More Ranting

After that last post I got dressed and went to The Bar to go hear Donnie play for a little while. After exactly 1/2 of a beer I tired of being in a bar and came home to rant some more. Now that I have brought up My Husband and Bars in general, I would like to talk about both.

First lets talk about my husband, shall we? I have had to endure many rude and condensending remarks about him being a "Professional Musician" and questions as to the validity of said statement. I would like to say that yes, Donnie is a professional and is quite a well regarded bass player in the State of Oklahoma, that could also be stretched to a much broader statement and say "The Midwest". The only reason that at this time Donnie plays locally is because he stays home to support me and be a stepfather to my children who love and need him. Any discussion in him going on the road results in vehement objection by the kids and myself. I would like to take a moment and reitterate the fact that my husband is an accomplished and well respected musician and mention the fact that he is mentioned in numerous magazine, newspaper and Oklahoma music history books as a progenitor of an entire genera of music. Most recently he was mentioned BY NAME on page 141 of "The Colors of Oklahoma Music from the Blue Devils to Red Dirt"written by John Wooley. Donnie has on multiple occasions turned down several very lucrative and high profile gigs with touring bands who have songs on the charts in Texas to stay home and support myself and my family. A lesser man would have been onstage in front of thousands of people every week, stroking his ego, and God knows what else. But Donnie stays where he is most needed and for that he is ridiculed by people who are of small minds.

Bars, lets talk about bars... the people who hang out in them and the people who own them. If you see me in a bar, keep in mind I am there for one thing and one thing only. If you see me talking to a bar owner, or you yourself are a bar owner I can assure you that what I want from you is your money. I want you to either buy something from me, or book a gig from me. If I am at a gig I am there to make sure things go well and that I get the money at the end of the night for the band. Period.

If I am in a bar, I am ready to go home. I do not like leaving and smelling like an ashtray and I do not like talking to drunk people who spit in my face while they stand too close to me and talk to loud because they are drunk. A secret, dear drunkard, most of what you say, I can't hear, and me nodding in agreement means nothing, you could have said you just killed someone and I can't understand you, so I nod... God forbid I ask you again what you said for clarification... WHY? Because your drunk... or high.... and your making no sense. Think I don't notice those big giant pupils you have going on? Your wrong.

I do have to say that those people who go in for the music...your different. You know who you are. The intelligent people, the ones who might have listened to NPR on the way up... especially you Science folks and in Tulsa, YOU Science folks... people who know the words to Woody Guthrie tunes, you don't count as bar people. You go to the bar because the music is there... I book it there, because thats where the money is to pay the musicians. If there was a better way to do it, I would. I just happen to know from personal experiance that musicians and their families need to eat and they gotta get paid. I also know that if you stifle a musician and don't let him play, a part of his soul dies every day without a way to express themselves. I can't let that happen to my people, because I know the feeling, being stifled, and it is one I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

But I digress... I would like to clarify that there is a difference between going to a bar and listening to quality music, and hanging out in a bar all the time and being a lout, but most of you out there already know that, don't you?