This dreidel's quite lethargic, I think it has ennui
And if you can't pronounce it, hey don't blame that on me
I made a little dreidel for those 'self hating Jews'
You get a 'shin' on every spin, Mazel tov, you lose!
I have a little dreidel, I stuck it up my rump
Now it's so full of dookey, I call it 'Donald Trump'
I need to write a dreidel verse, it's almost a vendetta
To take the time and make the rhyme (this one is fairly 'meta')
'I have a little dreidel'.... the verses are unending
But I get no reaction, my friends are all unfriending
This dreidel's worth some money, it's made from beaver pelt
But I could never sell it, who needs the Jewish gelt?
I hate this freakin' dreidel, it never lets me win
I try to get a gimel, this dreidel's full of shin.
My buddy Harris wrote one that made me laugh out loud:
I have a friend named Glauber, an endless font of shtick
He needs to find a lady, and spin her on his dick
Keep it Flowing, dude
I seem to have writer's block of some sort or other, can't get anything new going musically, no spark. But I guess that's OK; it will be there when it's there. Perhaps part of the problem is the fact that I've got this laptop along on the trip so it's too easy to get lost in podcast land or Facebook land rather than delve into Glauber land. And that's OK too, why judge, just roll.
I've been on the ground here for about 9 days and it's really nice to be back in Chiangmai. Feels comfortable and welcoming. The first part of the trip is about shedding the excess poundage from US living and from a long trip over the Pacific. And once again, it's happening, thanks to a lot of walking, low food intake and some strenuous yoga on a daily basis. I bought a 10 series card at the studio around the corner and I'm loving it. This morning I'll go for my fifth Vinyasa session, and I can feel the results, the strengthening in my core, the increased ease of keeping up. Mostly what I love is the fact that for that hour, I'm working as hard as I can.
Working as hard as I can is not my normal state; I suppose some people manage to do that for a great percentage of their waking hours, but it's never been my style. Too distracted perhaps, too lazy maybe, too social, who knows? But on the occasions when I give my all, such as on last year's Same Same recording project, it's quite gratifying. So for one hour in the morning I'm giving all I have to give. And when I'm playing music, I give it all, which reminds me of a little story....
A couple years ago at Holiday Market, I was playing the kids set, had a big crowd and it was rocking. But I was feeling slightly light-headed. I had just been down on the floor in front of the stage with my accordion, getting kids moving, dancing, playing with scarves etc, and then I came back onstage to sing the last number. I said to Kim, who is the stage manager and a dear friend, 'Hey I'm a little faint, if I pass out you can tell the EMTs that he was feeling lightheaded before he crashed'. It was half serious, but I did want to let her know that physically, I wasn't all there. She said, 'you don't have to do it', and I responded, 'Yeah, like I could stop...' And that statement was a true reflection of how it feels when I'm performing. Total commitment, especially to kids. Yeah, like I could stop.
And just writing that gives me a surge of good energy, which is why I need to write and tap into something deeper than surfing the internet or listening to a podcast. The juice is inside, find it!
There is a skinny, young waitress who works the morning shift at the restaurant downstairs at the Guesthouse where I'm staying. She's sweet. I mentioned that wow it would be nice if the background music wasn't playing all the time, ya know, so a guy could think or something, and she turned it down, then off, which was extremely sweet of her. (Maybe because I tip her every time I have a coffee?) But it's so appreciated. Background music sucks, more distraction. I can see having this place as a writing venue for an hour in the early morning before the guests roll out of bed. I'm always up early and this is delightful. Ahhhhh.
I've been on the ground here for about 9 days and it's really nice to be back in Chiangmai. Feels comfortable and welcoming. The first part of the trip is about shedding the excess poundage from US living and from a long trip over the Pacific. And once again, it's happening, thanks to a lot of walking, low food intake and some strenuous yoga on a daily basis. I bought a 10 series card at the studio around the corner and I'm loving it. This morning I'll go for my fifth Vinyasa session, and I can feel the results, the strengthening in my core, the increased ease of keeping up. Mostly what I love is the fact that for that hour, I'm working as hard as I can.
