Monday morning. Back from our Brewers Baseball trip. Friday night's game was a barn-burner with the Crew squeaking by 2-1 over the Phillies.
We got lost trying to find our way back to the hotel so we are cruising through the Mexican neighborhood at 11:30 at night (not that there's anything wrong with that) when we see a policeman accosting a citizen mid street and Kim says: "Just keep driving -- I'm not turning on the dome light to look at directions because they'll know we're lost. Drive like we're not lost."
We whiteys can be pretty funny with our paranoia. I remember a vacation in San Antonio, Texas. First time I walked down the street, I knew what it felt like to be a minority. I ended up, before leaving our hotel, taking money out of my wallet, sticking it in my front pocket and then stuffing my wallet up in the ceiling by lifting the ceiling tile.
But at the same time, there is reason to be paranoid in this screwed up world.
I can remember the time when I was in the service and took a bus to NYC from Fort Dix, then started hopping subways and ending up no where near where I thought I was going.
At one point I got off the subway, climbed the stairs to street level and the first person I encountered was this large black woman, whose eyes got big as saucers. she just grabbed me by the shoulders and as she wheeled me around to face the subway steps, said: "YOU DON'T WANNA BE HERE!"
I was in Harlem.
And that was a lotta years ago.
I just got an interesting e mail from Liz Fischer, my promoter, manager, publicist, marketeer. Here, I'll just paste it right in:
Good morning, Larry!
I just arranged for you to appear on the 5pm news on TV 13 September 6 to promote your
appearance at the Round Hill on September 8. You will need to learn more about the place
to talk about the event. Judy and I also discussed having a brief ( one minute ) interview with
a short (2 1/2 minute performance) of a song, maybe The Wood Tick Song. The total time if
3 1/2 minutes.
You and I can talk more about it later. I just wanted you to put it on your calendar.
Liz
That's cool! Need to let the Valley know that the old man isn't dead yet! I was just thinking that having survived a motorcycle accident adds to the "artist" mystique. Dylan-"esque".
Although I haven't been down there yet (I just made plans to scope it out) supposedly Round Hill is a beautiful spot right on the Chippewa River with quite a history. Originally it was a convenient stopping point for French voyageurs on the Chippewa. Later there were plans to start a town there which they were going to call "Onaway".
Fortunately, with a name like that., it never happened, but in the late 1860's Albert Gilmore agreed to run a sheer boom lodging house at that location as it was at the head of the Beef River Slough and there were a lot of rivermen who needed a place to lay their head while moving logs down river.
The location continued to grow and in the 20th century the Catholic church purchased it. at one time it was being considered as a retirement complex for aging priests. (too bad it isn't that today -- visiting my brother John would be much easier!)
At any rate, I am doing a fund raiser for "The St. Hubert's Sportsman's Rally and Chili Feed" down there on Saturday, September 8th. Should be a good time!
I must be doing something right today as I just heard from Mac Cherry down in beautiful Alma, Wisconsin . He has been curator, booking agent, and performer at the Big River Theatre in Alma for a number of years and this past year has organized a "Prairie Home Companion" type radio show at the theatre. He has a house band and invites guest performers in to be taped in live performance with an eye towards syndication.
I worked it once before and it's a great little venue, an old converted movie theatre.
I am on the bill for Friday, August 31st.
Once in a while I get stuff forwarded to me that I think is funny and I think the truth is always funier than made up. Here's proof:
*Have you ever asked your child
a question too many times?
My three-year-old son had a lot
of problems with potty training
and I was on him constantly.
One day we stopped at Taco Bell for a quick lunch in between errands. It was very busy, with a full dining room. While enjoying my taco, I smelled something funny,
so of course I checked my
seven-month-old daughter,
and she was clean. Then I realized that Danny had not asked to go potty in a while,
so I asked him if he needed to go, and he said, "No." I kept thinking, "Oh Lord, that child has had an accident, and I don't have any clothes with me."
Then I said, "Danny, are you SURE you didn't have an accident?" "No," he replied. I just KNEW that he must have had an accident, because the smell was getting worse. Soooooo, I asked one more time, "Danny, did you have an accident?" This time he jumped up, yanked down his pants, bent over and spread his cheeks and yelled. "SEE MOM, IT'S JUST FARTS!!"
While 30 people nearly choked to death on their tacos laughing,
he calmly pulled up his pants and sat down.
An old couple made me feel better by thanking me for the best laugh they'd ever had!
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