Texas was a very last minute addition to the Overrated Book tour to serve as a quasi-excuse to go see Scratch Acid in Austin. And how did it go? Great! I mean, how can’t it?
Outstanding BBQ in Houston courtesy of Thelma’s and the pipe-totin’ mofos in the Fatal Flying Guiloteens. DOMY was terrific except for showing a room of people the Steve Vai Pussy Candle video and not noticing 2 small children in the crowd. Oh well. Sometimes these things happen. I also purchased an extraordinary book called "Neubauwelt" which I’m looking forward to ripping off in the near future. Immediately afterwards, I got the chance to see Don Caballero (accurately, yet depressingly, called "Don’t Cab" by Bellini‘s Matthew Taylor) at Walter’s and pick up a Blunderbuss CD. Interesting observation: Don Cab neither sold any of their (what I’d deem essential) releases on Touch & Go nor played any of the T&G canon (at least while I was there). Wish I could’ve said howdy to Damon, but from what I could gather, he was pretty shit-hammered on stage and more importantly, I was starving. Went for pancakes and Shipley Donuts with Mike from the Guiloteens and got to bed by 3am for the drive to Austin in the morning.
So in recent months, I’ve had Mapquest lie to me. Especially on tour. Really bizarre instructions. For example, it added 2 1/2 hours (!!!!) to my return drive from Chicago on the ComOCom tour in April. Anyway, when going to Austin, I was looking at the Mapquest-generated map and thought I was besting the internet. I took I-10 to I-35 (ignoring 71 which goes straight into Austin) which on a map looks really short, but it basically put me in San Antonio and (more importantly) made me late to End Of An Ear in Austin. Showed videos, bought some records (including a sealed copy of the Servotron 9000 7" I put out in ’97!), then went to Waterloo for more record buying goodness. Eventually ended up with in-laws for dinner at the exceptional Magnolia Café and then made my way to Emo’s to see Scratch Acid (see other entry).
Special thanks on this tour go to: Roy, Mike, Shawn and all those Fatal Flying Guiloteen kids, Russell and all at DOMY, Dan and his awesome staff at End Of An Ear, the lovely and vivacious Alice Berry, The Duhons (Lita, Jackson and David) and all Dr. Pepper that I drank that was made with pure cane sugar (it never ever gets old).
Whew! Another successful week on the road, but the last to promote the book until Baltimore after the comedy tour! Be ready Baltimore! And take me for good crabs this time, dammit. I’m tired of the locals that don’t know where to go.
Don Caballero – Mmmmm Acting, I Love Me Some Good Acting
Don Caballero – And And And He Lowered The Twin Down