Iggy is the kind of sound I was picturing, but when I was listening to some of the Social Distortion stuff Lance mentioned I came across “Mommy’s Little Monster” which offered some funny possibilities to tie into my character and his new kid.

Lookee what I found. Turns out I took exactly two photos in Montana, both with my cell phone. This is a corner of my brother’s house. He built the porch that goes all the way around the house, and where the trees are is the creek. There’s another structure that looks like house #2 and that’s where his band rehearses. And because he’s a bachelor (and a doctor), he can do these things and devote an entire room to fly-tying, etc.

Sorry, he’s not dressed in this photo. But honestly, he’s often only in boxers so this is fairly decent in comparison. And these are the boys running back to the house because it’s time to go to the airport.

I do have stories from the trip. There was the stranger on the plane who serenaded me for most of the flight from Salt Lake to Missoula. There was a day in Bozeman with my favorite cousin, who makes ceramic penises with wings on them as his living.

There were my uncle’s two horses that got out of the gate on the fourth of July and both were hit and killed on the highway. And there was Green-Hand’s first love, who lied about her age (she was 8 and said she was 9) and threw seaweed balls at him and then caught tadpoles.

But actually, I have a super f*ckload of writing to catch up on before we leave for France, so I’m going to be scarce around here and get my work done. Maybe I’ll write up something about Montana for The Nervous Breakdown when I have some spare time.

As always, feel free to make this your home. You know dogs and feet are absolutely allowed on the furniture. That goes without saying. xo

Aurelio, it’s hard to describe drawing with stomach muscles if you don’t bellydance. Basically, okay, suck in your stomach a little and then try to …, well, you know how Shakira can do something with her stomach and raise her chest 7 inches or so? That’s a start. The easiest pattern to start with is a crazy-eight, but you’ll see one side of your stomach muscles is stronger than the other so if you try to reverse the pattern it’s way harder. I have a feeling this all sounds super-weird so I’ll stop typing right now.

Oh, wait, Robin included song lyrics, so I will too:

Fellas, I’m ready to get up and do my thing (yeah go ahead!)
I wanta get into it, man, you know (go ahead!)
Like a, like a sex machine, man, (yeah go ahead!)
Movin’ and doin’ it, you know
Can I count it off? (Go ahead)

One, two, three, four!

Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)
Stay on the scene, (get on up), like a sex machine, (get on up)

Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)
Stay on the scene, (get on up), like a sex machine, (get on up)

Get up, (get on up)
Stay on the scene, (get on up), like a sex machine, (get on up)

Wait a minute!
Shake your arm, then use your form
Stay on the scene like a sex machine
You got to have the feeling sure as you’re born
Get it together, right on, right on.

Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)

Hah!

Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)

You said, you said you got the,
You said the feeling,
You said the feeling you got to get
You give me the fever ‘n’ a cold sweat.
The way i like, it is the way it is,
I got mine ‘n’ don’t worry ’bout his

Get up, (get on up)
Stay on the scene, (get on up), like a sex machine, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)

Bobby! Should I take ‘em to the bridge?
(Go Ahead!)
Take ‘em on to the bridge!
(Take em to the bridge!)
Should I take ‘em to the bridge?
(Yeah!)
Take ‘em to the bridge?
(Go Ahead!)
Hit me now!

Come on!

Stay on the scene, like a sex machine!
The way I like it is, is the way it is
I got mine, (dig it!), he got his

Stay on the scene, like a lovin’ machine
Stay on the scene, like a lovin’ machine
Stay on the scene

I wanna count it off one more time now
(Go ahead!)
You wanna hear it like it did on the top fellas?
(Yeah!)
Hear it like it did on the top?
(Yeah!)
Hit it now!

Get on up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)
Get on up, (get on up)

Stay on the scene, (get on up), like a lovin’ machine, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)

Taste, (get on up)
Bein’, (get on up)
Taste, (get on up)
Bein’, (get on up)

Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)
Stay on the scene, (get on up), like a sex machine, (get on up)

You gotta have the feelin, (get on up)
Sure as you’re born, (get on up)

Get it together, right on, right on
right on, right on, (right on, right on)
right on, right on, (right on, right on)
right on, right on, (right on, right on)

Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)

And then, shake your money maker,
Shake your money maker,
Shake your money maker,
Shake your money maker,
Shake your money maker,
Shake your money maker,
Shake your money maker

Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)

Huh!

Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)
Get up, (get on up)

Can we hit it like we did one more time, from the top
Can we hit like that one more time
(One more time!)
One more time!
Let’s hit it and quit! (Go ahead!)
Can we hit it and quit? (Yeah!)
Can we hit it and quit? (Yeah!)
Can we hit it and quit? (Yeah!)
Hit it!

LOL - I’ll avoid the Caribbean Cruise and Bill Gates references. (Commercials have tainted many a good tune, too true.)

It’s like that song, “Who Are You?” (by The Who, wasn’t it…?) which CSI used for its theme song. Unfortunately, now when I hear it I automatically picture exploding heads and spinning lab equipment.

This gives me a lot terrific of possibilities to examine and a chance to educate myself musically too.

Susan predicted you’d be a great resource. I really appreciate your help, Lance!

I’d also consider some classic surf punk kinda stuff, like the precursor to the Offspring and Blink182…I’m thinking the Circle Jerks, the song is “Group Sex”…it makes me nostalgic, it makes me rowdy and it makes me laugh. If you wanted to go a bit darker there’s always Husker Du or Nitzer Ebb…and another direction might be Social Distortion “bad luck” , “cold feelings” or “born to lose”… Social D had the edge to it that is odd in the fact that back when they toured real heavy (1989-1991, I think I may have seen a dozen shows that one fall)…they had a following but now it seems I hear them more on the alternative radio stations than I ever heard them then…so stuff like that can work as a good “remembering your roots” trigger.
and, time period is key, there are those of us out there that are of the age that some good old Nirvana- “Smells like Teen Spirit” is a song that changed everything…now and then I crank that one up and try to remember what it all looked like before then…that song was a wakeup call for Gen. X…the signal that we we’re going to be very different indeed.

if he’s doing a brooding jerking off thing, there is always Bowie…”nature boy” or “young americans”… but, I’d hate to be in his head if that was the case.

Robin, thanks for the great suggestion! (And so quickly!) That seems like just what I’m looking for. I’m gonna go see if I can give it a listen somewhere on line.

The lyrics fit eerily well!

Im a street walking cheetah with a heart full of napalm
Im a runaway son of the nuclear a-bomb
I am a worlds forgotten boy
The one who searches and destroys

Honey gotta help me please
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby detonate for me

Look out honey, cause Im using technology
Aint got time to make no apology
Soul radiation in the dead of night
Love in the middle of a fire fight

Honey gotta strike me blind
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby penerate my mind

And Im the worlds forgotten boy
The one whos searchin, searchin to destroy
And honey Im the worlds forgotten boyt
The one whos searchin, searchin to destroy

Forgotten boy, forgotten boy
Forgotten boy said hey forgotten boy