Drummer's Diary

Saturday, March 3, one storefront over - ( Originally posted on the COME ON website)

I had sushi for the first time yesterday. Now, i know, you being a rock fan and all, that the last thing you want to hear about is rock n’ roll musicians eating sushi. Hell, that’s just as sickening as hearing about "rockers" playing golf in their spare time. I was watching VH1 a coupla nights ago, and their "heavy metal show" on – you know the one that the guy from Anthrax with the dippy beard hosts – and there was Dave Mustaine from Megadeth, with his awful haircut, talking about going to the driving range and hitting golf balls. Ah, Christ. Maybe he was hanging out with Huey Lewis.

James enjoys a brew, oblivious to the half-tilt rock of his bandmates. Our hero, representing for the "David A. Boody Athletic Department."

Anyway, what was i talking about? Oh yeah, we played a big show at CB’s last night, our first one in about a month and a half (seemed like a long time, anyway), and i’d like to start by saying A) thanx to everyone for coming out and sticking around so late at night to hear us, and 2) thanx to Motor Betty, not only for getting us the slot, and being a fine bunch of fellows who set us up with beer, but for once again bringing all the kids and the trash-rockers. It was nice to see some new faces. One "new face" liked us so much, in fact, that he decided to sit on stage with us. And look in a completely different direction. He made the big mistake of sitting on MISHKA’s side, so Mishka, of course, made him feel at home the way any self-respecting rock n’ roll lout would: by pouring his beer on him. "That’s the danger that comes with the position" Mishka announced before the guy just kinda stumbled sadly and wetly off stage. I just hope he signed our mailing list before he left. BLONDIE singer Debbie Harry, oddly enough, was also in attendance that evening, but managed to escape a beer-soaking. That’s probably because she’d left long before we took the stage, sadly, but hey, she’s old, so she has an excuse. I’d also like to announce that the next band member to stand on the bass drum of my "vintage" 1960’s Stuart drumset is going to get a severe beat down. From my girlfriend. That’s one of James’ favorite things to do during a show, standing on the bass drum, which is bad enough, but then when Mishka starts getting into the act, look out … James was feeling pretty lovey in general. At the very end of the show, at the end of "Boys In Heat" specifically (which always degenerates into a big mess of noise), James decided to … well, i’m not really sure what he decided to do, but my closest guess is that he was trying to hug me during the song’s big ending. While we were playing. Mishka had some love of his own as well, as he decided to join us by leaning over onto the drum set and doing his awful "sexy" rock moves, the one where he’s waving his ass everywhere and making his "i’m screwing a groupie while sucking a lemon" face. You know the one. Anyway, before long, down goes James. So, here i am with James haphazardly strewn about with his guitar sticking between my legs, and Mishka punching his bass and drunkenly humping my drumset. Jeff, at this point, had probably put down his guitar and was already at the bar. "Crap" i thought, "this is never going to end." So i took the only reasonable course of action: i grabbed James guitar and attempted a solo. At which point i discovered the guitar wasn’t plugged in, so, frustrated, i just kicked Mishka square in the chest, and he fell off the drum riser and flat on to his back like, as Tris McCall described, "a mighty redwood." Wham! A huge bass note. Naturally, no one saw it. Oh well, it was $9 worth of rock spectacle right there. Afterward, Mishka was very happy to "chat up" the teenage girls in the audience and Jeff got to sign an autograph or two (or maybe it was the other way around). Ah, to be in the front line.