A week in and we still had plenty more to go – today and tommorrow are our showcases and it all finally comes to an end on Sunday ( if we survive)
Day 7 – Mar 15th
We were already off to a tempestous start – The lady who’s house we are staying at is trying to shake us down at every turn and I’m really at my boiling point with that. Next, the only place to park is across the Congress Bridge in a hotel parking garage and take the long walk over. When we get over there we see the car in front of us go through no problem. When we get up there the “attendant” says ““ok..umm..it’s..umm.. $20” – I ask why the girl ahead of us didn’t have to pay – he says “oh…umm..she’s..umm..performing across the street..” – I point to Jess and say, “So is she, now where do WE park” – he knows he’s busted and tells us where we can park. I mention this again to illustrate how we had people fucking with us for money at every turn.
On to the first showcase of the day –
Tricky-Kid/Empire Films Showcase w/ Psychic Friend, Sea Lion & more – The Ave on Congress –
A couple of months ago I started working with Will Schwartz from the band Imperial Teen. He has a new project that he put together with Patty Schmel from Hole and also sometimes Imperial Teen called Psychic Friend who just released their debut LP on Dangerbird Records. I had booked a tour for this project and invited them to play this showcase. I also invited the band Sea Lion from my hometown of Dallas, TX to play as well.
I was happy with the venue as it was right on Congress and the stage was upstairs and outdoors so the music would be blasting to everyone regardless if they were in the venue or not.
I had been in touch with Will several times every single day for weeks so it was good to be face to face for once.
Since it was early, their wasn’t a huge turnout, maybe only 30 people or so. Jess had a friend that brought a few people and a couple of really cute girls.
Then it was Psychic Friend’s turn to play:
I passed out a bunch of cds and thanked everyone for coming. Will and I were scheduled for a post-show meeting as this was their last show of the festival and were leaving tomorrow. I told him to meet us next door at Frank’s Pork Militia.
Critical Beatdown Discussion w/ Ced Gee of the Ultramagnetic Mc’s – Frank’s
The reason we picked Frank was for three reasons:
1) Though I don’t share it’s pork fetish I had been telling Jess about it (bacon bits on your ice cream anyone?)
2) Before tonight’s eagerly anticipated reunion show, Ced Gee of the Ultramagnetic Mc’s was going to lead a discussion.
3) We were hungry and it was next door –
We get next door and to illustrate what we were expecting this is how it was presented:
Here were the problems –
It was in the middle of a busy restaurant during a huge lunch rush and no one seemed to know that this had been scheduled not even the staff!.
We were seemingly the only ones that showed up specifically for this today – even Ced Gee seemed unprepared with his answers and that mostly because he was probably dissapointed/embarassed by the set up. This was like trying to lead a game of bingo in the lobby of a Times Square hotel. Even by Ultramagnetic standards this was poor planning and baffling dysfunction.
To further aggrivate things I was wondering how we were gonna have a discussion with Will during all of this as well – The place was so busy and we couldn’t keep holding a table for four with only two of us there, and this one white guy in a beanie who was trying to see the lecture without ordering anything kept trying to help himself to our table.
Right when I was convinced that Will wasn’t coming, I gave up the other table, and right as they are seating our new neighbors, here comes Will and crew. Of course. Will is a super friendly guy and I think was kinda put off by my aggressiveness influneced by my aggraivation of the situation which was also amplified by the frustrations of the week coming to a boiling point.
Add to the fact that Jess and I were now spending $30 on fucking hot dogs and the waiter just would not stop coming over every 5 mins to the point where I leaned over and said “I’m going to KILL this motherfucker if he comes over here one more time” – Only to look up to see that the waiter had just heard every word. This place was impossible to have a meeting, a meal, hear a discussion but it was pefect to have a fucking nervous breakdown as compared to hearing about Critical Beatdown.We say our goodbyes to Will loosely planning on meeting up later right as Claude texts me to tell me that the Eagles of Death Metal are playing an unnoucned show next door to Antones’s that just happened to be around the corner.
Pandora Radio Showcase w/ Eagles of Death Metal – Antone’s (outside)
Thankfully we were just around the corner when Claude texted me to tell me about this unnounced show for Pandora Radio. On the way over there we ran into Nick Oliveri and his latest lineup of Mondo Generator and were able to talk and catch up a bit. When we got there the band was already on.
