MONDAY, JULY 31

Wake Up, Email & the Purple Dye Incident
Good Lordy, I done slept till 2 P.M. Garrick and Leigh Ann already got up, went to breakfast, visited a museum, built a house of cards, painted the kitchen, did laundry, wrote a concerto and went for a walk all before I even gained consciousness.

OK I’m up and showered. Garrick, Leigh Ann and I wonder down Hollywood Boulevard to the Cyber Café where we can have coffee and hop on the internet. We all check our email and head out to get…another burger. We go to Hamburger Hamlet. Great restaurant. We ate while looking across the street at Mann’s Chinese Theatre.

On the way back, Garrick buys some purple hair dye in a store (which didn’t work, by the way). [Note from Garrick: he means the hair dye didn't work. Not the store. Damn my silky, radiant black hair!] While purchasing the hair-color-changing potion, he checks out this glitter powder stuff. Just as the clerk tells him to be careful, he spills the magical precious powdered glitter all over his hands and my boots. Garrick’s hands, along with my footwear are now glittery purple. Now we both look like a much cooler version of Barney or that Purple Teletubby. We laugh it off and proceed to walk down Hollywood Boulevard, with purple hands and feet in shining in the late afternoon sun..

Back to the hotel to relax, wash off the purple and get ready for the show. We decided to go in uniform to the IPO show. We all wore black pants and black shirts with white ties. We get the joke. In fact, we’re the ones playing the joke. Here’s a pic of Garrick and me getting our duds on and making ourselves look purty.

Bryce is gonna be late because he’s having dinner with Craig Kilborne so here’s a picture of the other three jerks in the hotel before leaving for the show.

updated editorial 2003: We had this look years before The Hives showed up on the scene.

The Gig, West Los Angeles

As soon as we walk in the club, we all feel a buzz starting around the room. People in the club begin to stare and we're feeling pretty high. The we realize the buzz is in our heads and it's a result of the overpowering smell of varnish coming from the building next door where they just had their floors redone. It’s almost too much to take in certain areas of the club. Soon, the entire room becomes high on Thompson’s Water Seal. Throughout the course of the evening, hundreds of thousands of brain cells will be murdered in a senseless act of sealing a floor. While onstage Garrick advised the audience to save money on drinks and just sit there and inhale.

Some people recognize us (believe it or not) and stop by to say hello and wish us a good show. (Note from Garrick: well, they recognize those of us who were in the band last year at this time). Finally Bryce and Angela show up. To pass the time before the show, we mock Bryce. Here we are. Wave hello.

The Show
We took the stage around 9:30. We always try to play the best show we possibly can. But sometimes not everything goes according to plan. Tonight, however, was one of those nights where the stars lined up just right. Between the energy level on stage, the great vibe coming from the crowd, the cool atmosphere of the club and the great monitor mix, this was no doubt one of the best shows we’ve ever played in white ties. We all felt good on stage. Here’s the set list and some grainy pictures of us during the performance.

After the show, we basked in rock and roll warm fuzzies. We hung out, tossed back a few and met a bunch of people (many of them from Europe and Australia) who had very nice things to say about our band. We'd accomplished exactly what we came to L.A. to do. And now in the tradition of rock and roll excess, it was time to eat some wicked pastrami.

We stop at the deli and head back to the hotel. I’m leaving tomorrow so I pack my bags for the trip home and eat a sandwich. This pastrami rules all. The mother of all pastrami.

It’s now 2:00AM and I have to wake up at 4:00AM in order to get to the airport, return the rental car and catch my flight. I turn on the Cartoon Network and am lulled to sleep by Bugs Bunny. Good night, Doc.

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