The Rolling Stones sang that in 1974 and boy was it true !!! I LOVED IT!!! Being in a rock n' roll band seemed to give you "super human strength" as it felt like you had endless energy. Being a rock n' roller meant you could wear just about anything and get away with it!!!! More importantly, being in a rock band meant you had license to DO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING!!!!
Being YOUNG probably had more to do with it than anything! I do miss my youth but dammit, I lived it to the fullest.
ENERGY
As I've written about in other chapters, I could burn the candle at both ends and STILL have enough energy to work during the day, play a four hour show till 1:00 in the morning, get home at 2:30, run over to a late night bar, meet a young lady, stay up till dawn, go home, get a couple hours of shut eye and then be back at work by 9:30 am. Over and Over!!!!
DRESS
Being young and slim was so great!!! I wore eye make up regularly...nothing outrageous but just enough eye liner to give me a slight Ronnie Wood or KEEF look. Hair was long and teased out. pants were usually, "T REX" black or red satin in the 70's.... and black "pleather" in the 80's. I'd often raid my Mom's wardrobe for loose fitting blouses like Keith Richards would wear, along with suit jackets. scarfs and lots of pins or buttons. I remember one night in Burlington Iowa, we had recently finished the first night of a weekend engagement at a late night club. Our equipment was locked in the building and we were off to spend the night in the Hotel Burlington where bands usually spent the night. We were on a upper level of the hotel getting ready to entertain several ladies that we had met earlier that night, when I realized I had left my cigarettes in my car parked across the street.
I rode the elevator down to the lobby alone wearing black satin pants and a suit jacket with a long scarf. I walked through the lobby and out into the warm night, though a long alley and across another street to the parking lot where I had parked my car. After finding my Winston's, I realized that I was missing the beginnings of a great party full of young ladies and substances...this gave me a short euphoric buzz and I began running through the alley back to the hotel WHOOPING AND HOLLERING AS I RAN!!! I was shouting, WOO and WOO HOO while I noticed my shadow.....large, on a brick building in the alleyway. I was heading to one of those parties you DREAM ABOUT and I was feeling SUPER fine!!!
As soon as I was almost out of the alley, I heard the sound of A POLICE SIREN and a SPOT LIGHT hit me and my shadow on the brick building turned into a large silhouette of myself with red lights revolving around the sides. "What a cool album cover this would make", I thought to myself. The cops got out and I stood still in front of their car. "Was I speeding?' I thought to myself. I'd never been pulled over without a car!!! When they asked for my drivers licenses, I explained that I was a rock musician wearing satin pants with NO POCKETS. I quickly lost my fear and began to see the humor in my predicament. I was being pulled over for what??? I asked the second officer, " is there a law against running at night"? He quickly replied, " no, there's not a law against running at night, but there is a law against running down a reverberating alley yelling WOO WOO WOO!!!" "Oh...yes...I'm sorry about that," I said. With that...... I was released on my own recognizance and promised to curtail my joyous outbursts. ANYWAY....I was off to a PARTY with sexy women and plenty of party favors!!!
LICENSE TO KILL
Lastly, being in a rock band meant you could do just about anything and get away with it. I remember one night after a gig at the old PEGASUS, I had met a sexy young woman and after packing our equipment, she waited for me. I think the idea was to hit the Kollisioum but once we got into my light blue pinto, christened the NIMROD, we began "getting to know one another" in the front seat of the car. One thing led to another and before I could count to ten, our clothes had mysteriously fallen off and we were naked as two jay birds under the bright neon lights with the sounds of traffic going up and down the highway in front of the club. We must have thought we were OK... inside the car and after all, we were young and attractive so it wasn't like we were an eye sore or anything!!!
The next thing I remember was being flat on my back and looking up through my drivers side window when a billy club came into my sight, then a police officers cap and finally his head!!! He focused the white beam of his flashlight directly on my girlfriend's shapely bottom as she was laying face down directly directly on top on me...hiding both our "private parts". All he really saw was a nice round butt, and he calmly told us to, GET A ROOM!!!!! I told him I was in the band that had just finished playing in the club. He's said, " You're done now and now you're trespassing!" I'll give you five minutes to get the hell out of here!!!" I couldn't believe our luck. We quickly dressed and said our goodbyes before making plans to see each other again sometime. Exit.... stage left.... wooosh!!!!
Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound...just another story from the ORANGE ROOM.....When Days Were Psychedelic.
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