I swiped this from Mat Gleason’s Coagula blog. I guess it’s some viral list going around, which normally I would do my best to ignore, but this one is actually interesting. So yeah, here are 10 things I’ve done that you haven’t!
– Rode a camel along a beach in Tunisia.
– Grown dreadlocks all the way down to my waist. Twice.
– Played a gig at CBGB (25 years ago, when it still had the stink of something relevant or god forbid, important, about it).
– Fell 15 feet (the height of a typical freeway overpass) flat onto my back without killing or crippling myself.
– Washed Demi Moore’s underpants.
– Spent three days in LA county jail for being in a car that contained approximately three pounds of herb (though – in a twist of irony befitting Ripley’s Believe it or Not – I’ve never actually consumed any herb).
– Purposely gutted a web site that drew well over half a million unique visitors a year.
– Had Todd Rundgren (you youngsters may have to Google the name) steal an idea from me.
– Walked along the Mississippi river with Joe Strummer, talking about song writing.
– Drove a $700 car further down into Mexico than I probably should have, where, at 1 a.m., I happened across Jose Feliciano (again, Google the name) playing an impromptu show on the back of a flatbed truck.
Reading it back, these ten things just make me sound old and foolish, but why should this be any different than anything else around here?
The idea that Rundgren stole? Well, when I was running around the country with Sonny Vincent we used to drag old 16mm film and slide projectors with us and show films and slides of the song lyrics on a backdrop behind us. One night we were playing at Tut’s in Chicago, and Rundgren was there watching from the back of the room, leaning against the wall and wearing sunglasses like a rock star (which he was at the time, so I suppose he was well within his rights).
A few months later I’m reading some rag and I see a picture from the Runt’s new tour, and wouldja look at that! He was projecting his lyrics onto a backdrop. Coincidence? Nah, I don’t think so.
So Rundgren appropriated the idea, while we, meanwhile, slept on the stage at Tut’s that night because we couldn’t afford one $25 hotel room. But that’s how it works in the high-voltage world of rock and roll, kids!
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start a band!