Hey everybody! Things have slowed down to the point that I can spend a few hours on the computer and share some of the experiences Jodi and I had down in Austin accepting the $20,000 award.
First off, they actually called me and told me the news on June 30th. It was about 10:30 in the morning and Jodi and I had just gotten up (I know, we have a hard life). We were at a hotel in the middle of Idaho, getting ready to drive up to north Idaho for a show the next day. The director of the John Lennon Song Contest called, made a little small talk, and then laid the big news on me. Jodi whipped out the camera while I got jiggy with it.
Jodi and I called some friends and family and we celebrated with some huckleberry ice cream (we're big spenders now!)
A couple of weeks later we were on our way down to Austin. The award was going to be presented at the pre-convention party for the "NAMM Summer Session", which is a big trade show for companies that make musical instruments and equipment. Jodi and I left Dallas early on the morning of the big day---we were aiming to get to Austin at 2 PM, rehearse with the band from 4:30 to 6:30, and then the party started at 7. But, as fate would have it, things were going to be a little more interesting than that....
It happened about halfway between Dallas and Austin, in a little town called Hillsboro. I was asleep in the far back seat of the veggie van, when somehow I realized we weren't moving and I rubbed my eyes and sat up. The van was parked and running, and Jodi was nowhere in sight. Well I was puzzled for a few seconds, until I looked closer at my surroundings---we were parked at an outlet mall in front of a sunglasses shop. Aha!! Sneaky Jodi...stopping to shop when we needed to be making good time to Austin.
Well I just chuckled to myself, because we were actually running a little bit ahead. I noticed there was a restroom next to the sunglasses shop, so I got out and walked up to the store. I peeked in but didn't see Jodi, and I figured I would go pee real quick while she was busy and then I could drive the rest of the way. Less than two minutes later I come out of the restroom to see the veggie van pulling away and heading for the open road!!!! I realized my predicament in a split second---she thought I was still asleep in the back!!!! I chased her all the way out of the parking lot and onto the access road where she made a turn onto the on ramp and then LEFT ME IN THE DUST.
This is the scary part for me to think about---if I had had the cell phone in my pocket, I would have had no way to get in touch with her and she would've driven all the way to Austin without me. I really don't know what I would've done to get to Austin in time---I didn't have any money or ID on me or anything because I'd left my money clip in Dallas. Anyway, thank goodness she had the cell phone in the van, and all I needed to do was get to a pay phone and call her to tell her to turn around.
Not wanting to waste time, and ignoring the 100 degree heat, I ran back to the outlet mall and searched frantically for a pay phone only to find that they didn't have one anywhere. From there I jogged a quarter of a mile to the nearest gas station, where I found the only pay phone was already in use. The gas station across the street had one that was free, but when I picked it up I found there was no dial tone! It didn't work!! At this point I felt like I was on a candid camera episode. I ran into a nearby hotel---sweat dripping off me, hair blown in every direction, with a maniacal gleam in my eye---and asked if they had a public phone I could use to make a collect call. No, of course they didn't.
Finally I noticed the first pay phone was free again, so I ran to it and dialed Jodi up using a memorized calling card number. As tired and anxious as I was, I couldn't help but smile as I imagined what it would be like to get a call from someone you thought was asleep in your back seat. Jodi picked up, thank goodness. I said, "Hey baby....feel like giving me a ride to Austin??" Not sure who it was, she kind of laughed and said, "Hey...what's up?" "Jodi---it's me, Zane! You left me back here at the outlet mall and you need to TURN AROUND!"
Anyway, it took her twenty minutes to get back and we got to Austin an hour later than we had wanted. Good news is we had just enough time to get settled before I headed to rehearse with the band (none of whom I had met before.) Well the rehearsal went well, and thank goodness it did, because when we got to the convention center we were engulfed in a hurricane of activity.
I barely had time to meet the John Lennon folks and the Maxell representatives (the people with the money) before it was time to run up on stage in front of about 600 people and a surprising number of photographers (10 or 15 in front of the stage). It was my thirty seconds of fame, and I soaked it up. :)
I was presented with the big check, and then I sang "Hurry Home", "Livin' in the Good Ol' Days", and a rootsy version of John Lennon's "Imagine" which everyone seemed to really like. The band was great, and everyone thought we had been playing together forever.
Backstage it was time for more photos and introductions. Jodi and I had a happy moment alone with the check, which degenerated quickly into a match of tug-of-war....
We didn't have much time to fight about it though, because the John Lennon and Maxell folks invited us to a fancy celebratory dinner at Eddie V's. Highlights included eating my first oyster, the "iceberg wedge salad" that turned out to be exactly that, and the banana dessert that they set on fire.
(For those of you with a high speed connection,
here's a video clip of the burning bananas).
The next day Jodi and I hung out at the NAMM convention, which rocked. Literally.
The John Lennon folks let us hang out at the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, which is really two mobile recording studios...
All in all, it was definitely a memorable milestone and I'm very thankful for the memories!!! Thank you all again for you role in everything---without your votes I wouldn't have advanced no matter how good the song was. The stitching is just about finished...but that's for another update. Y'all keep in touch and I'll do the same!! Peace,
PS....Thanks also for all the congratulatory e-mails. I may not get a chance to write everyone back, but I certainly read them all and take every word to heart!!
