The Pros and Cons

Three Gut rockers The Constantines, my new east coast pals.

A little soundtrack for this post.....music please

It wasn't getting to hang out with Jim Guthrie, solo artist, and guitarist for one of my favorite bands Royal City, who is playing the lovely song you should be listening to now. Or Sarah's infectious laugh as we sat by the merchandise table making fools of ourselves as the bar was emptying out. Nor was it the nerd wearing a skates hoodie, with the hood up, bandanna, and sunglasses, who's girlfriend was far too attractive to be with him. No, it was Cal, sitting across from me at DV8 at 3:30 in the morning, rolling up the table napkins and stuffing them into the necks of the two stella's that we ordered so that he could finish them at home. That is the image that is clearest on this most foggy of mornings.

We had been at the Brickyard, to catch up with the Constantines. I had been to see them in Winnipeg last week, and convinced Cal that he just had to see these guys. We did, although, we didn't pay much attention. Cal seemed happy to sit in the back of the bar and chat, myself I had seen the show already so could just enjoy the rawk.

Odd, when you see a performance more than once, you realize that every nuance is a choreographed maneuver. The drummer, was wearing the same AC/DC shirt that he had worn in Winnipeg. The keyboard player stood up with some contraption that emitted a sirens wale, with his hands above his head, the rest of the band clapping with their arms in the air, a move most likely designed to give the band a rest. Everything was an encore of moves, developed in the studio and taken on the road.

I was no different, if it hadn't of been for the pair of Gas jeans that I bought in some shop in Yaletown, from a cross dressing freak with his/her ass hanging out of his/her jeans, I would have been wearing the same outfit I wore in Winnipeg too. Its all a show.

At DV8, Cal and I both realized we were way gone. I was barely making it through my heavily garliced perogies, and Cal hardly touched his burger, or was it a sandwich? Who knows... I saw to it that Cal made it to a cab alright, and I stumbled down the empty streets towards the warehouse. I couldn't believe that I was doing this on a Tuesday night. If you told me that I would be having nights like this a year ago, I would not believe you. No way. Fun, no doubt, but there will be payback, my resolve is thin, so very thin.