Siriusly. The last time i had this much fun on my berfday? Maybe when Alien Sex Fiend played the Lakefront in 1985?! (or was it 84?) Today was full of cookies topped w/awesomesauce and a big fat WIN on top. And its all cuz i live in a wonderful, beautiful, *supportive* arts community.
First, the day: i can literally count on one hand the number of birthdays i've had when the weather wasn't shite. Its rare enuf to be over 50 out, but to be 70 AND sunny?? This just Does Not Happen in Cleveland in March. But it did today, so i made it my inaugural bike ride of the season. Decided on a whim to put my squeezebox on my back and bike downtown for the parade.. which could have been trouble with a capital 'T', but it actually worked out. And that's despite the fact that as i got to the Detroit-Superior bridge (which spans the river dividing east from west) my bike chain got jammed between gears. So what?
i walked my bike over the bridge and down to the new Phoenix Coffee on W. 9th. They're my Twitter friends, had to check them out, lol. (Sweet little place; might be worth some daytime rides for wi-fi'n'chai this spring). Tried texting my pal who is also my birthday twin.. well, we did text; just never connected. Downtown was pagan revelry.. everybody's Irish in Cleveland on St. Padrec's, but today everyone was *heathen* Irish. No woad that i saw, but wtf. Another pal called it Green Halloween and i think she's right. Imagine the flipside of Halloween; instead of preparing for winter, this is opening up to spring. Costumes EVERYWHERE.. of course most of them were drunk suburban White People, but hey. Everyone was smiling, maybe too drunk but in early afternoon almost all still happy.
i walked east to go south; Superior to E.12th to E.9th to Euclid to E.4th. Stopped on E.4th a while to break out the squeezebox. i could have busked but i'm still too shy at it so just played quietly in open spots - well as quiet as an accordion gets. There was a girl who played a fullsize in front of Erie St. Coffee; she & i jammed a couple tunes. Then a fellow came up who knew her.. i'm looking at him, thinking he looks familiar - and omg its a guy i've known thru open mic scenes first, then the vortex a couple years ago when everything got - strange. He dropped out of sight and i haven't seen or spoken to him since, but there he was, looking good and SO good to see him!
From there i went on to Public Square. Met my best pal, who works in the old Higbee bldg, scene of visiting Santa in the Christmas Story movie. We cut thru Tower City, came out back near W.9th. People asking me to play again, so i did. She had to go back to work and i headed home, thinking i'd have to walk the bike. i was able to coast once past the hump in the bridge, then discovered i could pedal half a cycle forward, backpedal, another half a cycle.. was slow going but i made it home that way. W/the squeezebox in a backpack and my tophat on my head. Once home i set the bicycle upside down out back and banged at it til i got the chain free. i'll need to put new gears on it - anybody know anything about the Ohio City Bike Co-op? i think i need their help!
At home for a minute then.. did some cleaning and got changed out of indie bike clothes. i Luv bike culture.. when i was headed down, i got passed by three vegan bike messenger kidz, one of whom had a trailer attached: in which an older hippie gent was riding, ponytail and fancy hat and all. He waved and smiled and i waved and smiled back. When you're out on a bike, you make personal contact w/others who bike, and its not like passing people walking. Bike people smile and wave and say hey, coz we Recognize other people who are Choosing this way of transport over fossil fuels.
Got myself some Chinese carryout on the way to rehearsal, coz i <3 it and i knew they weren't doing any business (no corned beef, lol). Ate out on the porch at the theater in beautiful weather. Had a decent run-thru of second act of Mineola Twins, and a nice chat w/Clyde, our director/paterfamilias after. One more quick change later - i needed boots, not ballet flats once it was dark - and i was off to open mic.
i'm having my "official" party Friday, but it'll have a hard time topping tonight, coz this was a gather of my heart family, and SO many of them(you?) came out. Shawn, our longtime open mic MC, gave me a painting he'd done, w/special sekrit writing on the back. All sorts of folks bought me drinks, played me songs, danced in a ring etc.. but perhaps the best was Chrissie, Chrissy & Cynthia, who brought a bag full of home-made paper plate masks and tinsel streamers to hand out to the crowd.. AND put together a choreographed routine to Nine Inch Nails (and maybe Sublime? i don't know), which they performed in my honor. *snif*.
This was so so perfect i can't begin to tell you. i don't even know what was best.. watching these girls get up, put on silly sparkly lacy costumes and do a routine they put together AND REHEARSED.. or seeing everyone at open mic sporting masks w/flowers and leaves and tinsel streamers - ?! =:o Fairie Fest peeps&tweeps know the sort of energie i'm talkin'bout. Everyone shedding their winter blahs, out in finery, having fun, spontaneously dressed up. Yes, that was it! It was an authentic Temporary Autonomous Zone, the sort of things that happen in my Dreams. But here, now, in the waking world.
It filtered down as the evening wore on, but my Particular Friend whose band i work with played a solo version of my favorite of their songs (Blue Absynthe)for me, and then wound up with a rousing version of 'Shambones and Monkeyjaws', which he used to play with his old band, Screwtractor. Everyone was stomping or clapping or drumming on the tables along with the rhythm at the end, all of us together. And then! The original open mic MC from years ago played me 'Gary Floyd' by the Butthole Surfers, and to cap the night, our current MC played my favoritest Kimya Dawson song whose name i can't remember without looking it up.. um.. 'Loose Lips', that's it. i know about half the lyrics, so he had me come up and sing it along with him.
*whew*.
i'm sure i've forgotten half of what went on, tho i WAS good and did not get dr00nk (tho i easily could have!) It *stayed* nice out, even more impressive, tho the sky is still clear. i gave one more lovely crafty friend a ride home and came home dancing with rainbows in my head. But they will be on my wall soon enuf, so i stop now.. just want to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who came out tonite, because you made this a Fo'Real Milestone Birthday for me. And if you missed it and are in Clevo and are free Fri. night, come on down to Pat's in the Flats and with any luck we'll do it all over again. Only different. i LOVE you my vortex Rainbow family of laughing light, and i don't even care if i sound like an old hippie because i AM! Ha!!! *smooch*
Sounds like a damned good time. Love your creative spelling. Hey just a quick unrelated question for you, you list the Subhumans as one of your favorite bands. Would that be the Subhumans (UK) or the Subhumans (Canada)? I ask because I'm in the Subhumans (Canada) and I've found that most people listing the Subhumans as one of their favourite bands have never heard of us. If that's the case, may I humblely suggest you give us a listen sometime. You might be in for a pleasant surprise. All the best.
ReplyDeleteHiya. Yes, sad to say its the SubHumAns (UK).. i made dinner for/interviewed them YEARS ago - also 85 if i'm not much mistaken. i've heard of - and heard - you guys too, tho its been many a year. Cleveland has some of the best college radio in the country: wcsb.org and wruw.org and i've DJ'd at both of them. Got exposed to an incredible amount of music that way. My younger daughter's late dad was in Laughing Hyenas for a bit; he played bass on their 'Crawl' album. We've got a pretty comprehensive website on the old Clevo scene at clepunk.com - did you guys ever play in town, here?
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