The Gods Of Now On Tour – Day 7

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Day 7

I wake up in a panic. How the hell can the night guy pay for parking when he has to put the ticket on the dashboard INSIDE the Banyion – he doesn’t have the key.

I throw my clothes on and tear downstairs. God this place stinks! The woman at the front (the one is Russian and her accent is killer) is very friendly but can’t help me out with the parking. Thankfully the Banyion is still there!

But really, I can’t take this. I call and see if we can do something. I go back to the hotel and wait for the new. God this place is a dive. I hate the vibe here. And the smell is pathetic. Too bad because the service people are good people.

The call comes and we’re out of there The Hotel is very cooperative. They say no problem just be out by check-out. That’s in 15 min!!!. I explain the situation – new news too… The show tonight has been postponed until the 15. That’s better than playing to noone so that’s cool. Then I say we’re moving hotels. And we have to be out in 15 min. so grab your stuff.

Alex is up and packing. Zasta and Jon are asking where we’re going and are we going to eat – “You’re still in bed!!!!!” I say trying to hit home the urgency of the situation. They spring into action. We’re out in about 4 min.

On the way to the New Hotel we pass by a few breakfast places. Everyone wants to stop to eat. We call out the places as we pass ‘em. Only one sticks in our collective consiousness. The Sandman in West Edmonton. I like the area – hotels roam free, restaurants and Grills (Pete’s, Mike’s, Bob’s, Moxy’s) meet, fuck and have little hotel’s and restaurants. I go to get us checked in.

The Lobby is impressive. Very tasteful and modern. I see the clerk – hot-as-hell Japanese girl who tells me her name is Yan. Oh my God!!! Her Japanese accent could kill. Amazingly pretty girl. She reminds me of my Japanese friend Asako and makes me miss her. Yan is sooo beautiful and has an even nicer personality than that!

She checks us in and I go back out to the boys in the band. We park and pile into the hotel room. It’s smaller than the Stank Hotel we were just in but this one smells like a hotel. Clean, inviting. That smell makes me sleepy and I like it. A knock. Service guy brings us the cot we asked for. Zasta’s turn to sleep on it – everyone enjoys the sleep alone. Unless you’re holding a girl who is soft, pliable and great to fuck it is not a nice thing to sleep with another. I keep sing the song “I don’t like to sleep alone” in my head. I wonder if anyone knows who wrote that song… It sucks but it stays with you.

We’re all hungry – it’s a pattern of behavior we cannot help so we make a fantastic event out of it. We once again pile into the great cocoon of the Banyion and go hunting for food. We all remember just one place. What was the name, “Zip’s,” or “Paft’s”. Hap’s!!! That’s what it was. We go in. All old people – it must be good. Oh! It is. This must be either an unknown eatery or a very well known one but I’d say this has got to be Edmonton’s best breakfast place. We eat and are entirely satisfied.

Alex is in a mood – so is Zasta. But polar opposites.
Now, lets establish something here. Jon (see pic) is a rock. He is always happy. If he isn’t he’s quiet about it until it passes. He’s always pleasant and fun. If something happens negatively he will ALWAYS find the humor in it. He is very important to us. Zasta (see pic) is a Rockstar. He would order Tiger milk and berries that only grow on the left slope of Mount Flippanwapommie if he could. Lately he is very low key. He is centered in a way I haven’t seen in him yet. It’s very comforting to be around. (I guess I don’t need to tell you about myself – you’re getting a pretty good mental picture – see pic.). Alex (see pic) is volatile. But more than that, he’s the guy you want with you when the chips are down. Plus you want him around cuz he is a show and a half all by himself but when he’s moody (usually if he’s sleepy or tired) get out of the way.

Today Zasta is above us. Not in a snobby way at all. Just more Zen “shhh…” than the Zasta “Whoa!”. Alex is hateful towards himself. He snaps durning moments that he is unlovable or that no one loves him. I know the feeling. I still say to him “What is your problem” when he blurts out “Yeah well, I hate myself”. I think the way I asked him was too harsh. I actually meant to say, “tell me what the problem is” but it came out more “Shut up, I’ve got my own issues”. I do but come on, we’re in the band and that makes us brothers, if he’s hurting we’re all hurting – or he’s gonna hurt us – which ever it needs to be recognized.

We go back to the hotel and find the pool and hot tub. The gym too! Alex works out – blows off the negative hate energy. I see it on his face as he’s enjoying himself. Me and Jon do about 14 seconds of weights and go to the hot tub.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! That is good! It all just melts away… shhhh, I’m relaxed…hot tubs are like lovers. You love all of them but some are, well, special. This one I would marry. She takes it all. She cares for me. Every thing I do she loves. She wants. Ahhhhhhhhhh! Shhh. Quiet.

SPLASH! The jarring cold of a pool. Yeah! Fuck yeah!

Out to Dinner and then the West Edmonton mall. Alex wants Steak. We stop at Moxy’s on the corner of Jasper and 170th. If you are in Edmonton – go here! As soon as we walk in we are hit in the head with the blond that seats us. As soon as we’re seated we’re fucking killed by Laura’s eyes. Grey like a wolf. Gorgeous. I have the Salmon the guys have the New York Steak. They love it – except for Alex. He says it’s nervy. Zasta and Jon think it’s great. The Salmon is great.

