Nick's...The Story Continues

After John had decided that it was in his best interest to sit down, shut up and continue to run up his overdue bar tab, George looked at me.

“Why don’t you play a few more tunes dude?” he smiled. “Hell, you can’t leave us hangin’!”

“Sure.” I said. “But first, I’ve gotta get a Kamikazi.” I said.

George signaled for Shelley, the bartender, to come over.

“Darlin’, get the guitar dude a Kamikazi on the house.” He told her.

“What’s his name?” she asked.

“Ron” I said.

She looked me over for a second.

“You don’t look like a ‘Ron’.” She said.

“I’m gonna hate myself for asking but….what do I look like?” I asked.

She thought about it for a minute. Then she just shook her head and went to make my drink.

About that time, a little old lady walked up.

“Sir, do you know any Eagles songs?” she asked sweetly.

“Yes ma’am…I know a few.” I replied. “What did you have in mind?”

“Do you know, “Desperado”?” she asked.

“Yes ma’am…I love that song.” I said.

She looked at me with a funny little smile and chuckled.

“Well, please don’t play that song!” she said. “My old man thinks he’s a Desperado and he loves that song!”

I laughed.

“So…which Eagle’s song do you want to hear?” I asked.

“I don’t know…you pick one.” She told me.

“Ok, how about, “Hotel California”. I asked.

“Well shit NO!” she spat. “That one is all about devil worship!"

George looked at me with a helpless grin.

“Well ma’am, what would you like me to play?” I asked politely.

She thought about it for a bit.

“How about that one about the wings?” she suggested.

I was thinking but coming up empty.

“C’mon…you know what I’m talking about!” she insisted.

“I’m racking my brain ma’am but, I can’t think of an Eagles song about ‘wings’.” I explained.

She was beginning to become agitated.

“It’s the one about the wind and the wings!” she almost shouted it.

I finally knew what she was talking about!

“Oh yeah, you mean ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ but…that’s not an Eagles song. It was done by Gary Morris and Bette Midler did it as well.” I said.

She looked at George and hooked her thumb at me.

“Just tell him to sing the friggin’ song George! Ain’t that what he’s here for?” She asked testily. She then just spun around and wobbled back to her table.

George looked at me and chuckled.

“You just met Mary.” He said. “She owns the shop next door and that’s about as sober as you’ll ever see her! The old man sittin’ with her is Albert, her husband.”

“Poor old bastard.” I said.

“Shit, wait till you meet him. He’s a fuckin’ nut.” He said.

Shelley brought my drink and sat it down in front of me.

“Thanks.” I said.

“You look like a Rick to me.” She smiled and walked off.

I looked at George and he grinned.

“Hell, she does that to everybody. According to her, I should be a Mike.” He laughed and turned to John. “Hey John, what’s your ‘Shelley name’?”

John made a ‘why me?’ kind of face.

“The dizzy broad say’s I should be a fuckin’ Archibald!” He said indignantly. “And fuck yuns.....Mikey!”

“Scotty shoulda been a Dennis according to Shelley but, don’t tell him I told you…..it makes him madder than hell!” George chuckled.

Scotty walked up to me and leaned in close.

“Dude, that little waitress over there LOVES you! You’ve gotta play some more.” He whispered. “She’s the one with the long hair.”

He nodded in the direction of a really cute black haired girl waiting on a table directly behind him. She was hot!!

Well hell….of course I was gonna play some more!

I sat there at the bar and played a bunch of songs taking requests and shootin’ the breeze with my new friends. Before I knew it, it was past one a.m. and everyone was buzzed. I finally told everybody that I was done for the night.

“Oh bullshit! It’s the shank of the evening!” George said. “I ain’t never met a musician who couldn’t stay out late!”

“Yeah well, I don’t mind it either when I’m working but, I ain’t working and I’m going home.” I told him.

“Yuns done got paid a hunnert gotdamned bucks! Hell, if that ain’t getting’ paid, I don’t know what the fuck it is.” John hollered so loud that the whole world could hear.

“Hey....that was for winning the bet you drunk little bastard!” I laughed.

“Yuns is gonna incur mah wrath if yuns keeps on offenden me! He said. “I’ll have yuns know, ahm a fairly dangerous man once I gets mah wrath up!"

“Dangerous my achin’ ass John! Hell, there ain’t a woman in this place who couldn’t stomp a friggin’ mudhole in your ass!” Scotty laughed.

John had a shocked look on his face then slowly stood up, turned to wave his arm across the whole room.

“Ah has had it! Fuck ALL yuns!” he shouted then slapped the bar and sat back down.

We were all howling!

After the laughter died down, Scotty looked at George.

