Showing posts with label panel truck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label panel truck. Show all posts

How Things Have Changed Over The Years in the Music Business

Friday, February 5, 2016 9:00 PM Posted by Tondeleo Lee Thomas
Tondeleo: I ran across a quote by Hunter S. Thompson that made me think about some of the things that Doc, Marilyn, and their friends have said about the music business and how ruthless it can be. Here it is:
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."  -  Hunter S. Thompson

I read this to Doc, Marilyn and Big Dave when I was visiting the other night, and got their responses. Marilyn, of course had the most to say about it, even though she is the youngest, and has only been playing and singing publicly, for well less than 20 years. Doc put her to work playing and singing in the streets and passing the hat when she was 10 or 12 years old. Nevertheless, the quotation sparked a fire in her.

Marilyn: Tondy, I don't know who that Mr. Thompson, but he is RIGHT. We know that, and we are just nobodies! But we have experienced a lot of that. People promise you all kinds of things, especially when you don't have a job and are hungry. Things like good connections, good money, and other things, and then you find out that they don't even have anything themselves, and are hoping to just use you to get things for themselves! Like, they act rich and like they are looking out for you, but they are not. A lot of them are broke and owe money to everybody, and are hoping to use you to make some money for them! Like, they line up a gig, and tell us how wonderful it's going to be, and how many hundreds or thousands of people are going to be there, how much money "we'll" all make, meaning how much money HE will make, and then when you get there, it's just something we could have got on our own! Then they introduce us to MORE people who want a piece of the action, and talking about how well connected they are, and how they will open major doors for us...

Big Dave: She's right, Tondy. I've been doing this all my life, and it's always like the next big gig is around the corner. If we play at this crummy little dive, it will open the door to the really BIG crummy dive. After a while, you just stop believing in any of them. They are all a bunch of no talents who want to be big shots, and want to pimp whoever they can...

Doc: I decided a long time ago that ain't nobody gonna pimp me but me. I've had times when it was just me living in my panel truck. Well, me, a couple guitars, an amp and a dog, and when you're broke, everybody wants to take a vantage of you. and you have to smile, you have to pretend you're happy, you have to put on a show like everything is all fine and dandy, even when you're dying inside. That is the show part of show business. You got to "show" that you're happy and that everything is good even when that ain't your reality. 

Big Dave: But this ain't nothing new Tondy. It's always been like that, as far back as you go. If someone's got talent, there are always a dozen people who want to pimp them and make as much money off them as possible, and then when they have worn that person down to nothing, they are through with them and move on to the next one.

Like, one thing that happens is this. I was in a band with a so called agent once. He said he'd take care of all the bookings, travel, food, hotels, everything. He wanted a ten percent commission. So we went for it. He had us playing a lot of good gigs, colleges, resorts, festivals and all that. So at the end of the Summer, he's explaining why there's no money left for us!

Here's why: He CHARGED us for like every phone call he made! He got the cheapest prices he could get for airplane travel, but charged us full price for all of it! He got discounts on the hotels, but charged us full price, marking it all up as much as he could. He'd tell us to go ahead and get room service. Why? Because he'd mark it up so he made a profit on everything! Then he'd take it out of our money, PLUS the ten percent commission on every one of our bookings! Everything he touched had a giant sized mark up on it, and it all came out of our pockets!

Doc: I ain't never had an agent. I had an Asian once, though... that's a joke, Tondy! Anyway, for me, it's better to just do our own bookings, do our own music, work with the close circle of friends that we have, and let whatever happen happens. heck, I ain't never had no money anyway, and I still need to lose 20 pounds. What do I want to be rich for? I ain't never wanted to be rich - never wished for that, and my wish came true!

I have been totally down and out as far as society is concerned, but I have always been able to find food to put in my belly, some clothes to put on my back and a shelter to sleep under. Kings can't do any better than that. Plus I have always had friends. A lot of kings don't even know if the people around them are really friends, so I'm better off... in my book.

Tondeleo: So you've always played music, always gotten to eat, sleep and had friends. 

Big Dave: Right, That's true for me.

Marilyn: It's been true as far as I can remember. Even when mama ran off with that piece of trash from the carnival, Uncle Doc took me in, and made sure I had clothes, food and a bed. I can only wear so many clothes, and only eat so much food and can only sleep  in one bed at a time. Why would I want more than that?

