I Would Have to Say That They Were Neither Grand Nor Rapids

Not long ago I was wasting away in a dark little club in Grand Rapids. There has been a wealth of venues on this tour that are conviently located in the absolute middle of nowhere. Often a warehouse district, landfill or 'up and coming' areas are good spots for a rock club. There I was, stuck between a laundromat and a strip club. Killing time.

















It was one of those clubs that had so much character it made you a little sick. The showers were about as inviting as Steven Tyler's genitalia as well.
















I made these one night on the bus out of either a spark of inspiration or a moment of dull malaise. Either way I think the experiment turned out rather well.
















Detroit. Motor City, and such. Somewhere between here and there we almost all perished in a firey ball of death, but I'm trying to get past that for now. I really like Detroit in the summertime. I suppose I like most places when they are warm, but typically places like Detroit, Chicago and Minneapolis are great in the summer, and then a frigid Mr. Hyde in the winter. The last time I was in Detroit it was cold and miserable. Shocking.
















I have a couple friends who work here (as much as someone you see maybe once a year and have a beer with is a friend). It's nice to visit. The guys were wandering around in Detroit hats and D12 shirts like they owned the joint. The State Theatre was just bought out by Live Nation, the long arm of Clear Channel's law in these parts. They just bought out Irving Plaza in NY as well. The State Theatre got six new chandeliers and a couple 'vintage' Fillmore posters for the lobby. That was all. It's really more of a symbolic gesture, I think. A sort of middle finger to US anti-trust laws.















It was still a welcome change to a beer soaked club. Smoking was still permitted in Grand Rapids, which almost seemed strange. It had been ages since someone thought it was a good idea to light up a cigar behind me during a show. Not the case here however.















Sorry, still think it's funny.














I woke up this morning outside a high-end car dealership just outside of Milwaukee. Our bus driver had stopped at an auto parts store on the way to the hotel. It seems that in the fracas the other night both the engine and generator sucked up enough grass and mud to do some fairly significant damage to both. So we were waiting outside this car dealership that was overflowing with BMWs and Audis. I opened the curtain of my bunk to see Swaney (our new merch guy, actually named Bob, but seeing as there were already 3 Bobs on the tour he was rebranded) staring in the window of a luxury automibile. He was pretty dirty, unshaven, and had clearly just woken up as his hair was sticking up on end and he was wearing flip flops. Shopping for a new car. It was quite an image.















We then checked into the Ambassador Hotel. It's across the street from the club we are playing tomorrow, and just happens to be the site of at least one of Jeffrey Dahmer's, um, midnight snacks. Here's to not getting killed and eaten in my hotel room.
















Speaking of delicious things, I had the breakfast nachos for lunch today. They were basically nachos with scrambled eggs on top. I just had to see them, really.














Just as a frame of reference. There were at least 3 handfuls of nacho there.
















I love a day off. I found a bookstore and bought a $3 copy of 'The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.' Some light reading for my flight to Japan.