After the Smoke Clears

Wow.  I read through everyone's comments and must admit...I did so with great trepidation!  I thought you might hate me for being so damn blunt.  Thank you as well for so many wonderful emails!  I feel very understood and not hated at all.  Whew.  It's weird to go out on a limb on the ole blog.  Here's a few more thoughts along with responses to your words. 

First, yes it WAS FUN!  It was three days of bizarre going back and reminiscing and I did enjoy it.  A lot of great memories were talked about and that was cool.  I hadn't seen those chicks since 1992 or so.  In some ways, it was like no time had passed at all!  I wish Jan luck with her version of Vixen.  Roxy is still crazy, funny Roxy and I will always love her for that.  And Janet is the happiest she's ever been thanks to her beautiful son, Ryan and her husband, Andy. 

To answer the tour questions....There won't be any Vixen tours with the lineup you saw on VH1. 

Which brings me to my next point........a lot of people asked about Bubble.  Well, here's the site we built ourselves and that answers a lot.  But a quick rendition........we've been going since 1997.  Bam and I started the band as a reaction to the very serious "nu metal" music that was happening at the time.  Since then, we've released a slew of cd's on our own "label".  Without distribution, not many folks really know about us.  But we keep doing it anyway.  Our song for our self-made video, "deadender" pretty much says it all.  We are deadenders.  We are like cockroaches.  We just keep making music and keep playing clubs.  We keep playing rock n roll no matter how popular or unpopular it is.  Fuck the industry telling me that rock is back.  It never went away!  We're here and we'll still be here next year.  With a new cd.  It's just what we do because we have to write these songs and get them out of our systems.   

I guess what I'm saying is..........I play music because I love it.  I don't have the time or money for it to exist like it does in my life.  Our tax accountant looked at our taxes this year and just laughed saying, "well, basically, every penny you guys make from your dayjobs, you lose in your band." 

As far as being stupid enough to sign a record contract....if a record contract comes Bubble's way, our lawyers (who happen to be our best friends) would look at it and make sure it was as good as it can be.  Then, we'd sign it and once again........hope for the best.  When opportunity knocks, you're crazy if you pass it up even it means you're gonna get screwed.  The way I see it, we gotta try getting our music to the masses if we get the chance.  Having been screwed more times than a porn star, well, it's been a great ride and I've enjoyed every minute of it.

To all my fellow knitters, yes, that wall of yarn in the interview did look so lovely didn't it???????  The producers just could not believe that they had cornered me in a knitting shop!  Too funny.  I'm glad it was the Stitch Cafe as they are probably my fave LYS and....I built their new website too!  :-)

SINCE WE'RE WALKING DOWN MEMORY LANE
Here's some entertainment that wasn't Vixen related so you wouldn't've heard it on that show.  But nevertheless, it's funny stuff.

On tour as the bassplayer with the Dogs D'Amour in 2002 as the opening band for Alice Cooper in Europe, I was excited that we were playing Wembley Arena!!!!!!  The show went well and I was high as a kite from the thrill of Wembley Arena.  My excitement came to a screeching halt when I came offstage, all sweaty and with the guys....and a security guard stopped me and asked for my backstage pass, assuming I was a groupie!!!!  One of the Dogs finally had to rescue me and say, no, really, she is IN the band. 

At the same gig, I was convinced that I had to have retribution against Wembley for such mistreatment.  I desperately wanted to steal something.  So I stole the roll of toilet paper in the main bathroom backstage.  3 months later, we ran into a couple of friends who are married and one of them was in a band on the same Wembley gig.  They conceived a baby in that very same bathroom.  Weird eh?  But yes, we do have the 'bogroll' on display.  Who else has such a great memento from Wembley????!!!!!

On tour with Bubble in Japan, 2000....we had a member (anonymous for his protection) who was having a bit of trouble with the ole rock n roll drug habits.  After a night of drinking all over the town and all of us singing "Wild Horses" on the floor of a club, ...we meandered back to our hotel in a foggy happy stupor.  But this member, proceeded to get darker and darker in spirits and finally knocked on our door at about 4 am.  He wanted to talk to Bam.  So they went up to the roof of the eight story hotel to smoke cigarettes and talk.  This member admitted his drug problem and then said he wanted to kill himself.  Bam in true Bam form, said, "really? you want to kill yourself?" 

Member replied, "yes".

Bam said, "okay".  And proceeded to flip the guy over and dangle him by the ankles from the rooftop yelling........."so do you wanna die NOW???????"

At which point.......the member conceded in a rather perturbed voice, that he did want to live and he didn't want to die. 

Bam panicked and almost lost his grip but managed to pull the guy up.

