Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Will Get Dragged Down The Street Clinging On The Back End Of A Car To Save Your Guitar For Food
Dean Strickland travels around the state, playing music and infiltrating a world left behind when CBS cancelled Simon and Simon.
Yesterday we got one of our more interesting band submissions from Dean Strickland, a Guitar Man About Town, or Man About State. He hitchhikes across Texas, booking gigs as he goes, infiltrating a world left behind when CBS cancelled Simon and Simon. (Listen to S&S theme here.)
Strickland has faced loaded pistols, been dragged down the highway hanging off the end of a car from a guy who won't let him get his guitar out of the trunk, among other adventures. His website has many tales but it can get overloaded sometimes. So in case you can't read it right away, here's one story from there to give an idea of what his life on the road has been like recently (just FYI, he writes in third person):
greyhound.com
"On February 12, 2006 Dean's song "I Love Texas (It's My Home)" got radio play on KERA 90.1FM at night.
"That same night,Dean, had made his way to Denton, Texas to rehearse with his newly formed rock and roll outfit, Days Gone By, and practiced classic rock n roll songs.
"From Denton Texas, Dean hitched a ride into the city of Waco, Texas before noon on February 13, 2006, where he made a decision to stay a while to see if he could book a show, and then take the Greyhound bus to San Antonio, Texas to play his gig at Rita's on the River on Valentines Day, and the following Wednesday. He walked into the Common Ground coffee shop in Waco near Baylor University, and left his business card with the Booker. After that he walked to the Greyhound bus station in downtown Waco, and purchased a ticket to ride to San Antonio scheduled to leave at 8:00 a.m. the next morning.
"At around 10:00 p.m. that same night a Greyhound employee suggested to Dean that he take the ten o'clock bus to San Antonio that had just arrived in Waco. Dean then showed his ticket to the Greyhound clerk from which had bought it, and Dean told the clerk that he was going to San Antonio, and wished to board the 10:00 p.m. bus. The clerk told Dean to hurry and get on the bus before it left, for it was its last call, so with his ticket in his hand Dean boarded the bus.
"Then the bus driver walked onto the bus behind Dean, and called Dean out of the bus to check his ticket, while saying to Dean that he had not shown anyone his ticket before getting on the bus. Dean then told the bus driver that he had shown his ticket to the clerk from which he had bought it before getting on the bus. The bus driver then began arguing with Dean while following him back on the bus, after taking his ticket, saying again that he did not show his ticket to anyone before boarding the bus. Dean then turned his head to the bus driver, and spoke to him asking should he agree with him? As Dean moved toward the back of the bus to get seated the bus driver poked Dean's back several times with his finger. Dean then turned to the bus driver, and said to him that he did not need him poking him in his back. After that the bus driver got seated, and began driving the bus as Dean got situated in a seat, near the middle of the bus, with his bags and his guitar. Dean held his guitar close to him standing up in the isle, as he had done many times before during his travels with the Greyhound bus line. After the bus driver began driving the bus he said to Dean, "Put the guitar upstairs." Knowing that his guitar case would not fit in the upstairs compartment, Dean then made no response to the bus drivers order, and stayed seated. The driver then stopped the bus, and very rudely expressed to Dean that he did not like the guitar in the isle. Dean said to the bus driver, "During my previous rides with Greyhound I've held my guitar next to me in the isle, and weather or not it was okay depended on the asshole bus driver." The bus driver then turned the bus around, and parked it back in the bus terminal, took one of Dean's bags from the upstairs compartment and placed it outside of the bus. The bus driver then stood in the stairwell of the bus, and said to Dean, "Come on." Dean asked, "Why?" With out answering, the bus driver again said to Dean, "Come on." Again Dean asked, "Why?" A third time the bus driver said to Dean, "Come on." After Dean asked why a third time the bus driver answered, "Because you cussed at me." Dean then began gathering his things to get off the bus. After Dean had stepped completely off the bus, the bus driver, waiting outside of the bus said to him, "I'm going to kick your ass!", and proceeded to swing on Dean, punching him in the face with both fists. Dean then threw his hands in the air, and asked the bus driver, "What are you doing?"; knowing it would be wrong to fight the bus driver back, and that by fighting the man back he could potentially receive a ticket for assault, go to jail, and lose his guitar along with his bags. The bus driver then tackled Dean to the driveway, grabbed Dean's head started twisting it, and yelled at Dean again, "I'm going to kick your ass!" After the bus driver stopped beating on Dean they both stood up. The bus driver then began saying to Dean that he would call the police, and that Dean would be going to jail. Dean told the bus driver, and the people watching, "I did not hit you. I did not hit him." The people watching, which included the Greyhound clerks, and passengers claimed to have not seen anything. Someone had called the police, and when the police arrived Dean told them that he did not fight the man back. Then two police officers asked Dean what he wanted to do, and Dean answered them saying that that he did not want to go to jail, but did not think it was right for the bus driver to have attacked him, and did not want to see him get by with it. The police told Dean that if they were going to throw him in jail that he would already been on his way, and that they would give the bus driver a ticket for assault, but that they would have to give him a ticket also. Dean received a ticket for disorderly conduct for bad language.
