The Stink of Otto's (from 132 1/2)
Sunday July 31, 1994 The Stink of Otto’s
Me: Good evening
everybody, we are the Unpopular Mechanics.
Bill: I thought we
were Worse Company.
And that’s how it began.
Played Clyde’s Open Stage at Otto’s for the first time with Devin. Sans drummer, but Devin thinks it’s ok for us
to play in public without a drummer for now.
He has somebody that he wants but they’re not available yet. I trust his instincts. Besides the only drummer who might return a
call from me wore a tool belt all the time and last reports had him living in
Wichita, Kansas.
Our little quintet played “To Bea or Be,” “Hey Reagan,” and
“I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party.” We
ran through the first number a couple of times yesterday. Joe wanted to feel confident
playing the bass and harmonizing live.
That shit ain’t easy. It’s not
like he’s Brian Wilson. Hell, Brian
Wilson isn’t even Brian Wilson these days.
We made a recording of our little one song practice and it sounded
pretty good.
Back to tonight.
Played our three tunes. Clyde cut
us short. Devin has a theory about
that. Devin also has a theory about I.
Fritz Freleng’s cartoons having “a lot of guys running in and out of doors that
randomly appear on walls, floors and ceilings.”
I love Devin.
Bill was in great voice and acquired a groupie. Unfortunately that groupie was “Crazy
George,” but hey a criminally insane groupie who looks like he’s air-stabbing
things and screaming while dancing is better than no groupie at all. No, it probably isn’t.
This was Sonia’s first time doing “Hey Reagan” live. Everyone in the bar stopped what they were
doing and watched her sing it. Everyone,
even the people who started their Sunday DeKalb drinking in Sully’s at
11am. It does not matter that she
refuses to stand in the stage lights properly, when inspired she sings the hell
out of whatever we come up with and it leaves her mouth and takes shit
over. Well done girl.
Some Audra person she works with came up to me and Sonj immediately
after it was over and went on about how that is the sort of “narrative folk
rock” she’s always wanted to make. I
didn’t say this to her but I hope to fuck “narrative folk rock” isn’t what
we’re doing. Sometimes I’m the last
person to know these things.
Three of our number left to do special smoking with Audra
and her friends (possibly with Acting Chris’ entourage at some place above or
near the Honey Girl)…one of our number went home because they had to get up for
work…I decided to stay here and keep drinking.
I stand by that decision. Always
do.
One of the Myrtles from Record Rev gave me cigarettes as I
have less money than none most days. She
wanted to talk to someone about the Mark Lanegan record. Wonder if he ever thought of teaming up with
Lonnie Donegan? Let’s hope not. She told me to stop by the store and check
out some of the stuff, she usually played the “Whiskey and the Holy Ghost
Record” at least once during her late afternoon shift. Even though she kind of gushed about the
record (mostly the vocals) this Myrtle is not the kind of person who gets gushy
because of some cutie pie’s perfect hair or sad-eyed, chiseled-chin bad boy but
sleeping on someone’s couch face. Guess
this was more legitimate gushing.
Mike Hickey came over to sit with us after his set. Beautiful instrumentals and that makes sense
coming from a beautiful person. Love
that guy.
Closed the bar and tried to stumble through the apartment
stealthily. When Bill heard me he called
out from the bedroom, “It’s ok ed. I
can’t sleep. You can do your normal
stumbling.”
What a guy.
Devin came home and stayed up watching Orca with me. We are
idiots. You gotta be Richard Harris
drunk just to watch that damned thing.
Always loved the line, “You’re not even man enough to accept the
excitement of this challenge”…uh but mostly because it was delivered by Charlotte
Rampling wearing a wetsuit.
Devin fell asleep in his usual way in his usual chair all
cats in the cradle like. I put out his
cigarette and lit one more for myself.
Thought about taking a shower to wash the stink of Otto’s off me, then
decided I wanted to keep the stink of Otto’s on me for a bit longer.
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Listen to that early recording below
posted by edP | 2:02 AM
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