December 2, 2011
It’s all very bizarre and we are finding our balance. Right now we are on an Air Force Base an hour from Seville called Moron.
Some of these boys have been sitting around doing nothing for 2 months and some just got back from desert – they say “before I go to desert again” or “when we were at desert” as if they were talking about being away at college (they don’t say “the desert”). Met a movie-star-handsome-cutie-patootie 22 year old boy
(yup, southern and married) who just got back from being at desert where he worked at Mortuary and Human Remains. They say it as casually as if they were bartending on a graveyard shift. No blinking, no awareness of our virgin war-termed ears, just sharing their stories like it’s family dinner. Some of these stories we are still processing. Will probably shift our outlook on the news a bit when we hear another soldier has been killed or held hostage.
These guys really hold it together. But when they relax and drink, their emotions all come out. One soldier cried unexpectedly rom how many friends he’s lost (and also saved). Some seem lost, some seem found, some are lonely, some feel right at home, some want to go to desert, some don’t, but they ALL are extremely proud of serving their country. The contigency camp we are now at sent 800 men home 3 weeks ago after Gaddafi was found. There are 80 men here just “waiting”. The camp in Madrid 3 nights ago sent hundreds of men out to desert 36 hours before we were scheduled to play. So we had an audience of 30. But they were all very happy and appreciative. We bring a little joy to them and I guess that’s all we are here to do.
I feel slightly shy when singing such sexy songs like “Ragdoll” which is compleeeeeetely silly when I should just let ‘em have it! But then at the same time, these men (and their wives and girlfriends who sometimes also live at the base) are so starved for entertainment or anything from the outside world that the clap their hands and holler out exclamations and sighs of pure “aaaaaah, there IS life out there!”. My musicians are such team players and all pull together when situations get sticky. This is no red carpet Marilyn Monroe-Bob Hope USO tour, my friends. It’s a different time. In fact, some of the time we are reminded that we are here “working on governmental military orders”. They are appreciative and very friendly but it’s a very different gig. Still very much an honor to be here. Feels like a duty for us in some way.
Last night, a young soldier told us he loved to breakdance. The older guy next to him said “You are going to breakdance tomorrow night at the show. And that’s an order.” Then walked away. The young soldier looked at me and said, “that’s my boss and those are his orders. I have to do what he says.” I thought he was kidding but those REALLY WERE HIS ORDERS! So I called him out in the middle of a big drum solo in “He Got Away” and there he went – into breakdance heaven! It was great and the place got super loose.
Have the day off in Naples tomorrow so we are all gonna jump on a train to Pompeii and see what trouble we can get into. Then 2 shows in Turkey! x Lulu
