Monday, June 09, 2008

Life is for the livin' you've got to be willin', a song ain't a song until someone starts singin'

Saturday night I was watching a movie with a friend when another friend texted to see if I wanted to come hang out with him and two of the guys I handed ice cream out at the Joshua Tree music festival. They'd decided to get together for an impromptu jam session (two of them are very talented musicians as evidenced by the writing of Blue Bear Blues - a song they made up in Joshua Tree to make fun of a debate we'd had earlier in the weekend regarding whether or not grizzly bears are the same species as brown bears - they're not). I told him I'd finish the movie and give him a call to see if they were still at it.

We finished the movie and I headed home a little after midnight. I called my friend to let him know that I was probably just going to go home.

Him: Are you coming over?
Me: Well, I wasn't planning on it because it's late. I didn't know how much longer you'd be 'jamming.'
Him: Ain't no bedtime in Jam Town. Get over here.
Me: Alright. I guess I'll be there in a few.

(See how easy it is to convince me to do things?)

When I got there, they were trying to learn how to play Love Cats by The Cure. The friend who called me was playing percussion (on the congos). The guy whose house we were at was playing the guitar, and the third guy was playing the piano. I figured I could just come in, hang out and listen to them play. Not so.

Friend 2: Do you play any instruments [Minnow]?
Me: No. I was just going to listen to you guys.
Friend 1: Ain't no free rides in Jam Town. Get your ass over there and learn the lyrics.
Me: Ok.

I walked over and started looking at the lyrics on his computer screen.

Friend 2 (as he was figuring out the chords): So what movie were you watching earlier?
Me: It was kind of a weird one. It was about a French guy with superior olfactory abilities. He could smell the beauty of the world, and he used that to learn how to make really good perfume. Then he started killing girls to try and capture their essence and put it into a perfume.
Friend 1: That movie sounds gay. There's a 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy here in Jam Town.
Friend 3: What was the name of the movie? All holes filled with cock? I think I saw that one.
Me: So much for 'Don't ask, don't tell.'
Friend 1: Ain't no gayness in Jam Town. Now get over there and sing Love Cats.

I didn't even bother pointing out the irony of that statement.

9 comments:

Karen said...

That sounds like great fun. I would love to belt out a tune in a jam session.

steph said...

first, i saw that movie. it was interesting, but slow.

second -- jam town? oh no. i pictured some dirty hippies, but they're singing love cats? i don't think there are any love cats in jam town.

and how were your vocals on that??

Jenny said...

I didn't know playing "Guitar Hero" was considered "jamming".

Native Minnow said...

Gypsy, I'd rather just sit and listen. Being forced to sing felt a little too much like I was doing karaoke. Have I mentioned that I hate karaoke?

Steph, it was slow, and I expected so much more, but whatever. I've seen worse. The Fast and the Furious anyone? Second, my vocals were awesome. I sounded just like Robert Smith, I just didn't have on the eyeshadow and lipstick ;-)

Boxer, I'm the only one in that group that has even played Guitar Hero. And I suck at it. Just ask Anomalie.

silentkid said...

Love Cats is one of the first songs my first band learned to play. I played bass. I always hated that song. So, how did you like "The Sniffer"? I reviewed that one a while ago. Not a very good review. But an amazing orgy scene.

mindy said...

Well, brown bears ARE the same species as grizzly bears. They are different subspecies.

Love the dialogue. And I think that movie sounds kind of interesting. Very French.

Native Minnow said...

Silentkid, does that make your band gay? Just askin'?

Mindy, not so, my sources tell me that the grizzly has been elevated to species status in recent years. The movie is based on a best selling German novel, but is set in France.

AnoMALIE said...

Shut it, Minnow!
This guy went straight to "Medium" after I explained the rules to him.

... just don't make him play a Santana jam... he does suck at that one.

PsychDoctor said...

I thought you played a mean harmonica...