The Steel Guitar Forum

I remember a Chet Atkins story that goes somewhat like this: Chet was on a vacation on a cruise ship and always had a guitar wherever he went. He was playing for a small crowd of people when some guy in the group yells out, "You're good, but you're no Chet Atkins" LOL

RG

After playing "Wreck on the Old 97" on the Dobro, an old lady said to me, quietly, "You won't always have to play with that metal bar, you know. If you practise, some day you'll be able to use your fingers like the others do."

i yelled out once to a chic singer when she asked hey what would you all like to hear and there was no crowd response ............And i yelled out
i wanna hear my balls slapping yer ass ! lol course we were all a little drunk having fun in our club on a night off it almost got me fired but none the less it was funny ///////
she never asked that question again to a crowd

My friend Doug Stock had a habit of staying on stage to retune his guitar between sets and maybe quietly run through a riff or two to get ready. He'd stay seated up there all night.

One night a lady came up to the band leader and congradulated him on hiring the handicapped.

We open and close our show with a gospel song. One night, the singer said to close it out tonight, I amgoing to ask George to play us a gospel instrumental. A lady in the back yelled out loudly "NO". I didn't take it personally. I assumed she wanted to hear words, not just music. I don't think she meant it as an insult, but then again.......

This didn't happen, but it makes a good story. I was playing My Old Kentucky Home once, and a guy comes up and says that song upset him and brought tears to his eyes. I said "You must be from Kentucky". He said no "I am a steel player."

Another story: Jeff Newman told us this in class and said he heard it from a steel player. The player was playing a club that had a rail fence across the front of the stage. This guy kept coming up to the fence and just staring intently at the steel. This happened several times during the night. So the steel player thinks this guy really loves the steel, is a steel player, or thinking about taking it up. So the steel player is thinking I will talk to him after the show and see if I can help him in any way. So, at the end of the show, here comes the guy and asks "What do you call that thing?" The steeler says "It's a steel guitar." to which the guy replies "Damn, I hate that thing" and walked off.

This is true: I have a good friend that got married about 2 years ago. They go to all sorts of music events but will go nowhere near where I am playing because his wife doesn't like steel guitar.

Maybe not so insulting, but just mind boggling... as a drummer I once played a show with an instrumental rock band at Catholic U in DC, whereupon finishing an audience member approached me and remarked that I was "a melodic drummer."

After a show a guy from the audience comes up to me.

"Hey have you ever heard of Blackie Taylor?"
"Oh yeah, he has a shop out in Riverside."
"You know, he gives lessons."

i'm starting to understand why rusty can't find work!

I was playing a solo singer/songwriter gig in a bar in Pittsburgh. Halfway through my set a woman at the bar turned to me and shouted: "You suck!"

Afterwards 3 kids came up to me thanking me for the inspiration: "if you can get a gig, that means we can too!"

chris ivey wrote:i'm starting to understand why rusty can't find work!

Yes, that was horribly cruel. can you imagine how humiliated that poor woman must have felt? What if her dad had come to see his little girl perform that night and heard that remark?

I am sorry , its not cool or funny to demean and intimidate a defenseless woman who is just trying to perform, let alone brag about it. If thats your idea of speaking your mind or not putting up with "PC BS" then youve got some serious problems.

chris ivey wrote:
i'm starting to understand why rusty can't find work!

I figured that out after reading about 3 of his posts on the Nashville thread...........

C

my favorite thing the crowd does is after we have played 4 hours we say good night

and somebody yells play one more play one more

then as Bob said freebird freebird

thats when I tell um its time to flush this thing

hehehehe

Hey Rusty I'd loved to have read the unedited version of your last post.

chris ivey wrote:i'm starting to understand why rusty can't find work!

Ya. That post was just wrong.

Lighten up on Rusty, you guys. Sometimes this Forum seems a little too much like Sunday School, with all of you pretending you never curse or get rude or get drunk or get stupid or say foolish things to attractive women. I sure do all of those things! (Maybe the Forum needs a few more discussions of religion and politics, complete with four letter words, to goad you all into being more like your real selves? ) Yes Rusty can be an ass, so can I. Aren't we all naturally inclined in that direction? If there's one thing I can't stand, it's grown men being prissy. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone!

Rusty,is it alright if I borrow that one?I just spilled coffee all over my keyboard!

You are a big guy Stu, but Id still be careful about who I'd say that line too. You never know who's husband, brother, father or son might be sittin there in the bar behind you when you say it.

Barry, I'd rather wear sandpaper underwear than talk politics with you but Id have a beer with you anytime. Dude said he almost got fired because of it and then wonders why he cant find work, so go figure. I dont care bout the cussin, just think its crass and cruel to do that to someone, at your place of work, especially a female when she's vulnerable like that. Yeah ive said stupid stuff to beautiful ladies but I cant recall anything that intentionally hurtful or crass . That makes me a priss? so be it macho man.

edit: also...having respect for ladies is COOL, and it gets you some

or get drunk or get stupid or say foolish things to attractive women.

Not at work.

In fact, those are the kind of things that get in the way of getting work.

Which I think was Ben's point.

Or somebody's point. Don't know Rusty from adam.

But those that admire him? hire him.
Those that don't, won't.

Ben,I'm gonna use it on the girl singer in my Soul/R&B band,She knows that I'm mental anyway.I once had a friend of mine in Nashville tell me don't even think of moving down here if ya can't control your use of the "F" word,never made the move but I've got better control of it now,I got a few more choice words that I mix in there.

Stu you are the man. I know you know what you are doin. Much respect brother.

Got this one a few weeks back,
after being badgered into playing something
only one person knew, and slogging through it.

A Thai lady about 30ish comes up

" No like that music, give gas mak mak(a lot),
like have chili go in bad pipe!
You play, no have fun!
You have CD? "

Thankfully she was in a distinct minority,
and her friend's hauled her off before she
could go on further to ruin the bands night.

One night some doofus yelled "why don't you guys turn down" the guitar player yelled back "we don't come down to the car wash and tell you how to work"

Brother Ben, I'll buy the beer. Good microbrew beer. And we don't have to talk politics -- that stopped being amusing when King George The Second got installed. And no, I'm not macho, and I like to flirt with women rather than insult or intimidate them. It's just that I would love to see more outrageousness in the world sometimes -- I think everybody in this country is a little too well behaved. In my opinion, we don't speak our minds enough...

And Bill, of course you are right that those types of behaviors do tend to get a person in trouble at work. I was not advocating them, just pointing out that many who are quick to condemn are not so innocent themselves. (And if they are, they might be wrapped a little too tight!) Rusty obviously pushes the envelope, but he chooses to live that way -- it's not like he's out of control. It's a choice, and, even though he's complaining, he's living with the results. (Right, Rusty? I don't mean to speak for you -- sorry if I am misrepresenting you or making wrong assumptions.) I definitely have a soft spot for colorful characters, especially if they are good musicians. (Including those who like to lick paint chips, Stu!)

Now, to get back on topic. I played a solo guitar concert recently. (Six string -- not psg.) I was hot, perfect, right on, flawless. Forty-five minutes without a single mistake. (Which is definitely not the norm for me. I have had plenty of bad and sloppy and not-warmed-up-enough nights lately.) At the end this older couple came up and said, "Are we right in understanding that this was your first performance ever?" That sure took me back. They didn't mean it in an insulting way -- they thought it was a good preamble to a compliment. I started to explain that, well no, I've been performing continuously since the sixties. But then I realized they weren't really listening. People who are mixed up tend to like to stay that way, I guess...