Don't be an a**hole

My Ukulele goes with me virtually everywhere I go, much to the chagrin of my beautiful fiancé.  

If only it weren’t for that one time …. (not at band camp).

Julia and I had only been dating for about six months when she invited me to go on the annual camping trip with her and her friends at Big Sur on Labor Day weekend. Her friends, some of whom I had met a couple times and felt comfortable around, were mostly my age, from Southern California like me, and shared similar interests.

One of those interests is music, so, of course, I brought my Ukulele with me on the trip.

When I arrived at camp (one day behind everybody else because I had to work at the bar the Friday night before), there were people sitting about, basking in the sun, soaking in the perennial stream, drinking beers, playing guitars, just hanging out.

Not wanting to be the “awkward” one, I had a couple beers and loosened up a bit. After a while, those couple beers turned into a few beers, which eventually turned into quite a few more.

Later in the evening, someone brought up the idea to go see the “Evangenitals” (yes, that was the name of the band) at the bar and restaurant just up the street from the campground. My elevated state combined with my desire to once again play music in a band gave me the idea to take my Ukulele and try to sit in.

Bad idea.

Picture this: You are the lead singer of a cheesy cover band playing at some obscure bar in the heart of Big Sur. A drunk asshole toting a ukulele stumbles to the front of the stage and says, “Hey, how about I sit in with you?”

He says it more than once, each time getting a little bit louder and more assertive.

You: “Um…. Ok. After this set, we’ll see if we can get you in.”

The drunk asshole staggers off to the back of the room, where his “friends” are gathered, dancing, conversing. The drunk asshole pulls his Ukulele out of its case and proceeds to play it in solitude in the corner.

You can guess who the drunk asshole was.

Later the next day, Julia kindly, jokingly (I think) likened the situation to a kid who was playing soccer by himself in the corner while the real game was taking place out on the field.

Nice. 

                                           (Jammin' by the river, pre-evangenitals)

You know, it’s ok to make fun of yourself, and it’s ok to not take yourself too seriously, but I did learn a valuable lesson that day: Don’t be an asshole.

I still bring my Ukulele virtually everywhere I go. I’m always looking, waiting, hoping for that impromptu jam session, which, when the universe allows it, can be the most beautiful, wonderful thing in the world.

But, if I’ve had too much to drink, I just leave the Uke in the case and tip the bottle instead.

Look for more stories of music, food, fun, and adventure in my new blog: Tales of the Traveling Uke. Subscribe here.