then one night I was dropped off near some creepy junction somewhere in northern BC in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night and I went off into the brush to sleep and there were frightening noises...heavy crunching sounds like there were threatening wild beasts...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHF558u6Q_8

^{1975, caught a freight train in San Bernadino and heading for Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Found a boxcar to jump into but an old hobo was already ensconced. On the way out to Palm Springs he explained to me I really wanted to get on the platform of a grain car for the best ride. He said he was too old for that shit now. So next time we slow down at a yard, near Indio I try the grain car. That's where i run into the Mexican's that say "why ride on the grain car when you can sit in the front seat of those new Buick LeSabre's on the auto transport cars"?. Well, they had a point.}

^{They told me to get out just before Tucson as the screws check the cars well there. Thumbed a ride to the freight yards later in the day and caught the Santa Fe Line into El Paso. Started thumbin' again after that and let me tell you that Texas is a big state to cross. Got dumped in a place called Van Horn , Texas. What was interesting about it was on the other side of the highway there was one of the worst thunderstorms you ever saw going on. On my side bone dry. I'd walk over to it and stick my hand in and get soaked. Pull it out, dry again. It was like that for about two hours. Another interesting thing aout the town. Seemed half the populataion was driving 20 year old pickups and the other half had Cadillacs with Longhorns mounted on the hood. Just depended on where they found oil.}

^{Finally got a lift out of there with a guy in a Datsun 2000 sports car. All beat up, and he told me he'd just resleeved the cylinder heads with some empty Coke cans. Stopped to add oil every hour or so. Continuing on through China Grove of Doobie Brothers fame and La Grange of ZZ Top fame. Don't like Texas much but I did like the eastern part near bayou country.}

^{To be continued...}

I was in McBride in Alberta with some mates in 1972 and I felt responsible as they came along with me from California for the adventure...we got into a boxcar ready to roll into Prince George after an 8hr ride then the door slid open and it was the the yard bulls and oh shit...the head bull sneered: 'where ye goin'?...' and we were trembling silently and then I said 'Prince George...' then he said yer on the wrong train then laughed and said 'yer OK lads and ye'll see Prince George early tomorrow mornin' and make sure ye get off before ye get into the yard as them folks there aren't very friendly...'

he was OK and we did a rolling jump off with the car rolling into the Prince George yard...an' I wanted to whoop and shout and play de blues...one of the mates was so exhilarated with the adventure that he masturbated in the car before we jumped off...I said: 'what the <deleted> ye doin'? we're comin' into George an' gotta jump off...' and he said as he was buttoning up his pants with the mess: 'tutsi, you are one crazy bastard...'...

we got some wine later after the government liqour store opened and hung around with the drunk indians...there was a local government youth hostel, good for a flop and a bowl of stew...

^{Seemed half the populataion was driving 20 year old pickups and the other half had Cadillacs with Longhorns mounted on the hood. Just depended on where they found oil.}

^{the guy that picked up me and the fed penitentary critter outside of Grand Junction had longhorns mounted on his 3/4 ton chevy pickup} he left us right near the Utah border and it was cold and a gas station manager let us stay inside and flag down rides from inside...he was a kindly chap...

them government youth hostels were handy in BC...one time I was with a railroad crew from Prince George to McBride and there were 5 of us crashed in a small room meant for 2 and we hadn't bathed in 2-3 weeks, covered with creosote from replacing ties on the line...we slept past breakfast and someone came looking fer us and when they opened the door to our room retched with the smell and were sick...I stretched and scratched and then said: 'get up lads, I think that we've missed breakfast...'

we were later allowed to bathe and wash our clothes as a humanitarian gesture...

do you know that they use old slave moans when they line (align) the track after replacing the ties?...they got these heavy steel 6' bars (lining bars) and a gang of 15-20 respond to a caller that sez: 'HEEEY, UP!! with brutal, sweating foremen but the food was really good...

the foremen would growl: 'get in there and gang up on 'er godammit...' when the work was going too slow...

in that youth hostel room those of us from the rail crew stank with the odor of brutality and inhumanity...

I'm beginning to feel a bit left out. The most exciting hitching trip I ever did was from Derby to Torquay

I'm not sure we woud be old enough to hear about your hitchhiking experiences anyway endure, tutsi's are bad enough.

I got offered a job once, somewhere near Townsville Qld, a guy picked me up and said he was looking for someone to help out on his farm and I had this really strong feeling I should take it.... almost psychic. It felt like one of those things that come along and change the direction of your life, a crossroads so as to speak, but I kept on going.

