Show Woes

(At the Aladdin Theater last spring, right before the Magnetic Fields came on.)

Back in Austin, in the late 80s, I would visit a record store called Sound Exchange (it was called Record Exchange until 1987) & in the front, as you walked in, on metal racks were the new releases - all on vinyl, they didn't have much of a CD selection yet.  New records were $3.99.  They had a red or orange sticker that told you that.  So much good stuff was coming out at that time I would sometimes buy a record just because it looked like it might be good.  This is how I acquired Strange Times by the Chameleons.

Initially I think I bought it because it a) had a bonus record with it (!) & b) that bonus record had both a Bowie & a Beatles cover (!!).  I did sometimes buy records I didn't like but I fucking hit the jackpot with that one.  Holy shit.  It's one of my favorite records ever.

The Chameleons came to the states to tour for the record but never made it down to Texas.  They broke up in 1987 when their manager died - two of the members of the band apparently disliked each other.  But they managed to re-form from 2000 to 2003 - all the original members - but never even toured the U.S. during that time, as far as I know.

When I lived in Kentucky, I found out that Mark Burgess, the bassist & lead singer, was touring as ChameleonsVox.  He was coming as close to Lexington as Columbus, Ohio, about three hours away.  It had taken almost thirty years but I was going to get to see the band.  & I did.

That's a picture I took of someone taking a picture of Mark Burgess.  With great luck, I saw them again - as ChameleonsVox - here in Portland in 2019.

They'll be in town in a week - I've found out that original guitarist Reg Smithies is touring with the band, which apparently makes them the Chameleons again.  They were supposed to be at the Doug Fir Lounge on the 27th.  The show has been rescheduled to the 26th at a bigger venue.  But that's a Monday night.  I have a radio show that night.  I guess I could prerecord...

It's funny, I've seen a few shows since the long slow ending (still happening) of the pandemic.  I am usually one of a handful of people wearing a mask.  I feel very old at these shows, more out of place than when I was a shy boy sitting next to the stage for a couple of hours before the openers even came on.  I used to bring a book to read when I'd go to shows back then.  Now I just doomscroll Twitter on my phone.

So there's something unpleasant about seeing live music plus I've seen the Chameleons (at least their lead singer) twice more than I ever thought I would.  I know this is a rationalization but I also know it's not working.  I'm quite bummed that I don't get to see them this time around.  Unless I go ahead & prerecord my dumb show.  Which I just might do.  Now that I think about it.