These are indeed dark days, if you are a Chris Cornell fan, or cover his songs:
– In honor of the late Chris Cornell, Garret told fellow singer Jeff Loven that he’d quickly made it a point to learn a Soundgarden song to perform. He chose, fittingly, Fell on Black Days, which many concert-goers at Cornell’s last performance, at a Detroit venue that also was noted for hosting another recently departed icon, Prince, said was one of his best of the night. Or, Jeff replied, Garret could have picked Black Hole Sun? Garret said he’d learned early-on that Cornell, who hung himself recently in a motel room, had been taking large doses of anti-anxiety medication. Given that history, and the fact that Cornell seemed off his game at that last concert, one has to wonder if the pressure of having to give stellar performances night in and night out, even if not feeling well — and then having to face up to possible bad reviews the next day — led up to his demise.
– A Brazilian sometimes-model who hung around the Village Inn in North Hudson for awhile, has two more reasons to celebrate. Her friend Drake cleaned up at the Billboard Music Awards, winning more of the honors then anyone else ever had. Also, a fellow plus-size model became the first of her weight to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
– At least a handful of the audience members at the Phipps Center for the Arts went out to other nightspots after taking in the Dueling Pianos show, and said that it was fun, entertaining and that the performers even trekked out into the audience. Hmm … how do they have an instrument as big as a piano and still venture into the crowd, without laboring? I just have to say this: “Get the piano off your back!”
– Signs aplenty around town spoke of specials — eat and drink — for mom on her day, and one at Kozy Korner even offered a free drink to all mothers. Heard they had some people who looked scarier then mom, all decked out in leather and tattoos, who came in and asked for the special, saying “I’m a badass mutha!” (Just kidding).
– On its Party Zone show, KDWB had an ad where a couple was flustered about where they could get off-sale liquor on a Sunday, then of course decided to head for the border, that being Wisconsin, complete with the obligatory Cheesehead joke. So what was being sold here? The ad, you find out near the end, was for an auto sales place that goes by the name of Hudson, and says you could get a vehicle from them no matter what your credit. All this despite the fact that after the reversal, finally, of an antiquated law, Minnesota will begin allowed such off-sale starting the Sunday following July 5. Word has it that the auto offer expires the day before. (Just kidding).
– Jackson Raley has for months been doing some rapping at Dick’s Bar and Grill during Sunday set breaks of the one-man-band, rifling out words at light speed, without ever a stumble. The still quite young man says he’s also done many such solo gigs over in the Twin Cities, some of them original songs, but that he still needs to overcome a significant case of nervousness every time he goes on. Much like Chris Cornell?
– Out late and want a change in wardrobe? You could go into the all-night Freedom Value Center in North Hudson and get a slinky dress! Such summer dresses have been on sale, right as you walk in the door, for basically a baker’s dozen dollars. They’re right next to the Hostess snack cakes, but don’t buy both or you might not fit into that dress.
– Ever want to get away, because of something you said, since by the time you caught yourself, it was too late to take it back? At another 24-hour place, Kwik Trip, I stopped in to get a late-night hot dog, but a worker was putting some of the accompaniments into the heated drawers below. So I said, “do you mind if I grab one of your buns?” Ouch … Just like when I pulled into town and started work with the Hudson Star-Observer, and saw a couple of female co-workers walking past me on the dike road, which was a whole new thing to me and not at the forefront of my mind. So I said to the one nearest to me, “I you enjoying the dike?” Again, ouch …
– What would she do as a big part of her job? She would sit, and sit, and sit … I renewed aquaintances the other day with someone with whom I’d had a few late night conversations — while she was sitting. To explain, the woman was a driver for one of the several late-night taxi companies that “sit” outside of the area near the Agave Kitchen and wait at length for fares to show, mostly people who had been drinking and essentially needed a sober cab. She had seen it all and got tired of the scene and started a business of her own. Maybe see you out later, outside of the cab connection, as you’re walking into Dick’s, she added with a chuckle.
At that same function, at the Village Inn, I reconnected other old ties, namely some women who I’d run into most notably when a photographer for the Hudson Star-Observer, and took their picture as they were out and about on their annual dress-up Sex And The City party. They never thought the photo would make it into the paper, but it did, (got it past my editor, which wasn’t too tough to do).
– Later, at Dick’s, two female dancers did the bump and grind in a tricky way. The one in front was doing a handstand. Kinda like something I saw at the old Ellie’s, where a woman did a similar handstand while cutting the rug — with her feet pasted against the wall a few feet from the deejay booth.
– The night before, a bartender asked a friend — both male — if he wanted to use his token for another drink. To which the latter said, “stop staring at my wood!”
– The doorman, as such, pointed me to the entry and said their would be another staffer inside Dick’s to take my dollar for cover charge. So I said to them, mimicking a popular TV ad, that this would make the outside guy a “doorman monitor,” not an actual doorman, God forbid a bouncer!
– Overheard at the new, upstairs Pudge’s, at around 1:30 a.m. One woman said to another, “So what are you doing tonight?” Considering the late hour, they’d better decide soon. Then in the bathroom, one guy said to another, “I can’t figure out how this hand dryer works.” It’s not rocket science buddy, just lay off the mixology.
– That same night, I saw a splittin’ image of the Karate Kid, dressed much the same including the bandana. He was followed in by a guy with a funky mustache. Just recalling, might that have been his black belt mentor? And how does that, being in a bar, fit with the idealism of rejecting certain worldly ways?
– Signs of the times at Casanova Historic Liquors and the Village Inn. The latter, on their lighted bulletin board, said now that you’ve dealt with the winter weight, you must focus on “spring rolls.” And at Casanova, the marquee said that you could get your summer six-pack there, as an option to hitting the gym to spruce up your abs. Coincidence?