I also order a Jack straight. I told the guys to help me get through a week without drinking. That was 3 and a half days ago. I’ve convince myself that, because it’s Friday, I made it. I didn’t. But not reaching the goal brought me an insight. I asked the guys to help me, that was my mistake. I would never make it. Even if they tied me up I’d still find a way to get a drink. And it’s not the J.D. that is the problem – it’s foisting my responsibility for my own actions onto other people – even if they are the band. I sabotaged myself before I even made the goal I didn’t reach.

Zasta feels that he needs to point out the fact that for him “You didn’t reach the goal you set for yourself”. This is an obvious statement that had no malice in it. He just felt he needed to say it. I wasn’t hurt by it but I did ask him why he needed to say it. I think it was his subconscious that is way to hard on himself brimming over onto me. This is purely speculation and you’re welcome to share what you think, but remember Zasta is in a mood – he is defiantly going through something intensely personal. He holds himself like a racehorse straining to get out of the gate. If he sees someone fail or, in my case, not reach a set goal, wouldn’t he view this through his current introspection about himself? You tell me.

I LOVED the drink. It was perfect with the meal. Alex, Jon and Zasta all commented that Schrecker has clicked into party mode. I have. I want to be social. I want attention. I want to play. But the last and most lustfilled one I can’t do so I have to settle for getting attention. That’s easy enough. Laura, with a name tag that says Leigh, is zeroed in on. Make her laugh. Get her talking. Soon they’re all buzzing around us. Soon I’m getting attention. I know we’ll be back for a drink and tell them all so.

Now it’s the West Edmonton Mall.

This is less of a mall than it is a whacked out coliseum for the big head corporations to look on and cheer as the poor bored fuckers blow their minds on stuff no one needs at all.

I love it! Rollercoaster! (see pic) A fucking sick-ass amusement park – in the damn building. We can’t even find our way out of this part of the mall. A cute high-school girl with braces leads us to the shops. Thanks.

It’s too much! I love that feeling – you don’t know where to focus – what was I looking for? I can’t remember anything I need to buy. But I know I need to buy something – every part of this mall is SCREAMING at me that I need to buy something – But what do I need! I need all of it. And I need all of it NOW!!!

We go shoping for a hat for Jon (see pic) a new hat, sunglasses (he wants them to make him look like an asshole, more-so) and vest for Alex. Zasta buys a nice yoga style vest.

I need to buy a few things so I go off on my own and we set a time to meet at the roller coaster. I run off and find myself in a shope being helped by this awesome girl named Tiagan. I’m looking for a pair of jeans. But the sizes are really small. Like for kids. Tiagan says she takes a size 14!!! Then she says she has a baby at home! Oh my god! This girl is smoking hot and a mom! Even hotter! I say good bye and she says I’m cool. I have that Prince song going on in my head “I could never take the place of your man,”. “Stormy last June when her old man went away. Left her with a baby and another one on the way…” What a fucking song!!!

I walk to meet the guys. I’m owning everything here. It’s all mine. It’s all me. It’s me. Me. I see The Gods Of Now. I’m suddenly very small. These guys are fucking rockstars. You can see it from a mile away. Fucking Gods. They aren’t faking this. They aren’t stupid about it. It is totally natural. It’s like it’s shining from them. We watch the coaster go around – insanity. Then we leave.

We go back to the Hotel. I want attention. I’m missing attention. We get dolled up and walk to Moxy’s which is on the corner. This time it’s to drink. I’ve decided. No ambivalence about this one.

We hit the lounge and it’s the game everyone knows and some love – me it’s a fucking time fuck and fun. All the girls from earlier are there and we drink, do shots and have fun. Sarcastic Girl is there. There’s always one. She calls us the Back Street Boys. I tell her she’s Hitler in the body of a PornStar. I get her a shot anyway, her and Laura. But if your having a drink with me it’s Jack or I gotta know some shit. So they don’t want Jack. I say “Who ever takes it up the ass doesn’t have to drink Jack – raise your hands.” The girls all raised their hands. Hmmm.

We drank. And drank. And drank and drank. Gabbie the hostess who will be 18 in 7 days couldn’t. But she’s French (and so is the DJ on the patio) so we give her all kinds of attention! Then the manager Alex-the-manager shows up and is a huge rock fan. Stu the bar tender hooks us all up. Great time all round. Our Alex leaves earlier – we leave soon after – but we closed the joint out. Goodnight Laura. She wants to know when I’m comeing back. Tomorrow? No, I say. We’re playing. That’s the way it is. They all have a great story and they’ll spreak the word about partying with the boys from TGON.

What a whirlwind we are. We blow in and everyone has a party. Spontaneously. Fanning the flames. It’s our job. We need to play.

We stagger back to the room. I throw-up in the toilet. Rock and Roll tastes like puke. I crawl into my bed “That’s the stuff” I say. And I’m done.