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

To Bea or Be