Another Bubble show........year.....1998.  At a club in Los Angeles with a 7 foot high stage.  I managed to get very excited during the performance and fell off the stage.  Guitar and all.  The funny part?  Our other guitarist was so into HIS performance that he didn't notice I was standing on the side of the stage yelling and screaming for him to help me back up!  Bam threw a drumstick at his head to get his attention but I missed most of the song just yelping on the side.  Oh, and yes, I did sprain my ankle very nicely.

Non-music related.......year: 1994....after a Rolling Stones concert in LA and a nasty breakup with my boyfriend, I got in my 1970 Mustang Coupe with hardened valve seats (so it took unleaded gas) and drove from LA to Minnesota so my brother could fix my tang for free.  On the way back, with my now mint, cherry very very fine mustang (named Mustang Sarah after Sarah Vaughn) I went through the following:

• Got a speeding ticket in Kansas for going 67 in a 55 zone and then they brought out the dogs and ripped apart my car searching for drugs.  All they found was tofu.
• Had crazy white trash motherfuckers pounding on my motel room door at 3 in the morning.  Fortunately, I made the trip with my faithful dog who had a very big bark and scared them away.
• Was rearended by an 18 wheeler in a blizzard on Route 66 in the mountains of Arizona.  Waited 4 hours for the police and another 3 hours for the tow truck.  My dog and I were fine outside of whiplash.  Mustang Sarah was totaled beyond repair.  I spend the night in the tow truck garage listening to the owner talk about his unfaithful wife while he cleaned his guns and glared at me.  The next morning, I went to the local cafe where the main waitress was married to the mayor and they gave me free coffee as I had next to no money and listened while I cried.  They introduced me to another waitress who let me hitch back to Bakersfield with her (while she told me about her son in prison for selling heroin and her daughter the hooker).   Once in Bakersfield, a friend came and got me and brought me back to LA.  I had no car and no insurance and faced a penalty for the no-insurance part.  The bassplayer in the Rolling Stones, Darryl Jones fully believed in my talent and understood that I needed a car to keep gigging.  He loaned me the money under one condition: He said I only had to pay him back with my success.  I got a 1971 Mustang convertible and happily paid him back with the money I got for writing songs for Jesse Camp.  I fully intend to keep the other part of the bargain, too.

AND THE BUBBLE VIDEO
The Bubble video can be seen in full length here: www.planetbubble.com/deadendervideo.htm

The story behind it: Our bassist, Brian Wong could not be at the shoot and we knew this in advance.  So Bam photographed him and then made a life size Brian which we named "Virtual Brian".  That is what you see in the video.  Holding VB, is the amazingly cool rock dj, Miss Annathena.  The video itself was directed by Bam and with the help of many fans, we got it all together.  Cost?  $500 for rehearsal space, lights (home depot work lights), paper green screen, film costs and food for the small but hard working crew.

Of course, if we had to pay Bam for his editing time........well, we wouldn't be able to afford him!

PARENT STUFF
On another note.......my dad has taken a turn for the worse in the last two weeks and I'm going back to Minnesota to visit him in the hospital again.  :-(

My mom is holding up through it all and said everyone is doing alright.  But she is really worried about my dad now.  It must be sooooo hard for her.  They've been married for 54 (55?) years!  I can't even imagine.  Bam and I have been married for 8 years and well.....I just can't imagine what it's like for my mom.

BUBBLE GIG
Just a quick note...........next bubble show.......November 17th at the Dragonfly in Hollywood.   The new cd you can get from us on our site r get it online at www.cdbaby.com/bubble4   Alot of you also asked about Bubble tshirts.....please visit: www.blastwaves.com  You'll find the shirts that Bam designed up there.  Belt buckles are coming soon.  Very cool stuff.

Oh.....and Amoeba on Sunset in Hollywood (only store in America that stocks us) has graciously made Bubble their featured Homegrown Artist so if you're in LA, you can pick us up there for a bargain!!!!

Alright.  Over n out.  I gotta get back to the thousand things I should be doing to get by in life.   Again, thank you for reaching out to me on here and making the world a smaller, friendlier place.  I think rock n roll IS the answer.  Well, along with some knitting.  he he.

Comments

[Anne]

Wow. All I can say is "wow". YOU have LIVED.

[jessica~]

First of all, that was one looong post, girly. You obviously have a lot to say, which is good.
Please know how sorry I am that your pop is not doing well. I couldn't imagine facing what your mother is facing right now. 50+ years is a long time, then again so is 8. Either way, it's so hard and emotionally draining. Don't forget to look to your friends & family for support - they are there.

xx
ps - great fucking stories.

[John Aguilo]

Hi Share,

Sorry to hear about your dad.
I hope things turn out for the best.

[Crystal]

Great stories, all of them. Those are the kind of stories you get when you live a real life and stay true to yourself.

Please know that my thoughts are with you and your parents. I truly hope that your dad pulls through and I hope this gets easier for you and your mom. Not that it ever really could, I suppose.

Crystal

[Lee St. Paul, MN]

pretty interesting stuff ... :)