Getting on the red-eye, and a wink for the camera eye, and the digits of a sliced guitar picking finger, (unless it’s Finger 11).
— You don’t want to be bleery eyed in front of the camera eye. That was a possibility when a North Hudson server closed up on a recent weekend, and had to leave for a locale in the northern part of the St. Croix Valley and get there for a photo shoot the next day at 6:45 a.m. She indicated with a certain glee that the shoot, with a female friend, was for a magazine specializing in specialty vehicles. We hope that all will see this as special, or at least a babe mag-net.
— The Black Sabbath guitar work of Tony Iommi, in particular the fact that he lost the tips of his fingers and that allowed his sludgy style to come forward, was discussed at our table recently. Jeff Loven, who has guitar wizardry of his own, was playing at the time, and just happened to come our way and show us the injured nail on his index finger, which was black and almost all the way removed at the base (not bass). It hurt, he said, but he still was forging onward, just as Iommi did when they were negotiating all the quirks of Ozzy Osbourne. All of which made us discuss Iommi even more.
— Singer guitarist Kyle was one of the specially hired performers on a yacht on the St. Croix River over Labor Day weekend. I wonder if he gave any of the partiers lessons on how to play classical guitar, which is a big part of his day job? Or monetarily, as he once regaled the bartender at Dick’s Bar and Grill, how a buddy made a killing buying and selling a significantly large set of up-and-coming electronic games online, only to have the transaction killed because the host thought the volume and subsequent cost were too out of line to be legit.
— The other night at the Smilin’ Moose, the long blonde locks of one of the patrons was being braided by, of all people, a guy who sported mostly quite different facial hair and also a buzz cut would not exactly make him an expert on the subject. A better choice might have been the guitar player with dreadlocks who had taken the stage just a few nights before.
— Speaking of taking the stage, with rockers the Danger Rangers playing in River Falls the other night, this might be the time to indulge in a Texas Ranger drink, which as a special has been much advertised locally. It combines Dr. McGillicuddy’s, cherry style, and liquid ice. So the sign suggests becoming cheery with all that cherry — but not necessarily a full-fledged groupie.
— A friend of mine says that she puts all her loose change in a 64 ounce beer can, which now is about full. She must have filled up on the brew back at the start, to empty the container so it could be filled again. And this didn’t have to be done by bellying up to the bar, which would cost some of those bucks, it could be taken care of in the comfort of her own home.
— Seen locally on the wall was an oversize photo of the Hudson Fire Department members, in quasi-beefcake calender style. At least they had straps over their chests, on account of the overalls that are part of their gear. Is this what artists call realism?
— Some patrons said that one of their favorite rockers, Ted Nugent, owns land near Houlton. I guess it must be an expanse for hunting, although not quite as gonzo as places in the wilderness, say such as north of Hwy. 8.
— There were two sprigs of flowers sprouting from the cracks in the sidewalk next to, note the name, Stonetap. And about 20 yards up the block were all kinds of plastic cover wristbands discarded in and around a waste disposal bin. That synergy brings to mind some of those tacky plastic flowers that you might buy, prior to going out drinking for Happy Hour, at a REAL discount store.