Location: Really deep in the heart of South California Gender:
Posted:
Feb 8, 2025 - 3:28pm
Steely_D wrote:
oh come on. it's as close to the Monkees as you can get
all it needs is for Mickey to be singing this while a gorgeous Russian agent follows him around the clubhouse trying to kill him but the boys repeatedly thwart her attempts.
Location: At the dude ranch / above the sea Gender:
Posted:
Feb 7, 2025 - 5:02pm
oh come on. it's as close to the Monkees as you can get
all it needs is for Mickey to be singing this while a gorgeous Russian agent follows him around the clubhouse trying to kill him but the boys repeatedly thwart her attempts.
Notes from the Road – Monkees Summer 2013... ...Port Chester NY tonight — with a new video wall.
The Capital Theater in Port Chester; a good friend of mine lived up the street from there. They had some big names in the late '60s and early '70s. It was shut down, or not doing very much during most of the the 1970s and '80s. I didn't know that place had re-opened, but I haven't lived around there in a while.
I’m starting to feel like I live on a different part of the planet. This is not a nation state I’m talking about – it is actually not even a space – it is more like a space of states – like thay have over in the Quantum garage.
The constant traveling creates one long tunnel – and I am familiar with that now – but it also creates an insular community at its center with access now and then to little stops along the way to get out and explore the land and the people.
Latest for me was the Hamptons – up to visit a new friend with some time off – and we went to the Candy Kitchen for a meal. I little local’s place with pretty good breakfast and lunch. It looked like a real soda fountain but I didn’t try it.
We took a seat at the back of the restaurant where we could watch the people making a long walk from the front entrance past our booth to their tables. Pretty people, ordinarily pretty if you catch my drift. All shiny and all making eye contact.
When the lovely young girls came by and smiled coyly I got a little self-conscious but always returned the smile. I was surprised how unabashed they were – they would walk the whole concourse from the front door to the back room beyond our booth and never lose eye contact, and almost all were showing off – even posing a bit — but, like I say mostly coy.
A group of particularly beautiful young women came in and all of them were staring, looking directly at me and turning this way and that showing off their best features. I was surprised at their recognition of me. I haven’t been recognized out of context in years. I am usually just another old guy about his business, having dinner or breakfast. The best I usually get is the Starbuck’s shout-out to no-one or the captured cashier at the grocery store and supermarkets wondering how I am.
I figured the recent Monkee concerts must be building the awareness and so I was happy to greet everyone as they came by with a smile and a nod, although the exchange was a touch strange. It didn’t matter. I was swept away by the open friendliness and the acknowledgement.
It took about thirty minutes of this until I realized I was sitting in a booth that was in front of, and just below, a huge mirror. I was invisible down in the booth – but the customers could all see themselves in the mirror as they walked by staring, primping, smiling — making eye contact.
My friends and I laughed when I finally pointed it out and explained why I had been distracted for the last half hour.
My friends were not members of the Roadspace nation – they were landed gentry who lived among the locals – and they had a good laugh — but not the same laugh I did,
I knew what this was. The beginning of the “twist” from here to there and finally to everywhere on the road, where all realities obviously intersect at the ego and pushes buzzers never felt before.
I had dozens of new non-girlfriends at the Candy Kitchen – quantum state girlfriends.
I am going to have to wear special glasses on this Monkees tour to make sure to stay out of the gentle traps – I can see that.
Notes from the Road; Went to HB Woodsongs in Boulder to buy Joe an acoustic bass so we can practice in the hotel rooms between shows, Nice little music store there in Boulder and a helpful staff.
Joe bought the bass before he realized we didn't have any way to ship it to our next gig — the bus had already left — so he had to cancel the sale. Still the store staff remained upbeat and hospitable. Disappointed and helpful.
While Joe was "buying/not-buying" I was talking to a five year old girl. She was standing by a dobro tuned to an open G and she was strumming it. She told me she was going to play slide when she grew up.
Her seven year old sister swung by — roughly seven; hard for me to know — with the most striking turquoise eyes I have ever seen on a human being. She said she was going to play a real guitar when she grew up and pointed out another guitar on the rack next to the dobro. Then she walked away.
The five year old was unperturbed. She continued to explain to me the intricacies of the dobro. Pointing to the lowest string she said this is the maddest string. I asked her to repeat the word — figuring I misheard. She said very slowly and patiently that the lowest string was the "maddest". Then she went through each string - bottom to top.
The big low one was the Mad string — next was the Grumpy — then came the Not so Grumpy string — then the Nearly Happy string — and finally the Happiest string — the top highest string.
I pointed out she had missed one and asked her to explain. She reconsidered everything and then told me the fourth string — bottom to top — was the Not Hardly Grumpy At All string.
It was — as you can no doubt imagine — very cute — in fact almost too cute — by half.
Kids are cute and kids are also strange. Strange and Cute at the same time. Like sweet and salty. Or Hot and Sour. Disappointed and Helpful.
All the while she was being strange and cute Joe was buying and not-buying the bass. The road is surreal. Odd combos. Circles of intersections.
St Paul was a delight. One of the twin cities.
In Chicago now for a sold out show tonight then off to Detroit and points East tomorrow.
