Accordion to me

I'm actually going to be playing the accordion on an upcoming recording session. It's for a song or two by my songwriting buddy with whom I've performed and recorded music for about 25 years. I've been a keyboard player my whole life, but this'll be only the second time anyone's actually hired me to play the accordion on a recording session. The other time was for a Cuban singer/songwriter named Wilkins back in the late 90s, and one of those songs actually made it into the movie "American Pie" as source music. The songs I'm going to be playing this time are some older songs I'm already familiar with that we're going to record with new arrangements. My buddy wants a Clifton Chenier-type feel, and since Clifton is dead, I'm going to try to cop Clifton's sound and apply it to these songs. That's my specialty. No actual style of my own, but if you want someone else's style copied and applied to your song, I'm your man. Anyway, I'm pretty excited. The only drawback is that I don't have any place to practice here at home before the session. The only thing more annoying than hearing your neighbor practicing the accordion is........... well, nothing. I may have to go up to the roof of the building or something.

I always wondered what genius at General Motors Pontiac Division came up with the name "Grand Prix" for the Pontiac Grand Prix. Not Gran Prix, not Grand Prize, but Grand Prix. Why not Gran Prize? What's next? Moulin Red?

I was giving some thought to attending my #%&!-year high school class reunion this summer. But then I got to thinking about the last one I went to #%&! years ago. It was like I regressed back to being 17 years old again. The same people pissed me off. The same girls that were cute but unapproachable were still cute but unapproachable. The band nerds were still band nerds. The arrogant jocks were still arrogant jocks. The same guy who used to get drunk and drop trou got drunk and dropped trou. I still felt like a misfit outcast, even though I don't think I necessarily was a misfit outcast back then. Nah, I think I'll pass.