It's been fifteen years since I've been a musician's-girlfriend-groupie.

[Sugar Smack]

I'm going to visit nnns this summer for a week or two, during which I'm going to get to go to band practice.

It's been 15 YEARS since I've nodded off to loud pop music, arranged my face in an expression of blank adoration for my rockin-out hunk, gone on a beer run at the break, lodged myself in a corner, fetched sandwiches, emptied out everybody's ashtrays, nodded my head in feigned thrall at my babe's brilliance, worn his tee shirt as a sign of solidarity and propriety, and sat on ripped couches with the other musician's-girlfriend-groupies.

:woohoo: Youth, I'm coming back for a visit!

[In_The_Wind]

1. It sounds like a wonderful plan!

Have you picked a date yet?

[Sugar Smack]

2. No, not yet.

It's going to be so funny because it's been such a long time since I played that "part". I swore off musicians at one point, LOL. And of course, I'm making fun of my own then-sheepishness. I lacked confidence in my youth that I have now. To me, there was something about a guy on stage (however small the walls were around us) that hit me like a ton of aphrodesiacs.

:rofl:

[In_The_Wind]

6. I dated one or two musicians many years ago.

But no matter how sweet they were - I hated it when some other chick would try to pick him up so I stopped dating musicians (or politicians).
I prefer a man who knows when to stop flirting and leading the other women on!

[Sugar Smack]

9. Ok, WOW.

We must have the same brain! That's the thing that really irked me too. There was always some really confident music-playing gorgeous chick in the crowd who'd stride boldly up and talk music with my boyfriend. Since I didn't know jack about shit about music (except for my violin-playing years) I had no idea what they were talking about.

Then I'd do a slow burn as I watched their talk become more animated. My boyfriend never caught on as I checked my watch and tapped my foot. *LOL*

[In_The_Wind]

15. Of course (thankfully) they aren't all like that.

Sometimes the nicest guys can be totally clueless even after you gently tell them you want all_their_lovin'.
I'm so glad nnns isn't like that.

[Sugar Smack]

18. No, he's not like that at all.

And your rolling-pin smile was the best. I remember how some of those guys made me feel like I'd gone from dewy-skinned, fresh youth to "nagging band mom" in about five minutes. Being a "nagging band mom" is not fun. The other guys will confide in you and think of you as their friend, but take awful advantage of your listening/caring skills. I remember them all calling each other "man" instead of using each other's names.

One boyfriend once called me his "old lady". Once. I put a stop to that.

[bedpanartist]

114. I toured for two years straight

and trust me, nobody would be jealous to know what kind of women always are trying to pick up on musicians - bone fucking crazy ones!

[In_The_Wind]

122. Ekkk!

I guess things were a little different back in the late 60s and early 70s.

*Please Remember* Not all of the girls who fell for a guy that can make sweet music were skanks.

[bedpanartist]

124. they weren't all skanks

in fact, many were quite attractive. But crazy was the order of the day. I stayed away and dated my hand mostly. I will rarely play clubs because of the people that are attracted to them - drug addicts and scumbags.

[ScreamingMeemie]

3. Hehehe...I knew we had more than DU in common.

Have a blast! :hi:

[Sugar Smack]

5. Yeah!! Another testosterone-soaked strum session!

Remember the cigarette-burned couches? Remember the warming-up sessions that lasted forever? Man, I ought to go back and read the book, "Loving John" again, the book by May Pang. She wasJohn Lennon's #1 groupie. And lover, of course.

:hi: I will definitely have a blast!

[marzipanni]

4. Have fun, Sugar Smack!

LOL, it's been 34 years for me. I did all the stuff you mentioned except wait on the buggers.
It'll be kinda like visiting your old elementary school... everything will seem smaller (literally or figuratively) than you remember ;)

[Sugar Smack]

7. Great answer. I really lacked confidence back then.

That is so funny. There should be a club for the likes of us. Your elementary school comparison was the best. I'll be able to remember everything, too, including the "smell of a band practice". :D

[DS1]

8. Even your 'woohoo' smilie is on its own unique and agonized timescale

What's that, a 7/5?

[Sugar Smack]

10. HAHAHAHAHAHA!

:spray:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

11. Good...this time let everyone else empty the ashtrays and do

the food runs...they need to be broken in :D

[Sugar Smack]

13. Yes, I'm a grown-up now. It shouldn't be too hard to curb the tic.

LOL! WOW, I'm remembering the wounded expression of one starving pup when I'd brought back the wrong sandwich. I think he whined some complaint at me and I (get this) DIDN'T smack him. :o

Thanks for making me laugh!:loveya:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

14. musta been the drummer

[Sugar Smack]

17. GOOD. CALL.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[no name no slogan]

20. But drummers aren't "real" musicians anyway...

Q: What do you call a drummer after he breaks up with his girlfriend?
A: Homeless.

