Griffin Writes

Footsteps and rustling shattered my already delicate sleep. I had forgotten where I was. Eye wide open, everything pitch black and unfamiliar. Momentary confusion consumed my mental resources while I palmed the surroundings. And, as the reality of being on the bus flooded back into me so did the realization of a compound hangover. I could only laugh, peeling the curtain open to let the morning light bombard my senses. I rolled out of the bunk, almost losing my balance before landing on my feet. I braced a hand on each wall, walking down the bus like I was inside a ship on rough waters. It was a small miracle when I discovered the fridge stocked full of sugar-free Red Bulls. I would find out later Jeff had managed to swing a deal with a Red Bull rep.

Tucker had been the source of the noise. He was setting up his laptop on his table. I tried to hide my agony as a stumbled by, grunting in place of morning pleasantries. Stepping off the bus, the southern air was thick but hollow as if god was rationing out oxygen. I finished the red bulls before finding the hotel room. A knock on the door revealed that Charlie was already awake.

“Sup dude, how was your night?” He said, going back to packing up his suitcase. » Read the rest of this entry «

“Fuuuuuuuck.”

My cell phone’s alarm rattled my ears like a thousand empty beer cans falling on concrete. I mashed at the keys to shut it up. The three hours that had passed since I set it seemed more like three minutes. My head ached for more sleep and my body ached from dehydration. Through a pained squint I spied a half full water bottle on our hotel room’s table. I sat up before stumbling to the bottle; each step sent my brain crashing from one side of my skull to another.

The only good news on this sorry morning was that the drive to Gainesville was only two hours. I called Bill’s room to reunite the reporter girl with her ice queen friend from the night before. Bill answered the phone sounding like he was enjoying the day’s start as much as me.

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Decent shut-eye the previous night made getting out of bed a bearable experience.  I hate mornings without exception. Being awake between the hours of 8am and 10am is as unnatural as intelligence in religion. I started working a night job in high school so I had an excuse for staying up all night.  I’ve orchestrated large portions of my life around not being up during those cruel morning hours. The only reason I quit the nightshift after finishing college was because I got tired of working with creeps and convicts. There are some rare diamonds among the nightshift thrash but years of listening to burnouts and potheads reinforce their lower-class mentality wears on a guy.

The extra sleep was a welcome bonus for the drive to Tallahassee. Corman volunteered to ride with me for the four hour drive. The weather was gorgeous as we barreled down the highway surrounded by lush jungle-like vegetation on either side. The only disruption from the deep green landscape was the occasional billboard. One of these billboards, or more accurately one billboard that appeared multiple times along the journey, led to what would perhaps become my biggest regret on tour.

A regret that led me to break my life’s cardinal rule.

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