Working as hard as I can is not my normal state; I suppose some people manage to do that for a great percentage of their waking hours, but it's never been my style. Too distracted perhaps, too lazy maybe, too social, who knows? But on the occasions when I give my all, such as on last year's Same Same recording project, it's quite gratifying. So for one hour in the morning I'm giving all I have to give. And when I'm playing music, I give it all, which reminds me of a little story....
A couple years ago at Holiday Market, I was playing the kids set, had a big crowd and it was rocking. But I was feeling slightly light-headed. I had just been down on the floor in front of the stage with my accordion, getting kids moving, dancing, playing with scarves etc, and then I came back onstage to sing the last number. I said to Kim, who is the stage manager and a dear friend, 'Hey I'm a little faint, if I pass out you can tell the EMTs that he was feeling lightheaded before he crashed'. It was half serious, but I did want to let her know that physically, I wasn't all there. She said, 'you don't have to do it', and I responded, 'Yeah, like I could stop...' And that statement was a true reflection of how it feels when I'm performing. Total commitment, especially to kids. Yeah, like I could stop.
And just writing that gives me a surge of good energy, which is why I need to write and tap into something deeper than surfing the internet or listening to a podcast. The juice is inside, find it!
There is a skinny, young waitress who works the morning shift at the restaurant downstairs at the Guesthouse where I'm staying. She's sweet. I mentioned that wow it would be nice if the background music wasn't playing all the time, ya know, so a guy could think or something, and she turned it down, then off, which was extremely sweet of her. (Maybe because I tip her every time I have a coffee?) But it's so appreciated. Background music sucks, more distraction. I can see having this place as a writing venue for an hour in the early morning before the guests roll out of bed. I'm always up early and this is delightful. Ahhhhh.
Active Shooter Situation (again)
Well here we go again, 'active shooter situation', body counts, press conferences, gun control arguments, 24 hour news cycle 'breaking news'. Is it really breaking at this point, or is it the norm? And why is there a part of me that wants more victims, more carnage? For some reason I was hoping that the gunmen would get away and open fire on some other innocent victims, I guess twenty isn't enough anymore. I believe they call this 'desensitisation' and yeah, I've got it.
I checked out long ago, came to the conclusion that there is no hope for the human race.... too many of us, too much violence, too many weapons, too much savagery at our core. So whatever the horror of the day comes across the TV screen, it's like 'whatever'. It's a comfortable abdication of responsibility, born of hopelessness, and I'll just watch the show and pretend to grieve for the victims. But what I'm really doing is being grateful that it ain't me yet. And might I remind you that this stuff happens when there is food on the shelves, gas at the pumps and money in the ATMs. How's it gonna be when those comforts aren't available anymore? Then those assault rifles will really do some business in the streets of America.
Maybe a society that is based on weaponry, televised violence and drone warfare might have some karmic debt to pay.
I checked out long ago, came to the conclusion that there is no hope for the human race.... too many of us, too much violence, too many weapons, too much savagery at our core. So whatever the horror of the day comes across the TV screen, it's like 'whatever'. It's a comfortable abdication of responsibility, born of hopelessness, and I'll just watch the show and pretend to grieve for the victims. But what I'm really doing is being grateful that it ain't me yet. And might I remind you that this stuff happens when there is food on the shelves, gas at the pumps and money in the ATMs. How's it gonna be when those comforts aren't available anymore? Then those assault rifles will really do some business in the streets of America.
Maybe a society that is based on weaponry, televised violence and drone warfare might have some karmic debt to pay.
What's it all about, Richie? Is it just for the moment we live?