“Cousin…why don’t hire this old boy to play for real?” he asked.

George looked at me.

“What do you say?” he asked.

“Sure, I like this place.” I responded.

He asked me how much I would charge him per night. I told him.


“Jeez dude, that’s a little on the high side ain’t it?” he asked.

“Speakin’ of ‘high’….I get free beer too.” I laughed.

“Son, you’ve got a high opinion of your worth!” he growled. “I wouldn’t pay James fuckin’ Taylor that much!”

“Well, at least I found a good place to drink and talk shit anyway.” I laughed. “I’m sure I’ll find someplace to play around here.”

“Not for that kind of money.” He snapped.

“George, if yuns don’t hire this old boy, ah may be forced to take my considerable bidness elsewhar!” John said.

“Shelly, get John’s tab settled up. He’s takin’ his business elsewhere!” George deadpanned.

“Now damn it George, don’t get all shitty on me!” John said. “Yuns knows dadgummed well this old boy’s better than any of them other half assed players yuns been havin’ in here!”

“He’s right George. That last one you hired sounded like a fuckin’ cow givin’ birth!” Scotty chimed in.

Shelley walked over.

“George, I vote you hire ole Rick here.” She smiled at him.

“Since when do you get a vote on who I hire?” he snarled. "and his name ain't fuckin' Rick."

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

“Since I’m the one who has to serve the assholes who come in here to listen to dirt bags like that Dave McCoy dickhead!” she sneered. “I could go back to working for Charlie if you think I’m bein’ too damned bossy!”

“She got yuns there George!” John slapped the bar.

“I’ll tell you what I’ll do….I’ll throw in drinks and dinner if you knock off twenty five bucks.” George grinned at me.

“Anything I want to drink and dinner…right?” I asked.

“Yep.” He answered.

“I’ll go for that.” I said.

We shook hands.

“You shoulda took the first price George. I’m a Kamikazi drinkin’ fool!” I laughed.

He hung his head and muttered.

“I always get the shitty end of the stick!”

So…that’s how it all began.

I went on to play at Nick’s almost every weekend and sometimes during the week for over four and a half years. Later on, I also managed the place after Scotty went back to Florida.

I had a ball!

The next night was a memorable one. My first night was a Saturday as I recall. I got my sound system set up early in the day and did a sound check. After I was finished, I went to the office where George was doing paper work.

We sat and talked for a bit until there was a knock on the door. George yelled for whoever it was to come in.

A skinny long haired dude came in smiling.

“Hey George, I thought I was playing here tonight.” He said.

“Well, you thought wrong Dave. We didn’t agree to that.” George said.

“I just thought we had a standing deal George.” Dave said. He was no longer smiling.

“Like I said Dave, you thought wrong. You ain’t bad but, you’ve got a pretty rough bunch that comes in to listen to you. I’ve had complaints so….I’m going with someone else.” He explained.

“Who’d you get to replace me?” he asked angrily.

George pointed to me and I half stood and offered him my hand.

“How’re you doin’ Dave, I’m Ron.” I said.

He just stared at me without shaking my hand.

“I ain’t shakin’ your hand, you took my job.” He said. “I’ve got a family to feed.”

Well, that just PISSED ME OFF!

“First off, I didn’t take your job, George offered it to me. Secondly, if you were feedin’ a family on what this cheap fucker was payin’ you, they must be starvin’ to death.....and third, you’re a fuckin’ jerk.”

George was laughing his ass off.

“Fuck you!” Dave shouted and looked like he was mad enough to fight me.

I laughed.

“Listen Dave, I don’t know you from Adam but you need to take your skinny ass out of here before you do something stupid. There’s gotta be other places for you to play.”

“Fuck you!” he said again.

I stood up but George popped out of his chair and came between us.

“Dave, I was tryin’ to be nice to you but, it ain’t ONLY that crowd of inbred cousin fuckers that follow you around!” He said with a menacing look on his face. “The main reason is that you SUCK!”

Dave just stood there looking shocked.

When he recovered he spoke again.

“I ain’t never had no complaints before.” He whined.

“Well, now you have! Get the fuck out of here and I don’t wanna see you back in here again!” George shouted.

Dave looked stupefied. Not knowing what else to say to George, the moron looked at me a pointed a long skinny finger.

“I ain’t forgettin’ you asshole.” He shouted.

“I’ll always have fond memories of you too Davey boy.” I smiled. “Now, go home and tell the kiddies that you’re back to workin’ on the trash truck!”

He started to say something else but George got in his face. Well, actually, Dave towered over George by a good six inches but that didn’t matter to George.

“Don’t make me tell you again Dave. You know I don’t fuck around….I’ll kick your gotdamned ass all over this office. Now….GO!” he said. “And if you try and start any trouble, I’ll put Scotty on your ass!”

