All hail Columbus!
Oh, the legends and the fables we hold as bedrock in our society would make for a great comedy. Today we honor Cristoforo Columbo, who, along with a map and a shady deal with a queen, ‘discovered’ ‘America’. Wait – Steve did you say map? Well, yep. Some have speculated that Columbus’ brother actually saw a map that was drawn by the Chinese who visited the North American continent in the early 1400’s. You can debunk the whole Chinese theory, but peep this – NO Captain will venture out without a chart of some kind, and this chart was probably shown to Queen Isabella to squeeze the coin purse and get those ships stocked with plenty of dried meats and scurvy. Then Columbus really landed in the Caribbean, which isn’t really a bad discovery, with the all-inclusives and rum and whatnot. I’m sure his men enjoyed poolside shuffle board and snorkeling along with Wednesday night Gangnam-style dance lessons like the rest of us.
But the ‘hero’ Columbus was actually a misguided (pardon the pun), delusional and tortured soul, who lied, cheated, raped and captured indigenous people, started a massive wave of genocide, believed too much of his own press, and died at a relatively young age having pissed off a LOT of folks, especially Amerigo Vespucci. Vespucci figured out that the Caribbean was NOT Asia, although he said the sushi bar at the Sandals was ‘Quite authentic’ and the spicy tuna rolls were ‘exceptional’, however, he realized the people serving him were listening to Bob Marley in the kitchen, and their cover was blown. It’s all in the history books, I assure you. For what we are told, that story is as good as any. But if you want to read some real dirt – check out this article , and then read the fine print in this bio. Granted – none of these theories are absolute, and always up for debate. My point is read and soak and speculate on your own. Don’t let the orange history book of 8th grade tell you what is right and wrong.
But since my life is often governed by live shows and not a calendar of holidays, then I really didn’t think about the holiday until this morning. So you caught the soapbox holiday special version of this journal entry. All that glitters is not gold, would be the motto for the first two paragraphs. Beyond this point, it’s all glitter.
Back to Virginia. That’s the motherland for me. The bus stopped on Water St. in Charlottesville, where we played the Jefferson Theater, owned by Coran Capshaw. The theater has hosted acts since 1912, including Harry Houdini and the Three Stooges. Heck, it may have had Iggy and the Stooges. Regardless, the venue is beautiful, and it was a joy to see the renovation. A neat perk was the lunch counter in a historic little notch just off the back door to the theater. No telling how long this building has been there, but the smells from the kitchen were tempting, and the line for food was evidence of a true local ‘spot’.
But since we were in a town where I have family, my brother came in and we hit the Downtown Mall, which is one of the nicest spots to have lunch in all the land. Our restaurant of choice was a Burger Bar, which had one of the best hamburgers I’ve ever enjoyed. Then it was sound check and off site for a few hours of family time. I do love being able to see family while on the road. Speaking of, Phil had his 8-year-old on the bus with us this weekend, and she was on a tear – ‘tatting’ everyone up before the show. Mine was a guitar (I think), and Brock had New York, for some strange reason.
After the show, my brother joined us and a couple of the boys and myself hit C&O, which is a 150-year old former train stop that is now a local hang. I had dinner here for my bachelor party, and another great time was had there Friday night. I highly recommend dining there, and the local selection of wine is dee-lightful.
The next stop was somewhere in Jersey. I hate that I don’t know exactly where the bus was parked, but I looked up things to do, see, walk to, and well, we had nothing. So I stayed on site most all day, but had a visit from a guitar rep that showed me some incredible new instruments. I used one of them on stage that night, and not that anyone noticed, but I absolutely loved it. We’ll see if it makes the arsenal. More tests forthcoming.
After a few thousand folks heard the thunderous new bass and a dozen or so huge country hits, we were back on the bus, where we were catching up on the college football scores and visiting with some friends. I was asked not to mention anyone in the blog, and after assuring them I wouldn’t say anything, then here you go. (Oh the power of the pen/keystroke). One said that her dog went to heaven a couple years ago, and she was ready for another. She asked about Penny Lane, the foster dog we have (and is ready for you….anyone? Anyone?) Yes, Penny would be great, but if you are thinking of adopting, then PLEASE don’t go to the mall and get a dog – there are hundreds of amazing animals close to you right now that need a place to live. I am not a fan of breeders, either, unless you are pining for a certain AKC whatever, but again, chances are, your breed is available – and much, much cheaper than at breeder costs. And make sure you really want the animal before you commit. It’s a lifestyle change, that’s for sure.
As we headed home for the long haul, I was comfy in the fact that although a long trip, there was a Steelers game on. We looked like ass yesterday, but winning ugly seems to be our forte. We shall see what happens come Thursday here in Nashville. The thing I did NOT want to see just outside of Nashville was this sight:
Damn this traffic jam….
The bus had us home late yesterday afternoon, which gave us a little catch-up time, then it was off to Netflix/Sons of Anarchy past season time. I haven’t had a show I have really liked since, oh, the Muppet Show, so I’m digging this. And I can watch when I want, which is nice, too. And now here I sit. Lots going on this week – tonight we are playing a charity event at the Ryman for the Governor – no biggie. Then look for us on TV Thursday night as the Titans play. Big, fun week.
I hope your day off is a day off, and if not, then try celebrating the event by naming as many Columbus references that you can in a minute. Does it make you a better person? Nope, but I am pretty sure you are a better person than Columbus was. Remember that #today….
See you on the road!
