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All Around The World For The Funny

"Support local comedy!" This is our mantra - we repeat it every Tuesday night at The Cantina.. we used to say this every Tuesday night at Zanies.. but we're preaching to the choir. The people there are ing local comedy.. and that's great. I appreciate everybody's time, attention, and money. Today, I'd like to expand the decree to be a little more inclusive: "Support what you enjoy!"

Go out and bands, artists, restaurants, bars, clubs, theaters.. whatever / whoever / wherever it is - if you like it, get out there and give them your money and physical presence. Not just local events, but nationally touring ones too. If we don't, the things we love will slowly disappear and years from now we'll wonder, "what ever happened to ______?"

I'm not saying go out just for the sake of going out and blowing your money.. be choosy. Don't waste your time on crap. Sure, you have to blindly some things you don't like... Mom makes "artwork" with body parts dipped in paint? The kid plays second string on some inter-mural team? The boyfriend performs with some awful band? Yup, you've gotta go. That's not the kind of I'm talking about.

There are better reasons to get out. When you go enjoy an evening on the town, you never know what's going to happen. I've been rewarded for my opitulation in so many ways, I couldn't come close to listing them all.. but I can tell you one story that illustrates my point.

My good friend Graham Spice has a funky band called The Guy Smiley Blues Exchange.. they are constantly on the road touring - spreading The Funk - and if you don't go see them live every chance you get you're crazy. I went to see them a few months ago at the Liquid Lounge in Nashville. They were the opening act for PM Dawn and digital underground for an outdoor show.

The weather was threatening rain early in the evening, and not many people showed up in time to see the GSBE. I was there, though, and the boys had a great set and ripped it up as always. They played some original tunes and some covers - all of it sounded fantastic (Buy their new live album right now!) When they were done, they had to pack up quick and hit the road for another gig (that same night) several hours away in another state.

As they were rolling out of the parking lot, my buddy Graham thanked me for coming out, shook my hand and left me standing there with an all-access "staff" pass in my hand. "You gotta get pictures with The Nose," he said. Yes, indeed I did. Humpty Hump was going to be there in just a few hours and, by God, it was my chance to 'do the Hump.'

If you don't know, d.u. is an Oakland-based rap group from back in the day when rap was rap (and not crap). You may remember the big hits off their Sex Packets album (definitely one of the greatest albums of all-time): "The Humpty Dance," "Do Whatcha Like," "The Way We Swing," and "Freaks Of The Industry." Or maybe you know them as the group that introduced the world to Tupoc Shakur.. regardless, you should fire up Audiogalaxy Satellite, KaZaa, iMesh or Bearshare and download all the tracks you can find.

I stayed low-key for a while. I put the pass in my pocket and played the role of "nice, money-spending, sheep / patron." I'm not a fan of PM Dawn, but who cares.. digital underground was on the way!

Pressed up against the stage, I tolerated the Liquid Lounge idiot / staffer who had a water gun loaded with cheap beer.. I persevered as the crowd pushed forward.. I endured as really hot girls pressed up against me.. oh, the struggle that is my life.

It wasn't too long before the boys came busting out onto the stage spraying champagne all over the crowd and smoking blunts. Yes, they were passing around a nice fat bone and boy did it smell good. It went back and forth across the stage a few times, then Money B handed the giant doob to me, motioning to pass it around. Puff, puff, pass, pass.. I forked it over to the hottie next to me.. she gave it to another dame.. then the Liquid Lounge idiot / staffer bogarted it and horked it down to half the size it was before. With an annoyed look on his face, Shock G took the blunt back and passed it around the stage again.

They went thru most of the classic underground songs.. I was really glad to hear one of my favorites, "Same Song," from This Is An E.P. Release. A take-off of George Clinton's chant, "All around the world for the funk," the refrain is "All around the world, it's the same song." The beat gets you movin' on it's own, but it's backed up with fat keyboards from "The Piano Man" himself and decked off with the "lyrical miracle" one associates with the sound of the underground.

One great thing about this song is the verse from Tupoc, who (God rest his soul) has gone on to that great golden Cadillac in the sky. In his absence, they asked the crowd to sing his part:

"Now I clown around when I hang around with the underground..
Girls used to frown / say 'down' when I come around.
Gas me, they used to pass me, they used to dis me,
harass me, but now they ask me if they can kiss me.
Get some fame, people change - wanna live their life high.
Same Song can't go wrong if I play the nice guy.
(Did'jer claim to fame change now that we became strong?)
I remain still the same.
(why Tupe?)
'cause it's the Same Song."

The show came to an end with "The Humpty Dance." They walked off the stage, over into the "staff / performers only" backstage area. I donned my pass and walked right in as if I'd been doing that all night. For a while I was standing in a circle with the PM Dawn kids and a couple of digital underground'ers.. talking about how great the crowd was, how musical Nashville is. My profound insight: "It's much deeper than just country." Shock G nods agreement, "Yeah, when I got em doing the 'errrrr-reeeee, errrrr-reeeee' bass part.. they hung with me no matter how far I took it. They were right there!"

Money B was busy hooking it up with a hottie, but took the time to take a picture with me. A lady came up to Shock G and handed him a doobie. He thanked her and gave her his Humpty nose & glasses, saying it's the only one he had with him but she deserved it. Wow. I asked him to take a picture with me and he obliged. I thanked him for coming to Nashville, and told him to have fun while he's here. "I already have," he says.

It was a great time. I would have enjoyed the show even if I wasn't able to get backstage.. but because I came out and ed the Guy Smiley Blues Exchange, I was rewarded with an experience most people will never know.

So, next time your friend says, "hey come see me perform!" Don't blow him off. Don't assure him that "someday" you'll come out to see him. Make the time to get out and give it up. If it sucks, let him know. If it rocks, come back again and bring more people. If we don't do this now, someday when we finally do show up, the show could be cancelled for lack of .. or your friend may have already become discouraged and quit.. and really crappy acts with will be all that remains.

Support my homies:
Shock G
The Guy Smiley Blues Exchange
NashvilleStandup.com