...18 years ago...

Up at 10:30 - get out and eat at "Denny's" next to the hotel. Drive to Detroit. We arrive early at "Paycheck's Lounge" in Hamtramck. We decide to eat and then load in. We drive around and decide to eat at the "Den Duckling". I thought it was a Chinese restaurant from the outside. I should have realized we were in a Polish neighborhood. It was so weird. This was a Polish restaurant with lots of older folks and the room looked like your grandmother's dinning room. A woman was playing piano. The menu was in Polish and English. I had pork chops with potatoes, carrots and sauerkraut with a salad. Others had duck soup, stuffed cabbage etc. It was a great experience. Dan mentioned it was like being in a Woody Allen film.

This was a very memorable meal for all of us. We looked so out of place there but everyone was so nice. We had driven around for a while and were just not seeing many restaurants. From the outside we were fooled into thinking it was Chinese just by the word Duckling in the name. I can't seem to find any reference to it online - maybe it went out of business long ago.

We go back to the club and load in and wait for the sound man. We meet the other bands - 'Infidels' - nice guys. We found out the 'Snake Out' (the band that opened for us last time) drummer is one of the 'New Monkeys'. We set up. sound man arrives - he's a real jerk. He gives Dan and Lee mikes and says "Go ahead - set up". He does no work really. We check - OK sound. Hang out and meet people. I hang out with Rod and this lawyer and his three girlfriends. They buy us beer all evening. I talk and meet the guys who drove to Columbus from Detroit. Nice dudes. Matt gives me his tie to wear. We play after the 'Infidels' and then '3-D Invisible' plays. We play a good show. Pack up and say goodbye. Matt and crew are coming to see us in Kalamazoo Monday evening. I must wear his tie until then. We pack up and drive to hotel part way to Chicago. Early sound check there tomorrow - 3PM. We go to sleep at 4:30AM. I'm beat!

Here's a description of Paycheck's. The 'official' site seems to be down. Hey kids - remember the New Monkees? Matt and his wife Terry became good friends of ours and they could be counted on to come out to all our shows with in a 200+ mile radius of Detroit. They came out to sight-see in Philly a few years ago and we had them over. Good people. I think I still have that purple skinny new-wave tie.