It's been a strange couple of weeks...we had a rehearsal at Pee Wee's the other night. Learned "Shake" and "House Is A-Rockin'", Pee Wee's wife, Jerry, has been sick lately and it looked for a few days like she was going to be receiving some very bad news from the doctors, but as it turned out, she has a peptic ulcer, which is treatable, thank God. Both of Pee Wee's PA mixers and amps are on the fritz, so I'm bringing mine down to the gigs this weekend. Tomorrow night, we're playing at the American Legion Hall on Old Galveston Road, across from Ellington Field, for the annual Bayou City Cruisers' prom night. It'll be a great hot rod show. My camera doesn't take good night pictures, but I'll have it with me and try to get some shots before the sun goes down. Sunday we're playing in Texas City at the Doyle Convention Center at a benefit for Brianna Daniels, a young girl who has cancer. Pee Wee gave us the schedule through August...looks like around 50 dates with changes to be made on some of them (higher-paying gigs often will cancel out a club gig...that's show-biz...which I never dreamed I'd be in a position to do that, but here I am, doing it) and more to be added as they come in.
Tuesday was Nick's birthday. He's 16 now. For his birthday, me and Debby rented the Meadows Place Civic recreation center so we could throw a party for him tonight and have Blastula play, all with the city's blessings (you pay, they like you). Well, Nick and the band have been pretty low-key all week...no mention of the party...I got him a new snare drum for his birthday...yesterday evening, TJ's mom called me and she wanted to know how much I paid for the place. I told her, and she told me that Saturday night, Travis took his mom's car at 2AM and he came over and TJ climbed out of his window and got in the car with him and they went on a joyride, until the cops pulled them over a few miles down the road. They had pot, cigarettes and a pipe in the car with them. The cops didn't take them to jail, but they did take them home and she told me this is the last straw in a chain of events that has seen TJ spiraling out of control. Their house burned down last month, the fire started under TJ's bed...he said it was an electrical plug that burned up, but logic makes you think otherwise...his grades took a nosedive from him being an honor roll student...now this...TJ's not just grounded, he's chained to the floor at home now. I told her straight-out that I agree that TJ can't play in the band. Playing in the band is a privilege that must be earned by living up to the responsibilities that the boys' parents have given them. If they do that, they're as free as they can be to do it. But there is a line that can't be crossed, and TJ went over it. He's smart as a whip. There is no excuse for him to be failing in school. He's like a magnet to people. He's got that kind of personality. A natural-born leader. He's a charismatic and dynamic frontman for that band. He has all of these outstanding qualities, and yet here he is in trouble. I told Nick and Micah, no TJ until TJ gets his act together. They are miserable about it. They decided not to do the party. That set Debby off. She blew her stack. She's just here for a few days, she came down from Missouri for Nick's birthday. She'll be going back Sunday for another month. She just tore into everybody, but she was mainly upset because Nick has turned out to be a quiet guy, the opposite of what he was when he was a kid. She has theories about it that hurt to hear, and I don't agree with any of it. Nick's like me. I said you want to hear Nick's personality? There it is...he was playing his drums...Nick has grown up in my own image and likeness, he's quiet and shy and not assertive, but he sits down at a drum kit and he rocks out all night long...Debby wants him to bring out his old personality...talkative, intelligent, studious, but engaging to all...like she is...so she cried and yelled at us and carried on. I backed out. She made a beautiful chicken-fried steak dinner.
I met a friend of the family I work for at the shop. He has some graphics that he needs and I've been doing them for him. My boss said to take care of him so I've been working with him off and on for a few weeks. He asked me if I had any car problems I needed fixing, he can get it done right, at a dealership, for very little money. I said, well, actually, yeah...I have 2 Chevy Astro Cargo Vans that both have power steering units that leak big-time, and neither one's AC works. He said have your boy bring his first. My guy will fix it on his lunch break. So I did just that, this morning. Kyle drove Vincent up there and dropped it off with the guy. Just now my friend called me and said it will be ready tomorrow, fixed. No need for a tuneup, it runs great. The power steering unit had a loose hose, and he replaced one motor mount. The AC probably just needs a shot of freon, but they're going to double-check that tomorrow morning and fix whatever it needs. $200, cash. That's at a Chevy dealership! They let the guy work on cars on his lunch break or after hours, whatever...no problem...life is good...I just hope this situation with TJ gets worked out for the best. The whole band is bummed out. If you ask me, it wasn't all that bad...but...BUT...he has to learn his lesson from it. His poor mom is having a fit over him right now, and I can sure understand that. I am not going to try to sweet-talk her into anything. She is the one who has to put up with all that crap. If it was Nick that did it, you can sure bet there wouldn't have been a party...or a band, for that matter. Criteria must be met in order to have other privileges, and TJ's going to learn this. Cheers, WC1