:loveya:

[Sugar Smack]

21. OMG, can I wear your tee shirt? Huh? Can I?

But first, can you get it all sweaty and testosterone-y? :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

*pants, wags tail*

[no name no slogan]

24. of course!!!

In fact, I'm saving the one from last night for you. We worked up FOUR new covers, and since there's no decent airflow in the space, it got pretty warm.

We blocked out these four tunes last night:
Call Me Up - Gang of Four
Cuts You Up - Peter Murphy
Life In Laralay - Love & Rockets
Elephant Stone - Stone Roses

I got to play my electric 12-string on two of them, too. :woohoo:

[Sugar Smack]

70. Make sure it's sweaty & loose, y'hear?

:D :D

[medeak]

98. "WTF?

brother is "drummer" actually percussionist (awesome on vibes) has had several cd's.

take exception to that remark!

edited to say...would never date a musician

[no name no slogan]

110. He's a "percussionist"-- which is different from a "drummer"

A percussionist plays more than just the drum kit. The vibes, for example, have more in common with the piano than they do with a snare drum. You actually have to know about music theory and how chords work.

Besides, there are bad jokes about every type of musician out there. Especially bass players.

Q: How many guitarists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A: Five: one to do it, and four more to stand around and say how much better Eddie van Halen could've done it.

[Patiod]

12. Yikes! Sounds like my "stage door Joanie" days

Sitting in bars drinking cheap beer at long tables, listening to interminable stories about past shows (I've heard all my SO's stories AND his friends stories 100 times over), long drunken cast parties full of cast in-jokes, picking him up every night at the stage door around 10:30pm, show gew-gaws (mugs, shirts, etc), and not seeing him during tech week.

The good part is I've seen A LOT of great theater (he stuck to the classics - Shakespeare, O'Neil, Synge, Stoppard).

I'm too old to do it anymore -- I'll still pick him up at the stage door, but he'll have to bore his fellow actors with the stories over cheap beer!

[Sugar Smack]

16. "long drunken cast parties full of cast in-jokes" OMG. OMG.

I've done THAT too. :wow: :wow: :wow: :wow: :wow:

I FORGOT till you mentioned it how horrible it was to be an outsider at a cast party. OK, the nightmare's coming back:

You stand awkwardly with a drink in your hand as your boyfriend makes the rounds, forgetting to introduce you to a lot of people he talks with. Their makeup's still on, making everyone look a little scary. They talk to each other in different TERRIBLE accents. Every time the room starts to close in, you down the cup of whatever koolaid-and-everclear concoction they've got in the kitchen trashcan. You check your makeup out of sheer boredom.

The inside jokes start. Someone shouts, "wookie-wookie" which you don't think is particularly funny. It means something to everyone else, and they all die laughing. Then the leading lady sits playfully in your boyfriend's lap, reciting lines from the play. You're supposed to "understand".

Yeah, you know I have been there too. :hug:

[Patiod]

19. Well, I was such a fixture, I knew most of everyone

What finally took the bloom off the rose was when we were at a party, and three of the younger women in the cast found the host's "Shakespeare" paper dolls and stage, and started a drunken game. "Here, I'll be Ophelia and you can be Juliet. Oh, here's Ralph!" says one of them, holding up a cut-out of King Lear. "Ralph can be Merlin!!"

That's when he figured he was no longer seen as a young Romeo, and I noticed our attendance at these drunken orgies dropped off precipitously.

Your comment about makeup being on reminds me of one more story: I didn't like him sharing base, eyeliner, etc., so I went to a costume store and bought him some good stage base, eyeliner, stipple sponge, etc. Then went to Lowes for a case to carry it. An older contractor was in line behind me when I was buying the case, and he said "aw, isn't that nice, the little lady's buying a toolbox!"

I didn't have the heart to tell him it was for my boyfriend's make-up.

[Sugar Smack]

37. Oh, god what a nightmare. That game, I mean.

I remember so many cast parties I went to with my best friend. She was a thespian, and I remember the cloying way she said "thank you" to everyone as they surrounded her & complimented her on her performance. The had this HUGE fake smile and I remember once she turned to me and batted her eyes and said this:

"Would you be a dear and go get me my purse? Thanx."

