Monday 2 January 2012

Johnnie B

here's a cool story from johnnie b
we've been together for so long

a couple weeks ago
we were in the van in new york
i was in a pissy mood
so was he
and we just started bitching at each other
for no reason
it passed
we ended up laughing about it seconds later
bobby remarked from behind us 'the marriage is back on'
and that's the way it is with us
we're brothers in arms
i would and will always do anything for him
all he ever has to do is ask
he never asks
he's a strong righteous man
a wicked bass player
a husband
a son
a farmer
a father
a friend

the road does things to you
we've been on the road for all of our adult lives
it's what we do
it takes a special person
and john batuszkin is a very special person

here's a story he sent about our beginnings together:

So I'm 22 and living with Mom & Dad - because that's just how it was. I left a band because I'd had it! Now I'm looking for something to do - maybe get involved with another band or go back to the dreaded daytime gig. 

I end up putting out a make shift poster with my number on it -you know the ones you find in laundromats with the little tags of numbers you just tear off - mine had a picture of Mickey Mouse on it.  Low and behold I get a call from this guy - Craig Martin. He asks me if I like the Stones? I politely say "Not really." Yet instead of hanging up he carries on with the questioning. At the end of it we agree that we're going to get together. "Alright," I say to myself, "He sounds like a cool guy."

He arrives at my house, knocks on the door & for some reason I'm giddy like a school girl! (friggin weird). He knocks on the door, looks at me and his first words are "Hey, you're tall! That's great!"  My Mom offers to feed him as soon as he walks in. (Mom's are great)

He walks into my room, looks at my gear, sits down, listens to demo tapes of bands I've been in, looks at me again and says, "Hold on a minute."

He walks out to his car (Burgundy Malibu Estate wagon) fumbles around and returns with an armful of albums and asks  "Can you learn these for Wednesday?" (it's Monday) "We have a gig outside of Montreal on Friday, rehearsal is Wednesday." So I look at him, perplexed and overcome with a fear of losing a gig, and I say "Sure, no problem".

Then I ask "What's the name of the band?"

"The Midnite Ramblers," he replies.

That was the beginning of a great friendship. Now as we push forward into the 9th year with CAL - my 7th - I really don't think things have changed that much. He's out there on the front lines making sure everything that he has sunk into this show is going to be as great as possible, no different than doing the Harbour Inn (Owen Sound) with The Midnite Ramblers on a Friday night!
 START ME UP !!! LEMME GO !!

JB..   

ps: i'll always think of b as a giddy school girl

2 comments:

  1. :) we still have midnight ramblers posters in our basement.... (somewhere)

    ReplyDelete
  2. wow...great memories with the ramblers!!

    ReplyDelete