BYOG Clarksdale 2007 Update:
Q: Again, you might ask: what in hells-bells does BYOG mean?
A: Bring Your Own Guitar! 
The inaugural event is in less than 2 weeks - November 9th, 10th & 11th! Confirmed to attend are 
Matt "Guitar" Blankenship and wife Mimi, 
Pierce "Ax Man" Hodnette and wife Cindy, Jack "Big Lick" Muench and wife Trudy, and Larry "Lorenzo Mariachi" Simons and wife, Ann.
Q: Who cares, and why?
A: ‘Cause we love the 
blues. Blues lovers all, the troubadours and their women will descend on C’dale on Friday, and stay at The Big Pink Guesthouse www.bigpinkguesthouse.com
We’ll probably eat at Abe’s Bar-b-Que, we’ll tour the venues in the area, including Honey Hill Bed & Breakfast, Hopson Plantation Commissary, Larry & Ann’s 
Blues Apartment, and Ground Zero. Saturday, we’ll play guitars, eat, and play guitars. Saturday evening, at cocktail hour, entertainment will be provided by 
Groundspeak, a professional Memphis-based jazz-blues jam band (Larry’s son Andrew plays bass) - then we’ll jam with the pro’s (ne’er-do-well-would-be-rock-star-guitarists like me need to have pro’s around to cover my ineptitude) - then we’ll probably do Mexican food at Zippy’s and end up at either Ground Zero or Hopson, depending on who’s playing.
Q: Is there a photographer in the house to cover this event?
A: Coincidentally, Pierce’s wife Cindy Hodnette is a photographer, and she will be covering the event.
Q: Why bother to go to 
Clarksdale?
A: For the 
fun of it.
Q: Hey, 
Chester Brewer was born in Clarksdale, will he attend?
A: I spoke with Chet, and he said he might attend, and if he does he will stay at his Uncle Leo’s house - an historic destination of itself. Chet, it will be awesome if you show up! Be there.
Q: What about Frank "Spoons" Collins, did he waz out?
A: We were hugely disappointed that Frank & Mary Collins would be unable to attend - but we are sure they will be drummed into attending BYOG II, whenever that is.
Q: What about Matt "the inventor of ATO Blues" Hart? What about that miserable mug?
A: Yes, Matt was invited, and although we all put our pants on one-leg-at-a-time, Matt has been suffering some kind of . . . uh . . . pain in his throat, to where he is temporarily unable to vocally verbatiate any magniloquence necessary for "the blues." Matt, I can assure you, right after we raise a toast to W.C. Handy, we’ll toast you as well, and sing several rounds of ATO Blues . . . "On my way down to New Orleans . . ."
Q: How about the famed "Crossroads" - what’s up with that?
A: To commemorate the BYOG event, we will having a group photo taken beneath the "big guitar" sign at the actual location of the crossroads - Highway 61 & Highway 49. This will be easy, because its right next to Abe’s Bar-b-que. What could be better?
Q: Why doesn’t Vinny Starr like the blues?
A: Actually, he does like the blues, he just doesn’t know it. Buck Biller was telling me, once he visited Vinny, and Vinny had a tape or CD (maybe an 8-track tape) of "Vinny’s favorites" - which included the famous blues number Green Onions, by Booker T. & The M.G.’s, with guitar-god Steve Cropper playing. Absolutely one of the greatest blues records ever made! Vinny just didn’t know it was blues. How funny is that? This won’t be enough to shame Vinny into attending a BYOG, but we’ll keep trying.
Q: Where is Clarksdale?
A: About an hour south of Memphis on Highway 61.
Check out Beta Pi Blog on the web! The blog address is:
http://journals.aol.com/lasimons4law/beta-pi-blog/
VTL,
Larry Simons
Beta Pi, ‘72
4 comments:
CHET "KING OF CLARKSDALE" BREWER TO VISIT TURKEY, October 31, 2007: I received this note from Chester:
"Sorry, Buddy. I will be in Antalya, Turkey.
Chet"
TO CHESTER: We'll raise a toast to you, and denigrate you with the blues, and pressure you to attend BYOG II! After all, this is your kingdom we're in.
FROM ARMS AYLWARD, October 31, 2007:
"Larry
Where will you be Friday night around 9pm - or send me a phone # that I can call to pin down a stop. Family duty MAY have me passing through Clarksdale about that time and date. I suspect a cold libation will taste mighty fine after a long day of travel, should I be so lucky to find you and others so inclined.
Arms"
TO ARMS: That is great news, Arms! Friday night around 9pm, we'll just be hanging out in Clarksdale, either at Big Pink, Honey Hill, Hopson or our blues apartment, or dinner at Abe's. My cell number is 615-512-1448, and I don't have a cell number for you (I've got home 206-346-4476 and office 206-230-5540). Pierce and Cindy will be driving in, and so will Muenchie, and Matt & Mimi will fly in to Memphis and drive down - so their arrival times will be scattered, but we all should be in C'dale by 9. It will be awesome to see you after all these years - and I feel certain that cold libations will be readily available! We'll look for your call old friend.
LARRY
JACK MUENCH BACKS OUT OF BYOG, Nov. 5, 2007:
"Gentlemen, Bad news, good news. Good news: not one but two significant clients are being bought out (edited, exceeds 2000 char.) no one here does this kind of stuff but me. If I could just take off the weekend, I could/would show up. But the 1400 miles of driving knocks me out of the box, plain and simple.
The more recently-revealed deal client agreed to pay me back for the hotel--even without that, I certainly would've let it ride given the lateness of all this. Still, its galling--I've enjoyed picking up the old Gibson (funny how years of sitting in a case have made it so much more remarkable than it was when I bought it in '75)--most restorative and just plain good. It's the more galling because, try as we might, we never really know when the next reunion will be. I haven't seen everyone in far too long, especially you, Pierce and Cindy. I miss you more than you know.
I hope you all will send photos and stories. Heaven knows, my being there would have provided almost solely spiritual solace.
I would say that I'm sorrier about this turn of events more than you know, but that's not true, I trust.
I'll call around later today--solid conf. calls from 11-3.
Cheers."
TO MUENCHIE: Buck Biller used to hold the award for Inability to Keep Commitments - The Peter Pan Syndrome. Could that torch be passed to you? Muenchie, I concur with Matt - you should simply take a flight. We really want you to show up!
FROM MATT BLANKENSHIP TO MUENCHIE:
Jack,
WTF? Where are you driving from? There are no AIRPLANES there? Isn't
it Chet that doesn't have any internet? I'm going to go throw away all
my shoes to slow down for you guys. Long/Short: Get your butt on a
plane amigo!
Your caring and understanding brother,
Matt
MATT - I AGREE, MUENCHIE NEEDS TO PONY UP FOR AIR FARE & FLY!
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