29/09/2009 05:10:22 AM -0400
A long time before this flight & during another flight, I remembered one of my favorite flights. When, en route from Amsterdam, Bill gripped my forearm tightly mouthing, Agent, then in half conversation on a phone from the headrest in front, he slowly and in this order said, 7:20, no, yes, okay, kay, no, on time, what time is Scarlet arriving, okay, then looked at me smiling & saying, no it's been a good flight, okay bye. We had met in a little bar in Amsterdam three nights before. The band and I were there drinking after a show, a show where we had played to an empty room not including the staff. Not that anyone had made a conscious decision not to come, it was just that they had made a conscious decision to go somewhere else and anyway no one knew who we were yet. Bill had wandered over from the bar towards our table which was banked by a low red leather sofa. Chimp the drummer told Bill to fuck off, that it was a private party man. I thought to myself how the conversation had become too business orientated & introspective to be a party so I said, hey Chimp cool it man, he can stay, so he did, we all did, we stayed drinking, smoking and laughing till way past dawn & then into the next night & then just when the second dawn appeared, I said so which one of us is Fast Eddy & which one is Preacher & which one is George C Scott & which one is Minnesota Fats? Patty took a long toke and said Bill is Fats 'cause you look beautiful Fats all pink & puffed up like a ball, Bill pulled a big smile mimed washing his hands & then looked over at Chimp who had chosen to become George C Scott & in his turn Chimp said, stick with him Fats this kid's a loser. I turned to Jelly & said what did he just say Charlie? Jelly said nothing and just burst into tears saying I can't remember my lines we all laughed and kissed and stroked her until she stopped. Then Bill looked over at the girls behind the bar & said, Hey Preacher go down the street & get me a bottle of J&B, we all laughed and said in unison preacher get me two. A street cleaner drove past so we left.......