Well I've got my feet on the ground and everything is 'fine'. Nothing hurts, I'm not sick, so far as I know (he said whistling past the graveyard), but there is some kind of disquiet in my soul, a feeling that I'm missing something. And I'm quite certain that what I'm missing is a sense of centered-ness or purpose. So I will begin today to try and reestablish that connection, through writing, through yoga and through music. Here comes the writing...
I'm staring at myself in the desk mirror of my $12 guesthouse room on Moonmuang Soi 2. Temples are pretty grey by now, hair is dark and thinning on top, body is becoming more tan and hopefully less paunchy. It's the same body I've been carrying around Eugene this year, but over here I'm much more stressed out about it. It probably doesn't help that the folks who know me are making comments about how I've gained weight, in a good natured way, but nope I don't like my body at the moment. And why is that, Richard? Because I won't be attractive to any lovelies I might encounter? Won't be able to seduce them with my good looks and charm? Am I still acting primarily out of that mindset? Apparently so. Just a bit shallow perhaps, maybe a bit ridiculous for a 62 year old guy whose orientation to the boy-girl world is that of someone thirty years younger. But that's the case and I'll probably never shake it. In fact, what I want to do is just drop the weight and preen about like the cock of the walk.
But maybe it's not simply a matter of attracting the honey. Maybe it's just that it feels so good to not be carrying around excess baggage in the form of 15 pounds of unwanted belly fat. So much nicer to look in the mirror and see a trim, tanned hombre, which is likely to be the case within a month or so. Working on getting that 'Asia body' to be staring back at me in the mirror. So I've been walking a lot, eating light and hoping that the pounds start melting away like they always seem to do over here. And I wonder if it would be possible to keep that form when returning to the states, land of TV, cars, refrigerators and bread. I haven't managed it yet, and it would be a wonderful thing to get hold of this time around. I know I can do it, though past evidence wouldn't suggest it.
OK, any other purely self-absorbed thoughts I should discuss? Sure why not. It's that idea of getting the instant gratification from 'likes' on Facebook which can turn a guy into a distracted, hummingbird of flit flit nothingness. What a world we have created with everyone snapping pictures of themselves, posting them online and awaiting the validation. I see the tourists in their (our) endless search for content, thought it's usually skin thin and basically worthless, even when the folks back home think you're such an adventurer. It seems like a conspiracy to get us to not think anymore, not delve anymore, not go deep anymore. And all the while our likes and clicks are being catalogued into the great Facebook in the sky which sends us more of what we seem to desire. My friend 'Mad Mike' is the first one I've seen to call it 'Face-ism' and yeah, I think he's on to something, because the new world order fascist model has a great foothold with us as willing contributors to our own imprisonment. Yup, I can feel myself slipping into that mind controlled system day by click click day. So hopefully this recommitment to writing will serve as an antidote to the steady slide of mediocrity and powerlessness. And yes, I'll post it on Facebook, because I like absurdity as well as the next guy, maybe more.
And now that I've been writing for some minutes, I can feel the cobwebs starting to clear, the synapses beginning to reconnect, it's not that hard, I just have to sit down and start, then watch the story unfold. Ditto with yoga, ditto with music, sit down and let it roll. But of course now that I've shared a paragraph on Facebook, there is a part of me that wants to see who appreciates it. I had to shut it down to resist the temptation, but it's not working so well... my mind wants that endorphin or whatever the hell it is that we receive when we get a 'like' or a comment. Ah yes, the modern age. Better grab a guitar now and see what i can come up with...
Broken String Theory, and 'She's a Lady...(boy)'
'Broken
String Theory'.... I was playing a gig that wasn't going well. Very
chaotic onstage and off, just not feelin' it, and then I broke a string
in the middle of a song... had to switch guitars... something was just
'off'. (first broken string in Asia) That night, the thought crossed
my mind, 'Maybe it's time to go home'. Wrote an email to explore that
possibility... Yup we're on the same page... time to reconnect ...
