watt spiel from the stooges reunion gig on april 27, 2003

p.s. an excerpt from the april 27 part of my tour spiel (regarding the
stooges reunion gig ):

it's crazy at the stage - we were put in a van after the golf cart
ride and now are driven right up to the stairs - it's kind of chaotic
but I get my bass on. we're not like we practiced coming on stage but
somehow we get out there and I go to plug in - it's the wrong chord and
my tuner's nowhere to be found! whatever, I plug into what get's handed
me and I notice the mics not on the good cabinet - it's on the beat up
one! this is funny. well, "a poor carpenter blames his tools," I've
heard said so it's no time to get fussy now. iggy starts the gig. a big
fever flash comes on me and I hit a note on the first hit ron and scott
do for "loose" - I'm not supposed to do that! aaarrgggghhhh - this is a
wake-up call that I'm gonna have to focus hard and fight the spaceyness
this sickness is trying to put on me. I put my eyes right on ig hold on
tight. we're off. man, is iggy wild on stage - running all over the
place and he's singing good, like a champ. I feel more pale and whiter
than a winding sheet but I think I got the fire inside to make this
work. I can't believe I'm playing w/the stooges - it just occurs to me
what is happening and it's really blowing my mind but I hold hard to
course and follow the igster, who's totally in his game - it's his stage
for sure. I stay back where my amps are to give him plenty of room. he's
so inspirational, I'm giving everything I got and my eyes are glued on
him. the next tune is "down on the streets" and the sound comes together
more. the wind is playing havoc w/the sound from ron's amps but my bass
is ok if not a little muddy. I'm not going to fuck w/it though cuz it
does a heavy thing that's working w/scotty's drums. iggy's spinning like
a top and singing in fine form. when ron's big solo comes, ig jumps past
me and right on top of my amps and starts humping them big time. I turn
around to see it better and it's like "whoa - can you believe this?!"
the whole thing is so surreal to me, it's hard to believe this is all
happening. "1969" is next and this is a mad stomp, iggy tearing it up
w/lots of fucks in his speech but all in the right way. scotty's got the
bellydancer beat down good. I'm able to hold on good now, the sickness
must be in check through adrenaline now in me. I don't know exactly but
I am very much fired up in the head and try to shake my body up too but
it's hard. iggy comes to dance in front of me, as if to help out. man,
is he something - wild! I still can't believe this. we go into "I wanna
be your dog" and I do the riff like iggy showed me in prac - it's good
this way w/a happening pulse. I'm trying to remember everything he told
me in the last two days and put it here in practice cuz it all made good
sense. I watch his feet, I watch his hands, I watch every spin and jump
he lets fly - I feel like one of the kids in the crowd, watching the gig
but I also get to play along somehow, it's wild. oh my god, "tv eye"
next and I force my shit to get shook up as much as I can make it
happen. this song has always made me crazy and wild, since I was
younger. I let it rip now - I let it rip but I hang on to the groove, I
know iggy's counting on me for that - everything to stay in their w/the
drums and give him and ron a foundation to wail on. I don't play in the
last part so I get the right cord (the one w/the right-angle) changed
out and try to get my tuner hoked up but jos plugs it into the footswich
jack. I get it together just as scotty starts his floor tom roll - time
to slow things up a little w/"dirt" but for some reason, ig stops us
after a few bars and asks if we're in the right key and I say, "yes" and
so he says, "start it again" and so we do. that was trippy. I don't know
if you'd really call that a clam cuz maybe it was sounding weird to him.
whatever, iggy croons this one smooth and I dig it much. I came down on
the volume some so I can still play it w/balls, like ig wants me to but
it won't bogart up all the sound w/blurry stuff, like for a blaster
tune. this has always been a favorite of mine, together w/"tv eye" and
I'm so glad we're doing it - ron never liked doing it when we had j
mascis instead of iggy. I think he smokes on this tune and am so into us
doing it here. iggy really refined the middle part for me and dances all
mysterious and twisty w/it. the only sizable clam of the whole gig comes
at the end when scotty ends the tune a few bars early but me and ron
feather it down to dovetail w/iggy so he's not left all alone. scotty's
playing great though and this is a minor thing, very minor. iggy hollers
"no fun" and we're into that one. here's where fever comes on me again
for a moment and I lose some focus, at the beginning of verse two I play
in 'd' instead of 'e' - aaaaaarrrrrrrggggghhhhh... I corrected quick but
I realize I have to keep a tight hold on and re-double my efforts to
focus on iggy. fuck this sickness! iggy intoduces the band, "we are the
stooges - here's ron, scotty, new guy mike and I'm fuckin' iggy!!!" wow,
I would've never thought in my wildest dreams I would be a real stooge -
this is a very big mindblow for me, incredible. we launch into "1970"
and it's clear the decks! iggy is flying around like a tornado and
swinging the mic, whoa! at the end, here comes steve mackay on the same
sax he used on "fun house" - whoa. "out of my mind, saturday night!"
iggy sings - out of my mind, sunday night - that's what I'm thinking
right now about my current state - this is all so hard to believe it's
happening. I can't believe I'm getting through it too. I haven't really
looked at the crowd cuz of the focus on my boss but they've been
sounding wild about each throw we make. they're very kind cuz I'm
thinking how many were even born when these songs were written but then
again, these tunes are way fucking timeless and will always blast! whay
an honor to do the bass for them, much respect! iggy looks at me and
says "fun house" so I lay down the lick and he lets out a giant
"uuuuuhhh!!" that thumps me silly. whoa! yes! I've heard that intro ten
million times but to be actually part of the real deal - it's crazy to
even fathom - I'm caught up in it so. however, I don't lose site of the
job at hand and get the dynamic down for ig to sing the verses and then
ramp it up for the choruses. I take it down an octave for the "we've
been separated..." parts and then kick it way up for the freak out of
"l.a. blues" after ig sings "the fun house boy will steal your heart
away!" mines done stole and we finish up w/iggy telling the crowd "I am
you" and pounding the stage. whoa, fortyseven minutes and we're done.
one of the gigs of my lifetime. love to you, d. boon - you were there
w/me the whole time, keeping me strong enough. I get my bearings
straight and bow towards the northeast before putting my bass down. much
love carried me through this. to think I was curled up and shivering
just a minutes before we went on. many, many, many thanks from watt.
back to the trailer and we take some pictures. I'm really weak so I
can't stay too long except to thank ig, ron, scotty, art - what a moment
for me. I'm so glad I could help out instead of ruining things. what a
gift that I'll never take for granted. the chili pepper have me join in
their pre-gig circle and we silently give thanks and I say "love
supreme" when we break hands so they can play their gig. time for me now
to get back to pedro.

see http://hootpage.com/hoot_thecordthattourdiary4.html for more

> ....

Sir:

While I understand the use of structure to underscore the rant-like
nature of the missive, I must ask you:

what has the paragraph ever done to you?

"I might like you better if you hit a hard return once in a while ..."