An excerpt….

CHICO BOUND LOOKIN FOR THE ZZ ZAK MO FRESH
All this happened way back when I was still a drummer in a band (4 or 5 years ago). Band practice ended as usual around 930 pm after some 3 hours or so of loud pounding heavy metal/jazz/rock/alternative music pumped out by the one and only PsychoDaisy (or was Melancholy the band name at the time? I forget) of which of course I was the drummer, Randy was the singer/guitarist, Nelson was the lead guitarist (KISS influenced go figure), and Sid was the LA gangsta keyboardist filling in the bass lines. Zak was the only one missing at the time since he was way up North in Chico studying for his English degree which we all knew he would never actually use to get a job out there in the REAL world since Zak didn’t pay much attention to his English anyway. As I said, band practice had just finished and there was only one way to finish the night and that’s hit Denny’s for unlimited coffee and toothless waitresses who brought the cow (bowl of creamers). Yes yes Denny’s it was and off we went speeding down Carmel Lane through the streets of Marina leaving Nelson’s garage in the dust, popped a right onto Highway 1 for a two minute 90 mile an hour breeze to Denny’s on the hill by the Motel 6. Slam, slam go the car doors, lighters click, smoke fumes outward from the Marlboros and lips, it’s cold winter here at the time and we beat our hands together for warmth. At 939 pm we were in our usual booth in the back of the joint right close to the bathroom, coffee was ordered and on the way, and napkin notes were already being written. We did this every night. Ritual. Custom. Tradition as it were. We thought of ourselves as a serious band. We were going to make it. How naive but that’s not important. Conversations touched on every subject mainly music, poverty, and women. Ah women! We love them. Nelson couldn’t get enough. Owoooo!!!!!!!! His latest sexcapade was screwing his ex in my living room while the rest of us sat quietly holding our bladders giggling in our rooms.
“My god man! I had to piss so bad and I couldn’t take it anymore!” said Sid.
Nelson chuckles.
“Why we let you use our living room I’ll never know but that’s the last time! I had to walk out of my room and pass by you two doggyin’ right there in full view just to get to the toilet!”
Snicker snicker.
Yeah, that was an experience. My room was actually part of the living room and only separated by a partition that went wall to almost wall allowing a good 5 inches which I could have peered around to get a good look. Nelson smiles contentedly throughout the night for having his first good lay in a year even tho it WAS his ex and his current girlfriend was out of state at school.
Randy was lamenting on the fact that he hadn’t gotten laid lately either since his girlfriend wasn’t in the mood. Same for Sid and of course for me since I was still without WOMAN. I’m picky. Randy puts his hand on my knee suggestively and gives me a big sloppy kiss on the cheek.
“Yeahheh.”Randy smiles and growls and gives me his seggsual look. We all laugh and nipple twist and slug down more coffee for a couple hours shootin the breeze. At about 1210 in the morning we came up with a brilliant plan.
“Let’s go see Zak!” Now this being a work night for me I would have to call in sick the next day. No problemo. Nelson bowed out tho. The plan, as we figured and made up along the way, was simply zoom up to Chico right then and there, surprise the bejeezus outta Zak Mo Fresh aka Rob Roy, and trick the bastard into buying us all breakfast. Simple enough.
Chico’s a long drive. 6 hours total driving time but we made it in 4. Before leaving tho it was imperative we had the essentials for such a trip. Jolt Cola and Marlboros. The first gas station out of Marina provided those and our only bathroom break the whole way up. The California countryside in the wee hours looks pretty much like well, nothing. I forget the exact roads taken but a lot were blue highways off the map. Sid apparently knew where he was going since we arrived in Chico at 5 am. Now to find the Zman and get that well deserved breakfast. I came up with the perfect plan and we called Zak up at 505 from the local 7 Eleven and the conversation went like this….
“Uh…hullo?” Zak says sleepily.
“Zakkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!” as loud as I can with Randy and Sid hootin and hollerin in the background, “We’re drunk!!!Whew yeah!”
“Justin! Ha ha. You realize it’s 5 in the morning?!”
“Of course! Say Zak, we wanted to ask you somethin’”
“Uh..yeah?” clearly falling asleep.
“More of a promise really, man. You gotta promise us you’ll do it ok?”
“I don’t know about that, man. What?”
“Ok you gotta promise to buy us breakfast if we ever come up to see you in Chico.”
“I don’t know…”
“Just promise! It’s not like we’re gonna show up today! (I’m struggling not to laugh)”
“Ok ok I promise.”
“Good! We’re at the 7 Eleven in Chico! Tell us how to get to yer place.”
Needless to say Zak was shocked but happy as hell to see us and welcome us to his humble little dorm room where he was the R.A.. He had to sneak us into the building when we got there and his hair stood wild red in every direction and his eyes half locked in sleep smiled at us. Up in his room we chatted for about 20 minutes before taking a nap to refresh ourselves and get ready to meet the Chico day head on.
Zak woke us up from the cold hard cement floor of the dorm room at about 830 and said that he would indeed make good on his promise and buy us all breakfast but if we wanted it we’d have to leave right then and head to the mess hall. At least it was all we could eat. Once there it seemed like EVERYONE knew who we were! Zak and his big mouth had spread the news of our arrival on campus and had already in the past few months been bragging about our band back in Monterey. We were minor celebrities for the day. Everyone came by to say “hi!” Women! Lots of em. We drooled over our pancakes and scrambled mess hall eggs. Women! Oh yeah!
It turns out we picked the perfect day to visit the Zman. He had no classes lined up for the day and he didn’t have R.A. duty till the next day. We set out for the town and hit the local music store and The Underground (a music/record store). The streets of Chico, wet with slush and snow, were teaming with people. The campus loomed high in the center of town. And we, PsychoDaisy, did our strut with imaginary theme music playing in our ears. We spent pretty much the whole day in town then headed back to the dorms to meet the chicks Zak had told us much about. Some damn fine women there were too. Too bad ol’ Zachariah was only thought of as a brother by them. Later at night we all went back to town for coffee at this huge coffeehouse teeming with atmosphere, students, java, brick walls, dishes, mad artistic characters, and whatnot. Ordered coffee and sat around the table chatting and running back and forth to the bathroom and smoking nonstop from a pack of Camel Special Lights that we stole from Z’s mini fridge. Ah! That’s the way it should be. By 10 we were exhausted and it was time for us to head back to Monterey. We could tell Zak didn’t want us to leave but ah work was beaconing us back to home. Goodbyes were brief with mucho hugs all around and Sid, Randy, and I hopped back into Sid’s slammed Honda and sped off into the night. 4 hours later we arrived home beat and thirsting for caffeine. The remainder of the night was spent at Denny’s in Monterey this time til about 8 in the morning when they took me home so I could get ready for work and another long day in the hell of the tourist industry.

2 responses to “An excerpt….”

  1. Oh man. So many memories from that time! A few weeks ago, I saw that Denny’s is closed and has moved into the old Golden West!!

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