It's been a challenge to be in love and on the other side of the world
from one's partner... Changed my ticket for a week from today. (give or
take). Valentine's Day in Eugene... Hey, who says I'm not romantic?
(OK it took me 60 years... but whatever....)
Rich Glauber... 'crisis intervention specialist'.... There have now been three times when I have inserted myself into a voices-raised conflict between a westerner and a local. I'm drawn to tying to help out in those situations. The first two were in Chiang Mai when I tried to mediate a couple of disputes at the guest house between customers and staff. Last night was something different. I was awakened by a shout in the middle of the night right outside my door. It was that special kind of sound that a guy will make when he's very upset and confused. It was followed by the yelled question 'ARE YOU A LADY BOY? YOU SAID YOU WERE A LADY!!' followed by 'I WANT THE TOURIST POLICE HERE RIGHT NOW'. and then, 'YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!' The owner's of the guest house come out, there are some voices raised in Khmer, and the young Brit is insisting on getting his money back. 'SHE SAID SHE WAS A LADY!.... I want the police here right away! and then shouting at the owners... 'I'll pay extra for the room if you get my money back from her. She said she was a lady'. (and they couldn't understand him cuz it was too fast and too upset. (oh but they got the picture).
Enter Glauber, 'eminence gris' who has slipped on a pair of pants and a tee shirt. I talk to the kid, 'Uh, you don't want the police here... it won't go well for you.' 'WHY NOT?" Look you made a mistake, you're not the first, it happens... cut your losses, you learned something, let her go on her way, relax'. Within thirty seconds, the kid is apologizing to the owners, asking forgiveness, bowing and scraping... All in a day's work (in Sihanoukville). Ah these kids today...
Rich Glauber... 'crisis intervention specialist'.... There have now been three times when I have inserted myself into a voices-raised conflict between a westerner and a local. I'm drawn to tying to help out in those situations. The first two were in Chiang Mai when I tried to mediate a couple of disputes at the guest house between customers and staff. Last night was something different. I was awakened by a shout in the middle of the night right outside my door. It was that special kind of sound that a guy will make when he's very upset and confused. It was followed by the yelled question 'ARE YOU A LADY BOY? YOU SAID YOU WERE A LADY!!' followed by 'I WANT THE TOURIST POLICE HERE RIGHT NOW'. and then, 'YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!' The owner's of the guest house come out, there are some voices raised in Khmer, and the young Brit is insisting on getting his money back. 'SHE SAID SHE WAS A LADY!.... I want the police here right away! and then shouting at the owners... 'I'll pay extra for the room if you get my money back from her. She said she was a lady'. (and they couldn't understand him cuz it was too fast and too upset. (oh but they got the picture).
Enter Glauber, 'eminence gris' who has slipped on a pair of pants and a tee shirt. I talk to the kid, 'Uh, you don't want the police here... it won't go well for you.' 'WHY NOT?" Look you made a mistake, you're not the first, it happens... cut your losses, you learned something, let her go on her way, relax'. Within thirty seconds, the kid is apologizing to the owners, asking forgiveness, bowing and scraping... All in a day's work (in Sihanoukville). Ah these kids today...
Real World Cambodia
I seem to have stumbled
into an episode of Real World Cambodia, that great (and so far
non-existent) reality TV show based in Sihanoukville, on the southern
coast. I'm not a fan of 'reality tv' which strikes me as an oxymoron,
but that aside, this assortment of characters and cultures would make
for some serious entertainment. Perhaps as serious as the murder that
took place a few days ago out at Otres Beach, just down the road. I
don't have the details yet, but there was some big opening of a new
venue that was going to take place and one of the people involved was
some kind of shady character from New Jersey. ('Santino', believe it or
not). The night before the big opening there was a wedding at the new
venue and one of the participants didn't survive
it. So much for the big opening on the following night... uh 'the
grand opening is delayed' ...Police are involved...
