What’s the Buzz, tell me what’s-a-happening? (or "Life on the Road")
I was out with Peter Searcy's band again this past weekend, and we hung out with a friend in Columbia, South Carolina. Between sets, she asked us what we did on the road. I used to wonder the same thing, so I thought i'd debunk the myths a bit.
First off, our tour bus only gets limited cable. The bunks are a decent size, but there are so many groupies that it's hard to get comfortable. Also, I'm a vegetarian, and we only have one refrigerator. This means that my hummus has to share a shelf with Steven's beef jerky. And our driver likes to take blue highways from time to time, which makes me carsick.
Wait, no, that was just some dream I had.
We don't have a tour bus; we've got a rockin' conversion van. It does have a DVD player, and it turns out I like old zombie movies. Two trips ago, we watched a bunch of zombie movies, and the first season of "The Office," which was sort of like a modern zombie series. Even when I worked in an office, it was a CBS News, so things were a bit more exciting than intra-mural basketball. I mean, we had a bake-off, for God's sake. (By the way, when I quit my job at CBS News, i had just been crowned the CBS News Bakemaster. I think this means I am undefeated. Really, it's just because i insisted on using bourbon in every delicious dessert I made. You have to have a theme to make the people love you.)
Back to the bus... this time, Peter and I did a lot of podcast listening. Mostly because the three of us have very different taste in music, and i was the only one packing an iPod. My iPod is full of showtunes, good ol' country, Frank Sinatra, Led Zeppelin, songwriters, and political podcasts. We listened to a few episodes of "60 Minutes" and several "This American Life" programs. Isn't this exactly how you imagined indie-rock God Peter Searcy and mazel-tonkin' Brigid Kaelin, spending their time on 24-East?
In the green room, we avoided the disgustingly-smoke-filled Atlanta room, by browsing inappropriate websites. Only kidding. Mostly, i checked my email and wrote the previous blog. We looked up the lyrics to "Dreamweaver." I checked my pockets for new state quarters.
On our way home, Peter and I spent about half-an-hour with a learn-Italian now podcast, where we learned how to ask where you're going. "Ciao, Peter. Dove vai?"
But the best part of all was on the final two-hour stretch home. It's exactly how you'd picture we rockers. We went back to music, and cranked up the volume. We didn't even fade the volume to the front of the van only so as to be kind to the backseat drummer. No, he had to be subjected to our show.
"My mind is clearer now/at last, all too well/i can see, where we all/ soon will be."
Yes, that's right, folks. We pumped up the volume, and did some role-playing. Peter got to play Judas (which apparently, he played on-stage many years back), and I took on the roles of Jesus and Mary. But i knew more of Judas's part than Jesus's (what does that say about me?), so i mostly just mumbled over the Jesus lines. I was quite good at Mary Magadalene and the crowd... "what's the buzz, tell me what's-a-happening?". And Peter and I both wailed out King Herod's song.
Peter, sorry if I've outed you. I don't think Jesus Christ Superstar counts as showtunes though. That bass line? that's pure rock. If you knew all the words to Guys and Dolls, it might be embarassing. Actually, I know all the words to Guys and Dolls. But, I'm a doll, so i think i can get away with it.
If you're reading this, go buy my chanukah tunes. Or put them on your page:) And plan to come to the release party December 7 at Gerstle's. The Muckrakers start the show off. They are fun.
First off, our tour bus only gets limited cable. The bunks are a decent size, but there are so many groupies that it's hard to get comfortable. Also, I'm a vegetarian, and we only have one refrigerator. This means that my hummus has to share a shelf with Steven's beef jerky. And our driver likes to take blue highways from time to time, which makes me carsick.
Wait, no, that was just some dream I had.
We don't have a tour bus; we've got a rockin' conversion van. It does have a DVD player, and it turns out I like old zombie movies. Two trips ago, we watched a bunch of zombie movies, and the first season of "The Office," which was sort of like a modern zombie series. Even when I worked in an office, it was a CBS News, so things were a bit more exciting than intra-mural basketball. I mean, we had a bake-off, for God's sake. (By the way, when I quit my job at CBS News, i had just been crowned the CBS News Bakemaster. I think this means I am undefeated. Really, it's just because i insisted on using bourbon in every delicious dessert I made. You have to have a theme to make the people love you.)
Back to the bus... this time, Peter and I did a lot of podcast listening. Mostly because the three of us have very different taste in music, and i was the only one packing an iPod. My iPod is full of showtunes, good ol' country, Frank Sinatra, Led Zeppelin, songwriters, and political podcasts. We listened to a few episodes of "60 Minutes" and several "This American Life" programs. Isn't this exactly how you imagined indie-rock God Peter Searcy and mazel-tonkin' Brigid Kaelin, spending their time on 24-East?
In the green room, we avoided the disgustingly-smoke-filled Atlanta room, by browsing inappropriate websites. Only kidding. Mostly, i checked my email and wrote the previous blog. We looked up the lyrics to "Dreamweaver." I checked my pockets for new state quarters.
On our way home, Peter and I spent about half-an-hour with a learn-Italian now podcast, where we learned how to ask where you're going. "Ciao, Peter. Dove vai?"
But the best part of all was on the final two-hour stretch home. It's exactly how you'd picture we rockers. We went back to music, and cranked up the volume. We didn't even fade the volume to the front of the van only so as to be kind to the backseat drummer. No, he had to be subjected to our show.
"My mind is clearer now/at last, all too well/i can see, where we all/ soon will be."
Yes, that's right, folks. We pumped up the volume, and did some role-playing. Peter got to play Judas (which apparently, he played on-stage many years back), and I took on the roles of Jesus and Mary. But i knew more of Judas's part than Jesus's (what does that say about me?), so i mostly just mumbled over the Jesus lines. I was quite good at Mary Magadalene and the crowd... "what's the buzz, tell me what's-a-happening?". And Peter and I both wailed out King Herod's song.
Peter, sorry if I've outed you. I don't think Jesus Christ Superstar counts as showtunes though. That bass line? that's pure rock. If you knew all the words to Guys and Dolls, it might be embarassing. Actually, I know all the words to Guys and Dolls. But, I'm a doll, so i think i can get away with it.
If you're reading this, go buy my chanukah tunes. Or put them on your page:) And plan to come to the release party December 7 at Gerstle's. The Muckrakers start the show off. They are fun.
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