Mid-January, Rain - January 13, 2012 |
April 16, 2007 Hot Monkey Love! Get It Here! Dar came to our gig in Worcester last night and, though we felt less than smooth, he said we were great and the audience was very responsive. I was a little tired. It's not like I haven't been getting plenty of sleep. I have started running regularly again but I'd think that would give me more energy, not less. Rose and Marc are in this battle to inflict each other with the worst and stupidest Oldies titles. First Marc lobbed "Kung Fu Fighting" at her, to which he recited all the lyrics, in his nerdy, matter-of-fact, very unmusical voice, and she couldn't get it out of her head for two days. To her repeated complaints he finally said, "Okay, I know a song that will drive that one out of your head. How about, 'Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves'?" Then the battle was in earnest. Dar helped me come up with some ammo last night, and here's the backup list I called in this morning: Muskrat Love Please send me your favorite Worst Oldie and I'll add it to the list. This has inspired me to list a few of my Favorite Best Oldies: This Diamond Ring For Rose's boss's birthday last year, we made a little CD of a takeoff on that last song, called "Walk Like a Physician." It's a rainy morning and the still-bare trees are performing their invisible alchemy of Spring. I can't wait to see the forsythia come out, the crocuses... how I want crocuses! The weather hasn't exactly been fine yet, but we missed last week's northeaster and this system is just rain. I have a very busy week coming up. Gig tonight; NJ tomorrow, to visit the chiropractor and James, and go to a play reading. Then I'll drive back and stay overnight at the band's house for a rehearsal Tuesday. Wednesday I help Steve pick up his puppy at the airport. Thursday I go back to NJ and stay over, to get a leg up on the trip to Annapolis Friday. James convinced me to go see a sort of punk klezmer band called Golem that night. Should be fun. Gigs all weekend, back late Sunday night. Next week is a little more loose. We have two school performances midweek but beyond that it's all fun, fun, fun. And I get to meet Peter Tork on the 27th. The ex-Monkee is 64 years old. ******** Amazing news! I've received over $300 in royalties in the last week. I've gotten airplay for years but the only money I've ever received from ASCAP has been for another band's cover of one of my songs, which has been played in England. That was maybe $11. But a few months ago I sicced a company called Sound Exchange onto Sattelite radio, which has been playing me since about 2000 and not reporting their playlists, because I had received nothing from those broadcasts. Sound Exchange drummed up maybe $180 worth of back payments for me, and yesterday I also got a check from ASCAP for over $130 for 2006 royalties of ONE SONG. This one particular song was played enough times to reap that much money. I'm assuming that other songs played were included in Sound Exchange's check, though the packet they sent me was thick and I haven't looked into the itemized list yet. Anyway it was a happy surprise and came when I really needed money. Thank you, Universe. There is a beautiful wind chime outside somewhere that tinkles every so often. I'm not sure where it's coming from, which makes it all the better. I got a message from the Eggman a couple of days ago. We haven't talked in quite a long time. His ladies should start laying eggs in another month or so. I don't want him to think I only want to get together when he has eggs. But really we didn't get together all winter. But it should be good walking weather soon so we can hit the trails again. I was trying to think of a name for the new poetry book, and I ran one by Dar last night. He thought it was terrible; made me sound like a hobo on a railroad track, he said. So I said, "Okay, what title would make you pick up a book and open it?" He thought for a few moments, nonplussed, and blurted out, "Hot Monkey Love! But..." I ventured that I'd probably lose some of my demographic with that title. "It's not family-friendly," I argued. Still, it's an intriguing phrase. Maybe just a poem of that name. Surely that wouldn't be too offensive to people with children. And if everyone who reads this entry would send me one line, I could put them all together and not have to write the poem myself. How about it? Are you up to the challenge, Poets of Diaryland? Send me one line or phrase of the poem, "Hot Monkey Love," and see yourselves published! It doesn't even have to be a whole sentence. I'll send you each a copy of the book when it comes out. Really. ******** Monday Fun with numbers: This weekend I got gas, and the display when I was done read 7.777 gallons for $22.55. Nice gig last night in Southington. We loaded in in the pouring rain. Those UCCers (United Church of Christ) can be really extreme in the "We believe exactly this, we're going to say it over and over again, and by the way we're full of doubt and fear at all times and have been major sinners so we need constant forgiveness, please" department. But their band was rousing and it opened my heart and made me laugh and cry, even though it was all about Jesus having his hands nailed and then walking out of the tomb and he's the only one I believe in and without him I'm a squashed snail in the middle of the road, hallalujia. Chris was delighted to learn, in a little preshow chat we had, that I'd been born again and baptised in high school. The children's portion of the service we played (before our concert) really bugged him. It was all about Doubting Thomas and the minister was telling all the kids, who were sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of her, about how Thomas had to put his finger in the holes in Jesus's hands, and stick his hand inside Jesus's side, before he'd believe. And how the apostles were all hiding because they didn't want to be crucified like Jesus was. And the scripture reading was talking about the blood, the water and the blood, and I thought how wonderfully Pagan it all was, if one could just step aside from the subjective and see it purely in historical context. And what would happen if one time during communion, the minister blessed the cup and the loaf and they actually DID turn into Jesus's blood and flesh? What would happen then? Would they still divvy it out to the congregation like they promised? ******** The wind was fierce last night as I went to bed. James and I spoke for a while when I got home; he was very depressed over having 6 inches of water in his basement and a broken sump pump. They had to move his son's studio equipment and drum set upstairs. Aside from the immediate threat of damage and mold, he said it made him feel like a poor provider for his kids, that he can't even keep the house in safe condition. He realized this wasn't rational; the house is in a low area and once in a while some water comes in -- that's why he put the pump in, and since that time they haven't had a big problem with it. But the pump broke, the front stoop needs to be rebuilt, parts of the roof need attention... and this week he overdrew his checking account for the first time. It was only by a few dollars, and within the week there were several thousand dollars back in it, but the fact that he hadn't paid attention closely enough, and hadn't kept a large enough balance, upset him. Divorce makes it much harder to manage money, doesn't it? Breaking News � I just talked to James, whose sump pump has been replaced but who still has much cleaning up to do in the basement. We decided to cancel our visit. I spoke with my playwright friend and he was very understanding � he expects a number of cancellations due to weather problems. So I got a found day! Or half a found day. Time to go to the gym. |
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