Ah
yes the police... I hear they make about $50/month here so clearly they
need to um, supplement their modest income. They run the drug trade
here. That bag of weed that the tuktuk driver offers you.... it's
under the aegis of the cops. Ditto for the 'ice' that is the drug of
choice for the young people, it's some kind of smoke-able meth, yeah the
cops are running that as well. There is a cadre of young Khmer men
who hang out behind a certain bar and it's their franchise. You see
their lower level sellers, white kids, going back there, 'hey have you
seen X? Tell him I
need to see him as soon as he gets here. Lots of burned out young
Aussies and others are staying up late, dancing in the clubs, partying
with their friends.
And
the Russians.... My buddy Simon (Brit) is running the cafe with his
Russian pal Denis, so Denis' friends use it as a hangout, drink coffee,
smoke cigarettes and enjoy the day. They are really nice, big fans of
our music.... which makes me big fans of them. Sometimes they'll
borrow Dennis' boat for a sail around the bay, and I gather it's not the
most sea-worthy craft.
Just last week, they capsized repeatedly.... his passengers caught a
ride back to shore with a fishing boat, but they couldn't safely tow
Denis' craft back, so he spent a 'Man against Wild' night alone on an
island, no water, waiting for help to arrive. The 'coast guard' and
yes, I used quotes for that term, showed up and got him back to town.
He gave them $50 for their trouble. He's quite a character.... sleeps
in a mosquito netting tent on the floor of the place he and Simon
share. It's very run down, dirty and uncared for. When I said, 'Why
don't you pay some Khmer woman a few dollars to clean your place, he
replied, 'Ve Vant to live like this' OK, whatever... And he's a great
guy...
And
the prostitutes....There are lots of them... working out of bars,
walking the strip near the beach, surveying the scene where the white
people go to dance. And there are doubtless plenty of places which I
don't know about that cater to the Khmer traffic. Lots of western men
parading around with their 'friends'. It's definitely part of the
fabric here and it adds that tawdry element to the TV show. As long as
it's not children being exploited, I don't have a strong opinion... but I
keep my distance. And how many times have I heard the same
story....'I fell asleep... too drunk... when I woke up all my money was
gone' (Yeah dude, how would she ever think of looking in your toilet kit
to find that $350? Bad luck, bro)
But
the real reason why I got the feeling this was a TV show was in the
form of Simon's new girlfriend. It's like in season one, Simon, Jelly
and me had some great musical adventures here, and for this season, the
producers felt we needed to add a new cast member. Enter Tiffany.
She's tall, about 5'8", bi-racial and beautiful. Maybe 40 years old,
I'm just guessing, has a 16 year old daughter living with her here. I
don't know her whole story but she has lived in many third world
countries, she and her ex husband were teachers in different third
world locales. Anyhow she's been here for 6 months and she hooked up
with Simon a few months ago. She asked if he wanted her to sing a
couple of songs at his gigs and his initial response was, 'No, it's my
thing'. Yeah buddy, way to go.... And of course once she got in front
of a mic, everything changed. She's fantastic, has that thing that you
can't quantify, but it just lifts the room. Great ear, great stage
presence, not a lot of experience yet, but clearly she should be the
'star of Sihanoukville'. We sat in at an open mic on my first night
here, I played bass for them and this guy Pat Savage (biker music
extraordinaire) sat in on drums. We tore the house down. She's that
good, and with a competent backing band behind her... it was pretty
magical.
