Maybe the fact that the appendix was healthy made me feel a little less sick, but still they'd cut into me, and the procedure was a bit more invasive back then. I was in a little discomfort, but not major pain. They did the operation in the morning and I was taking it easy the rest of the day.
Back then things were a little different, and you could smoke in hospital rooms. You could also open windows, so I took my pinch hitter and I'd blow the smoke out the window. I doubt they'd have cared if they'd caught me and I wouldn't have gotten in any trouble, but I didn't want to push it.
I was getting morphine shots at the top of the hour every four hours to the minute. I'd just had my 6:00 shot, plus a few pinch hits. It didn't completely kill the pain but it definitely took the edge off so it wasn't too bad. I'd finished dinner around 6:30, when some visitors arrived. It was Curran, O's then-girlfriend and future wife, Mary Luck and someone else I can't remember.
We chatted for a bit and it was Friday night I asked them what was going on. They all got funny looks on their faces and went quiet. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Well," said Curran, "we didn't want to tell you, but y'all are playing a party tonight." "Y'all?" I said. "Generic Band" said Curran. "Generic Band?" I asked. I was repeating everything she was saying but I couldn't believe it.
Someone decided to throw a party at the last minute and they wanted Generic Band. I asked who was going to play drums and she told me that several drummers were going to rotate on different songs.
The thing is, while we did some Dead and other cover stuff that anyone could play, we also did some heavy, intricate stuff like Zappa and King Crimson, plus some crazy originals. I let some of my drum buddies sit-in but despite my encouragement they never even wanted to try to play the crazy stuff. It wasn't that they couldn't have played it if they'd learned it and rehearsed it, but to try to wing a Crimson tune isn't for the faint of heart.
It wasn't the end of the world but I knew the guys wouldn't have as much fun having to worry about the drums all night, and have to try their best to cue the guys and guide them through the complicated tunes. I also sang lead on a good handful of the songs and sang backup on others. I recall now that they told me that they were going to skip the craziest tunes, but those songs were what set us apart plus they were a tremendous rush to play, and it was even more reason for me to want to be there.
No one had ever played the crazy stuff but me, and I was starting to get antsy. I felt an obligation to the guys, even though I was supposed to be recovering from surgery. Plus I didn't want to miss a party. I forget who threw it but their parties were always a blast. I was trying to stay calm but I just couldn't. Maybe the morphine and weed had something to do with it, but I couldn't take the thought of lying in a hospital bed while my comrades were playing at a party. A gig is sacred.
"Hand me my jeans" I said to Curran. "No, you can't!" she replied. "You just had your appendix taken out!" "Hand me my jeans, please" I asked again. She knew she couldn't stop me so she handed me my jeans and I got dressed. "Y'all can drive and bring me back, right?" I asked. "Sure, dumbass" Curran replied. "Thanks love!" I said, laughing. It was on.
I'm skinny anyway but I loosened the arm band enough so that I could slide it off without tearing it. We walked out into the hall with the girls sort of surrounding me. I was hoping not to run into one of my nurses but we made it out clean. I wasn't worried about getting caught sneaking back in but I was a little nervous until we hit the parking lot.
It was worth doing just to see the looks on the guys' faces when I showed up at the party. They'd already set up my drums and were ready to go, and since they knew I had to be back by 10:00, we started playing early. I was able to squeeze in two 45-minute sets plus a long break, but I didn't have a minute to spare.
What happened on the break was a bit of a surprise, and adds to the badassness of the story. There was a girl at the party that I was about to go out with. I'd known her for a long time and we were good friends. I never dreamed she'd be interested in me but she was. She was absolutely gorgeous and hot as a firecracker, but she was a total sweetheart. Before the break it was still up in the air as to when we'd get together, but after the break it was settled. Oh, and her name was Kelly.
We went out to her car to get stoned, and she kissed me. I was over the Moon, and pretty soon it got a little heavy. Before I knew it she was doing something wonderful to me. The initials that stand for it rhyme with "deejay." She was worried about me popping my stitches but that was the last thing on my mind. I wanted to go out again the next night but she was worried she'd done some damage to me so she made me wait until the next weekend, which was no problem.
I played another set and we played up until my limit. I knew they'd be coming in to give me a shot right at 10, and it was twenty-'til. Kelly ended up giving me a ride back, and we had a nice talk. I wanted to stay longer but the clock was ticking. We kissed and made plans for the next weekend. I made it back with about three minutes to spare.
I took off my jeans, put on my gown and put the wristband back on. I'd cut it pretty close. A minute later the nurse came in with a hypo on a little tray. I presented cheek and she gave me the shot. "Have you been doing okay?" she asked. "I'm great" I said. I had to stifle a laugh. If she only knew.
After the nurse bid me farewell for the next four hours and the morphine kicked in, I moseyed over to the window and did a few pinch hits. They showed MASH reruns at 10:00. I was way into it at the time so it was perfect. I was pretty much feeling no pain at that point, and I was grinning as I thought about what had happened. I'd snuck out of the hospital after having my appendix removed, played a great party, gotten a hummer from someone I was crazy about and I made it back in time for my 10:00 shot. If anyone has a better appendectomy story, I'm all ears.
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