It’s Still Monday Night, Right?

It’s 06:00 and I woke up to an alarming thought, “Hey! I didn’t post the blog last night!” I had ridden home with my buddy after speaking at the Tuscaloosa VA last night and I guess I was just so tired, I feel right to sleep. Please forgive. That would be the first day since I may the daily blog commitment that I haven’t posted on so, since the sun isn’t up yet, I’ll use the old “it’s not reeeeally the next day until the sun comes up” rationalization. God knows I used it many time during the drinking years.

That’s what I was talking to the other veterans about: drinking– or rather not drinking, which I have been able to do now for about 20 years. I say “I” but what I really mean is God and other people. I couldn’t keep myself from drinking any more than I could fly on my own. But if I depend on other people and the right tools (mostly an airplane) I can soar through the air at 35,000 feet at 550 mph. In that way, I just rely on God and other people to help me stay sober and to fly. I don’t really understand how it works or have to understand. With regard to flying, I mean I get the basic principle about how the shape of the wing “creates” lower pressure on top of the wing than on the bottom and from this we get the essential lift but on the finer points of aerodynamics, if it were up to me to get us from here to California, we might be doing it with handcarts like the Mormons- but hell, that’s assuming that I would have figured out “the wheel.” In which case we’d probably be just walking to California with all our shit in our arms (or if I’d had a flash of mechanical engineering genius, dragging them along in boxes or bags)! That shit would most likely be a lot of interesting costumes and simple instruments to make music with. Shows. I can do shows. (I’m pictured above with Tee Quillin as Jesus; I’m playing Judus, singing and dancing “It’s All For the Best” from Godspell at The University of Alabama circa 1927).

I have always been able to put on a show. Even since boyhood, give me an interesting piece of clothing I can make into a costume and something shinny to spruce it up a bit and I will give you Barnum and Bailey. In a pinch, and with no costume, I’ll give you Equus, O Calcutta or at least Hair. If we don’t have as much rehearsal time and you bring a couple of friends, we can put up Naked Boys Singing. Sure, it may lack the artistic merit of the other shows but the title alone seems to continue to pack them in off, off-off, and way-off Broadway. If we do well, we might make some food money on our way to The Golden State. Handcarts don’t need gas.

(cue music: “Good Morning Starshine”)

Well, there comes the morning light so if I’m really going to try to pull off this “it’s still reeeeeally late on Monday night bit,” I’d better wrap this up. Sorry for the late entry.

VOICE FROM OFFSTAGE: That’s what he said!

ME: Cool it, you! Get your own show.

See y’all tomorrow… or, if I’m to be really honest, later today.