AAARGH!:banghead:

[fudge stripe cookays]

22. I TOLD you we were separated at birth!

I can't count how many musicians I did this with. If they had long dark hair and pretty eyes, I was GONE.

Many many nights spent at the Cannibal Club (when SXSW wristbands were only $10, ya'll), fawning over said pretty boys in my clubbing days.

But FWIW, I was one of the girls you hated. I have a roll-o-dex of stupid musical trivia in my head (not helped by working in a record store for years-- yes, I said RECORD store, just as the CD changeover was hitting).

I realized in my early teens that I might not be the hottest chick in the room, or put out like some did, but when I got guys talking about music, suddenly, I became VERY attractive to talk to. They realized I had a brain and an inner "something." Which then made me more attractive. At least for 6 months or so. :eyes:

[Sugar Smack]

26. I KNEW it.

:rofl:

So, that was you chatting up my boyfriend while I delivered sharp looks at him and checked my watch! This is too funny! I'm really on a nostalgia trip right now. Working in a RECORD store made you even cooler.

The long, dark hair and pretty eyes were something I'd give up my perspicacity and dignity for. I remember one guy in particular. I was at a bar on the coast watching him & the guys play. *Wincing confession*- I lived in a house with these guys. Anyway, there was one night that just took FOREVER. I had a lot of beer and kept checking my watch as they told all the gals to look out for their CD (LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!) I remember being RELIEVED at picking up heavy amps and hauling them to the "band van".

*dies of emberrassment*

[fudge stripe cookays]

34. Oh Good Lord.

You realize...

We WERE Bridget Fonda in "Singles."

"So I'll see you on Saturday. And I'll help you with your speakers.

:D

Will you guys make it down for Halloween this year? Ohpleaseoohpleaseohplease.....

[Sugar Smack]

50. I really have to see "Singles" now. What a line.

Somebody knew what they were doing. Wait, I just remembered something. Have you seen "Sid and Nancy"? I was Nancy without the heroin problem, the accent, the falling-on-the-knife, and the burning hotel rooms. OMG.


We HAVE to come to your next Halloween party. I'm writing this down NOW.:bounce: :toast:

[fudge stripe cookays]

68. YOU HAVEN'T SEEN SINGLES YET????!!!

Get thee to a viddy store as soon as you guys get in the same place. You can fully appreciate it together.

My favorite Cameron Crowe flick. I WAS Bridget Fonda before I grew a brain.

[Sugar Smack]

69. We will definitely see it. I love your enthusiasm!

You know what else this reminds me of? There was a little-known movie called "Girl" and it featured the main girl Andrea, who's fifteen and besotted with a singer, Todd Sparrow. It's based on a novel that I read with a flush on my face, because I identified SO MUCH with her foolishness. She learned her lesson after ONE mistake, though, at fifteen. With me, you don't wanna know! :D

[no name no slogan]

23. Well, I have "some" good news for you...

1) I'm the only one in the band who smoked, and I quit ten years ago. No ashtrays to empty.
2) There's a liquor store 1/2 block away from our rehearsal space, right down the alley. There's also a sub shop a block away, a McDonald's across the street, and a really good Ethiopian deli around the corner, so you won't have to walk far ;)
3) We don't have any band t-shirts-- yet. :D
4) We don't have any furniture in the practice space, just the carpeted floor (which was last vacuumed in February).
5) I'm buying you some pro-quality ear plugs, so you won't damage your hearing during our practice sessions.

6) I'm so darn good-lookin' behind an instrument, you'll soon forget the inconvenience of sitting on the floor in a semi-lit, hot room, listening to the intolerable din of band practice.





EDITED TO ADD the 14-year-old mulleted me, rocking out at grandma's house:


I really can't wait for you to visit. And I really need to get some better pictures of the band, too!
:loveya: :* :loveya:

[Sugar Smack]

29. HA. You should've said, "I have some "good" news for you"

I demand a molded plastic chair so I can pretend I'm at the bus station.

HA! :D

[no name no slogan]

30. How about a beat-up folding chair from the Salvation Army down the street?

Can you work with me on that one, baby? ;) :*

[Sugar Smack]

33. YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT MY FANNY! *pouts* *throws tantrum*

*recovers* *dries eyes*

Well, okay. That would be swell. ;-)

[no name no slogan]

39. Oh I DO care about your fanny :D

How about we take the brown chair from my living room and move it to the space? It's got a fake velvet covering, and is very cozy!

I'll have to get the landlord at the rehearsal space to turn the elevator on, though.