Doc: Yeah, and we're still the same as always. We ain't never been famous or well known. But I'm still high energy. Marilyn's high energy. Our band is a very high energy band - more energy going on than a lot of teenaged bands… 

But I CAN say that when we were young, we'd play and there'd be girls throwing their panties up on the stage… and that still happens sometimes. But, they're a lot bigger now… and sometimes it's boxers what's bein' thrown up on the stage. It IS a little different, in that respect... But that's the music business!

Posted in , , , , , , , ,

A Little More about Doc and Mailyn's Hawaii Trip

Tuesday, January 5, 2016 11:47 AM Posted by Tondeleo Lee Thomas
Tondeleo: As you know, I've been trying to get Doc and Marilyn to open up a bit more about the two weeks they spent in Hawaii last year, courtesy of a friend who wanted them to get a break, and catch a broader view of life than just the southeastern part of the United States.

 I was out of the country when all this happened, and they had never mentioned it. Only by chance Doc mentioned it a few months ago and then wouldn't talk about it anymore. Marilyn was the same way. If pushed, they may talk about it a few minutes and then change the subject. Fortunately they do have a few photos that were taken of them on Marilyn's phone.

 So tell us a bit more about your trip to Hawaii. Like, how was the hotel?

Marilyn: It was beee-YOUtiful, Tondy! We were up on the fourth floor and could see mountains and the beach and the water! I took pictures on my phone of the view looking off the balcony. 

Doc: It was all right. I got to play guitar a lot. I missed my panel truck. I don't usually go no where without it. But I couldn't bring it with me. Just a picture I brought in my guitar case.

As for the motel, first thing I do when I go into a motel room is if it's summer I turn on the AC full blast and if it's winter, I jack up the heat.

 Tondeleo: And why is that, Doc?

Doc: 'Cause I ain't got AC at my place and my heat aint that good neither. If I can go to a motel room and get heat and AC and a good hot bath, that's all the vacation I need.

But guess what, Tondy? They didn't HAVE any heat or AC in the motel room! I looked all over for it and so did Marilyn and it wasn't there! I'm thinkin' what kind of cheap hellhole did Billy book us into? Marilyn called the front desk and found out something crazy. NO heat or AC!

Marilyn: You know why? Because the lady at the front desk said it doesn't get hot enough for AC and doesn't get cold enough for heat! She said it's about 72 degrees year round so we don't need heat or AC!

Doc: Well they hadn't met a poor man before. We don't care if we NEED heat or AC. We just use it cause we ain't got it at home and it's free with the room! If it's Summer and is 72 degrees, I'm still gonna use the AC! I'm paying for it - well, Billy did this time. I might have it down to 60 degrees just because I can!

If it was Winter, I'd set it to 80 or 85 degrees because nothin' says vacation like getting good and warm in the winter. I mean, I aint really had no real vacations, but I HAVE stayed in plenty of motels before.

Tondeleo: So, with no heat and no AC, were you comfortable?

Marilyn: It was wonderful, Tondy! I think it is what Heaven will be like, only shorter. 

Doc: Yeah, I was comfortable. It just took a while to get used to having the windows open like it was at home. Plus, they had them jealousy windows what wind out. that was different. Also, the screen door with bars on it, so you could have it open all night but no one could get in and rob you. But you gotta play and sing quieter 'cause everyone else got their door open, too.

But, I liked it, yeah.

Posted in , , , , ,

Doc Stevens and the Famous (well, it SHOULD be) Old Panel Truck

Friday, December 2, 2011 8:37 PM Posted by Tondeleo Lee Thomas
Tondeleo: It seems like there are common interests that run deep in many rural Americans. Things like guns, “hot rods” and music. Some of these people are working jobs that pay very little, and are renting small bungalows, but they may have thousands of dollars tied up in their gun collection, musical instruments and their hot rods. It’s all about values; what’s important in life.

Of course none of these people have investments in the stock market and don’t have money in the bank or even a retirement or pension fund. All they have are their cars, guns and instruments. 

Building a hot rod is not cheap. Some of these work two or more jobs so they can buy the parts to build a hot rod. And some of these cars, trucks and race cars are well worth more than the homes they live in.

How do they achieve this? First, by bartering goods and services with each other, maybe trading welding expertise for painting or bodywork, or for electrical or interior work, or mechanical work. Doc’s friends say that this is how the early car clubs got started. There would be 5 or 6 guys who wanted to build hot rods but didn’t have the money they needed or the skills. So different ones would each make his contribution to then others, so all could get their cars built. If you didn’t have a needed skill, you couldn’t join the club.