Red Bull Party w/ The Ultramagnetic Mc’s, the Geto Boys & more – Gatsby’s
Ok so to unpack things a bit – this would be a show that I would have come down for just to see this – I’m a HUGE hip-hop fan and was greatly ancitipating this show. Simply the rarity of an Ultramagnetic Mc’s show (and this had to be their first Austin show) and the return of the Geto Boys whom I’ve never seen.
Those two legendary groups from hip-hop’s golden era of the late 1980’s performing together was something I was eagerly anticpating.
Jess knows nothing about hip-hop and I was surprised that she really got something from the lecture earlier, given how chaotic it was and she had sorta developed a fast crush on Ced Gee.
For those in the know, you know that the Ultramagnetic Mc’s masterpiece Critical Beatdown came out in 1988 and they broke up in the early 1990s. Of course legendary member Kool Keith went on to have one of the most prolific and most bizarre solo careers of anyone of any genre and have also recently started performing together again. I was forturnate to see their initial return at the ATP Festival in Asbury Park in 2011.
You also may know that Kool Keith is also known for some legendary dysfucntional behaviour, so it always carries a strange energy of wondering if he’s gonna show and what kinda condition will he be in if he does?
And then the Geto Boys – where do I start with these freaks? This was one for the bucket list – this was either going to be the greatest thing ever, or the biggest cluster fuck of all time. Regardless it was going to be unforgetabble.
It was almost like two shows in one as we got over to the site, the first half was a rock show, starting with some girls who live on the same street as me in Brooklyn called the Heliotropes, followed by English rockers Little Barrie.
Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Ultramagnetic took to the stage (sans Keith…but we counted on him making his own dramatic entrance). They hyped the crowd up with Ego Trippin & Ease Back,” then Keith made his precense felt with Poppa Large and even his alter ego Dr Octagon’s Blue Flowers –
Jess is so tolerant and even she was disgusted by him, I loved it haha –
Granted it wasn’t the jaw-dropping awe inspiring performance it could have been – in fact it was painfully mediocre but I’m glad we saw it.I knew we had a few minutes before the Geto Boys came on so we wandered around and here’s where that bullshit “cool” hierarchy comes in.
We had bought a beer and used the porto-shitters and stood around with nowhere to sit before Ultramagnetic came on right? – Only to discover that we had the “right” kind of wristband that allowed us to walk just a few more feet behind some velvet ropes for free beer, use of an actual bathroom, and plush couches under a canopy to relax in. Isn’t that bullshit? – Why couldn’t this be for everyone to enjoy? – I was almost embarassed to be back there but we were tired and wanted to enjoy this and that’s exactly what we did.
So much so that by the time Geto Boys came on we could barely be bothered to get up and go back out there and stand on the concrete and give up our plush surroundings, until I realized that we were being a parody of what I loathe and made our way back to the front to rawk.
Indiemerchstore.com Showcase w/ Clutch, Murder By Death & more – Warehouse at 1100 E. 5th St.
Ok so now we were capping the day off with some not-to-miss kinda shit – given the events of the day this was one of the better days if not the best.
If you are reading this blog you already know my long history with the Clutch organization so no need to get into all of that other than to say that naturally we would be at this show.
I’m looking for the address and when we get there I realize that this is the same no-name warehouse/barracks that was the site of the festival-closing Vice Party last year that broke into a riot because ASAP Rocky & crew were starting shit with like everyone.
Keep in mind it was still cold this week for some reason and now it was in the 40s. I find the bus and their manager, the incomparable Jack Flanagan – We have a smoke and catch up for a bit as I introduce him to Jess. They got on great and he even wished her well on her music career. Told ya she’s my lucky charm.
To unpack things a bit Clutch is currently on tour in support of their new record Earth Rocker – which was set to be released in four days from now, with Lionize and Orange Goblin as support, it’s not like they came here just to play this conference. They are doing two shows while here, tonight with Lionize and tomorrow they are playing a showcase that we partnered with Converse Shoes & Thrasher Magazine with Orange Goblin, outside and during the day.
We get inside right as Lionize takes the stage –
In the last 4 years, Lionize has largely been on the tour as well as other tours I’ve been on we seem to cross paths every few months or so, so I’ve gotten to know these guys real well. Great band and great bunch of guys and we had alot of fun catching up after they played.
This place was like an old abandoned barracks and I know there was alot of other shows going on tonight but there was like no one here – I’m serious by the time the next band was starting, their were less than 50 people here. I was shooting the shit with Sean, Clutch’s merch guy about how this seemed like the old days when I was first starting to go to Clutch shows and seem them play to under 100 people. I know that the bands didn’t come here to play to an empty room but selfishly I was really enjoying the intimacy.
