pix from scott's tribute show

all photos from writer & local gadabout greg goodsell :)

slim the drifter tribute tonight

-> read bako's top newsman bob price's profile of scott "slim the drifter" sturtevant here: http://www.bakersfield.com/138/story/174197.html
-> price got it right, as usual. he always writes with conviction & heart, about what he knows - crucial so that a piece doesn't smell of phoniness (i write this from sore experience - used to get slapped a lot in journalism days - always AFTER going to press - for being the self-professed expert of the world). a true leader knows him or herself, & bob price truly seems to. :) another solid local writer i really admire is steve mayer (music figures heavily in the lives of both fellows, too... hmm...)
-> tonight will be the slim the drifter memorial tribute show at fishlips, 18th st downtown between chester & eye. the show starts at 7 pm & will feature a whole bunch of friends & admirers of scott. the show was arranged by scott's dear friend jean errasseret, who also this wk published a very nice obit for scott in the local daily. some of the performers tonight will be tanner & monty byrum; glenda robles; & several others who play out more & are much better known than yours truly. my friend greg will do some spoken word. eddie ruff's coming out for one song, then going home. i'll do two solo songs right before 3 chord whore goes onstage: i know scott would've dug my one-woman band set-up, so it'll be a fitting place to debut it. :) "scott woulda loved this," said jean. "all his friends gathered around to play music and talk about HIM." :)

"i'll never love another even if i can, come to me baby, i'm a 1-woman band"

-> woohoo! tonight i got tired of waiting for all the proper gear & bungeed a high hat to my little keyboard's stand so that when the bass drum pedal kicks back, it hits the high hat. then i learned a slim the drifter song for an upcoming tribute show (june 27 at fishlip's). i might not be a punk, but i have been a drunk, so i could relate to the song. scott wrote some strong stuff, & 3 chord whore's shantell flattered me by saying she thinks of me singing when she hears this particular tune, one i'd heard before & liked, in that thrilling creepy-crawly alcoholic way (reading bukowski does the same)... up til tonight i didn't know if i could play piano, sing, & kick the drum at the same time. whoopee!! the drums sound like the cramps... you know, on the early LPs where they really couldn't play? i don't care, tho - what fun! how nice of shantell to think of me - i don't even care if i get to be part of the show - this lit the fire of a new experience under my butt!
-> my spouse walked in, saw my set-up, & intoned, smiling weirdly, "you are a tweaker."

"please give my regards to every trick on the road"

he was supposed to go for years & years. people'd say "i thought he was dead!!" but he endured.
still, the news today from greg was shocking - that someone we knew (his longest off-on friend, since both were age 5, over 40 yrs ago) finally passed. the fellow, a whisky-voiced local cult-legend punk "karaoke cowboy" singer-songwriter, i knew off & on for decades, too. he was always creating, always destroying. charming, known by hundreds, admired, despised, followed like a messiah, ignored like a bum, with personality as big & brittle & quirky & ingratiating & difficult as they come, lantern-jawed, talented, six-foot tall, crooked-grinned, a man in black, one of a kind. he loved my husband, who helps men who drink too much, more than he loved me - i was a s**theel, in his eyes, i think, but that's ok because for a while, i was the one who had to collect the dough from him to print our little paper. i called his brother the policeman to try to prompt an intervention. i had to be the bad guy. (brian IS a better person than me, too, & i know it, so that helps - people who prefer brian are just correct in so doing.)
greg said he was in reno, that he'd been sick, & his wife confirmed that he had passed away friday. i can't help but wonder if he really died - i hope that's not too disrespectful. it's just that he endured for so long, & there've been rumors before of his demise... today his myspace pages were active. it's just hard to believe he's finally gone - we weren't close, but he seemed like he'd always be there someplace, testament to the strength of the life force...
i hope that he's just trying to dodge bill collectors... but if he is gone, that he didn't suffer.
he will live on for me, no matter what has happened. i'm glad to have known him, & it doesn't matter what he thought of me. maybe you knew him, too - you can follow this link to others, to listen to his music, get hold of his friends, loved ones, & admirers. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=107645710