Bluex members

Well, now that I have evened out my blog a little with some not so personal stuff, I can get back to our life back in the messed up old days.

Bluex. No real rhyme or reason behind the name. There was quite a variety of members in this band. And the talent was out of this world! The ages of the members ranged from 23 on up to the mid to late 40's, Pat being the youngest.

I will start with 'Ronny', the singer/key board player. He had a killer range and a voice that melted any man or woman's heart with just one note. He melted my heart with that voice. The women flocked around him like flies on doody. Was he good looking? Well, I am a sucker for good musicians, I married one so I guess that is in the eye of the beholder. Ronny was short and somewhat stocky. His hair was wispy and shaved on the sides with a mohawk down the middle that was about shoulder length. It looked best when he had it up in his pony tail. Now hopefully my readers will remember me mentioning the tattoo that Pat had gotten in L.A.? Ronny had this identical tattoo on both sides of his shaved head. He said it hurt like hell but did it for the tour.
He could play a mean keyboard but nothing like 'magic fingers'.

Now, if there is one thing that I learned about Ronny, he had a huge ego. And rightly so but it was so overly inflated that it marred that starry eyed image I had of him upon first meeting him. He had numerous character flaws that many in the band would agree with me on.

'Magic Fingers', the keyboard man. Mark Cohn and/or Thomas Dolby come to mind when I think of him. He could rip out Marc Cohn tunes in his sleep. And we must have listened to Thomas Dolby and Sting for much of our time living in that house together.

His fingers slid across that keyboard like butter. Very fluid, very accurate, and his solos were beyond exceptional. He was a very tall guy, maybe 6 '4", not over weight but a big guy. And funny. He was quite a character that one. Reminded me of a teddy bear. He wasn't horribly attractive, balding on top, shorter hair but always had on a bandana or a hat for gigs. No, I have nothing against balding men, he just wasn't my type. But him and I became fast friends.

He adored our two little girls, especially our younger one. Those two did a thing called the 'head roll' where they would put their foreheads together and roll their heads back and forth. Our daughter thought that was the funniest thing. Seeing 'Magic Fingers' next to Pat was pretty comical. Pat and I are both pretty average in height and he towered over us both.

Then there was the bass player whom I will call 'Thadeous'. He was one of the older members and it showed. He had played in some well known artists' bands over the years and was a household name from some as well. In fact, shortly after we returned from France, we were invited and received back stage passes to a pretty famous female singer now; Thadeous was her new bass player. I still have the pass and the autographed photo from this woman in fact.

Need I say more about his playing? Ok, well I will. He was a hell cat on that bass. Loved to do his solos. In fact, never before in all the bands that Pat had been in had I seen anyone treat their bass the way this guy did. Twanging that low E and vibrating the entire room. Insanity at it's best. The crowds absolutely loved him. His stage presence was outstanding and he involved the crowd no matter how into his solo he was. He was most definately an entertainer. I would like to note that he had a prosthetic leg but one would never know unless they actually knew the guy.

'Thadeous' also became a good friend of ours. More so with Pat than myself but he treated me like his kid sister. Great guy, great father to his daughter and a great mentor to Pat and myself. When him and Pat got together which was often, my gut was aching from laughing so much. He was that breath of fresh air that was needed quite frequently during this whole ordeal.

Now I will get to 'Garlic Drummer'. He had more than earned this nickname from CONSTANTLY smelling like garlic. Like he wore it around his neck or something but in all actuality, every morsel of food him and his girlfriend ate included garlic.

Ok, this guy held this band together with his impecable timing. Between him and 'Thadeous', they kept things working like clockwork. Well, they did have a click track which failed at one gig and they had to wing it but even I didn't realize they had lost their computer until I was told afterwards. That was due to Garlic Drummer. And the crowd cheered more during that set than any that I can remember. His kick drum had the meatiest sound to it and his kit consisted of at least a dozen drums and I was always in awe of how he utilized each and every one of them.

'Garlic Drummer' was a BIG guy! Something about that California water or something but he was taller than 'Magic Fingers' and just large. Again, not fat, not thin but solid. He reminded me of Frankenstien. He had long curly hair down past his shoulders which made him look even more intimidating. He was a very nice man, but he really got on my nerves. Thank goodness he lived with his brother because he wouldn't have lasted in the house we lived in.

We all ate meat and our characters definately clashed. (Umm, 'Garlic Drummer' and Co. were very strict vegetarians.) An example of one thing that sticks out is a story that Pat told me when I was in France for a couple of days and coherant. Pat was riding in a car with the drummer and his girlfriend. They were passing a field and there was a dog there doing his duty. The drummer slowed way down, pointed out the dog and said, 'Awwww, look at that, that dog has so much soul'. It still makes me crack up thinking about that. A dog dropping his load has so much soul. I had never heard such a thing.

There are other stories about the drummer and his girlfriend, one in which I will have to post that Pat wrote. Overall, Garlic Drummer was a great sport and gave it back just as much. He had a soft voice and his girlfriend was most definately all girlie girl. Not a shred of tom-boy in her. Fragile is a good word for the two of them but they worked well together.

And last but not least there was Pat, the lead guitarist and the only guitarist. As I said in an earlier post, Pat could play a mean guitar. He could rip out a Metallica solo like nothing. And his stage presence was equal to that of 'Thadeous.' Between the two of them, they were the entire visual show, hands down. I have photos of Pat laying on his back during a guitar solo with is feet in the air if that says anything.

For a guy who wasn't able to be with the band on a regular basis, who was only able to practice off the album that was handed to him, he nailed those guitar parts square on the head. He shined on stage. And I don't say this because he is my husband, I say this strictly from a star struck band groupie angle. If people that we had known back in the states could have seen him, they would've been very impressed with his playing just as I was. I hadn't seen them as a band or their act before that first gig. And since Pat was/is such a small guy, 'Ronny' the singer would join in the circus act and put Pat up on his shoulders while he sang and Pat worked his magic on those guitar strings. That stunt was always a big hit with the crowds. And impressive.

Oodles of talent in this band, more than one could find down at the local bar in our area although there have been some from our state. But these guys that Pat joined up with were great, great musicians. We're destined for good things if only their personalities could've fit better.

But it was a truly magnificant sight to see these boys in their element, as a band.