Random Thoughts 2 and Road Remedies for Pain
It’s Christmas Eve day in Los Angeles. My in-laws from the Netherlands have been staying with us and will be through the New Year. There have been frantic shopping forays, days of vacation in Palm Desert, and the decoration of the house inside and out, not to mention the sessions in the studio with a new client, producing some very melodic pop music. In the meantime, I have spent perhaps a total of one hour in the past eight days practicing my songs and my guitar. My regimen has completely fallen apart and I have a gig on January 4th with my old friend Severin Browne (www.severinbrowne.com )at Kulak’s in North Hollywood. So I wanted to ask you all how your commitment to practicing has been going over the holiday season?
I am of two thoughts about my own lack of discipline. One, that it might be good to take a break from playing so that when you return you might have a tendency to listen more to what you do, as you haven’t heard it in a while. And two, that there is no excuse for not maintaining that connection to your instrument that only comes from constant contact with it on a regular basis. I have stated before that fifteen minutes a day is better than two hours once a week. Now I’m not going to beat myself up over this but I will restart my regimen today, even though it is Christmas Eve. 
Given that I have a gig coming up in about ten days, what kind of regimen should I do? Taking in to consideration I have a new solo CD, The Eternal Contradiction, which was released in July, that I am still promoting and that I also have about four new songs that I am very excited about, what I will do is to go thru every song on the Eternal Contradiction and then play the four new songs. After that, if my fingers aren’t complaining too much, I will do the songs from All Wood and Stones as, John Batdorf (www.johnbatdorfmusic.com) and I have a series of concerts coming up leading up to the National Folk Alliance in Memphis on February 20th. And I’ll see if I can stick to that regimen for the next forty five days. But first the focus is on the January 4th date.
On an entirely different not, here are also some miscellaneous things you can do when you have hurt or cut your hands or fingers, or even if they are just sore. First, I wanted to give you a little tip I learned about years ago regarding joint pain. Sometimes when I play, the joints of my hands and fingers will hurt, or if I accidentally bruise them and they hurt I get some peanut oil, usually fresh from the top of a jar of organic peanut butter. Believe it or not, rubbing it into your hands at the sore part will relieve the pain. This even works for arthritic joints, I am told. It doesn’t cure anything, but it does give you immediate, if temporary, relief from the pain. Very useful when you have to go on stage before you are healed…and the smell of peanut butter isn’t so bad. Sort of reminds you of the second grade.
Another home remedy that is remarkable for cuts is apple cider vinegar. Let me give you an actual example: Several years ago, I was on tour with Steven Wright, the remarkably original comedian, and we were playing the Westbury Music Fair out on Long Island. I had a new case of CD’s with me and they were taped together and tied with rope. It was 7:40 and the show was to start at 8:00 pm. Looking around, I found I had no real knife in the dressing room, but I did have a butter knife from the deli tray they had provided me. As I attempted to cut thru the half inch rope with a butter knife, everything went awry. The CD box flew out of my hands and the butter knife went into the ring finger of my left hand just at the base of my callous there at the tip. Evidently there is an important artery in there because I started gushing like old faithful. As I made my way into the bathroom to the sink, I blacked out.
I came to in a puddle of blood, with my shirt ripped open, and the road manager slapping my face, while the promoter was trying to get an emergency medical place on the phone. They actually thought I had tried to kill myself. Imagine a musician, with a gig, trying to kill himself. Ridiculous. We only kill ourselves when we AREN’T working. As I regained consciousness and coherence, I asked the promoter if he had any apple cider vinegar. I know that this was a ridiculous thing to ask at the time, but that is exactly what I did. And amazingly enough, he had a small bottle in his office. He brought it to me.
I stuck my finger right into the finger sized opening in the bottle and yes, it stung like crazy, but I kept it there for thirty minutes. After which I put a bandaid on my finger and went out and did the show, which was only ten minutes late, playing my guitar, even with the bandaid on my finger tip. No one seemed to notice, though I will admit I’ve played better guitar.
After the show, I went back to my hotel and literally taped the vinegar bottle to my hand with the finger immersed in the vinegar. I slept all night like that and the next morning went to a doctor in Manhattan, who took one look at it and refused to believe that it had happened the night before. He told me the cut looked to be about a week old and healed and there was nothing he could do for me. One night in a jar of vinegar smelling like a pickle…not so bad, it reminds you of the second grade picnics. And I didn’t miss a date of that tour…and I still have a scar about an inch long on that finger. I’ll show it to you sometime.
james lee stanley
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Reader Comments (5)
I'm sure you realize this but I'll say it anyway...
It doesnt sound like the lack of being able to practice is a lack of discipline just a lack of time and oppurtunity...The Discipline is there its the many years of playing and practicing that are already ingrained in you
Regarding your finger the same guy(my 8th grade teacher) who did the gig with a barbershop quartet at the nudists resort had a job once in a meat packing plant and cut one of his fingers to the bone on a meat cutting device...he stuck it in a big barrel of salt that they used to cure/preserve/whatever the meat...he then wrapped his hand up with a piece of rag and continued working ...he doesnt even have a scar...tho I'm sure the Health Dept wouldnt have been thrilled with his actions
bobby b, thanks for the post. i had never heard of salt being a curative, only an antiseptic. don't know whether i want to try it, but i do know that the vinegar works. it actually heals cuts and burns. i've even heard of it ridding someone of the crabs (those little bugs...)
as for practicing, i haven't picked up my guitar since i wrote that column. hopefully today.
I'm sitting here laughing at a lot of things here. First, the photos in your blog always crack me up. Second, the idea of someone thinking that you tried to kill yourself before a gig. Third, your coming to and asking for apple cider vinegar. Fourth, the guy's comment above here ("the gig with the barber shop quartet at the nudist resort")....*LMAO*
On a side note, I think that Steven Wright is hilarious. One of my favorite jokes of his: "I like to skate on the other side of the ice."
James, your stories are always just too much. Someday you need to record 'em all or write a book, because they are just too good. If you need ideas for the next chapter I have just two words...."Redd Foxx".
A naked barbershop quartet...I keep picturing 4 guys wearing only bow ties and straw boaters...Now THERE'S a picture no one needs <G>
eva and sheila, thanks for the comments, i promise to keep everything coming and yes, i'll do the redd foxx story soon. i forgot about that one. wow, there wasn't too much laughter in my life, was there?
james