so i catch the ferry to south of vancouver. the ferry is unadventful as par usual. now to get to the american border, you have to drive thru a place called white rock which is a very yuppified bedroom cummunity for vancouver. very expensive real estate. then i get to the border. as i am a buddhist and have an indian guru sai baba who emphasizes the truth, i told the border guard, i was going to 2 louies to see todd. well, he decided to search my drunk, which had very liittle in it except a little food that i was to survive on. but actually after asking me what i did (he didnt seem to take to kindly to marriage counsellor - bad marriage/divorce???), he sent me thru. well you know i'd never turned off the exit to get into blaine. but blaine used to be a very sleazy place with just gas stations and gambling joints for canadians. now its just a sleazy ghost town cause of gas prices and the exchange rate, canadians just don't bother. but no 2 louies there. so back on the freeway. found a tourist bureau that had never heard of 2 louies but had a pay phone - my mother always told me to carry a quarter. and a real live person told me where it was. next turn, down 20 miles towards the ocean, turn right for a few more miles and there it is, 2 louies, looks like a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. someone had written todd on a big piece of paper with magic marker, in 'the between tokes' style. i was the first 1st there besides the todd bus. a few folks showed up. then 1 of those new wolksvagons pulled in. it had been completely air brushed with album cover pictures of todd. absolutely amazing... art as good as the albums. so eventually todd came out after sound check, sat in the car for pics and signed the back of the car.
so eventually they open the doors, we found front tables in the bar and wait... for about 3 hours - and couldn't drink much as i had to drive after. then todd hits the stage. the room, not really very full, goes wild, everyone goes for the stage. the song list was the same as i had read. but very laid back. stopped into the 3rd song, reset the sound, played thru, reset the sound and replayed the chorus very loud!!! and it just got louder and louder. just an amazing concert. many highlights. todd didnt talk a lot, played straight for over 2 hours. 1 of the big highlights was a solo on the ukelele (sp.?). he introduced it as an hawaiian folk song and proceeded to sing bang on the drum as a folk song! we want that on patronet!!!
i helped ed with the patronet flyers a bit. not that big a crowd. the new version ed had looks awesome!
so i left, unable to hear, and made my way south to bellingham where they still have motels, and next day managed to make it back to the border, after discovering that bellingham has gone down the tubes as well...
that border - reminds me of the iran - afgani border in '73. iran looked like a mid west state with american $ investment everywhere. afganistan was like the 17th century. everyone rode a horse and carried a gun, usually an ak47. and the iranies treated you like shit and the afganis were the friendliest, poorest people i have ever meet.
so thanks to all, and very special thanks to todd for going back to the bars in blaine, wa.