Dave turned and walked away.

George looked at me and grinned.

“Scotty’s just lookin’ for a reason to kick his ass.”

“Looks like I’m makin’ friends fast around here!” I laughed. “That’s a new one on me. What a little prick.”

“Yeah well, watch out for him, he’s a low life fucker.” He warned.

“What the hell have you gotten me into?” I asked.

“Ah fuck him….you’re gonna love it here. We’ve got some good folks around here and they’re gonna love your stuff.” He assured me.

Later that night, I came back around eight o’clock and there was a good crowd.

George, John and Scotty were seated in the seats they had occupied the night before. As I approached the bar, John hopped up.

“Ladies and gentlmen, our troubadour has done arrived to entertain us!” he shouted to no one in particular. “Yuns is gonna love this big sumbitch!”

People started clapping and whistling.

I think I actually blushed.

I took a small bow.

“This sumbitch was drunk on his ass when I played here last night so I wouldn’t trust his judgement.” I addressed the room and then took a seat beside George.

“No fucking pressure now is there?” I laughed. “Thanks a lot John.”

I ordered a beer and something to eat.

While I was eating, George asked me when I was going to start playing.

“I don’t know…how about nine or nine thirty?” I asked.

“Why so late?” He asked.

“Well…I have to sort of get in the mood first.” I replied.

“As much as I’m payin’ you, you oughta damn well be in a great fuckin’ mood already!” he snapped.

“George….the man is a gotdamned arteest! Yuns cain’t ‘spect him to punch a damned time clock!” John declared.

“Yeah George.....what John said.” I laughed.

“Arteest my ass!” George growled.

“Chill out George, I’m gonna crank it up soon.” I promised.

I got finished eating, ordered, then consumed a Kamikazi and went to the stage area. The back room was separated from the main restaurant area by a huge see-through window without glass and an open double door so, it wasn’t really separate at all.

The back room contained seating at tables for approximately seventy people and featured a small hardwood dance floor.

As I reached the stage, I could hear the crowd, mostly locals since it wasn’t really tourist season yet.

There was a murmur as I’m sure some folks were wondering who the hell the unknown guy was. As usual when playing a new place, I was pretty nervous.

Just then, George, John, Scotty and several other folks came in and sat down at a group of tables they had pushed together. I didn’t know the four women who were with them but, they were all babes.

John walked up to the stage.

“Hey bro….yuns oughta turn that microphone on at let me introduce yuns to these folks.” He grinned. "Them's my peeps!"

“What you oughta do is shut the hell up.” I told him. “You’ve done enough damage.”

“Why the hell is everybody always tellin’ me to shut up?” he asked. “Ahm a nice guy!”

“You’re a freakin’ nutcase is what you are.” I laughed. “I can introduce myself John.”

He turned away feigning dejection. John’s whole life was lived as though he were playing a role on stage. He was a friggin’ nutcase but…a lovable one.

Everybody loved John.

I strapped on the guitar, sat on my stool and addressed the crowd.

The place was packed. I hoped it would stay that way once I started playing.

“Hi there, I’m the new guy…Ron. If ya’ll don’t like me, remember that it’s John’s fault that I’m here so, blame him not George and Scotty. John said if they didn’t hire me, he would take his liquor business elsewhere and NO bar can take that kind of loss so….here I am.”

Most folks there knew John and of course, he stood up and took several dramatic bows as he basked in the attention and the crowd roared.

I honestly don’t remember the first song I ever played there but, when I got through with it, I realized I had found a home.

The crowd was great. They were the kind of folks you really enjoy playing for. They partied hard but they were really into music.

I played the set out and took a break.

As I was walking through the crowd, a big dark haired guy grabbed my right arm. He was sitting at a table with a bunch of people including a really good looking woman.

She was almost stunningly beautiful.

“Man, we really like the way you play!” He spoke loudly so as to be heard over the crowd and the house music which someone had turned on. “Let me buy you a drink.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off the woman! I had noticed her while I was playing but, with the stage lights in my eyes, I couldn’t see her very well. She was the epitome of the reason they call women ‘attractive’, hell she was damn near magnetic. Not in a flashy way….she was just freaking beautiful.

“Sure, I appreciate it.” I said.

I looked for and found a chair and sat down with them.

“I’m Stub.” He said and offered me his left hand. I shook it as I looked at his right arm which was missing a hand a third of the way up his forearm.

He saw me looking.

“Bet you can’t guess how I got the nickname!” he grinned.

I laughed.

“I’m Ron and yeah, I think I can figure it out.” I said.

He introduced me to everyone at the table saving the beautiful woman for last.