"Afterward, the following afternoon, Dean went to the emergency room at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco, were he was diagnosed with a neck injury for which he received a doctors prescription. Afterward, Dean also made a formal complaint to Greyhound Lines, Inc. for which he received the reference #1085208.
"On Valentines day of 2006, Dean, mad a phone call to Rita's On The River in San Antonio, Texas to cancel his gig he had booked there for that night, due to the fact that the Greyhound bus he caught from Waco, after his visit to the emergency room, would not make it to San Antonio in time for his scheduled 7:00 p.m. performance. Dean did perform as scheduled at Rita's On The River on the world famous River Walk on Wednesday, February 15, 2006.
"On February 16, 2006, Dean, rode the Greyhound from San Antonio, Texas to Dallas, Texas where he performed at the Cafe Brazil in Deep Ellum the evenings of Friday, and Saturday, February 17, & 18, 2006. The next day, Dean, was in Denton, Texas again rehearsing with, Days Gone By.
"From Denton, Texas hitchhiked to Bryan, Texas to pick up the February 23, 2006 edition of "The Eagle" newspaper in which an article about his travels, and upcoming show was published.
"From Bryan, Texas, Dean, hitchhiked to Austin, Texas to perform as scheduled, during Mardi Gra at the Texas Independent Musicians showcase at the Troubadour Saloon on Sixth Street on February 25, 2006.
"On February 24, 2006 an article, which includes a photograph of, Dean's, "I Love Texas (It's My Home)" CD cover artwork was published in The University of Texas at Austin's "The Daily Texan" Life and Arts section.
"In Austin, Texas, on the morning of February 25, 2006 Dean wrote his song:
"Texas
"Like everyone I started out small
"Not really knowing much at all
"But I had my big dream
"And I followed my well thought out scheme
"Now when you come to meet me
"I'm much bigger now you're gonna see
"Everyday I meet new exes
"As I waltz across Texas
"I'm still following my same old dream
"To keep playing my guitar and sing
"Looks like what's gone to my head is
"I'm big as Texas
"I'm higher than those plains in Panhandle
"I'm hotter than the deserts near Mexico
"I'm way far out like El Paso
"My hearts in Texas like there in Waco
"Now when you come to meet me
"I'm much bigger now you're gonna see
"Everyday I meet new exes
"As I waltz across Texas
"I'm still following my same old dream
"To keep playing my guitar and sing
"Looks like what's gone to my head is
"I'm big as Texas
"copyright2006 Dean Strickland
"In Austin, Texas, Dean, bought a Greyhound bus ticket to Bryan, Texas to play his February 28, 2006 gig at REVOLUTION from 8-9pm. On his way to Bryan, Texas, Dean's, bus ride had a two hour layover in Waco, Texas, and there in Waco, Dean, walked to Treff's at 520 Austin Ave., and got himself booked to perform on March 17, 2006 from 5-8pm. While at REVOLUTION, in Bryan, Texas, on February 28, 2006, Dean was offered an opportunity to perform, in the future, from 10pm. until late, so he got himself scheduled to play there again on March 14, 2006, and April 18, 2006.
"Thank you to Olga Romero, an employee of the United States Post Office located at 210 West WM. J Bryan Pkwy. in Downtown Bryan, Texas 77803-9998. I was mailing my song "Texas" to the Copyright Office in Washington D.C. on March 1, 2006, and Olga, while on her lunch break, asked me where I was going, and I replied, 'Dallas'. She then asked me if I was taking the bus, and I answered her saying, I was going to hitchhike. I showed her a copy of the write-up about me in the Eagle newspaper, dated February 23, 2006, that I carry in my press kit. She then very kindly offered me money so that I could take the Greyhound bus, which I accepted.
"On Friday and Saturday, March 3 & 4, 2006, Dean, performed at Cafe Brazil in Deep Ellum, Dallas, Texas. Then from Dallas, Texas, Dean, hitchhiked to Chorpus Christi, Texas, where on March 9, 2006, he gave a live radio interview on Texas Radio KBSO 94.7FM with on-air personalities Lito 3 and Carla. The interview included, Dean, performing his songs "Texas", and "I Love Texas (It's My Home)", and also, by request of Lito 3, Dean, performed his rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man". Dean also performed "Ring Of Fire" by Johnny Cash, and told stories of his travels."
