x-x-x-x-x. Ortiz. Transmission from Hell. new Jersey

Saturday; drive to Atkins, AR. eat okay Mexican food and play for 50 crazy punk kids. they sing and dance like animals.

Sunday; to Hot Springs, AR. Get drunk w/ Renee and Scott ‘till Renee throws up all night. Go to bath house next day for lo-fi/hi-fi mineral baths where you nearly boil alive. Old black men wait on me, Rivka is looked after by “Louisianna Lesbians”.

Monday; Fort Smith, AR; the city where we were ex-ed from a club ‘cause the owner was bummed that I “whipped out (my) weiner”. Rock a late night set with All American Rejects (dude voted for Bush) and this one-legged rapper named Aubrey Echols, who was dope when he wasn’t sounding too much like Snoop Dog.

Tuesday; Norman, Oklahoma and OKC. Blown off by the ex-stripper who wanted to give free massages. Go to Earth health food store that Kate and Richard run. Then meet Rivka’s dad, Hasidic Postal worker, who is in Norman for a three week training session. Eat dinner at the postal hotel, where he introduces us to noone, talks of kitty-cats and fondness for Bush. I leave stressed out, wondering if he likes me at all, and if I like him. Then play fun show at the Hilo Club where artists and fags mingle and by the second set, there’s a prettty sexy dance floor going.

Wednesday; Houston, Texas. Better tasting, but more painful Mexican food. Fun show with tattoo artists and two hip-hop acts, Freedom Sold and Studemont Project. Freedom Sold were very noisy. Love that shit. Don’t think Rivka’s there yet. Club paid us in a way that made us want to shit, piss, punch, spit and abuse. Sound guy was a jam band bass player, if ya get what I mean.

Thursday; Lafayette, LA. Had to work for that one. Slept great, though. Thanks Chad. Woke up with a start and there was a ghost flying over me. Freakie. Learned there, from the guitarist of The Gin and Tonics, Chris Breaux, who was managing the club, that the reason all these names in Louisianna end in the letter X is ‘cause back in the day, farmers would sign their Franch-rooted name, ending in EAU by the X, and over time, people at the banks or city hall or whatever copied them down WITH the X.

Friday thru Sunday; Shows in New Orleans. Hang with Pam Gore of Drums on the Web, and this guy Paolo something who invented the world’s most popular hand drum, manufactured by Remo, and who’s day gig is facilitating drum circles with like 500 - 700 business people in the corporate world.

Got some bad porn and fun sex toys there. This one thing that’s made of rubber and goes on the hard cock and has tinglers and shit on the head that makes Rivka … it’s an effective plaything. Saw Otter, Michael Welch, Trachiotomy, Quintron, Tiana Hux and a few other celebrity freaks and friends there as well. NOLA is very aware of it’s rich culture. Great phrase this popular local “folk artist” paints is “Be Nice or Leave”. See that one everywhere.

A good tour. Wow. People like our music. Keep dancing with us, babies.

Now jus’ need ta finish this record and get a vehicle. Should be easy enough.

mad happy. Mike iLL

22/11/2004