So the show last night… how did that go?

Wait, let me back up. My flight out of JFK left on time (surprise) and arrived early (surprise!) and with construction and traffic warnings Juliana realized it would be faster for me to grab MARTA to get to her. This made sense to me. So I grabbed MARTA.

Which was fine. I mean it was MARTA so it was clunky and confused, but fine. Until “track problems” near Buckhead. We were told, you see, there were “track problems” – the problem seemed to be that they didn’t know how to use their own tracks. Two trains ahead of us and we couldn’t go before they moved. This was explained to us. As if refusing to hit another train was some amazing new idea they had just worked out for themselves.

Past that they were down to only one track for both directions. Ahhh yes, that might be your track problem, folks.

Anyway. About thirty minutes later we were moving.

Wait. Thirty minutes? Yeesh, guys, they’re called trains. They roll on tracks. You own everything on the tracks. Sort that shit out, will you?

Bu eventually I got there. There was lunch, there was pre-show prep time, hotels, etc. All the things a trip needs to be a trip, really. And then the show.

We show up and the guy working at Rev was there, nice guy. Really nice guy. Showed us where to set-up and left alone to work but was always willing to jump in and assist. So hooray Rev.

I realized, while we were setting up…

Hold on. Now I helped Juliana set-up, but for me set-up was testing a mic and flipping open a binder. I mean this wasn’t exactly time consuming. When I say setting up I mostly mean stuff that had nothing to do with me. Anyway!

While we were setting up I thought of something: Last time we did this was in a bar. The times I’ve done readings and all have been specifically 18+. This was a coffee joint. So I had to ask if I could curse.

I was told to not say fuck and that I should hold it down in general but if I KNEW everyone there was over 18 I could get away with some light cursing. Except, really, I don’t go for light cursing. I dunno, it’s a thing. So I had to shut the word fuck out of my head.

I also decided to go pretty much fully off-book. The show, you see, had been written. Well. Dictated. I came up with new material, recorded it and my friend Vin went above and beyond the call of duty to transcribe it for me. Then I rewrote it a bit and had a show book.

Mostly so the word choice was spoken word not written. They’re different, ever so slightly.

But while we were there I decided “fuck it” – oh wait I can’t say that. I decided “it.”

I wouldn’t curse. At all. And going off book would help because the more I looked at the book the more I’d see the number of times I cursed and I’d slip. Out of respect for how cool Rev was, I wanted to make sure I played by their rules, ya know? So.

So.

Juliana opened the show for us. She’s the pro. She does this. A lot. She’s one of those people who often seems more comfortable on a stage. I had my book for reference so I would at least know how I laid the show out. And then I was supposed to grab a mic and be… I don’t know – funny, witty, something like that.

Going off book – hadn’t done this in two years – can’t curse … I wasn’t bad. I wasn’t nervous, I can tell you that. But I could’ve been, let’s just say I am sure I could’ve been more coherent I’m sure.

I am, to be honest, not sure anyone really noticed. I mean, no strike that, they noticed. They just thought I was always that discombobulated. …and a lot of the time I am. But not always, is my point.

Somewhere in there though it started to rain. It rained hard enough and long enough we could hear it. The show wasn’t packed and that plus the rain meant we became a bunch of people trapped in a space together while the world came to an end outside. It was comfy. It was tight knit and relaxed. And a bunch of what I did became a conversation.

We recorded it and I don’t know how it sounds in the end, but there was a lot of back and forth. We had us a good time. A little time between friends, talking about the 80’s, and families and listening to music and discussing music and writing… it was a good time.

Eventually the audio will be released and when it is there will also be some information about something… else. But you’ll have to wait for that.

I did have to cut the bit I planned to close the show with, though. Time and, frankly, it ended up not fitting the mood of the show. It’s long. Seriously long. I want to say about 6000 words, but it is something near and dear and, honestly, important to me. So I’ll write that up, errr clean up the transcription of the piece, and post that sometime in the next week as well.

Still, all in all, I am sorry you guys weren’t all there. But this will happen again, I’m pretty sure. May take two years but it’ll happen. And you’ll all be invited, of course.