Wednesday, November 16, 2011

No. 932 – The Bomber: Closet Queen


Performer: James Gang
Songwriters: Jim Fox, Dale Peters, Joe Walsh
Original Release: James Gang Rides Again
Year: 1970
Definitive Version: Any version that includes Ravel’s Bolero, which, apparently had been cut out of original pressings due to licensing issues.

I got tickets to see Steve & Garry, who were making their first live appearance in more than a year at Horizonfest 1987, and I got 10th row seats. Steve & Garry were warming up for Joe Walsh, thus the tie-in. (And, yes, he did play this song, complete with the Bolero section, but I’m getting ahead of myself.)

Horizonfest was a combination carnival, swap meet and concert series that was held at the Rosemont Horizon near to O’Hare. It sounded like fun, and by then I was in total Steve & Garry love, so I bought two tickets at the prospect of having a date, but Renee, the woman I was sort of seeing, begged off. It wasn’t a full-fledged stand-up; I knew I was taking a chance in buying two tickets.

I offered around to a few friends and at the YMCA office but no takers—no surprise since I had just started there that week. Because it was June, I still had a part-time gig at Northwestern as part of my previous quarter’s job-study program. At this time, I was working behind the desk at Medill’s tiny library. I had a chance to meet a lot of people, including Renee.

That’s how I met Vicky. Unlike others whom I’ve chosen not to name, I honestly don’t remember Vicky’s name. In any event, Vicky was an incoming Medill grad student, and she was on campus for early orientation. Well, what the heck: So I asked her out of the blue if she wanted to go see Joe Walsh at Horizonfest. And probably against her own best judgment, she said yes.

And with that, we’ll bring today’s entry to a close.

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