She's
really nice.... but don't cross her. Yesterday, the woman who runs the
club next to Simon's cafe played the music too loud, it was hard to
carry on a conversation. Tiffany is like, 'That girl need to be hit in
the mouth, she's a birch' (I guess they had some history. She goes
over there 'asks her nicely to turn it down' and the Estonian owner
yells at her 'Fuck you, get out of my bar' Tiffany responds in kind,
'No fuck you, and turn the fucking music down' And then she goes and
starts unscrewing the speaker from the wall...'What you doing? I call
police' 'Go ahead and call the police'.... The owner eventually
turned it down... and Tiffany came back and said, 'I've been all over
the world, 'NOBODY is going to disrespect me like that'. Yeah, 'home
girl' came out... it was awesome. (and probably not the best idea...
but this Tiffany is made for TV)
So
we've got gigs starting tonight. I went up to Led Zephyr where we tore
it up the first night and had a little meeting with the boss, Andy, and
the manager, Tim and they want us to play there. It's the spot we
played a bunch last year and they like our material and our
professionalism, and now there
is this hot singer out front... KaChing! And Simon, Jelly and Tiffany
have been playing twice a week at the Kong Bar (a girlie bar right on
the main drag and super close to where we are, so I'll be part of that
as well. Hey why not... I hear Louis Armstrong started out playing in
brothels.... Simon says it's a great gig, so here we go. And there
will be more... Once we get a few gigs under our belt, it'll get better
and better...
Here
it is Feb 1, A Saturday morning during Chinese New Year, when the town
is as busy as it gets. Seems like every
Chinese person in Cambodia is here for the holiday. Room prices have
been jacked up, but my friends hooked me up with a monthly rental for a
fine room in a great location. I'm paying $220 for the month, just over
$7 a day, and yeah, that works. Add in the delicious fresh barbecued
fist that's available every night ($3 with baked potato and salad...
amazing!) And our favorite local restaurant is still here.... They have
this seafood amok (local dish) for $2.50 and it is awesome. Good
coffee, good internet, great friends and lots of gigs... Yeah, this will
work for February.
Wait,
we need some fireworks and dragons for the closing credits... Tune in
next week... and drop me a line if you feel like it... I always like
hearing from home... la la la
Snooky
The jaded expat locals call this place 'Snookyville' as if they couldn't be bothered to actually pronounce the real name of Sihanoukville, and I've been guilty of it myself... Whatever, here I am... it was a long and patience-challenging bus ride, especially the first part which was the daily traffic jam of Phnom Penh... it took us most of two hours in stop and stop traffic to get out of town... then another 4 hours to the beach. I was stuck in a lousy seat in the back, next to a nice old Khmer lady, (half of her teeth were still in her head) who talked to me fairly frequently, not seeming to notice my shoulders-up 'I don't understand' expression. It was fine. There was a little girl maybe 7 sitting across from us with her mom, and the mom was in some kind of distress or pain. At one point she asked the old lady to do something with her scalp... and the woman responded by taking little tufts of hair and giving them a sharp tug... as if to stimulate some kind of acupressure points or something related. Then the mom asked the woman behind us if she'd rub some tiger balm on her back and this was done also. Meanwhile the young girl is upset... I figured she was worried about her mom and she started crying and sobbing... People were turning around to see what was up. I didn't quite understand it, but the drama was on.
Arrived at the bus station, happily retrieved my guitar and backpack from underneath the bus... I was a little paranoid that since I was stuck in the back of the bus, someone might just grab my gear before I could get off. But a few people left the bus early, so I was able to move up. No problem. Grabbed my stuff, got on the back of a motorbike who offered me a $3 ride to Serendipity Beach, big tipper me gave him $4. It was worth it. Walked down the beach to find my friend Simon at Cafe Noir, and there he is in the flesh. Happy reunion, we start talking music. Tells me he has a girlfriend who sings, African American woman who grew up in Palm Springs. She showed up shortly after, and wow, what a lady. Beautiful, nice, talented and in love with my buddy... Right away we started singing, I wanted to learn the stuff that was in their repertoire, and I wanted Simon to hear some of my new stuff so he could back me on bass. Hung out, drank coffee, made music and coincidentally enough, there was an open mic that night at our old haunt the Led Zephyr. (best club in town, we played there a bunch last year).
