Dakota and Johnny are bartenders at the 169 Lounge on East Broadway. They treated me like a prince, because I have the last quaaludes on Earth. Dakota wants one bad.
“If you give me one, you’ll never have to pay for a drink in this bar.” Dakota came from Arizona. He was less than half my age. The longhaired guitarist thought his doing a lude could be a significant dent in the Tragic 2000s.
I showed him the jar.
1974 Rorers.
“What about if I let you touch the bottle?” ‘Ludes were extinct, but I took the jar out of my pocket.
“Let me see.” David Hustle was my drinking companion. We went back to back when ‘ludes were $5 at Danceteria.
“Not a chance.” I shook my head. “What about you, Dakota?”
I dangled them in front of his eyes.
“I’m not a pervert.” Dakota pulled a can of ‘Gansett from the beer cooler. “One pill. All the drinks you want for the rest of your life.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Ha, I told you he wouldn’t give you one.” Johnny played in the same band as Dakota.
Weird Womb.
“I might.” I couldn’t think of a good reason, then again a friend of mine had boosted one in Thailand, so there were only two in this jar. The secret stash of the other two jars was in Staten Island and I wasn’t saying where.
“What if I let you sing on stage with us?”
“When?” I thought I had a good voice.
“Thursday night. The 20th at Shea Stadium. The bar not the baseball field.”
“You’re not seriously thinking about letting him sing?” David groaned in disbelief.
“I have a good voice.”
“Only because you don’t have to listen to it.”
“Ha, ha.” I did think I had a good voice and told Dakota, “I’ll see you at Shea Stadium.”
“Bring the ludes with you.”
“And a gun.” The Rorers were safe in a crowd.
“You really are evil,” David commented with a sneer. He had hated me as a bouncer at Hurrah. I was meaner than a shave rattlesnake in those years, but we had outlived most of our friends, so it was him and me for better or worse.
With or without the ‘ludes.
To see WEIRD WOMB tonight, go to Shea Stadium at 20 Meadow Street in Brooklyn. The nearest subway of Grand Street on the L.
To hear PALE PISS by Weird Womb, please go to this URL