While we were talking, the next band starts and I ask Sean who it is and it turns out, its Murder By Death making an unannounced, last second appearance.
What’s so cool about this other than the obvious is that as I mentioned in the some of the other posts, Jess had no idea who was playing this festival at all and trusted me blindly and was just following my lead. If I saw that I band that I knew she liked was playing I would try to get here there. This was like one of the main bands that she wanted to see, so it was like they were making this appearance for her. They were really really good and the small crowd that was there was really appreceative.
So appreciative in fact that when the band asked if they wanted to hear one more, the response was overwhelming, however as they started to go into the next song, the power had been cut, instructing the band that their time was up – and in an incredibly disrespectful display, they hadn’t taken two steps before some stage hand was taking their mic stand apart and turning the monitors off before they had even removed their instruments, let alone walk off stage.
The singer was mildly protesting, saying “Dude, its only like a 3 minute song” – The crowd hears this and are now demanding that they be allowed to play but the stage hand is unsympathetic. To be clear I know for a fact that this guy was not a member of the Clutch crew – Then suddenly from the talk back on the Front of House control board you hear this guy loudly say to the stagehand “Get your fucking hands off that equipment and get the fuck off our stage NOW!! –
And just like three guys are on stage now escorting the stage hand off the stage and the band is allowed to play its encore, much to the hurrah of the crowd.
Ok, so if this guy wasn’t with Clutch, and he wasn’t with the venue, than who the fuck was he? Could he really have been an overzealous fan, dressed as a stage hand simply to pull this stunt to get Clutch on stage sooner haha? I know they have a dedicated fan base but this was truly strange.
It’s now after midnight and a strong 100 or so people have made their way to the front of the stage. The Austin Clutch crowd are notoriously fanatical, so this crowd may be small but still very vocal. Though I’ve already seen the cover to the new LP, I’m seeing the aestheics of the new tour design for the first time as the band walks out, kicks in, has a thunderous half-a-beat of silence and then Neil delivers the first line of The Mob Goes Wild – and they proceed to do exactly that.
With the small crowd and the strange venue it did nothing to take away from the vibe of this show and did everything to enhance it – It just felt right –
It had this casual, special vibe, like we were being let in on something. But for all its casualness, the band played with a ferocity and urgency, especially Neil that I hadn’t seen in awhile. I’ve never seen them do a bad show, but tonight they just seemed on fire and energized by the new material. This was one of the most unique and enjoyable shows I’ve ever seen them do.
Texan Book of the Dead
Power Player
Earth Rocker
Crucial Velocity
Immortal
The Regulator
Burning Beard
Profits of Doom
D.C. Sound Attack!
Unto the Breach
50,000 Unstoppable Watts
Mice and Gods
Gone Cold
Electric Worry
One Eye Dollar
Encore:
Cypress Grove
I knew that I would be seeing the guys tomorrow and we were so tired from this long day that I just managed to say hello to Neil and chat with him for a bit before telling them all goodnight and that I would see them tomorrow. Jess and I still had to walk all the way up to Congress and across the bridge to our car, get back to North Austin and get up tommorrow and do it all again, one more time.
Day 8 – Mar 16th
Now with over a week in we were seriously burnt and today was the day of my showcase. Our host was shaking us down for everything at every turn and though we were having some amazing times, with everything that has transpired, we were soooo ready to get today over and get back to normal.
We get downtown and had to park the furterest yet way down on the East Side and walk all the way back up.
The plan was to start the day over at Stubb’s for Rachael Ray’s annual get together – Eagles of Death Metal were having one last show over there and we wanted to get a good start with a good meal catch these guys, say our goodbyes and get over to my showcase.
One thing I appeciate about this party is that is usually a no hassle, fun time and theirs always plenty of food. We head over to Stubb’s and there’s a line out the door and all the way down to the I-35 – Was she serving lobster this year? Nope – It was that Macklemore fucker once again – this line was for him. Who IS this dude?
I had no interest in bugging the staff or the band and we were hungry, so I decided to trek it back over I-35 to the east side to a place I had been wanting to check out all week promisiing free sushi. When we get there the guy out front is working us to come in and making the same promises – once inside we realize that the “free” sushi was just some hor -d’ ouerve plate being passed around with a few pieces on it and warm Lone Star to drink in this dilipated house where some punks were playing.
