my brain has gone soft but certain events shake the grey matter..............

i was sifting through a rolling stone magazine this morning and i saw that `Pinetop` Perkins had passed away after a very long and glorious career..........watching `good day l.a.` on the boob tube later on and saw Buddy Guy promoting his new cd........... got me to thinking......... 1975 or 1976........ mid- august and summertime was in full swing. long south swell lines were rolling in with a minor heat wave making the early evening seem like a beach boy soundtrack, southern california perfection....... grabbed my surfboard and jumped on the boardwalk in newport skateboarding north to huntington beach all along checking the surf just waiting to get in the 75 degree water........ southside of the pier was going off with a minimal crowd, everyone burnt out from surfing all day and getting ready to start the saturday night partying..... after a sweet 2 hour session with the sun starting to go down, i skated over to the surf theater on 5th street and stashed my board behind the dumpsters out back........... shaking the water out of my hair ( yeah, i said hair, fuck you) i jumped back on my skater to get my seat at the back of the Golden Bear Theatre on Pacific Coast Hwy........... i was still under age to get into any of the shows there but i`d sit in the back with a quart of schlitz malt liquor listening to some of the greatest blues artists in the world.......... this saturday nights show was Buddy Guy and Junior Wells........one of the greatest guitar and harp combos around at the time still playing these small venues.......i never quite got it, were was everyone? and my friends never quite got why i would take off to hear these old cats, sitting in the alley behind the Bear drinking malt liquor....... well this particular night was one that would stay with me forever........i was sitting on a crate that i had set up so i could lean against the building and feel the music while i was listening to it. i got up to take a piss when all of a sudden the door opened just as i was walking to relieve myself and i walked right into a cloud of weed and bounced off the chest of Junoir Wells. we both screamed and i remember him asking me, `What the fuck you doin`, smack you fuckin` head right off boy!`` Holy shit, Whatcha doin` back here? and What dafuck is dat?` pointing to my skater under my arm. `it`s a skateboard` i said nervously laughing but so stoked. `You better wipe that fuckin smile off yo face boy, fo i wipe it off. You scared the livin` shit outta me........` `i like sitting out back here to listen to the music, i heard you and Buddy were playing tonight and i got my spot out back here`. `Listening to my music for free? buy youself a fuckin` ticket. Shit, everybody want something free from me. And that is MR. Buddy Guy to you boy. Get some respect!` `yes sir` `That sounds better boy.` well he looked around and took a little flask out of his jacket pocket and took a sip. `You like drink boy?` `yeah, i had some malt........` `What, poor nigga shit....... you ought not being drinkin so soon, give yoself time...... hell, what yous parent feed you, you play basketball?` `well actually....` `Shhhh boy, I don`t care, now shhhhhh!` suddenly the back door opened up and a huge bouncer said, `everything o.k. Mr. Wells?` `Oh yeah, Oh yeah. we good. Just gonna bring my nephew into the show.........` the look on the bouncers face was classic...... walked inside and up the stairs everyone was back stage drinking and smoking when i started recognising certain faces....... `Christ, what the fuck,` is what came out of Buddy Guy`s mouth when he saw me....` take it ez blood, it`s my nephew,` as he squeezed my shoulder....... i actually started feeling like his nephew.......

there was so many folks stuffed into that back room............it was still warm outside and a fuckin oven in that room....my head was starting to flow with all the weed and i was probaly grinning like a fuckin idiot cause Junior Wells said it looked like i was starting to get into it.......he starting introducing me to everyone as they were tuning up their own instruments....first was Pinetop Perkins at piano...... then two Rolling Stones, Bill Wyman on bass and Charlie Watts on drums.....WHAT THE FUCK! my head was gonna pop...... as the band went out onto the stage to get the crowd moving with some instrumental, Junior pulled up a chair for me side backstage and told me to sit down and `Enjoy the show, little brother!`.......i was torn between wetting myself and burtsting into tears because i was Junior Wells `nephew` and little brother..........i smiled all night and bigger each time Wells looked over during the show and gave me a wink with his drunken yellow eyes..... the night ended uneventful after the show...... the band had a bunch of girls they were going to party with and Junior told me, `HOPE YOU HAD FUN, NOW GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!` .......... but there was a smile on his face that i will never , ever forget. the littlest thing can shake awake those great memories.......... i rest.