Some people may sell or trade drugs, from illegal street drugs, to selling their prescription pain killers for speed equipment, engine and body modifications and custom paint, wheels and high performance tires. When a person is addicted to building a hot rod or race cars, he would rather be in physical pain than to do without the parts he needs to go fast.

Doc’s truck didn’t need to be financed in any illegal ways because he doesn’t have much money in it, according to him. The body is nearly perfect because for much of it’s life it has sat in a barn, so it never got rusted out. 

Also, it has been in his family for many, many years and did not get the rough life of a vehicle used commercially by drivers who didn’t care about it.Doc and Bruce
As for the mechanical work, he and his friends did all it themselves, so it did not involve much actual cash. Doc already had the engine, which is a 406 cubic inch Chevy engine. It was a 400 “small block” that has been “punched out to a 406.” It came out of what is called a “pro street” car. Doc traded an old car that he had for it. 

His friend Pat Stone did a lot of the mechanical work on it, and his friend Bruce Williams did work on the frame  and other welding that Doc wasn’t sure he could do and still have it be safe. “Bruce is a real welder, like for a living. I ‘m not. All I know how to do is stick two pieces of metal together,” Doc said. 

Doc has put  his 1951 Chevy panel van (or panel truck as they call it in the US) back on the road after having it torn apart in his shop for a few years. It has been in his family since the late 1950’s or early 60’s, he can’t remember. It’s been driven, parked, stored, painted, sign written and used in different ways throughout it’s life.

During his more recent modifications, he has put it on a newer Chevrolet chassis, installed the powerful V-8 engine, a different transmission that has been modified, a new rear axle and other mechanical mods, most of which I don’t understand.

He has kept the old paint on it. and the old signwriting which is not quite so old as the paint. I don’t know much about hot rods, but I can appreciate it as a piece of Americana. Inside and out it is like a time capsule to days gone by.
Panel Truck and Doc - Small
Doc: Well, right now, Tondy, the panel truck is back on the road because we are getting’ more indoor gigs and I’m usin’ it to carry our guitars and amps instead of my pickup truck which is what I been usin’ to play local. I need to get someone to take some more pictures of it for you to put on that interweb.

A panel truck to me is better than a pickup truck, cause you can carry your stuff in it if it’s rainin’ and it won’t get wet. Like a deer what you just shot, and you ain’t want to leave it in the bed of your pickup truck overnight ‘cause vultures might get into it by mornin’.  But you ain’t gotta worry about it with a panel truck.

Also, for me it is a place to sleep when I’m travelin’. I got a [guerney] out of a old ambulance a long time ago and I keep that in the back to sleep on. I can pull it out in warm weather and sleep under the stars. Or pull it out when we got all our ‘quipment in it and need he room.

We got our letterin’ on the side of it what lets people know who we are and that we are playin. I can park it out in front of where we’re playin’ and it makes it easy for people to find us. It’s part of the show, so to speak. You gotta have somethin’ to make you stand out.

We got the phone number on it, too so people can write it down an’ call us if they want us to play for them. We got on the hood, “We don’t play bluegrass, so do not ask.” People always is askin’ if we play bluegrass. We don’t. 

We play downhome blues, roots and gospel music. We got that wrote on the side, too. And some other stuff, so people ain’t got to ask too many questions. They can just write it down.
That truck gets a pretty good amount of attention, and the hot rod guys like it real well. 

It may be ugly but it is well put together. When they first walk up to it, they think it is a junker, but then when they get up close they can see that it ain’t no junker. The body is perfect – no dents, no rust, nothin’. And if I let ‘em look under the hood, they can see how much work has been put into it.

I like my trucks sittin’ low, so we lowered the body over the frame six inches. It still has a good ride, because we didn’t cut the springs. It’s still got the full springs but it sits low. 

You can’t tell that til you look under the hood and see how it looks like the engine is sittin’ higher than regular. A lot of guys ask about that.”Why does the engine sit high?”  “It don’t. The truck sits low!” We had to raise the floor up six inches in the back part of the truck to get it to sit this low! But we used the same old floor what came from the factory so you can’t really tell it. I mean, it DOES still look like an old junker – but it aint.  

Posted in , , , , , , , ,

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)