Open Mic
Volume 2
by
Big Daddy Abel
Published by Trestle Press at Smashwords.com
Copyright 2011 Big Daddy Abel
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient, If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return to Smashwords and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
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Hi.
Here
we are... Back again for number two.
(Well it's the second one for
me for sure.)
If this is the first time you are reading something
with my name attached
to it, I'll explain a few things that may
help put you into a place to
understand someone like me.
(That
sounded very self absorbed and narcissistic at the moment to me,
and
possibly to you, but it was for finding a perspective from
which I can
explain myself so that you might better understand me
as I see me, rather
than how some words on a screen could possibly
give the wrong idea.) The
first e-Book I typed up was, I guess, a
bit "out there" for some and for
others it aligned with
their own thoughts and feelings.
I was not trying to single out
any one specific person or particular part
of the varied cultures
that live in the United States with the first
offering from my
mind. My mindset in writing the first book was simply to
have some
fun with some sarcastic response to what was a felt heart
concept.
I
attempted to open minds and broaden awareness through the use of
questions.
I felt that no particular stance was being taken.
Just
offerings of a different point of view... through the use of
humor...
and I guess... a "fall guy".
That fall guy
being an anonymous author of an email that crossed my path
one day
and it struck a place inside of me and made me curious.
So with
that being said.. I mean typed... I hope, if you read the first
one,
you saw it for more of an opening of the "collective
consciousness"
and not a condemnation of anyone's chosen
particular beliefs.
I merely asked questions.
When
Giovanni Gelati asked if I ever considered sharing my thoughts,
here
in the digital format, I really wasn't sure how it was going
to be
received and I'm quite happy that I wasn't dragged from the
stage one
night and hung up out in the parking lot for target
practice after the
first e-Book became available. Thank you if you
read it and left your
thoughts, rating, review up on line.
So
for this one I thought perhaps I would share with you some fun
stories.
Some from the road and some from my own experiences in
life.
My
"job" is to entertain.
Getting people to laugh, dance
and sing and just have a good, fun time.
Either way, I reiterate
here now, and again, if you read the first e-book,
I am a singer,
guitar player, entertainer in a band.
The sole goal OF that band
is to create a party like atmosphere and for
people to have fun IN
that atmosphere, as it, the band, travels from bar
to bar, town to
town, and state to state.
Being in such a band... well... you meet
all walks of life.
Interesting people.
Goodhearted
individuals.
Hard working folks.
Some are sober and some are
intoxicated.
Then again that depends on what time it is and WHERE
we are.
Some are sober in the beginning of the night and you meet
a completely
different side of them as the night progresses.
This
can be LOTS of fun if you like to people watch.
From a stage
elevated above a crowd of people... the vantage point for
"people
watching" is quite exceptional!
I've
watched people in the audience, standing there with their arms
folded
and a drink in one hand, just STARE at us.
I see their
facial expression, illuminated by the reds, greens and blues
that
are flashing around from the stage lighting, either be
blank
emotionless gazes or what appears to be a VERY unhappy look
about having
left the house at ALL for the night.
So I position
myself to mimic their exact body language.
(This is best achieved
for me when it's a woman with long hair.)
While they look RIGHT AT
ME I stand just like them and mirror EVERY move
they make UNTIL I
see the realization in their eyes that I SEE them and
THEY are who
I am mimicking.
Then comes that big smile!
THAT is when making
a fool of myself is all worth it.
TO see that someone lightened up
and enjoyed the moment.
Which I HOPE will be the start of more
happy moments throughout the night.
There
have been some STRANGE things to occur too.
Things that make you
go "Hmmm" and I'm not talking about the C and C
Music
Factory song from 1990.
We played at a club in NJ that
was called Dexter's.
Near the end of the show a guy came walking
up towards the stage with his
hand extended upward as if he was
going to give something to me.
I thought it was perhaps someone's
keys or a license.
Maybe even an earring.
The closer he got the
less I could see what he had in his hand.
I just couldn't tell.
I
put out my left hand with the palm up to take from him what he
was
bringing to me.
I looked down at this triangular convex
shiny object.
To see it more clearly, I walked over to brighter
light.
I asked, into the microphone, "What is this? It kind
of looks like an eye."
The man nodded.
He had put his
glass eye into my hand.
WHY?
I didn't ASK for anyone with a
glass eye to come forward and show it to me.
Didn't ask if anyone
could show me something unique.
He just approached the stage with
it and put it in my hand.
Into the mic I said "Is this your
EYE? WHY did you give me an EYE?
That's... well... it's GROSS!!!
WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"
I... have some issues with germs... so
the fact that I didn't hurl the
glass eye out of my hand like a
frightened 4 year old little girl who has
just had worms thrown on
her was a HUGE step for me.
The
bass player, Ezekiel, came over, took the eye from my hand and put
it
in his mouth.
Luckily I didn't SEE that at THAT moment due
to the fact that I was off
running for some hand sanitizer.
Sometimes
I have seen some interesting bits of apparel fly up at the stage.
Not
often which I am fine with honestly.
There may be bands that live
for that sort of thing, but remember now... I
have that germ issue
thing going on.
If
I see an article of clothing come flying out of the dark I will
run
away from it.
Wouldn't you?
Think about it.
It's
August.
It FEELS like it's 30 million degrees Kelvin
outside.
(Yes, that's right I jumped over Celsius and went RIGHT
to Kelvin!)
100 % humidity.