beds Are Burning. It's easier to sing something I actually feel a connection to, that I can actually relate to. That's one. Tonight was the second time I nailed the harmony on that.

Did Lawyers Guns & Money and Bang A Gong for my solo spot. I'm having a hard time feeling the latter now. I felt I could sing it for someone in particular, even though she's hours away. Now she's just gone. I don't enjoy that one like I did before, but it's going to be my lead vocal with the full band soon, so I might as well get used to it.

We had lunch at Steak & Shake today. They were busy, and Amanda was apparantly having a very good time screwing around with the other waitresses (I have no idea what was going on, but they were all laughing a lot) and she seemed to be blowing me off for a while. I sat there and ate, with Katie next to me (she likes sitting next ot me in restaraunts now instead of across from me, and I like that too) and just felt a huge pain in my chest. I can't actually nail down in one sentence what it truly is that attracts me to this woman so much. It just hurts to not be able to really come out and say it yet.

But she did finally come over and say hi some more, and talk to us a bit. I love how she interacts with my daughter. Hers is only two years older than Katie. She asked Katie how old she's going to be in a few weeks. "Five? You're practically a woman! You're gonna be fighting thos e boys off any day now."

"Yeah, I'm buying a shotgun", I said.

Said it before, say it again - her smile turns me into fucking jello.

Video-recorded stuff at the big cemetery just down the road from the gig. Ran out of time, so I hope to go back tomorrow. Maybe I'll show Katie around some. She seems to be enjoying that kind of thing more recently.

I told the guys I have another tune I want to sing lead on. Elenore by The Turtles. One of the great "how did they get that past the censors back then" lyrics.

You got a thing about you
I just can't live without you
I really want you, Elenore, near me
Your looks intoxicate me
Even though your folks hate me
There's no one like you, Elenore, really

Elenore, gee I think you're swell
And you really do me well
You're my pride and joy, et cetera
Elenore, can I take the time
To ask you to speak your mind
Tell me that you love me better

I really think you're groovy
Let's go out to a movie
What do you say, now, Elenore, can we?
They'll turn the lights way down low
Maybe we won't watch the show
I think I love you, Elenore, love me

I think that song is fucking hilarious. When I saw the Turtles a few years ago, they sang the one line "you really DO me well." Heavy on the "do." Fun shit.

It was a big place, high ceilings, huge stage to wander around on. With most of our material being what it is , it felt like something fron a 50s teen movie. The fundamental absurdity of being in a cover band is both frustrating and extremely amusing to me. sometimes I stnad up there and think "Oh Christ, not THIS song again", but other times it's so fucking Spinal Tap I have to just revel in the shit.

We sat around a table at another bar later and the keyboardist told us a story about another band, his rig set up on the stage right next to the door to the women's restroom.

"We're in the middle of BTO's Taking Care Of Business when two women in line leaned into me and yelled 'Can we play your keyboards?' So I said 'Sure, you ain't gonna do nothin' to hurt THIS song.'"

I love rock & roll.

Time for go to bed.

Love,
Dougie