So last night I went to Sundew Studios in Shepherdstown, WV for the final mixing/listening session with our engineer friend Matt. And we really liked what we heard. Then I scrambled over to Echoes Recording Studios in Sharpsburg, MD to drop off the data disc of the music so Todd could prepare for the mastering session in a few days. Then I was headed to Virginia for a couple days. But I didn’t get far.
Shortly after leaving Todd’s driveway (maybe 2 miles) the rear passenger tire blew out. I was just about to enjoy a sweet, sweet Oreo cookie when: Kablammo! You ain’t goin’ nowhere! So let me lay down the details for you: It was 12:15 am. It was maybe 15 degrees outside. I was on a small country road with no lighting. And I couldn’t access the spare tire because the car was in an accident recently that bent something that needs to be turned to release the tire. Perfect.
Since this wasn’t my car, I spent a good twenty minutes finding the jack and wrench and figuring out how to release the tire that is mounted underneath the car. After realizing that I could not get it because of the problem stated above, I had to figure out my next move. Obviously I couldn’t get a new tire at this time of day, so I only had a few choices: 1- Sleep in the car and get a tow in the morning. This option sounds great on paper, but DAMN, it was cold out there. And there was this fucking dog somewhere near me that was quite upset by my presence and would not shut up the entire time I was there. After about 30 minutes of barking I started to wonder if it was actually a dog at all. I think it was a beast of some sort. Maybe the chupacabra. I didn’t want to find out for sure.
So I figured I could call my studio engineer/long time friend Matt. I only left his studio 40 minutes ago or so. Surely he was still up. So I gave him a call. No answer. I called again. Still no answer. After the 5th call, I was getting more and more concerned that I would indeed freeze to death in my car that night and then be the perfect meal for the blood sucking beast living nearby.
What would you do next? Most rational people would have gotten towed and then gotten a hotel room. That’s what rational people told me the next day. But that never even entered my thought process. I called my girlfriend for moral support. Surely her rational mind would give me good advice as to my next move. But before I could even finish telling her what had happened, Matt called me back. And he was of course kind enough to come and get me and drop me back off in the morning. Thanks a million Matt! You’re the best!
The next day, Pat rolled in with his tow truck and told me numerous stories from his carnival days on the way to the tire shop. This jus tin: Carnies are very interesting folks. And then a new tire was put on and I was on my way once again. Good times.
