Another chapter of my performing life closed yesterday.
It had been so long since I used the 1982 Chevrolet van (aka: The Big Tamater) as my "work" vehicle, carrying a full complement of speakers, monitors, mic stands, and light standards, that as Spring arrived and moved into early Summer, I decided to test the market and try to sell it.
So I took an entire morning and cleaned out the interior thoroughly, posted a "particulars" sheet on the side window that read:
1982 Chevrolet C10 Panel Van
Six cylinder "flathead" engine
80,750 original miles
Towing package
Canvas cab partition
Fully carpeted cargo bay
No power steering
No power brakes
Selling price: $1200.00
I parked it out on the edge of our property along Hobbs Road and figured it would be weeks before I had someone interested in buying it, if at all.
Two days passed and I got a telephone call from a prospective buyer. We took it for a test drive and he bought it. End of story. He said he would be back with the wife later to pick it up and when I went out to check the next morning, it was gone.
Even though I really hadn't used it since the band broke up, I had a twinge of regret in the pit of my stomach knowing how final a move this was - the days of "the band" are officially over.
Turns out that two vehicles in my past yielded some pretty good songs. Proud to say that the song I wrote about the Chevy van was played nationally on NPR's "Car Talk".
See ya' later I'm gone in the Big Tamater
Headin' east on Highway 94
See ya later I'm gone in the Big Tamater
She's gonna roll til I reach my own front door
Got a little straight six that's gonna run forever
Gonna drive her til I play in your home town
Got a little straight six that's gonna run forever
And when I open the hood I can even see the ground
I don't need no break down air conditioning
Side vent windows help me keep my cool
Buildin' my upper body just by steering
And power brakes are just the Devil's tool