[Sugar Smack]

43. Oh, whichever! I can carry a recliner on my back! I've done it

for other musicians. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[fudge stripe cookays]

35. Awesome Deep Purple shirt, dude!

}(

Is that guy wearing a skirt? Is he in the Dexy's Midnight Runners/Martin Gore fanclub? What's up with that?

[Sugar Smack]

38. The guy in the skirt is being "awesome".

LOL! }(

[no name no slogan]

41. Well, in his defense

* He was 19 at the time of this pic (fall 1989).
* He was a little too into the Cure and Bauhaus for his own good.
* He later moved to Seattle in the early 90s

Incidentally enough, I still play with the drummer. He's in my current band, and I've played with him the better part of 19 years now. :D

[Sugar Smack]

44. "This will cheer you up for sure/ You see I have your old ID/

And you're all dressed up like The Cure"

*takes a bow*

That's from "Whatever & Ever, Amen"; Ben Folds Five.

[no name no slogan]

48. YES!!! Great album!!

Which I once owned, along with the first Duncan Shiek album and "Jubilee" by Grant Lee Buffalo. She took them in the divorce. :grr:

And I got stuck with her copy of Eric Clapton's "Unplugged", possibly the most overrated record of all time. Bah.

[Sugar Smack]

52. EW. That's just bad manners. Insult to injury.

You want me to go kick her in the shin, baby? Cause I will!

[no name no slogan]

53. Maybe.... if I knew where she lived

The only address I had for her was a PO box, and she's unlisted in the phone book.

I haven't seen her since we closed on the house back in November '05. Can you tell I don't keep up with her? :evilgrin:

[GirlinContempt]

25. Are you coming to see ME?!

[Sugar Smack]

27. O, HELL yes!! Can I wear your tee shirt? HUH? Can I?

Can I carry your beer for you, please? Can I mop off your sweaty-like forehead? Like while you're playing? *ee!* rock chick! Can I get you a sandwich or a pizza? Can I carry your amp??

:bounce: :loveya: :bounce: :loveya: :bounce:

Can I keep your playlist forever?

[GirlinContempt]

28. Really really? You'll REALLY come see me?

*sqeeeeee*!!!!!!

:loveya: Please please! Don't make me post pouty no-SS pics!

[Sugar Smack]

31. At THIS point----> YES!!!

I'm actually going have travel time this summer, and nothing would make me happier than to come finally meet you. I think you are the best, wonder girl.:pals: :yourock:

[GirlinContempt]

32. eeeeeee!

:blush: :loveya:

YAY YAY YAY!!!!!!

You're freakin' awesome.

[Sugar Smack]

45. I mean it. And I'm going to go total groupie gaga on ya.

*sigh* I just love glamor! Glamor and earnestness and humor.

All of which you possess!:D :*

[GirlinContempt]

47. Wowzah

:blush:

You gonna bring the boy or is it gonna be just girlplaytime? :o

[Sugar Smack]

56. I'm bringin the boy, and you'll have another groupie.

Geeze, I can't wait!

[GirlinContempt]

58. Ack!

I'm worried I'll disappoint you both :scared:

[Sugar Smack]

66. Oh, ha like that'll ever happen!

*just promise me I get to be the one to wear your tee shirt* :loveya:

[GirlinContempt]

67. Anything you want, sweetpea

[Kire]

36. nnns?

:shrug:

[Sugar Smack]

40. That's no name no slogan. He has a band

called "Mr K's Dream". I have his CD, too. I cherish it just like a "groupie", too. ;-)

[no name no slogan]

42. Yeah, but we suck

at least we got hot groupies, though ;)

[fudge stripe cookays]

46. Who is this mysterious Mr. K?

And how did HE rate? I mean, you could have named your band after ME. Why is HE so special?

{{{{{harumph}}}}}}

[no name no slogan]

49. Those who tell, don't know

It has several origins. One possible origin is that Mr. K was a character in Franz Kafka's "The Trial". Also, Mr. K is referred to in the Beatles song "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite" from "Sgt. Peppers".

Or it could be some silly shit we pulled out of our asses one night after too much beer at practice-- nobody really remembers for sure.

[Kire]

51. thanks, for a minute there I thought you meant

Nine Inch Nails but that couldn't be right.

My ex-fling was a groupie of sorts for Nine Inch Nails. Her story got into Spin magazine. If I told you what she did, this thread would be locked.