Again not to sound spoiled but that is just false advertising. We walk a few blocks down and find a legit Mexican place (Jess’s fave) – I text Oscar (Clutch tour mgr) to see if he wants to join but he’s busy over at the venue.
We walk in and we stand there for 20 mins with no one ahead of us and the place is not busy before we are seated and another 20 mins before we are given menus and another 30 mins before we are served. From the time we walked in till the time I took my first bite was close to an hour and a half and again they were NOT busy – and the food was mediocre at best.
The site of our showcase was two blocks away so we swung by there to check on everything before heading back to Stubb’s.
Rachael Ray’s Feedback w/ The Eagles of Death Metal & more – Stubb’s BBQ
Once we got back over there, things had died down a bit and we were let in with no problems. I try to come to this party every year and I acutally DJ’d one of the first ones she ever did when it was much smaller affair over at the Beauty Bar. Rachael Ray is a huge music fan and her husband is a swell dude and his band the Cush has toured with some of my artists in the past.
It was the right kind of vibe for the gospel sounds of the Eagles of Death Metal –
We ate proper and hung for a bit – we got to meet Brad Wilk once again who was totally cool, here is a great shot of him with Claude and Hoss (Mondo Generator/drummer) –
Converse/TrickyKid/Thrasher Magazine Death Match – The Scoot Inn
Ok so if you are familiar with me/this blog, you probably know that my company & I have a showcase every year here at SXSW called the Brawl for All.
Our 2011 event made national headlines for its unique motiff and us having the bands actually play in a boxing ring. Good times.
Well, I’ve been trying to improve on that idea and make it better each passing year. Last year we partnered with Taco Bell to moderate success but I really wanted to go bigger this year. I learned that doing it completely on my own was going to limit that severely so I figured we have the Brawl for All, Thrasher has the Death Match, why not combine them?
I liked the low-fi scenario of the Scoot Inn – its really just a a little place with a big backyard to give it that backyard BBQ party vibe.
Thrasher Magazine being a skate mag, naturally they had a skate ramp set up out back with some dudes doing some demos.
Converse being the shoe of choice for the skaters, they had bands playing inside that they were sponsoring and we were doing the outside portion all as a group effort. I don’t go for that RSVP, wristband shit – this party was to be free and all ages – everyone welcome and since it was outside to make sure there was plenty of free water for everyone to drink.
First up for our portion was Orange Goblin from the U.K. – who as I mentioned are currently on tour with Clutch.
The were really great and my first time to actually see them. One of the great things about a parntership is that I wasn’t having to run around like a chicken with my head cut off all day – I could actually watch the bands play.
Ok so now the place was really filling up and just in time before Clutch took the stage –
Gracioulsly changing up their set list from last night as to not phone in a repeat set – last night their nod to Texas was of course Texan Book of the Dead – but today was a rarity played as a nod to Austin in the form of The Incomparable Mr. Flannery – the story of a real-life Austin resident, as well as several others from the new LP that wasn’t played last night.
I had hoped that the amazing energy from the night before would carry over into today but it would be hard to duplicate how awesome they were last night.
That, plus the heat and the early set time and the kind of make-shift vibe with the sound and a knowingly abbreiviated set – but having said that, all of that actually resulted in a very unique show that was well received and I was very proud to have been a part of.
It really did feel like a backyard party and the band that was playing just happend to be Clutch –
Setlist –
Gravel Road
Crucial Velocity
The Incomparable Mr. Flannery
The House that Peterbilt
Earth Rocker
The Face
Promoter Of Earthbound Causes
Abraham Lincoln
D.C. Sound Attack!
Electric Worry
The Wolf Man Kindly Requests…
Encore:
Cypress Grove
I thanked everyone who came and was pleased to see that Nick Oliveri had made it over and felt bad that I had missed his show when I said that I would come. He was cool about it and said that I had another chance to see them play later tonight.
I got everything squared and went to thank the Clutch guys and something took me by surprise – as I was walking up to greet Neil, I was stopped by a security guard – HIS security guard – I’ve known this band for 20 years and it was just a little strange to see Neil with a security detail, especially at this thing.
That’s not a knock on him or the band, it just took me by surprise. Neil waved him off and we talked for a bit before we cleared out.
Now it was truly all over – right then we could have just hopped in the car and rode back home, we were officially done – and I had that huge relief feeling that a 500 lb weight had just been lifted from my shoulders.
