Tondeleo: Back in the Summer, I found out that Doc and Marilyn had gone to Hawaii! Someone paid for them to go out there and take a break, meet some new people, play some places that they would never play on there own.
I asked them why hadn't they told me about it and they were both embarrassed because they had never been there before. They had never flown in an airplane before. They had no idea where Hawaii actually was, even after they had been there. None of their friends knew anything about Hawaii. It made them feel like outcasts! I told them that I would count myself triple lucky to go to Hawaii, but they shook their heads, "no."
Marilyn: It really WAS weird, Tondy! NOBODY we know has ever been to Hawaii, so some of them laughed when we said we were going there. They made fun of us, like we thought we were better than them or something. Some didn't believe we were really going there, and said we were probably just going to South of the Border, SC and thought that it was the same thing as Hawaii...
Doc: Yeah, that's because a few years ago I went to South of the Border, and thought I was in Cuba. I didn't know any better. I saw that big Pedro and thought I was at the Cuban border. What else would it be? I ain't never been south of North Carolina til then.
I was workin' on my truck there at South of the Border - well, Cuba to me - and one of their security guards told me to quit. I told him I was a 'merican citizen and he said he didn't care if I was from the moon - which I am not - that I needed to stop working on my truck or he'd have me locked up. I stopped. Not because I was scared of him, because I wasn't, but I didn't want to go to no Cuba jail. Later someone told me it weren't really Cuba, it was just South Carolina. Hey, how was I supposed to know?
Marilyn: Since nobody believed us, when we talked about Hawaii and didn't know where it was, we just kept it to ourselves about Hawaii.
Tondeleo: So, tell me about your trip to Hawaii!
Doc: Well, first thing, it wasn't all filled with pretty girls in grass skirts and wearin' coconuts instead of shirts. I was figurin' that they'd be all over the airport, doin' hula dances and hangin' flowers around our necks. But no, that didn't happen. I DID see Randy Travis at the airport. He was helpin' someone carry their suitcases.
I tried to get him to carry my guitar case, because it was heavy. I had the acoustic guitar in it and it was stuffed full of a lot of things I might need. Old Randy looked at me like I was crazy. I said, '"Yeah, go ahead and look at me like that, Mr. High and Mighty! You treat me like this after all your CD's that I copied!"
I carried my own guitar and let Randy Travis get back to carryin' suitcases. I brought my acoustic because I wasn't sure they'd have electricity out there yet... but they already do!
Marilyn: And it was beautiful, Tondy! It was the perfect temperature! Not too hot, not too cold! Just right! And everyone wears flipflops!
It was funny to watch Doc because he doesn't have any flipflops and doesn't wear shorts. He stuck out like a bad belly button, walking around in camo and work boots!
Doc: I ain't gonna be a phony just because I'm not at home! Hawaiian shirts, shorts, flipflops! Some people can do that, but not me. I don't know how to be anyone but me.
Marilyn: But you DID find some flipflops on the beach and you wore them the rest of the time! And you DID cut off one of your pairs of jeans after a couple of days...
Doc: Yeah, well I figured the Good Lord wanted me to try out some flipflops, since my boots was wet and my socks were too - and He provided me with them flipflops there on the beach. What would YOU do?
Tondeleo: I'm sure I'd wear them, too, Doc.
Marilyn: It was funny seein' him in flipflops and shorts! With his white, white legs! They hadn't seen the sun probably since he was a baby, Tondy!
Doc: Well... now you know why I don't wear shorts! My legs got all sunburned and hurt for three days! Why? All because I tried to fit in!
Marilyn: No, all because you didn't wear sunblock! Tondy, his legs looked like two skinny hams!
Doc: Long pants ARE sunblock! Why would I wear shorts and then put on sunblock? Makes no sense.
But we had a good time, Tondy. We can talk about it later...
I asked them why hadn't they told me about it and they were both embarrassed because they had never been there before. They had never flown in an airplane before. They had no idea where Hawaii actually was, even after they had been there. None of their friends knew anything about Hawaii. It made them feel like outcasts! I told them that I would count myself triple lucky to go to Hawaii, but they shook their heads, "no."
Marilyn: It really WAS weird, Tondy! NOBODY we know has ever been to Hawaii, so some of them laughed when we said we were going there. They made fun of us, like we thought we were better than them or something. Some didn't believe we were really going there, and said we were probably just going to South of the Border, SC and thought that it was the same thing as Hawaii...
Doc: Yeah, that's because a few years ago I went to South of the Border, and thought I was in Cuba. I didn't know any better. I saw that big Pedro and thought I was at the Cuban border. What else would it be? I ain't never been south of North Carolina til then.I was workin' on my truck there at South of the Border - well, Cuba to me - and one of their security guards told me to quit. I told him I was a 'merican citizen and he said he didn't care if I was from the moon - which I am not - that I needed to stop working on my truck or he'd have me locked up. I stopped. Not because I was scared of him, because I wasn't, but I didn't want to go to no Cuba jail. Later someone told me it weren't really Cuba, it was just South Carolina. Hey, how was I supposed to know?
Marilyn: Since nobody believed us, when we talked about Hawaii and didn't know where it was, we just kept it to ourselves about Hawaii.
Tondeleo: So, tell me about your trip to Hawaii!
Doc: Well, first thing, it wasn't all filled with pretty girls in grass skirts and wearin' coconuts instead of shirts. I was figurin' that they'd be all over the airport, doin' hula dances and hangin' flowers around our necks. But no, that didn't happen. I DID see Randy Travis at the airport. He was helpin' someone carry their suitcases.
I tried to get him to carry my guitar case, because it was heavy. I had the acoustic guitar in it and it was stuffed full of a lot of things I might need. Old Randy looked at me like I was crazy. I said, '"Yeah, go ahead and look at me like that, Mr. High and Mighty! You treat me like this after all your CD's that I copied!"
I carried my own guitar and let Randy Travis get back to carryin' suitcases. I brought my acoustic because I wasn't sure they'd have electricity out there yet... but they already do!
Marilyn: And it was beautiful, Tondy! It was the perfect temperature! Not too hot, not too cold! Just right! And everyone wears flipflops! It was funny to watch Doc because he doesn't have any flipflops and doesn't wear shorts. He stuck out like a bad belly button, walking around in camo and work boots!
Doc: I ain't gonna be a phony just because I'm not at home! Hawaiian shirts, shorts, flipflops! Some people can do that, but not me. I don't know how to be anyone but me.
Marilyn: But you DID find some flipflops on the beach and you wore them the rest of the time! And you DID cut off one of your pairs of jeans after a couple of days...
Doc: Yeah, well I figured the Good Lord wanted me to try out some flipflops, since my boots was wet and my socks were too - and He provided me with them flipflops there on the beach. What would YOU do?
Tondeleo: I'm sure I'd wear them, too, Doc.
Marilyn: It was funny seein' him in flipflops and shorts! With his white, white legs! They hadn't seen the sun probably since he was a baby, Tondy!
Doc: Well... now you know why I don't wear shorts! My legs got all sunburned and hurt for three days! Why? All because I tried to fit in!
Marilyn: No, all because you didn't wear sunblock! Tondy, his legs looked like two skinny hams!
Doc: Long pants ARE sunblock! Why would I wear shorts and then put on sunblock? Makes no sense.
But we had a good time, Tondy. We can talk about it later...
