The Monkey

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 1 Jan 2003 7:08 pm

That monkey on your back that addicts talk about, applies to musicians as well.

YOU know him. It's a love/hate thing. He commands you. He drives your life, makes you walk the floor when you have no gig that night. Makes you seek a jam session anywhere, where you might be able to get up and pick.

He makes you leave your wife and kids at home while you search to satisfy the monkey.

He makes you take a nap at 4 in the afternoon cause you can't stand the wait untill it's time to get ready for the gig.

He lets go reluctantly, as time passes, a piece at a time. He leaves you to wonder where you will be without him, and why is he leaving now, when you need him the most?

Bit by bit he leaves. Not peacefully, but tearing parts of you off as he goes. Ripping off those parts of you that you depended on holding on to forever.

Goodbye, Monkey. You leave me with 40 years of band memories. Good memories.

And the scars of what we once were, together.

Eric West · Post by **Eric West** » 2 Jan 2003 5:33 pm

Look at it this way.

The Old Rosecrucian Doctrine states that time spent performing music applies directly to lessen one's sentence in Purgatory. Presumably listening to Wagner, with half naked people wandering around in a dazed state.

Happy trails.

EJL

Doug Jones · Post by **Doug Jones** » 2 Jan 2003 8:12 pm

Monkey's off the back, eh? Did you use Steel-adone or get a box of Pick-orette or use the patch?

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 3 Jan 2003 4:53 am

The "monkey on my back" is great symbolism.

I carried him there for many years, but I have finally reached a point in life where I can keep him in his cage without any withdrawal symptoms!

I can let him out when I want to, but I have no problem putting him back in the cage when I'm ready to do something else. www.genejones.com