Asbury Park NY May 27/05

The drive from Boston MA, to Asbury Park, NJ was estimated at 5 hours. However that did not take into account a detour to drop off Port Authority. Manhattan, Friday afternoon, holiday weekend. 10 blocks=1hr 15mins. 5 hours turned into 8 and moods deteriorated. Either that, or our cycles have synchronized.

Asbury Park is a shockin miserable place. About 5 minutes after we brought the gear in, I went to walk in the front entrance, as they’d shut the loading door. I was interrogated about my lack of ticket/laminate by the door man, and he threatened to come find me if I didn’t produce it even though I’d been waved past by the guy 2 metres before him that recognized me. Bearing in mind it’s the venue’s job to provide passes and the like, and we had barely arrived in the place he was ever so slightly hostile towards me I thought. On the verge of tears I considered going back out to the van for a sulk, then I thought, well if I were from such a DEPRESSING SHITHOLE I’d be hostile too. Anyway the nice man that Dudley found artifically enhancing his bullshit talking abilities in the office sorted us out with big orange P’s on our hands that turned out to be the foolproof method of gaining Access All Areas in the Stone Pony.

It’s a really odd place given that this is the house that Bruce built. One wall of the venue is given over to a giant reproduction of the ‘Welcome to Asbury Park’ album cover. The highlight of my evening was whooping Mark’s ass at several rounds of Hangman.

We robbed Pinback’s hotel room tonight for a decent kip. Graham tried to wake us all at 7am to get on the road for Cleveland (another 8 hour trip – but with Megan waiting at the end!) but we were having none of it. Being the uncharitable types we stayed asleep and let him watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and parts of both Karate Kid and Crocodile Dundee.

I’ve slept 5 hours so far in the van today and just had a Krispy Kreme donut so I should be on better form tonight…

One thing I’ve been meaning to mention BIG SHOUT OUT for Paul who gave me an itty bitty travel book light before we went away. It has enthralled people in several poorly light venues with it smooth mechanical movements, where it has let up not only the pages of my book, but the dark recesses of boxes of tshirts. Thanks!