City hitching could be risky, one night I was really drunk and left the pub and decided to hitch home, when we got to the intersection near where I lived I tried to get out and the guy tried to hold me in the car.

doped up an' sittin' around with me mate and Mississippi Fred Mc Dowell he sang: 'I woke up on Monday mornin' and I throwed my books away...I wrote the teacher a letter and said I'll try hiway 61 today...'

the letter writing theme and de blues...you dig? get yer sleeping bag an' head on down to de freeway on ramp and move on down de road...a crisp early morning in winter in 1969 hitchhikin' on de 101 highway outside of Monterey, CA and traipsen down blowin' notes on de harmonica; a late 60s version of ultimate personal freedom... we whooped and hollered and there were folks waitin' fer us in town for Thanksgiving...

I fergot to include the Fred McDowell tune; a field moan in the best tradition of de delta blues...

the old delta blues players had a relaxed sense of mortality; here's old Big Joe Williams and 'Brother James'...I was lucky enough to have seen him at the Ash Grove club on melrose in LA shortly before he passed on...he couldn't walk too well and needed assistance to get upon the stage...yeah, play de blues...

some time later some stinkin' anti castro gangsters burned down the club when they featured an exhibit with cuban photographers...the cops never found them...

and everyone remembers 'ol Big Joe and 'sloppy drunk blues'...whoowee baby, baby; bring me one more more half a pint...

I'm not sure we woud be old enough to hear about your hitchhiking experiences anyway endure, tutsi's are bad enough.

The last time I hitched to Torquay it took 4 days and 11 changes of horses.

then ol' Big Joe rocked on with Baby Please don't go...covered by countless 60s bands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikxLNaAYu5k

with influences like that 'there ain't no more to say...' as tutsi walked on down the road...

the cops they swung batons and shouted: 'goddam white boys singin' like niggers!' I ducked the blows and said: 'yew like Elvis, you dumb redneck...where do you reckon his fcukin' music came from!...'

I'm not sure we woud be old enough to hear about your hitchhiking experiences anyway endure, tutsi's are bad enough.

The last time I hitched to Torquay it took 4 days and 11 changes of horses.

what is this, a goddam Dickens tale over here and the adventures of David Copperfield???? I am convinced that if Charles Dickens had heard the blues that he would have fronted a band in 19th century London...his 200th birthday is next month; look in his eyes and tell me that I'm wrong...'Little Dorrit blues' and the hardship of the debtor's prison...

http://www.victorian...gallery/p1.html

and, look at the caption to portrait: blues legend John Mayall took the bleedin' picture...godammit...

then one night I was dropped off near some creepy junction somewhere in northern BC in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night and I went off into the brush to sleep and there were frightening noises...heavy crunching sounds like there were threatening wild beasts...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHF558u6Q_8

I gotta say that when the lion sleeps tonight was released in the early 60s and went to #1 on LA am radio I was dismayed; what the <deleted> was 'aweem awak, aweem awak...' I wondered...then later as an adult I said that the song was spot on and revolutionary and I now often hum the melody...

an' I turned 61 (the majick number as in highway 61, Robert Johnson an' de debbil, etc) this year an' the drinkin' is gettin' outta hand an' I got real sick from the diabetes and high blood pressure...an indication/warning to slow down or to put the pedal to the metal like 'ol Brother James...

then I saw John Lee Hooker at the Ash Grove and there were a dozen guitar players on stage with him and it was tremendous and John Lee kept shouting: 'whowee! hot dawg, hot dawg!'...my dad was a southern boy an' he like to shout 'hot dawg!' when he was drunk an' havin' a good time...but he wasn't into de bluues, he liked the Pennsylvania Singers and the famous US baritone Lawrence Tibbet...

I grew up with Broadway shows and (very) light classical.

My Fair Lady, South Pacific, ShowBoat...

And some musical comedy. Anyone remember Flanders and Swann?

me folks they liked 'Carousel' and then somehow the march of the toreadors from Carmen got thrown in...me ma's name was Maria del Carmen and me dad was alternately enthused and intimidated...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8SGYkiVsSY

(I am reminded of an asian girl in a slight cotton dress and tennis shoes with no underwear standing over me in triumph...)

to conduct this piece with full orchestra and choir would be better than the greatest stadium guitar solo ever...

jesus...with all this romance us kids were neglected back in the 50s...mom and dad were like two kids in love...

later in the 80s (they had split in the late 60s) when dad was advised of her violent death he became mute for a couple of days and his wife appealed to me: 'que vamos hacer si ya no quiere hablar?...'...it furthered her isolation and I had no response...

aw, hell