[Sugar Smack]

54. Ah, NO WAY. That is too funny. And oddly enough,

I believe I can really guess what she did. No, really! :D

[Kire]

55. Does it involve a bowl of froot loops?

[Sugar Smack]

59. *spits water all over keyboard*

:spray: Nothing quite THAT fancy or highbrow.

[RandomKoolzip]

57. As a life-long musician, this post makes me terribly sad.

For two different reasons:


1. I'd hate to ever EVER treat a woman that way. No woman I've ever been involved with has ever been a beer-fetcher, sandwich-maker, knee-bent servant waiting on the Rock God to bestow diffident affection in between faux-fevered guitar solos....etc. In fact, the woman I married HATES the same kind of music I do, has never been to any of my bands' practice sessions, and resolutely refuses to play the role of the the submissive groupie-in-thrall. She doesn't come to every gig. My wife is an independent woman, and even more creative than me (in a different field; she's a filmmaker) and I love her for that.

2. All through junior high, high school, college, and beyond, I pined, longed, wished, DREAMED for a woman (ANY woman!) to be so impressed by my musical ability that she'd be attracted to me for it, just like you see in the movies. It never happened. Just once, I would have been happy if after a particularly energetic club gig, some strange but beautiful girl would have approached me and said, "hey, you guys were great, and I thought you played bass really well." Or something similar. And then I would have looked deep in her eyes and seen some glimmer of ultimate understanding and sympathy and succour that I have looked for throughout the breadth of my being; some soulful apparition with kind eyes, kind heart, and a desire to have days-long sex sessions, followed by even longer conversations about art, life, and politics in which every point was mutually agreed upon in advance, yet the hashing out of details always provided some entertainment.

But it never ever once happened. Not even some attractive girl ONCE ever came up to me after a show and said, "hi."

GUYS, sure. Guys always complimented me.

So, as you can see, I'm a deeply conflicted individual. :cry:

[no name no slogan]

60. That sucks, man

I've had a couple come up to me at gigs (even married one of them, but divorced after ten years together), but most of those who do have serious issues, and the relationships I've had with them have all ended badly. One of them actually stalked me for a few months, until she found another poor sucker to obsess about.

Meeting women at gigs ain't all its cracked up to be. Most of the women I've been truly in love with I've met through other mutual interests.

Sure, it looks glamourous/romantic, but IRL it's not nearly all it's cracked up to be.

(BTW, I'm like you in that I've never used a woman as a personal assistant for band business. Any of them who helped us out did so because they liked our music and believed in us as creative people-- NOT because they were forced to).

[Sugar Smack]

61. Oh my god. I'm crying now!

:cry: That's awful. I'm so sorry. Hey, did you write the songs you played? Well, if not you should. From your post, I see that you'd make an excellent songwriter, and I don't lie.

Also, the OP is mostly a comment on how much confidence I lacked. The people I chose to hang out with in college weren't very mature, and neither was I. There were musicians on campus who were earnest and honest people. I met them, and they were involved in mature relationships, too.

I remember how totally insecure I was. I don't hate that about myself, but it's kind of funny when I look back on it. Wearing the guy's tee shirt! Tagging around while they went wa-wa pedal shopping! :rofl:

[no name no slogan]

62. You REALLY went wa-wa pedal shopping?

Jeez, even I hate shopping for gear! I can't imagine inflicting that on another person!

You == the GREATEST! For reals.

[Sugar Smack]

63. No, *I* never bought any wa-wa pedals.

But yeah, I did hang around the store looking at sheet music! That was kind of interesting, actually. :yourock:

[RandomKoolzip]

64. I wrote some of my band's songs.

But I was also overweight and not too choosy about my wardrobe. Which hurt my chances, I think.

Okay, I KNOW it destroyed my chances.

But I was always pining for a woman who'd see THROUGH the accoutrements and the baubles dangling off most other rock musicians and see me for the semi-quasi-tortured artist I was and get all gushy and romantic about me as *I* was for every attractive woman I met.

I never asked my wife to wear my t-shirt, but she DOES wear my pyjama bottoms all the time WITHOUT ASKING ME FIRST, and sure I'm bitter about it, but dammit she should know better. :grr:!!

Anyhow....what were we talking about?

[Sugar Smack]

65. I knew it!

The songwriting part, I mean. Not about the pajama pants.

