The Night Shift

[jim sanders]

hi WC.. If you are still restoring and colorzing photos i submit this to work your magic you allready know the color of the car,track surface and sky .. i believe i remember Marilyn's shorts were dark blue

[WildcatOne]

I started working on it right away, Doc...Thanks, WC1

[jim sanders]

[jim sanders]

lookin good so far !!.. Whilst i am here.. JTP was here this afternoon. we talked about you and other stuff ... he mentioned that he and a couple of the others played at a joint at the lake Ozarks.. over the weekend.. with a set list of over 80 tunes the bar owner picked only 35 due to A.S.C.A.P rules..jeeez this is an outdoor cafe nezt to railroad tracks .. just wondering how this has affected your deal...

[WildcatOne]

Never had that problem, Doc. Too bad they get uptight like that, but it sounds like a Union situation behind the scenes...the Musicians' Union is powerful and their rules are strictly enforced in the Midwest. Union gigs are the way to go there, in New York and LA, but down South, Union musicians are very limited in their scope of possibilities...symphony guys, lounge acts, some pros are Union (Teamsters). Not that they're bad gigs or anything, it's just you're kind of locked into it and you can not leave...More clubs shy away from Union guys because they don't want to have to hassle with all the regulations. When you mentioned Lake of the Ozarks, I know those resorts and surrounding casinos and hotels are Union gigs because they're all controlled by the Mafia and so is the Musicians' Union. I do an about-face from the word Union. I had to deal with Union dicks in Kansas City and Houston in the early 70s and they have no business whatsoever being involved in music, period...they were Don Fanucci types and they'd intimidate you and threaten you if you didn't join ("Musician's Local #123. Lemme see your Union cards, gentlemen. What, no card? Well, you better GET one and get it now...that is, if you want to stay healthy and live a long life." I was playing the hotel lounge circuit and doing OK at it but I thought it basically sucked and once the Union came after me, I left it cold. A few years before me and Debby got back together, she was living up there, working at a resort on the Lake of the Ozarks. Her boyfriend was the bass player in the band at the hotel that had a contract for the summer months. His gig was Union and he was given a meal a day plus a room, and a salary. It was a job. Debby didn't fare so well there, not that she didn't try (she's a licensed bartender but she doesn't do it anymore). After we got back together, he came over and visited us a few times. Debby had given him a copy of "Sound and Fury" when they were in Missouri and he loved it and he wanted to meet me. He was in town playing bass for Kevin Black (Clint's brother) and it was a pleasure to meet him. He told me I don't look anything at all like he expected, nor do I act anything at all like he expected...I was impressed with him as a gentleman and as a musician as well, but I couldn't live that life...neither could Debby...Lucky Me! Anyway, we never get into any problems about our material. The clubs know exactly what they're getting with us and I have been totally blown away by how packed and full of adoring fans they are. I've never seen anything like it. They wear Pee Wee Bowen Band t-shirts, they wear the black-and-white shoes, they completely let it all hang out, big time. I just happened to step into this gig, man. I didn't make all that, it was already there when I showed up...one day in the early 70s I was at the Union headquarters here in town and I picked up the "Blacklist"...musicians who have been banned for life from ever playing Union venues, for violating the terms of their Union contracts. Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter, Kenny Rogers, George Benson, Billy Gibbons, Johnny Copeland, Bobby Bland, Jerry Lee Lewis, and dozens more...a virtual who's who of successful musicians...it kinda told me something...by the way, is JTP a Union plumber? Cheers, WC1

[jim sanders]

geat read WC ... JTP WAS a union plumber back as a working stiff... These dayz he just runs a small 5 guy deal.. licensed and all that but no --- union stuff. I have heard about bars being gunshy about what tunes can be played live or even what songs can be played on a jukebox,kareokee etc. jeeez.... i guess i can't blame the artists of the original material in this day of downloaded on the cheap tunes... but come on... 66 people sitting on a boat dock litening to a plumber play and sing a song shouldn't bee a crime

[WildcatOne]

I forgot to mention that I'm a member of ASCAP. I joined in 2005 when we were working out the legalities involved with "Four Lifetimes". Only me and Bill joined. Randolph and Scott didn't have any copyrights on the songs, but when me and Bill formed WSRJ Music, we copyrighted the CD to the company and applied for and received membership as WSRJ. On the CD it says "copyright 2005 WSRJ Music. Member ASCAP. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws". You're required to put that on there, ya know. We get mechanical royalties from downloads from CD baby and the other download sites as well as some cash that came in from Europe where the CD got airplay and website hits, etc...funny thing about all that paperwork (Copyrights, DBAs, joining ASCAP) was that I breezed through all of it without a hitch and Bill got frustratingly rejected a few times before he finally got me to fill out the forms for him and just let him sign 'em and mail 'em in, then he got accepted <g>...Cheers, WC1

[jim sanders]

yep.... times change.... legal stuff.. when i first bought the 1-man house-shop in 1986 my driveway would have 5-8 heaps sitting around with no plates, no engine, maybe a rollover hulk.... etc.. theze days i get a citation for a low tire on a car ... forget a bout expired plates.. or no front clip....

[WildcatOne]

The boyfriend from Lake of the Ozarks who came to visit us a few times inspired me to write a song. I still have the song around here somewhere, it's called "Lover Boy". It's on "Sound and Fury". I am about as magnanimous of a guy as there could ever be. It's not easy, but it is necessary. I'm married to a beautiful, charming, delightful and desirable woman. She's almost 51 now, and she still turns heads when we're out and about. I'm accustomed to being the lucky guy who shows up with her. She never had a problem having her choice of men. We were split up for 10 years, and we both had other relationships, but even during the time we were divorced, we'd still find ourselves again with each other and very much in love. We just couldn't get our act together so it would last. That didn't happen until we became friends in 1994. We started hanging out together with no strings attached. I learned about Carmine (the boyfriend from the Lake resort) and when I met him, I liked him. He is a great guy. It helped that I could see him as he really is without any pretense or whatever about his relationship with Debby. However...I could see he still wanted her...the guy couldn't help it, it showed. I still wanted her even when I had girlfriends of my own to put up with while we were split up. But we were finally back together and loving each other and now here comes Carmine. I just felt a little uncomfortable. I was never uptight or rude to the guy but the vibe went a little strange after a few months, ya know...I put it down in a song. Here are the lyrics:

LOVER BOY copyright 1995 by John R. Bockelman

We've had others, but that's all in the past
What we got now, we know it will last
You've got your friends, and baby, I still got mine
We'll get together and have a good time

But I just got to say to you
It's such a drag when you-know-who drops by...
I wish you'd leave Lover Boy behind

You know I trust you when you're out on the town, babe
You're not foolin' around
I know you're gonna bring it back home to me, babe
Oh, but he seems like such perfect company

And when I see the way he looks at you
It sends a shiver up and down my spine...
Come on, baby, leave Lover Boy behind

Well, I've tried to be as unassuming as any man can be
I'm not the kind of man who's driven by petty jealousy
I haven't witnessed anything, but baby, I ain't blind
You're acting like you couldn't guess one thing that's on his mind

I can see it's just a matter of time
Before he makes his play for one more try...
Why won't you leave that Lover Boy behind

When I'm out with the band, you know where I am, babe
I'm not a dishonest guy
I'll be back home just as soon as I can, babe
About a quarter-to-five

But when I called you up at 2:15
That so-and-so was on the other line...
I wish you'd leave Lover Boy
I'm beggin' you, leave Lover Boy
Baby, please leave Lover Boy behind

[jim sanders]

i see Nick's band is playing tomorrow