I was 20 years old and had only recently moved out of the ORANGE ROOM. The ORANGE ROOM had been my bedroom when I lived at home with my parents. It was Christmas night, 1979, and the family had gathered around the tree on Tiara Strip to exchange and open gifts. After several hours passed, and it came time for me to pack my beat up car with presents and drive off down the cold, dark street to meet the rest of the guys at our band house. The band house.....this had become my new home just two months earlier. I lived with the drummer and a good friend of mine. The ages of the band members ranged from 30 to 19 years old, so the older, road seasoned guys drove the converted fire equipment truck / band truck to our week long engagement in Des Moines Iowa which was to begin the following night.
The DUMB RED DOG, as we affectionally called our equipment truck was a death trap with only a driver and a passenger seat. On most gig's, we would position ourselves all in the front somehow. The driver and passenger had the best seats of course. I'd usually sit on the front dashboard with my back resting against the windshield!!!! Very unsafe!!!! Another guy would sit on our guitarists amp which fit in the doorway on the side of the truck. One would stand, and the other two would sit on speakers in the back but would crane their necks through the opening which led between the cab and equipment. Very dangerous indeed.... but thats how we rolled.
This particular night was to be a long drive so a few of us were lucky enough to ride in the back with all the gear and slide around in sleeping bags most of the way. Besides, no one had ANY trust in letting me drive that far!!! I had a nickname in the band back then.
WRONG WAY PEACOCK!!!!! It was true, I had NO SENSE of direction and was very naive. After the long drive, the guys found our hotel and we grabbed some zzzzzzzz's and looked forward to setting up the next day for our week long gig!
The JOKER was a very impressive club that followed the current trend of Disco lights and dance floors. It was definitely a great era for playing live music. Most clubs were very fancy and people dressed up for their nights out. It was a great time to be a young guitar player in a band. Audiences still respected bands and were very appreciative of live music and the musicians that generated the music. Especially out of town musicians.
Our sets were quite late as I remember. 9:30 to 1:30, but we had been playing the Kollisium around this time and we'd split the night with another band playing from 9:00 - 3:00 on Friday and Saturday nights..... so we were used to the hours. After our nightly gigs, we would routinely meet locals who would make us feel at home and even entertain us the next day before our next night of music. The first women we met took several of us to a botanical garden the following day and even turned us on to some psychedelics. She was a singer in a local band and befriended me in the back of her Honda Civic the night before which was very thrilling. A few nights later I met a dancer and was asked to stay the night. We slept on a small couch but it was very nice!!!!
The best night of all was later in the week, closer to the end of our engagement. After our last set, two local girls about my age asked where we were staying and we told them the name of the hotel. They were very polite nice girls and they had a couple drinks with us. Later, they invited our drummer and myself to their apartment the next night to cook us a home made spaghetti dinner! We were so skinny back then because we rarely ate. They probably felt sorry for us. They came by the hotel the next night and the drummer and
I had already changed into our band clothes. I remember I was wearing black satin pants, a white shirt with a red and black plaid vest and scarf lol.
The meal was fantastic and their company was so cheerful and homey. They were different than a lot of the others we had met that week. As it got closer to 8:30, we thanked them and began our good byes. In their kitchen, something happened and one of the girls kissed me and we stood there kissing for about 5 minutes. I thanked her again and asked if they were going to the Joker later that night. She said no... BUT.....she pulled something out of her purse and then said, "here's the keys to my car....I'll see you later tonight." I said ok and we drove to the gig.
Now remember….,,it was grey and cold with snow everywhere that week….and here I was...WRONG WAY PEACOCK driving a stranger's car and hoping that I could find my way to the club. With our drummer help, we somehow found the Joker and played our sets. At the end of the night, I had consumed my share of vodka and orange juice and now I was alone in a freezing late model Rambler.
I finished the half a J in the ash tray, and it dawned on me.....Here I was...WRONG WAY PEACOCK in a stranger's car, under the influence and I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA WHERE THE HELL I AM!!!!! I could have been in a town on the other side of the world!!!! I was lost and I hadn't even started the car yet!!!!
Somehow after driving very slowly I began to try and retrace the turns back to the apartment!!!
It was snowy and dark and every thing looked the same but, it was coming back to me!!!! Maybe it was luck or maybe I knew who was waiting for me at the end of this journey. She gave me her car for goodness sake!!!! She was waiting for me!!!!! Oh boy!!!!!
I finally found the apartment and was greeted by a young beautiful woman, showered and in a fluffy bath robe. We had a wonderful night together on her couch and she drove me home the next day. It was the highlight of the trip. I think had I lived in Des Moines, I could have fallen for her... but that was not in the cards.
Sometime after we returned to Illinois, I received a card from this woman with a souvenir. We talked once or twice on the phone and then no more!!!
It was a wild week and so much fun. But to think that a person would give her car to a complete stranger and not worry about getting it back!!! Those were the days!!!!
When Days were Psychedelic!!!! Just another Tale from the ORANGE ROOM!!!!
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