There are the old friends, (some of whom like me, some not so much), and I took my place in line... sang 3 songs, 2 of which were new ones... Got a nice response and it's good to be back. After me was this real good musician named Pat Savage who makes his living playing 'Biker Music' he's done a bunch of recordings, has a 'record deal' is working on a TV pilot.... a marketer... (talked about himself maybe a bit much, but the dude can play... Good singer, great guitarist, great on the bass, and even on the drums as he backed up another act. So at the end of the night, Simon and Tiffany (and me) went up to close out the night, and we asked Pat to sit in on drums... Mad Mike, my buddy from Chiang Mai came up to blow some harmonica and off we went. It was OFF THE HOOK! We blew the doors off the room. And why? Because everyone can play well, listen, make it happen, and when that kind of band is behind a great singer, it just lifted the whole room up. Tiffany is a huge talent, the kind the just keeps getting higher and higher as the song develops. Pat, the drummer said he had goosebumps the whole time. I was swaying and dancing with the bass. Andy is the owner of the club and he rolled some video which he says he will post. Hope so.
Hey not bad for my first day in town... What a great entree. And this Tiffany had stayed in a guest house on the beach for a few months when she came to town, and she hooked me up with the owners, yes there is a room available, it's perfect, the right location and vibe... only $220 for the month, about $7/day. My plan is to just immerse in music... get into a teaching thing, I really want to help my friends get better and they're into learning... it's part of the process. And I'll make some money here, not sure where yet, but there are gigs ahead... Happy to be in my second Asian home away from home...
Arrived at the bus station, happily retrieved my guitar and backpack from underneath the bus... I was a little paranoid that since I was stuck in the back of the bus, someone might just grab my gear before I could get off. But a few people left the bus early, so I was able to move up. No problem. Grabbed my stuff, got on the back of a motorbike who offered me a $3 ride to Serendipity Beach, big tipper me gave him $4. It was worth it. Walked down the beach to find my friend Simon at Cafe Noir, and there he is in the flesh. Happy reunion, we start talking music. Tells me he has a girlfriend who sings, African American woman who grew up in Palm Springs. She showed up shortly after, and wow, what a lady. Beautiful, nice, talented and in love with my buddy... Right away we started singing, I wanted to learn the stuff that was in their repertoire, and I wanted Simon to hear some of my new stuff so he could back me on bass. Hung out, drank coffee, made music and coincidentally enough, there was an open mic that night at our old haunt the Led Zephyr. (best club in town, we played there a bunch last year).
There are the old friends, (some of whom like me, some not so much), and I took my place in line... sang 3 songs, 2 of which were new ones... Got a nice response and it's good to be back. After me was this real good musician named Pat Savage who makes his living playing 'Biker Music' he's done a bunch of recordings, has a 'record deal' is working on a TV pilot.... a marketer... (talked about himself maybe a bit much, but the dude can play... Good singer, great guitarist, great on the bass, and even on the drums as he backed up another act. So at the end of the night, Simon and Tiffany (and me) went up to close out the night, and we asked Pat to sit in on drums... Mad Mike, my buddy from Chiang Mai came up to blow some harmonica and off we went. It was OFF THE HOOK! We blew the doors off the room. And why? Because everyone can play well, listen, make it happen, and when that kind of band is behind a great singer, it just lifted the whole room up. Tiffany is a huge talent, the kind the just keeps getting higher and higher as the song develops. Pat, the drummer said he had goosebumps the whole time. I was swaying and dancing with the bass. Andy is the owner of the club and he rolled some video which he says he will post. Hope so.
Hey not bad for my first day in town... What a great entree. And this Tiffany had stayed in a guest house on the beach for a few months when she came to town, and she hooked me up with the owners, yes there is a room available, it's perfect, the right location and vibe... only $220 for the month, about $7/day. My plan is to just immerse in music... get into a teaching thing, I really want to help my friends get better and they're into learning... it's part of the process. And I'll make some money here, not sure where yet, but there are gigs ahead... Happy to be in my second Asian home away from home...
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