Pisces Cafe, Beforehand

Pisces Cafe gig, similar look and feel but venue is more than twice its real size - large performing space. Maryann is there already, she's set up the microphones and stands, but the stands are oversized; they jut out at a right angle for about twelve feet - distance - I make adjustments. Excited to play, people shuffling in - Tom P? Much more is now forgotten.

SUV Ghost / Oleo by George Harrison

Nighttime, outside a strange apartment building. In large SUV or Dodge Caravan type car (many rows of seats) with Tom. There is a ghost around the area allegedly; we are a bit nervous but are having fun faking ghost appearances and attacks. Finally ghost arrives, we exit car. We watch car from across the street, back door is open and slamming shut repeatedly by unseen person/ghost. We are amazed, can't believe we are witnessing this. Tom freaks out, goes over to strange crowd of young people near apartment building, grabs and kisses girl full on lips. He becomes an Asian girl explaining that she is from Canada. I enter building, meet up with JD, shared moment.

Later, playing guitar downstairs in parents' den with father and NS. Dad has the 12 string, I'm surprised it's in tune with other guitars. NS grabs other guitar as joke (can't play.) I read sheet music and we play (non-existent) George Harrison tune called 'Oleo.' Chorus is Cminor, Cdim, F walkdown, etc. There are some strange chords marked like Eb euphoria 7 or something similar misspelled (euli...)

Swallowed Ring / Another Gig / Guitar Bodega

Hanging around with EA, eating something. Whatever it is, it seems to have a large metal ring (shower curtain size) at its core. I am apprehensive when I realized I have accidentally swallowed the ring, which is not meant to be eaten. This happens twice. I feel ok, but anxiety starts to set in; rings may be cutting off air supply.

Long sequence another night, much is forgotten. A gig taking place in a sort of school auditorium. Many performers; other known characters abound, I'm about to play, expectation and excitement is great. Technical problems. Paul tries to help. Opening with "Dink's Song." Cut short due to loss of power. Some people (David A.) helping with power supply cords. Growing impatient, myself and crowd. Crowd has taken stage at some point, but eventually clears out. I decide the performance is over. Twice verbally blasting someone, forget who and why, but I humbly apologize to him afterwards.

Cross between independent guitar store and city bodega; I sort of work there. Some younger people, kids, running around, family of owner possibly, taking stuff for free. This customer guy asks another employee (Chad but very distant from reality Chad) about Gibson guitars, and Not-Chad disparages them, which I take silent offense to. Recommends other manufacturer, customer picks out this small oddly shaped green guitar, likes it, plans to buy, has a gig soon, says he'll sit down while playing it due to weird shape, which I think is unnecessary. Compares nicely to Gibson, he says.

Another sequence with Doug, in his "office." Doug is in a little alcove playing the guitar. ES calls and I listen in on extension. She says some negative things about me and my work. Afterwards I protest to Doug. Doug mentions this idea that at some point he plans on starting his own record company, using the contacts and rejected offers from his current job. I strongly encourage it, pitch some ideas about web ordering and fulfillment. At some point people are comparing biceps. I say I'm not going in to work tomorrow due to earlier negative comments. Doug asks me "what this has to do with the city." Not sure what that means. Doug suggests sticking it out, I suggest some other routes I could take employment-wise.

At some point some unknown girl leaves and I decide to help her out. She is waiting outside now, the bodega/guitar store/apartment/office, to cross the street. I leave via a different entrance and approach the corner of the block. I use some unknown superhuman strength to twist the streetlight from the bottom until it shuts off. I cross the street and do the same to the DON'T WALK sign until it says WALK, or something. But by the time it takes, it may have already changed on its own. This was all done so the woman could cross street, but as I approach, station wagon (with her father? in it) turns corner and picks her up.

SNL Disaster and Frail Hendrix

Sort of a Saturday Night Live set, I'm watching from the side, Alanis Morrisette is about to perform (though she is unrecognizable by end of this sequence.) It is sort of a flashback so they are going to play "You Oughta Know" so I check to see if Flea is sitting in - he is. I am now playing guitar, but the singer has either forgotten the words, her mic is not working, or she is just scared, or all three. She eventually exits the stage, while the band and I just keep up a simple vamp. Flea remarks to me while playing that teenagers shouldn't be made to sing about sex, because they don't understand it enough. I agree with him, cite some examples of older singers who could pull it off. We don't seem fazed that this conversation is happening during a live television disaster.

I am in a room, daylight in windows, with Jimi Hendrix and someone else lying on a bed near me. I take up Jimi's guitar because he seems too ill to play. The sound of the guitar is very muffled but very warm and crunchy and deep. I improvise on "Purple Haze" even surprising myself with a vocal that sounds like Jimi. I am having a blast. Towards the end I graciously thank Jimi and shake his hand; it is very frail and actually whitish.

Something about the Acoustic Eclectica gigs, I have this idea that CD was a part of the first one and I've forgotten him since.