“And last but not least, this is my wife Melissa.”

My heart dropped.

“Nice to meet you Melissa but, I wish I’d have met you before you met this guy.” I said.

She smiled.

“Well, I’ll be honest with you Ron….I love your music, you’re very talented and a fine lookin’ fella but, this guy here is THE MAN!” she laughed.

Stub looked at me and grinned.

“Hey, what can I tell you dude?” he asked. “The man upstairs didn’t give me a whole right arm but, he made up for it by giving me dick like a Louisville Slugger!” He said and the whole table howled.

I laughed and looked at Melissa. She grinned and smiled.

“It’s true…that sumbitch can make a donkey hang his head in shame!” She said.

I was laughing my ass off.

I liked these folks.

After hanging out with them a little while, I excused myself and went to the table where George was sitting.

“I see you met Stub and Melissa.” He said.

“Yeah, I didn’t know she was married. Damn, that’s a good lookin’ woman.” I said.

“Yeah she is and Stub’s a hell of good guy.” He said.

George told me to sit down and introduced me to everyone seated at the table.

One of the people he introduced me to was a black haired nice looking young guy with a damned good lookin', big breasted girl seated at his right arm.

His name was Dan. Her name was Diane.

“Nice to meet ya’ll.” I said.

“Hey man, my wife thinks you should be in Nashville. You’re damned good.” He said.

I laughed.

“Yeah well, Nashville don’t agree with ya’ll. I damned near starved to death tryin’ to make it there but…thanks a lot anyway.”

“Well, Nashville’s loss is our gain.” He said. “Do you ever play private parties?”

“Sure.” I said.

“Great!” He said. “How ‘bout Sunday at our place?”

“Well yeah, I suppose so.” I answered.

“Great, here’s my card. Call me Sunday morning and I’ll have someone come over and pick you up and get all your stuff.”

“OK.” I said tentatively. “Shouldn’t we talk money before you commit?”

“Nah….I can afford you, I’m a member of the lucky sperm club dude. I’m loaded ‘cause my Daddy is loaded!” He laughed. “Just come ready to have some fun.”

“Well, I’m not tryin’ to be rude here Dan but, I’ve heard that kind of shit before and got stiffed.” I said honestly.

“Ron, this lucky mutherfucker’s a gotdamned billionaire.” George said. “God comes to him for loans!”

“No shit?” I asked.

Dan looked at me and grinned kind of sheepishly.

“No shit man, it’s sickening to have so much money that I really don’t deserve but, fuck it…it’s my cross to bear!” He laughed. “Hey, somebody has to be the rich guys son…so…I guess I’m it!”

I laughed.

“Well, if George vouches for you, I guess I’m cool with it. When do you want me there?” I asked.

“I’ll have someone come get you about four in the afternoon.” He said. “I tell you what…I’m gonna give you whatever cash I’ve got in my pocket…..if that’s not enough to suit you….I’ll double it.”

Being the greedy bastard I am, I figured that would be a great deal!

“Ok.” I said.

He reached into his front left pants pocket and came up empty. He tried the right one. Again empty. He reached in his back pocket, whipped out a wallet and extracted an amount of money which left me speechless……..seventeen dollars!

He looked at me and smiled.

“Hey man, that’s how rich people get rich….we screw the little guys!” he laughed.

I should have been mad but, a deal was a deal and…I had been outwitted. Besides, I liked the guy’s style.

He was funny.

“Ok…it’s a deal but, you know you’ve gotta pay the big bucks right?” I laughed. “You said you would double it if I didn’t like the amount so…you’re payin’ me the whole $34.00 bucks asshole!"

Well hell, you’de have thought I’d had said something REALLY hilarious!

He laughed and slapped the table.

“Ok…$34.00 it is but, you better be ready to fuckin’ PERFORM dude! Hell, I heard someone say that you can get Travis friggin’ Tritt for $45.00!”

I just laughed….I had the feeling that this was gonna be a great party!

Hell, I’d have played it for free just to see what a billionaire party was like!

To Be Continued Ya’ll….I’m exhausted!!! Michelle and I got lost in the woods on our own friggin’ property today! I’m not kidding. Molly, our little cocker spaniel, took off after a deer today and headed up the mountain in hot persuit.

She was gone for a long time so, Michelle aka Superwoman decided to go search for her.

I.... like the moron I am, decided to accompany her. The woods are so overgrown on the mountain above our house that, once up the hill a ways….we got turned around in the thicket of laurel, rhododendron, thorns and underbrush and it took us an hour or more to get back to the old lumber road which leads to the back of our house!

It was a lot of fun but….tiring.

It was a great day for making memories!

See ya'll tomorrow.