"Baubles" and "quasi-tortured artist" hits the nail on the head. You know, I remember that I was doing my own artwork and comic strip at the time, too, but I wasn't nearly as serious about it then as I am now. I'm pretty obsessed with painting, reading, and writing at this point. No name no slogan and I really like each other's work and it's so much fun to hang out with him. We can work in the same room together and share our ideas. B-)

[billyskank]

71. Sounds awesome...I think

;)

:hi:

[Sugar Smack]

73. I think I may have changed a little.

But I also think I may re-visit my "inner groupie". Just for kicks. ;)

[DS1]

72. Oh, and you missed something

You also have to DESIGN the Band's flyer. And it'd better be edgy, and not corporate, but attractive to like "the man" just in case he's walking around looking for bands to sign ;-)

[Sugar Smack]

74. *dies of embarrassment*

I did. I stole it right off "Never Mind the Bullocks" with the ransom-note lettering and everything. Just like every other groupie and their dog. That's it. I'm going straight to hell.:yoiks:

[DS1]

75. Fuck this

What's his band's name? You and me are throwin down right now :grr:

Post the band name then come back in 30 minutes

[Sugar Smack]

77. "Menagerie".

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[DS1]

83. and there you have it

My first, and most likely last Band Flyer
:rofl:

I think it's got all the elements, anyway

[Sugar Smack]

85. Holy shit. You are my new god.

Ok. This is mine.



:rofl:

[DS1]

86. edited

I'd left out the entire "Trois" element :thumbsup:

edit of edit, identical dimensions :D

[Sugar Smack]

87. I think the babydoll picture nailed it home.

:rofl: I mean that NAILED it. Why didn't I think of that, I'll never know.

[billyskank]

78. Never Mind The *Bullocks*?

That isn't what it was called here...

[Sugar Smack]

80. O, do tell. Spill it, billy. Come on. Spill it.

:pals: C'mon.

[billyskank]

81. It was "Never Mind The Bollocks"

Maybe you know, that word is profane slang for testicles, but used in that context the phrase translates as "never mind the bullshit."

[Sugar Smack]

82. *oops* My sincerest apologies.

I spelled it wrong. :blush:

[billyskank]

84. You did?

Well that's a relief! :D

[no name no slogan]

88. OMG-- an ex-groupie/psycho did one like that for US, too

Ransom note lettering and all. She later turned out to be a total stalker/headcase. :scary:

[NNadir]

76. Whattya mean "feigned thrall?!?"

Are you saying all the groupie/girlfriend's were faking their thralls?

You've shattered the illusions of my youth. I can't ever hold my Les Paul again.

Here I was thinking that they all loved our music, that they really thought we were brilliant.

We sure as hell thought we were brilliant.

:cry:

[Sugar Smack]

79. I know this is brutal, but did you ever look at your girlfriends at

band practice and see their nostrils flaring? And their mouths tightened up a bit? And maybe a hand to cover their mouths and a litle blink-blink of the eyes? Tell me. How about furtive watch-checking? Was that included?

I *know* you were brilliant. :o I'm pretty sure of it anyway!

[no name no slogan]

89. Nah, we're STILL brilliant

we're just waiting for the other 6 billion people in the world to realize it :D

[jane_pippin]

90. Oh, you.

:rofl:
(Every comment I come up with beyond that seems snarky and wrong, which is not my intent, so I'll just leave it with a
:yourock: and a "I've been there" hug of solidarity. :hug: )

Also another :rofl: for the brilliance that is your post.

[Sugar Smack]

93. YOU! I KNEW IT!!!

:rofl: I so love you! :D Join me on the cig-burned couch!~

[jane_pippin]

107. Yeah, ok, move over. :)

It's been a while since I've plunked down on one myself.

Actually, in the five years I've been with the boy I think I've only been to one of his practice/recording days and that was enough. I do, however, get stuck in post-show limbo fairly often. "Hold on one second..." Five minutes and two explanations to crazy bouncers later, "Ok just one minute and we're out." Followed later by, "Why'd you leave with your friend? I was about to go!" Good times. :D

[Sugar Smack]

133. The absolutely interminable wait between the first "OK, NOW

we're leaving" and the last "OK, NOW we're leaving".

Oh, and those were also coupled with a perplexed, "WHAT? What's wrong? Why are you looking at me funny?" *LOL* I love "post-show limbo".

[RetroLounge]

91. Ahem. If you are ever in Milwaukee...

RL

[Sugar Smack]

94. .

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :yourock: :loveya: Does this tell you anything?

[graywarrior]

92. Last time I was in that roll was 1975

"I'm with the band."

[Sugar Smack]

96. No way!

Bwahahahahaha!:D Same thang.

[graywarrior]

102. I was such a groupie.

Pitiful.

Free drinks & drugs, tho.

