Brian, Ted, Adam and I were out and about in Mt. Adams on a Thursday night back in the summer of 1998 and were kicking around the idea of driving to Baltimore for Nicky Smith's XU graduation party. We all wanted to go on a road-trip, but we'd already been overserved and nobody wanted to be the one to wake up early, motivate Team Khaki, and make the drive to friggin' Maryland. Brian was the first up that morning and he managed to get everybody in the shower by threatening beatings. I'm guessing his neverending love for Nicky somehow manipulated his mind and body-clock because Brian was always the last one up and the last one in the shower. Flash forward to the ultimate game of paper, rock, sciccors between the four of us to decide who would drive. My usually undefeated rock was no match and for the hard fought efforts of my equally hung-over friends and I was deemed driver.
Long story short, we make it in one piece to Baltimore and even get to Nicky's graduation party on time! Later that night the party moves to a cool, historic, waterfront community called Fells Point that you have to ferry over to. We end up at a bar called Terrapin Station (Grateful Dead meets love for University of Maryland Terps) and Brian has command over the juke-box. Brian selects his five songs and its back to business. We're all having the time of our lives, drinking yard-stick beers, and Brian is rocking his infamous Vanilla Ice t-shirt with a smile. After two song selections pass, "Jumper" by Third Eye Blind comes on and we all cheer Brian for the great song choice, although the bar in unison boos the tune, which sends Brian back to the juke-box. I approach him to see what's up and he shows me a crisp $10 bill and I watch as the machine sucks it up. He flips to Third Eye Blind and plays "Jumper" (which is about teen suicide) a straight 20 times in a row!
Ever since then whenever we'd hear Jumper we'd call to say the song was on and laugh about Fells Point. That's not even the best part of the story, Nicky and her friends were so embarrassed of us that she quietly left the bar leaving us alone in a city we'd never been to without any idea of how to get back to our hotels. Did that slow us down? Not in the least. Team Khaki aka Cash Money Brothers went on bar-hopping and eventually managed to make it back to the hotel in one piece.
On Friday, October 2nd, I booked Third Eye Blind to play my club and I thought of Brian the whole time. I miss him so much.
The photo is of me and the lead singer of Third Eye Blind, Stephen Jenkins, that Brian would have loved.
I remember the bar being "The Green Turtle" because I bought a t-shirt with two turtles humping on the back. Stay classy Ted!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat road trip though.