Saturday, October 27, 2007

A Ride With Bob

This morning, I went over to visit Kinky. We started reminiscing about the past, and I remembered this story.

A couple of years ago, Kinky invited Tony and I to go with him to Kerrville, to see the musical, “A Ride With Bob,” the first ever, musical drama about the music and life of Bob Wills, starring Ray Benson, and Asleep at the Wheel!

We went early that evening, so Kinky could visit with his good friend, Ray before the show. We went to Ray’s bus and he invited us to come aboard! Kinky and Ray talked some politics and we left the bus twenty minutes later—with upgraded seats—compliments of Ray and the cast!

Before going inside the civic center, I saw an old friend of mine, Jim Finney, who was the Wheels sound man! Way back when, I used to embroider all of the jackets and caps for Asleep at the Wheel, and Jim was usually the man that we dealt with. I hadn’t seen Jim since 1995! We had a brief visit and agreed to catch up with each other, after the show.

The center was packed, and when the usher took us to our seats—I about fainted! We had the only box seats—right next to the stage!

Everybody there, was staring at us, because we had the best seats in the auditorium, but more importantly—because Kinky was there!

When the lights went down, Ray came out on the stage to talk to the crowd before the show began. “I want to say hello to my good friend,” Ray announced, just as a spotlight, from up above, shone down on the three of us. “Kinky Friedman! The next governor of the great state of Texas!”

The crowed roared with applause, and then Kinky stood up, and waved his cowboy hat at the crowd. When the applause ended—the show began. And, it was awesome!

During the intermission, about fifty or sixty people came over to our box, requesting autographs from Kinky and to wish him luck in his campaign! After ten minutes had passed, while Kinky was still busily signing away, a woman, who was probably in her early forties, walked up to me and handed me her program and a pen—asking me for my autograph.

What? Why does she want my autograph for? I thought. I politely took her pen, and wrote on her program—Nancy Parker-Simons—feeling dumbstruck. When I returned her pen and program, she said, “I love you—Molly Ivins! Thank you.” And then she vanished into the crowd.

After the show was over, Tony and I visited with Jim, while Kinky signed one autograph after another, in the lobby. Before leaving, Kinky visited with Ray and invited the entire cast to come out and see us. Then we left.

On our way back home, that night, I told Kinky and Tony about the woman wanting my autograph and Kinky almost wrecked the car, because he was laughing so hard. Kinky said, “I’m calling Molly tomorrow to tell her about this! I know it will make her laugh!”

“Well, ” I said. “I just feel sorry for that woman, because tomorrow morning, just as she is fixing to frame her Molly Ivins, signed program, and then reads my name instead, she’ll be asking herself, ‘Who is Nancy Parker-Simons?’ How sad can that be?”

The following morning—the entire cast showed up out here—and we had a blast!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Nancy I believe that, somewhere up there, Molly Ivins is smiling that you have been mistaken for her by that Wheel fan!

Now I caught Asleep At The Wheel again in concert last week. I had to schmooze someone I knew at the venue ahead of time, but managed third row center. I, like you, have been following the Wheel for many a year, even during the Wheel’s lean years of the 1980’s (those years would include the dinner salad days versus the Caesar salad days). Somewhere in my packrat past I still have vinyl versions, in battled-scarred album sleeves, of Comin’ Right At Ya, Texas Gold and other great albums.

I have seen A Ride With Bob once and it is an excellent stage musical presentation. Last week’s show was a traditional Wheel concert with a liberal helping of Bob Wills tunes. I have to say that, when I closed my eyes a couple of times, I could still hear Lucky Oceans and Leroy Preston and Chris O’Connell like it was yesterday. Maybe it was even at Soap Creek Saloon by Doug Sahm’s old house although some would say that, if I remembered the end of that show, I hadn’t drunk enough longnecks. The current ensemble of Asleep At The Wheel are all consummate professionals, in fact outstanding musicians, with Ray Benson demanding and getting no less a quality as usual. Every current and future fan should be kickin’ their heels at the chance to see such a tight band play one more time.

Take care Nancy,
Bob K.