February 11, 2010

           I’m driving downtown tomorrow, this photo is a sculpture near the arts museum, or more accurately it is a museum that favors anyone who is not a blue-eyed European. These aluminum arches remind me of the Sidney Opera House. The height of the largest arch is nearly twenty feet, if you look closely you can get the perspective from that man in a white cap sitting on a bench just below center left.
           Yep, while I’ll never be a graduate shoemaker, I’m learning beyond what I planned. This is assuredly a trade, and I don’t mean one of those trades where you can just plaster things over. Shoemaking takes real brains. The customers are generally a nicer crowd to associate with than one might think. It stands to reason that people who wear $300 dress shoes on a daily basis probably don’t hang around construction sites very much.
           Taking stock of what I’ve learned, it is certainly a trade which has sub-trades. Doing heels only would require only a grinding machine and a minimal stock of supplies. Still, it is not for me, plus I am now used to a fully equipped shop with everything at hand. Or at foot, as it were.
           A guy came in today with a peculiar pair of shoes, which needed soles. I noticed the brand name “Vegetarian” but never thought into it further. The guy comes back, tries them on and is totally satisfied with the results but within moments, he pulls them off. He could tell there was some leather in the repair. Sure enough, and to keep him happy, I peeled back the insole to discover a small strip placed to reinforce the heel. The guy could actually tell there was leather inside. Amazing.
           We got to talking and he knows a country singer and guitarist. We traded phone numbers. I have never given up hope but on the other hand, the lack of good people has forced me to do some of my own singing. I wish more people would understand that if you want to do your own musical thing, you start a band. You don’t join one. The guitarist was startled by the amount of research I put into the country duo concept. I think he may be thinking I have a bigger operation than I do. I specialize in small rooms, less than 50 seats.
           So I stopped at Jimbos and put in a few songs. I normally sing “Spiders and Snakes”, which through my two-year house gig became the official theme song of that location. Plus one other tune, in this case, “The Perfect Country Western Song”, a.k.a. “You don’t have to call me darlin’, darlin’.” If I could only expand to 25 songs, I know I could do a captivating singles act.