[leftofthedial]

95. you need to hang out with the right musicians

[tigereye]

97. mmm

been on both sides of the fence, was groupie to this one college band my "bf" was in and then I started playing music myself and my poor bf ( now husband) got to carry the drums, do the sound, sit at the table smoking his hand-rolled cigs and then go home at 3/4 am.

We were all into my first bf's band, though, we used to dance to them all the time. So it wasn't horribly boring. But I have to say that playing in a band yourself is better.

for Austin, I never had anybody but really weird guys come up to me after we played out, claiming they were the son of Charlie Watts and related shit....

have fun, SS and NNS! I miss playing out and the creative juices, but I don't miss schlepping the drums and amps. ;)

[Sugar Smack]

118. Many thanks, sweet tigereye!

I did a lot of back stage work in theater (lights, sound) and a little in music. That was so long ago, and this thread is bringing back memories. We'll have a great time. :-)

[GOPisEvil]

99. How do non-musicians get one of these girlfriend-groupies?

Is t-shirt sharing mandatory? I like my couch, I don't want to rip it. And I'd rather get my girlfriend a refreshing beverage than make her do it. Oh, and I don't smoke. :shrug:

[DS1]

100. Poetry night?

[Sugar Smack]

111. Poetry Nite! We'll see if he can stomach shite like this:

Trembling like an Aspen leaf
Chained to the rails
The rails of a speeding Train

Wearing black
And stirring coffee
Weeping

Slowly

In the rain




:rofl:

[no name no slogan]

113. oooooo, I'm stealing this for my next song

the guys will love it!

[Sugar Smack]

120. Oh, good.

Angsty enough for you? ;) I wrote that specifically for a comic strip specifically poking fun with the poetry slam experience.

*snap**snap**snap**snap**snap**snap*

[no name no slogan]

126. Ah, I see. Here's a short verse from college, raging against

the preppy neo-hippies who sprouted like dandelions in the early 90s. You know the ones: they drive daddy's Beemer to the J. Crew store to buy their oh-so-lovingly-aged faded work shirts and jeans, wear Birkenstocks and yell at me for not getting my ciggie butts in ashtrays every time.

Birkenstocks
Fuzzy wool socks
I hate
Fuzzy wool socks


Can I get a * snap * snap * snap * :D

[GOPisEvil]

115. Poetry, I like...that...I don't.

What's so funny is how TRUE it is! :rofl:

[Sugar Smack]

121. *golf clap*

:rofl:

[no name no slogan]

101. Bribery always works

And a lot of times, you don't even need money to do it.

But it does help if you have a sweaty tour t-shirt

[chaska]

103. I played in bands for many years, and call me sensitive but....

I just never understood what women got out of the whole thing. Looked like it would be awfully boring to me. All that sitting around, who needs it?

[no name no slogan]

112. The business of being in a band sucks

It's mostly sitting around and waiting for stuff to happen. It's also a lot of very hard work done in a short period of time, oftentimes in front of people who would rather hear "Freebird" on the jukebox than listen to your painstakingly-crafted perfect pop song.

It's also about spending every spare dime on better gear to get that Perfect Sound. And also about schlepping that piece of gear (and its bretheren) all over (and out of) town to gigs, practices and/or recording sessions-- many of which you don't get paid for, one way or the other.

It's also dealing with corrupt record labels, would-be managers/hustlers, tyrannical booking agents, and other assorted hangers-on who seem to disappear when you really need them, but somehow magically appear when it's time to party or get free drinks.

Being in a band is a lot of hard work. The pay generally sucks, the hours are horrible, and there are rarely any fringe benefits. It's much easier to work as a geek-for-hire in the IT industry and do the band on evenings and weekends, on my terms, when I feel like doing it.

[bedpanartist]

116. been there and done that

being in a band also leads one to hating the living shit out of music fans. If you are in the least bit popular, the parasites come out of the woodwork.

[Skittles]

104. sorry, SS

I have always despised groupies; they need to get lives of their own already

[Sugar Smack]

105. As I told RKZ upthread, I snapped out of it 15 years ago.

That's when I went back to focusing on my own artwork, writing and social life. B-)

[no name no slogan]

108. She is no groupie, believe me

She has her own amazing talent which continually blows me away each time I see it.

Besides, I'm not attracted to women who don't have their own lives outside of the relationship. And Sugar certainly has that, in spades.

And we haven't actually played a gig in over ten years now. Mostly we play for our own entertainment, and record very sporadically.

