Okay, so I know you all know about our “I can’t believe this is my job” moments. They happen a once or twice a week when we’re back in the office in Atlanta, and usually once a day when we’re out at sea. On Wednesday, I had two such moments:
Jost Van Dyke: We spent Wednesday afternoon on Jost Van Dyke, a tiny island in the British Virgin Islands. To get there, we had to take a taxi from the port to a dock, where we jumped on a catamaran, and then onto a smaller boat which pulled up about 20 feet from shore. It was at this point we were told that we had to swim the rest of the way. We all jumped off the small boat, swam to shore, and walked up to the Soggy Dollar Bar. (wait for it….yup you figured it out: it’s called the Soggy Dollar because all your money gets wet from swimming before you actually get there.)
Anyhoo, the reason this party was so great was because the only people on the island were all of the artists on board and the Sixthman staff. It was so great to watch the musicians with their families just relaxing and hanging out: Ken and Drew from Sister Hazel with their wives and 18 children (seemed like 18 anyways); Ed from the Barenaked Ladies with his family all decked out in snorkel gear; Ed Roland and some of his friends just tossing a frisbee around in the water. I spent approximately two hours playing the ring game (you try to swing a ring on a string,that’s hanging from a palm tree onto a hook). A minute to learn, a lifetime to master….one of those types of games, except it’s played on a ridiculously beautiful beach/cove in the Caribbean.
Speaking of Ed Roland – one of my musical heroes – I had the privilege and honor of interviewing Ed for a future podcast. Of all the artists I’ve interviewed over the past two months, Ed made me the most nervous – I’ve been listening to Collective Soul for years and years and years and years, I can recite the lyrics to nearly every song, and I’ve seen them in concert probably ten times in eight different states. When I first started messing around with a guitar, the first songs I learned were songs from…you guessed it…Collective Soul. Fast forward to the interview: Andy and I interviewed Ed for about 15 minutes, and it couldn’t have gone any better. He is such a cool guy, and so grounded despite the tremendous amount of success he’s had over the years.
Towards the end of the interview, in a blatant set up (damn you LC!), Andy asked Ed about his performances on the ship and how he pulls somebody on stage to perform with him. Ed goes “man, December is such an easy song, anybody can play it!” Andy replies: “anybody? you mean…like THIS guy? (pointing to me)” Sigh. My heart immediately jumped up into my throat, I started sweating profusely, and my hands clammed up. Way to go Steve…you’re a true professional. After a few attempts to say “no, please GOD don’t make me play right now,” I finally give in and grabbed the guitar to play December, a song I’ve played thousands of times before. Of course, being a terrible guitar player who never practices, I missed a few notes here and there, and the only thought in my head was “DON’T SCREW THIS UP YOU JACKASS.” Luckily, I managed to get through the song and it hit me: I just played with Ed from Collective Soul. I can’t believe that just happened.
Cayamo has one day left…let’s keep the good times rolling!
-Steve