who wants to fight in a bar? really?

so tonight I had a truly surreal experience.

I've been playing at the Blarney Stone's (in Claremont) Open Mic now for almost six months.  I play an electric guitar, when most of the other musicians play an acoustic.  So I use my own amp and distortion pedal because "I wanna rock!" and make a lot of noise.

I'm not great, singing and playing at the same time is way more difficult than one might think.  but I've been getting better and it's a lot of fun.

I've been slowly adding songs to my repertoire.  I like playing a new song every week, so I don't bore the audience by playing all the same songs over and over.  though I do have to playe the Spider-man theme song (Ramones version) every time I play.  Every time.  it's like my song now.  I've still got several I haven't played, but I was excited this week to play Twisted Sister's "We're not Gonna Take It" because it's a lot of fun and I thought it would be a crowd pleaser.
it was a hit with the crowd, made more so by the drunk who wanted me to quit playing "the same effing song for ten minutes" so his out of town cousin could play.  he came up to me while I was still playing and said this.  I told him that I was almost done.  then he didn't move, just kept staring at me.

I'm a cool guy, but sometimes I can be a bit belligerent when being treated poorly.  I added a couple more choruses on to the song, all the while wondering just where the bouncers were.  they showed up though, which is where the d-bag said the aforementioned "ten minute" quote.

really, I would have ended and not even played "Spider-man" if he hadn't been a douche.  he and his party were asked to leave.  come to find out afterward his cousin had already played a rather fun set.  it's probably just as well I didn't know that, as I would have been a bit more confrontational.

the rest of the crowd serenaded them on the way out with a rousing chorus of "we're not gonna take it".

the whole thing was kind of surreal.  I have learned a few things-  I actually have a couple fans that enjoy my singing and playing, and the song set I choose.  that's kind of nice to know.  the show must go on, even if there's a douche in your face and nothing good comes from hair metal.