I outgrew "groupies" long ago. And I would hardly consider SS to be my "groupie" in that respect, anyway.

If anything, I'm her groupie.

[bridgit]

106. Gypsy...

So I’m back, to the velvet underground
Back to the floor, that I love
To a room with some lace and paper flowers
Back to the gypsy that I was
To the gypsy... that I was

And it all comes down to you
Well, you know that it does
Well, lightning strikes, maybe once, maybe twice
Ah, and it lights up the night
And you see your gypsy
You see your gypsy

To the gypsy that remains faces freedom with a little fear
I have no fear, I have only love
And if I was a child
And the child was enough
Enough for me to love
Enough to love

She is dancing away from me now
She was just a wish
She was just a wish
And a memory is all that is left for you now
You see your gypsy
You see your gypsy

Lightning strikes, maybe once, maybe twice
And it all comes down to you

And it all comes down to you

Lightning strikes, maybe once, maybe twice
And it all comes down to you

I still see your bright eyes, bright eyes
And it all comes down to you
I still see your bright eyes, bright eyes
And it all comes down to you

I still see your bright eyes, bright eyes
(she was just a wish)
(she was just a wish)
And it all comes down to you

Lightning strikes, maybe once, maybe twice
And it all comes down to you

when i worked in 'the bizz', the kids :eyes: = the maori pierced & tattooed children of the known & unknown universe all called me 'mom', just for flushing them on & off buses, in & out of hotel rooms, on & off stages, in & out of restaurants; and giving the poor wittle darlings a leg up when they lost their poor wittle keys to get back into said hotel rooms and not be upset when they traipsed back out front the next morning with 3 new groupies, and a handful of bloody, 'homemade' piercings while making sure they could still yak down some food to sustain their pale, emaciated bodies between gigs...

...what the hell is wrong with you wannabe hippies & when are you going to get your shit together!!!

x(

[Sugar Smack]

117. GAH! I commiserate.

:hug:

Post 18: I remember how some of those guys made me feel like I'd gone from dewy-skinned, fresh youth to "nagging band mom" in about five minutes. Being a "nagging band mom" is not fun. The other guys will confide in you and think of you as their friend, but take awful advantage of your listening/caring skills. I remember them all calling each other "man" instead of using each other's names.

Your story sounds a lot worse!
x(

[bridgit]

123. oh honey, not "nagging band mom", just, well...'mom'; those kids...

loved my lily white, at the time i wasn't all that much older than they were cept maybe by 5-7yrs, but i facilitated their being nearly all that they could be while sewing their issues up round the edges, though i will admit what is clearly clear...

some of them weren't worth the powder it would take to blow them up :nuke:

we were at the Kasbah lounge the other day doing the hookah thing w/the boys and it went go pee, and from Tapa next door (they share the same groovy little courtyard frontage, when you get this far out west we'll just have to go ;-)) this guy calls out and it's a guy from one of the bands. he does the 'omg! how have you been!', we flush the DVD ahead several chapters, he still plays his instruments, but is out of 'the bizz' = those days were really neat, he's working now; whips out pics of wife and kids, all smiles & happy remembrance...it was nice, he's still a sweet person. the machine didn't chop & mince the guy after all :thumbsup:

http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/oleander/artist.jhtml#/music/artist/oleander/artist.jhtml

http://www.kasbahlounge.com

[Sugar Smack]

125. "some of them weren't worth the powder it would take to blow them up"

BWAAAAH!:rofl:

Great news on the Kasbah front- your buddy's all grown up. You know, I am heading out west this summer on my own steam, and I really have to see the things you describe. It sounds beautiful, whimsical, and FUN.

:bounce: :toast: Take me to the Kasbah!

[bridgit]

136. you got it...

:loveya:

[Wetzelbill]

109. I should finish learning how to play the guitar

:)

[Sugar Smack]

130. Oh, come on. You don't have to KNOW how to play

the guitar, just pick it up & play.;-)

[henslee]

119. Uhh, I play the kazoo. n.t.

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

127. This goes with my theory...

...that professional entertainers need to be socially isolated, to prevent them from attempting to mix with the human population. It's better for both species, really.

[Sugar Smack]

131. That's what bridgit was talking about, too!

:D

[blindpig]

128. What do you call a building full of guitar players?

Jail.

:evilgrin:

[Sugar Smack]

129. NO, you didn't!

:rofl:

[benburch]

132. What do you call a drummer without a girlfriend?

HOMELESS

[blindpig]

134. nice n/t

[no name no slogan]

135. * ahem *

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x5066480#5066580