It was a great night,

Halloween!

It was Halloween and we were running errands when Eric said, “I don’t know what the band is going to do for tonight’s show as far as costumes”....then he added, “I think I might go as a pregnant nun”.  His band, The Ugli Stick was playing at Monsoon’s, located at 210 Dauphin Street in Mobile that night.  As I half-listened and half had my mind on other things, I suddenly realized he was saying something about me being in the show. I was right, he was asking if I would be on stage as Dale (the lead guitarist and back-up vocalist in the band). Then, the more he spoke of it the more excited he got. My first strong thought was “no, no no”. But I knew he was so excited about it I couldn’t really refuse and feel good. So, I agreed.

He talked to Dale who also thought it was a great idea. So I wore one of Dale’s favorite 

t-shirts, it had a superman emblem on front, Dale also provided one of his hats for me. I wore my jeans and I pasted a black patch of fabric on my chin to emulate the little goatee that Dale was sporting in those days.

I was nervous about it but then I reasoned that the crowd would be really large that night and I probably would be safer and more comfortable on the stage than smashed into a crowd of dancing, flailing, fun loving people. This way I could enjoy the party and watch it with a bird’s eye view. After giving this more thought, I was all in.

When I got to the venue, Dale showed me how to hold his guitar. The plan was that he would remain in the back with the sound man. So, of course, he would be the one who was actually creating the music with his guitar back stage and I would be “fake playing” his other guitar and fake singing into a mike that was not on. It sounded like this could be fun!

Unfortunately, even though I was on the stage, I was still me and many times during the night, forgot I was Dale and did what I always do. I would sing along to all of the songs, the parts my son sang and the ones Dale sang. Then I would applaud at the end of each song. I was supposed to be a member of the band, yet I seemed to be unable to stop myself from reaching around the guitar and applauding as each song ended. 

To sum it up, as I looked back and critiqued myself, I concluded that I did not do a very good job of being “pretend” Dale. I do wish I could turn back time, as I realized how much better I could have done. But, the guys seemed pleased and the audience had a ball (which they would have done with or without me). So overall it was what it was...FUN!

The greatest percentage of the crowd knew darn well that I was NOT actually playing or singing, but there was a small percentage of them that were SO impressed that I could play and sing so well. I could see it in their faces and how they would just be so excited when I hit the strong solo guitar parts that Dale played so well.

Believe it or not I still bump into people occasionally who remember that night and tell me they never realized I could play a guitar like that. I just smile and say, “Oh it was nothing!” This is actually quite true, it was nothing on my part, the wonderful music was not coming from the guitar I held but from the absolutely fabulously talented Dale Drinkard, Jr. who was for that night, “The man behind the curtain.”

So, even though I have been credited with things that I have not accomplished and you may think I am talented in some small way, it is not true.

The rumors you hear have no validity at all.

I never ran sound for the Grateful Dead and I have NO guitar playing skills or singing ability whatsoever. Oh how I wish I did have those talents but it was never in the cards.

I can say I would do ALMOST anything for these wonderfully talented musicians. The fact is  I am the one who receives the greatest pleasure, as I am privileged to spend my life in their presence.

What a privilege it is to live in their world.