But we were here and we were gonna see this motherfucker through and go out with a bang, not to mention – unbeliebveably, Prince was in town.
All we wanted first was just to sit down, recharge, and then hit it hard one last time. So back to the Convention Center one last night to do exactly that. We were chilling but all that had transpired this week was now started to pour out of us and on to each other. We get along fine, but we had been in the same room with each other and attached at the hip for almost 10 days now and though it took that long for her to voice it, what we both needed was just an hour or so not only apart but alone.That was actually in our favor to the plan as well because even though I was sure there was no chance in hell I was getting into see Prince, I knew that I at the very least had to try, and my chances were greater if I was trying to get in solo.
She just wanted to go to a Starbucks by herself for a few hours – so a plan was made and we went our seperate ways with plans to hook back up in a few hours.
Here is where the spectacle really steps in –
In the past there have been increasingly large acts playing small venues here to give it that OMG feel to add to the mania – Hell I even saw Metallica here a few years ago – but again theirs usually one band who plays the impossible showcase to get into.
This year/Tonight ? – It was like all the big corporations were having a pissing contest to show off who had the deepest pockets to get the biggest names.
We walked by Red Bull – They had The Sword and Smashing Pumpkins
Myspace was relaunching and had Justin Timberlake –
Another small buliding was hosting Depeche Mode launching their new LP
The Fader had P.Diddy and crew etc.
As I was walking to La Zone Rosa for Prince, across the street Perez Hilton was hosting Alicia Keys & Fall Out Boy –
Green Day were playing somehwere on campus
…and the greatest of them all, unbelievably Prince was playing a 900 capacity venue – and as if that wasn’t enough – the opening act for him was a reunited
A Tribe Called Quest with all four members!!!!! – I wanted to seem them only second to him.
All of this on the same street on the same night as well as it being a typical Saturday night during Spring Break in Austin and it was freaking St. Patrick’s Day!!
The city was hemmoraging to the point that it just made everything kinda not fun – not to mention I had been dealing with this for 8 days plus the car and our insufferable host. Getting into see Prince and Tribe was going to be my redemption –
I’m a connected dude, but I knew that their was little chance I was getting in to somerthing this huge but again I knew I would not be satisfied if I didn’t at least try.
I knew almost instantly when I got arond the corner and could see the venue that I wasn’t getting in- as in like there was no hope.
I thought I might be able to go around back and talk to some guys I know that work here but you couldn’t even get back there – they had the whole block shut down.
It was a Samsung Galaxy sponsored event and you had to have their new $600 phone to get in and have received a speical code to show on the phone to get in. How was I gonna fake that? haha – It was also got really cold again and again I wasn’t dressed for it.
I was seeing people like the cast of The Wire walking past me to get in and knew that it just wasn’t gonna happen.
It’s one thing to have been a thousand miles away and hear about this, but to actually be in front of the venue and not get in is soul crushing.
At this point I had done so much and was so freaking tired that all I wanted was to chill somewhere and have a good time one last night, not standing out here like a dick in the cold by myself, wasting time.
So in an odd burst of maturity on my part – I threw in the towel, texted Jess and made my way to the Starbucks she was chilling at.
Though I was severely disspointed, I was happy to be back with her and just relaxing and putting a plan together for later.
Thrasher Magazine’s Midnight Massacre w/ Mondo Generator & more – Sailor Jerry’s Gypsy Lounge
I decided to keep my word to Oliveri this time that we would catch Mondo Generator tonight. They were throwing down over at a compound that Sailor Jerry had set up – It was one of the places I had been wanting to check out all week and hadn’t had the chance yet and tonight being the last night I wanted to make sure to. My buddy Igor was hired as the house photographer and Dallas native Oliver Peck who’s now on Ink Master with Dave Navarro was doling out the tattoos.
Besides the event with us earlier in the day this was Thrasher Magazine’s second event of the day. We had met some of their people today and they also extended an invitation to us to be here and wanted to make good on that as well.
The event is what you would expect when skate culture is met with tattoo culcure at an event branded by a liquor company, given the promising name of Midnight Massacre and headlined by the likes of Nick Oliveri & Mondo Generator. Metal, cute skater girls and lots of rum.
…ran into Adrian and his girlfriend again who were hanging out –
….and look who we ran into once again – Jesse and his girlfriend Tuesday. Oliveri had been at at least two EODM shows and was good to see them repay the support. If you can even believe it, our night actually did not end there.
