Wienie Roast (Bitches, Man!)

Can't believe I still have my ragged old 7 Year Bitch t-shirt, let alone still pack my winnebagos in 'em in this day and age. I got this shirt back when Joe booked Da Bitches at the old King's Head Inn back around, oh I think early 1993 or something. It was sometime after guitarist Stephanie Sargeant passed away, and shortly before Mia Zapata was murdered, so I'm guessing it was around that time period... OH! That's right. It was Mother's Day the day after the concert, because the girls stayed over at my house and all wanted espressos and breakfast the next day, but the local hip coffee joint Cabaret Voltaire wasn't open on Sundays so our only other option that morning was Dennys, which was right after church let out so these girls with their multicolored hair and multiple tattoos (remember this was 1993, and the tattoo and Manic Panic hair dye look hadn't quite gone the way of mega-mainstream acceptability these days where all the cool Sneeches on the beaches had to have one) were sitting with me at the lunch counter while mothers in all their church finery where clutching children to their bosoms, crossing themselves and praying their daughters don't wind up looking like them ten years from now (ha ha, they all did!). And I remember all the girls crying "Shit! It's Mother's Day! I gotta call home to Seattle right now!" and being this was also the era of the no-cellphone they all took turns using the Dennys payphone to call their mom's, and each one coming back to the table sniffling, all "I miss my mommy" and whatnot. It was very cute.

Actually these girls were by far some of the nicest people in the industry that I have ever met. That same morning as Joe and I sat and watched them get dressed for the day, stretching out and relaxing across the floor where they had slept (lead singer Selene slept in the tour van in our driveway with her boyfriend, who might or might not have been her current husband Brad Wilk at the time) we chatted for a long time, especially about their home in Seattle, showing off their tattoos -- drummer Valerie showed me the gorgeous detail of her new Lilith tattoo on her arm, and Selene's circle of elephants going around her upper arm, which was some of the most lovely and delicately detailed work I had ever seen up to that point -- and we talked about the movie Say Anything, which I think bassist Elizabeth told me was filmed in a lot of places right near her home, talking about the scene with John Cusack talking into a recorder driving past a building with lots of reflective glass (a mall, I think she said) and how she lived right behind it, or something. Either way, it was very significant and the girls were very animated in telling me about it.

Oh, and the night before was pretty funny. The girls had just crawled into their sleeping bags and were fast asleep, when my then-roommate Goofy Steve had come home with a pizza box full of leftover hot dogs (he was selling hot dogs at a rave that night, which I found an odd item to be selling at a rave) and he was trying to get me to eat the rest of them, which I didn't want, and then I caught him quietly tip-toeing around the band sprawled out on the floor, gingerly placing hot dogs next to their sleeping heads. I remember whispering "No, no Steve! They're vegetarians!" and demanded that he pick up every last one of those hot dogs immediately before he went to bed. The image of the two of us arguing over hot dogs in loud, heated whispers while standing over a pile of snoring Bitches must have looked pretty humorous to anybody peeking in through the windows. As I tucked myself in Goofy Steve poked his head into my bedroom and said "I picked them all up like you asked... oh, except for one! Hee hee! Mystery dog!" and he closed the door before I could protest. So next morning I hear Robin, their tour manager yell "Ahhhh! Somebody left a WIENIE next to my head!!!" I guess she rolled over and face-splatted right into it that morning. Oops. Er, Merry Christmas?

Anyway, wonderful women. I loved their company, and I loved their show as well. Last time they came into town years ago supporting their Mia Zapata tribute album they asked after me, but I was working that night and sadly missed the show. Wherever the ladies are today, I wish them the best, and they have my love and fondest, most wackiest hot dog memories forever.



Here's their video to "Hip Like Junk". Boy, that early 90's Seattle grunge sound so, well, early 90's these days. But damn these girls had play. Best wishes, my lovelies... and thanks for the shirt that I can still wear! They really don't make tour shirts like they use to, do they.