2003-05-29 - 6:09 p.m.
April 4
Woke up nearly as drunk as when I went to bed! Had breakfast at Ohio’s official state restaurant; BOB EVANS. Ahhhh .... feeling much better as we make our way to southern Ohio. Our destination is just over the border in West Virginia. Huntington, W.V. is the home of Marshall University and the alma mater of Chad Pennington, the quarterback of the N.Y. J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets! Southern Ohio is quite lovely. Spring has definitely sprung here as I wish it had at home.
Our directions got us good and lost. We realized something was wrong when we came to the bridge into Kentucky. Along the way we pass a bucolic scene of small town serenity. The local high school baseball team was locked in battle with a local small town rival. The bleachers are full of fans who are cheering the home team on. It was a moment frozen in time. I heard a loud ping. The bats man had just struck a titanic blow as we passed. I watched as the opposing centerfielder stood looking up, arms akimbo, as the ball sailed over the fence into the soft spring sunset. The crowd came to their feet as their hero crossed the plate. The scoreboard changed just then, revealing the score had been tied. Teenage girls were gossiping behind the stands; younger girls held a cartwheel contest, oblivious to the rapture of the fans around them. I could practically smell the hot dogs and pretzels!
Back to the Ohio River and made a right turn and soon we were in the drab river town of Huntington, WV. “The Monkey Bar” was a low ceilinged, black walled affair that had a foul smell. It did have a neat little lounge area with comfy couches and a huge t.v. The place had a strange , oily vibe. Deli platter, fried chicken and potato salad were on the menu. The bar manager told me he was the third bar manager in two months. The last manager had skipped out with about a weeks worth of receipts. Later I meet the owner/talent buyer who tells me he’s recently taken the club back over because of mismanagement. He goes on to say he’s trying to get a live music scene happening in a town that mostly likes DJ’s. Right about this time I’m starting to get a bad feeling. Sure enough, no real promotion has been done and all of about 15 people show up. Half are hippies who claim if they had known we were going to be here, they would have rounded up some friends. The other half are disco babes and their hangers on who look hopelessly out of place. All in all a dismal evening was had by all.