Taco Bell’s Hype Hotel w/ Chk Chk Chk & more – 3rd & San Jacinto St.
Ok so were now hungry, contemplated going across town to the campus to see John Fogerty, everywhere else was on deadlock, so the solution was to go the Taco Bell branded Hype Hotel (our co-sponsors last year) to get some food and to see Chk Chk Chk one last time and let them close us out.
Though Jess really enjoyed their day show earlier in the week, I told her that she really needed to see their full power and that can usually only come in the wee hours, and also the perfect band to close us out.
We get there and are excited but I’m so tired I can barely stand – normally I think Taco Bell is gross but we needed food. Thank gawd they were giving out ear plugs because the acoustics in this warehouse made the sound bounce off everything and it would just assault you with how loud it was.
We gorged on tacos and free Miller Lite and tried to get up our energy for one last go around.
Though it was late, it seemed like we were there forever sitting through what seemed like a half a dozen really shitty bands playing 30 min sets that felt like 2 hrs.
It was a weird mix as we sat on the floor watching this slide show while these two girls who had brought their own hula hoops were kinda dueling and were waaaaay too good at it, as people behind us were getting massages from a few pros that had their gear setup. Weird mix.
Probably not the best way to get ready for a show but the stress of the week and looking at these massuees became too enticiing for Jess who also has never had a massage so I bought her one.
She probably was ready for bed after that (and gawd knows I was ready for anything but more music) – but it was time as Chk Chk Chk came roaring out.
We took it slow and just talked and contemplated not only all that we had seen and done just today but in the past 9 days it seemed like a super human feat.
When we finally arrive at the car, as we are getting her purse from the trunk we realize that the trunk hadn’t been closed all the way and that the trunk light had probably been on for like 15 hrs and now my worst fears of this car making it was now about to come true – as a final FUCK YOU to stand us at 4am in the middle of nowhere with staggering fatigue. I opened her door to let her in and no inside light came on – I almost started to cry seriously.
I just knew that when I tried to start the car it was going to be dead and it would have been if he been probably a few mins later, but thankfully it started and we peeled out to get the fuck out of there.
That was only the beginning of the frustration as we were trying to get back on a main road to hit the freeway – we encounter that every logical entryway is being routed to a police checkpoint looking for drunk drivers (and their were plenty of them by our account).
This meant that city was litterallly on lockdown and traffic in every direction was not just a crawl but a TOTAL standstill, as in people were turning their engines off.
Hell, I didn’t mine was even gonna start so their was no way I was turning my engine off. I tried everything, maneuvering, backtracking, everything. It all proved futile – I even drove south of Riverside only to run smack dab into a lack that I had to circle that only dumped me out right into the waiting arms of the checkpoint.
I managed to get us out of there but it seemed there were actual forces at work trying to keep us from making it, that’s how tired and frustrated I was.
What should have been a 20 min ride back to where we were staying, turned into a 2 hr odyssey just to traumatize us.
Names that I had never heard before and am glad that I do now –
Haim
The Coathangers
Residual Kid
Murder By Death
Names that I had never heard of and wish that I still don’t –
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Travis Scott
Joey Badass
Krewella
Charli XCX
ZZ Ward
French Montana
Kendrick Lamar
The After-Math
We finally make it back and just collapse into bed. A few hours later, our insane host is waking us up telling us that she’s expecting guests soon and is trying to shake us down for some ridiculous “donation”. I had to go to a bank to get her money but we made sure we packed all of our shit before we left so that we could just swing back by, give her the money and hit the road.
I wasn’t even going to begin to give this woman this ridiculous amount – if we could afford that amount we would’t have got a hotel and not had to deal with her corny mysticism and pot smoking all week.
But we were prepared to offer her something as a token of our appreciation – natually when I rolled the window down at the ATM, because the battery had been drained by the trunk last night it wouldn’t roll back up and we had to deal with it for the next four hours getting home.
I was just so grateful that the car even started and that we were finally leaving. We returned to our host from the bank which technically we could have just hit the road but we are not scammers though resentful of her hazing. I stayed in the car while Jess gave her the money (she was sitting outside expectant btw) and naturally she did not like the amount we offered and proceeded to casue a big scene.
We just laughed at her and hit the freeway to finally put this nightmare behind us. I really think that this might be my last year – After 16 years, they better give me a really good reason to come back next year.
Photos –
Roy Turner
Marv Watson
Tim Griffin
John Davisson
Nate “Igor” Smith
