This rock reporter is waiting outside Glenn’s rehearsal studio, located in an old sock factory turned run down loft/studio spaces for almost exlusively young filthy white musician men. Young women sometimes enter but are ephemeral. The toilets are revolting and shared. The twinkle they get from their rock and roll boyfriend singing a G’nR love song into their eyes on an old sofa is snuffed upon their first need to take a pee.
It’s 5:30 and storm clouds gather. This reporter is bicycle only so an early arrival, organise notes, and a cigarette….
JC Penny arrives first, also on Bicycle. He is wearing a purple moomoo and a neon green helmet. He looks like a child. Crossing the street his face twitches 5 times, probably from internal dialogue that is completely independent from the moment. It’s a wonder this man can cross the street. He asks if the others are here and i reply negative. He takes off his helmet slow and deliberate. Gloves and sunglasses methodically wrapped and curled into helmet’s bowl. This is a biker thing. JC Penny is a consumate biker. He has several bikes and is an amateur mechanic. Helmet held under arm and ritual completed, he suddenly attacks his hair with his other hand as if infested by bugs. He makes a sound like “ng-a-ng-a-ng-ng”, then is fine. There were no bugs. His head was itchy. JC is naturally histrionic.
Inside the space, drummer Candy is setting up, lead guit Lovely Louis and key/rhyth Yoko doing the same. JC is on a stool in front of mic staring at the floor, leg bouncing. Yoko walks over and looks behind JC. “What?” JC says. “Checking if you were 2 dimensional, if you had a back,” replies Yoko.
Bass Sugar Bear arrives 30 minutes late. No one cares. They are already playing music. Five minutes later a bass sound joins the sound.
DP is writing a new song today. LL mostly arranging between takes by conversation with members, “..second chorus, can you drop out.. ..next album is story songs so we need room for..” Candy takes on directing, too. Yoko, Sugar Bear, and JC follow along. It’s an alt-rock song. It sounds great because I’m a DP fan. DP’s got SOUND. New listeners always poo-poo DP because they’re not technical pros. Too bad for them.
LL asks JC what the song is called. JC owns the naming of songs. “Uh, Space Car Date,” he says. “It’s about a date and they’re in a car and they drive to the ocean and it’s so beautiful as they approach it and they get so happy they give the car wings and they take off over the ocean and into space but then they start to panic and roll up windows and try to turn back because cars aren’t meant for space, I dunno I’m writing it as we go…”
Reheasal ends with an actual rehearsal of Pretty Boy Floyd. There is conflict. JC wants it slower so he has time to deliver the lyrics. “It’s a freaking story,” he argues. The band wants faster so they can rock out. They find a middle which makes them all smile. They pack it up and go home without saying goodbye to yours truly. I lick my wings and wash my hands without soap or water.