Sunday, October 21, 2007

Happy Santa Claus...






Billy was back on his game. His antics seemed to get worse. Karen was back in college, so he was left to manage his own free time. He drank far too much and I knew who the cocaine guys were that hung around the back stage doors. Billy wasn't an angel...hell, neither was I, but NEVER did I partake in drinking or drugs before or during a show.



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I wish I could say the temptation wasn't there for him, but it was. A few of the other members had their 'drug' of choice too. I mean, it wasn't an opium den or anything, but it was around and you knew when someone wasn't quite 'on' their game.




At Christmas, Billy had arranged for us to open a new club, and I use that term loosely. It was a banquet room in a Chinese restaurant. It was big enough, the stage was great and the dressing room was huge; but it was still a Chinese restaurant with gold and red dragons, and paper lanterns with tassels.




We made a couple TV commercials to promote the venue and event: 'Christmas Party at Lung Fung Dragon Room." I thought they sucked. Candyce and I were dressed in little red leotards and fishnets with white fur hats, long white gloves and of course, white go-go boots. It was one of those, 'walk toward the camera with a girl on each of Billy's arms, talk about the event and the girls in unison break out a Merry Christmas, Everyone' boring things.




It worked though. We filled the room, relatively speaking, but it still felt so empty because of it's massive size. The sound quality wasn't great. The drinks were in these puny little 4-oz glasses and expensive. If I had been a customer, I'd have been disappointed...but the fans didn't seem disgusted.




The band started making some money at this place, since the cover charge was ours to keep. Billy not only had us playing one show a night, Thurs-Sat; but added in an underage show on both Friday and Saturday afternoon. This would become our regular venue, playing there sometimes 2-weeks a month.




All this was fine. I didn't mind the work, but the split shifts were a drag (literally...no shower there and the makeup looked rotten at the end of the double show days) and it was twice as much laundry, twice as many pantyhose and fishnets (they don't last long), more gas money, more money for eating on the road (it was a long way from home).




I found out on accident how much more money Steve, the band and Billy were making at Lung Fung. Candyce had insisted on a raise being the 'lead' dancer, and got it. So, I asked for a raise. I was given a measly 2.50 cents more per show.




That was it. My soul was empty. My pockets were damn near empty. I was working twice as hard. I was so tired of the same old stupid dances. I was treated like a child. I was sequestered. Mostly, I saw no future. Album or no album, unless something changed, I was ready to call it quits.




My childhood sweetheart bought a pickup with a camper, so he could spend time with me. After shows, we would play Backgammon, Cribbage, Gin Rummy and talk for hours, in the little one room camper.




He had a morning job, so after going to sleep at 4:00am, he'd wake back up and drive to work, leaving me in the back to sleep. His shift was usually done by 2pm, just as I was waking up and getting hungry. He'd bring me croissants and pastry, since he drove a delivery truck for a French bakery.




We both dreamed of more. We hatched this idea of starting a 3-wheeler rental business on the Oregon Coast. This was before ATV's were so big. This was my break from the band. I would leave to pursue things more important to me.




No one in the band seemed to be disappointed when I gave 3-month notice I was leaving. I was too young to fight to keep. I would be easy to replace (trust me, this wasn't brain surgery). Billy and Karen would be taking a month off to go to Europe before the release of the album. I thought this was a good time to go, rather than endure another month of no pay.




Besides, these boys were getting too big for their britches. They were riding a high rope and all I could see were things getting uglier between the band members, acting like spoiled brats and spitting on those that got them to that plateau.




The higher the balloon climbs; when it bursts... it's a longer way to fall.



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