Another Miracle on Thirty-Fourth Street (Part Three)

[weiser <weiser@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Another Miracle on Thirty-Fourth Street (Part Three)
by Shar Weiser
copyright 2003 ( Most of this is fictional The names are not changed to protect
anybody, some of us have used different names over the years.
 Who knows it's just a story - Right?)
(If you're interested, read on, if not use your delete key now.)

Jimmy was still mentally reeling from the shock of the possibility that somehow 
he'd 
crossed into a brief alternate reality. He knew that
he simply needed to stay calm no matter what befell him. Yet mixed in with his 
extreme 
suspicion and apprehension, he wanted to believe that this was not some kind of 
unforgivably 
crass practical joke.
He wouldn't have been edgy, but Bonzo was dressed in that
Clockwork Orange inspired white jumpsuit with the black boots and a bowler hat. 
At least he 
didn't have his right eye all painted up.
"Well, Bonzo, I almost don't know what to say, I'm really glad to see you," 
Jimmy waved off 
his bodyguard. The feel of the situation seemed harmless and somehow right so 
he decided he 
might as well wade into the depths of whatever this encounter had to offer him.
"Jimmy, don't we all need to get back to rehearsing for this tour? And I want 
to show you 
some more licks I picked up from listening to a couple of old Krupa recordings. 
I think 
I'll twist them around a
bit and take the trebly skinny sound and fatten it up some. It'll be great! It 
would make 
Buddy Rich sit up and take notice.... "
Jimmy ran a few scenarios through his mind and they all pointed to one thing. 
It was'nt 
going to be likely that Bonzo would last more than a few seconds past the 
boundaries of 
this hallowed space. He was reluctant to try to reason with him about that and 
decided what 
might work is to get him to just talk about what he felt he needed to do to get 
on with his life.
Then maybe somehow he'd let him know that today was the day the band was 
releasing a composite 
of L.A. Forum and a couple of the attendant California shows from '72, along 
with other goodies 
for the fans. 
Rusty came up and waited, then raised an eyebrow and interjected, "Excuse me, 
Jimmy we found 
a set up back here on their stage here.
There's even an older Ludwig kit, looks like it could use a little sound check. 
 I even found 
a Strat, plugged into an old Vox unit. There's some ancient Electro-Voice PA, 
I'm warming 
everything up for you and Bonzo."
"Bollocks" said Bonzo, 
"Have I ever mismiked your drums?" Rusty asked?
"Never!" Bonzo admitted.
"Right then," Jimmy chipped in, "Let's see what's about.
Instead of some coffee, may I have some bottled water, please?"
"There really is a kit, not bad, this will do,"Bonzo's eyes danced.
Uncannily there seemed to be old black shipping cases, one with various sizes 
of well-used 
drum sticks rubberbanded together.
"This pair is gonna be the one." Bonzo beamed and he pulled off the bands with 
a snap. 
He twirled the sticks around and began drumming on everything in sight to 
listen to their tone.
"Yeah, that's it, mate, er Jimmy how's that guitar?"
"It's not perfect but I'll make it work." Jimmy didn't want to admit that it 
had been strung 
with Super Slinky strings, because that was a little too spooky.
"I'll have to tune it, um what do you want to try for a warm-up?
There needed to be a tape recorder going. Miraculously, there was an old four 
track Wollensack 
with tape. Quietly, Rusty rewound it then
set it to record on pause.
Jimmy found himself content, none of this should be happening, but he really 
didn't care. 
It wasn't at all like when he'd really wished
Robert was there and he had'nt been in '88.
Just when that thought crossed his mind he heard footsteps that sounded exactly 
like Robert's. 
But why ever would Robert be wearing boots like he used to do?
Robert Plant was much to into foot comfort these days to care about rubbing his 
beloved feet 
raw with fancy boots.
"This looks like a good place to..." Robert indeed had walked in.
The first person he saw was Rusty. Rusty nearly saluted Robert as some sort of 
as a standing joke, 
but then he thought back to some years before. He remembered that no matter 
what, they had always 
managed to produce some great sound at Robert's solo shows.
Robert felt like he was in a dream. There was Jimmy tuning his guitar, and  
there was Bonzo... 
Bonzo? "Bonzo, no you're..." Robert said very
quietly.
Bonzo wasted no time," Hey Jimmy if it it'nt Percy the Golden One himself!"
Where have ya been? I was starting to think you'd gone off with one of your 
ladies...
" Bonzo grinned and then went back to his tinkering.
Jimmy had his back to everyone in the corner tyring to listen to his tuning 
exercise. 
This guitar was not a self-tuner and he had to think about what he  was doing 
for a second. 
Robert tried to toss his hair
around, but he wasn't fooling himself at all. He'd spent two and a half hours 
at a salon 
yesterday.  Still there were no promises that he would evince the same persona 
as he had 
in his prime. None of that mattered now. Robert was beginning to wonder if he 
wasn't having 
a flashback, because too many things here seemed to have
been wrenched straight out of '75 after things had recovered from his frozen 
night and warmed 
back up but before they'd headed to London for the Earl's Court shows. He kept 
everything in 
stride and walked over to the microphone. It was an older Shure, exactly what 
he'd used to use 
around that time.
He picked it up and said," Good afternoon."
No sooner than he'd gotten his words out than,
Jonesey backed into the room and
then did an about face on his heel when he heard Bonzo testing the bass drum 
pedal, 
"Not too squeaky, I trust?" Jonesey glibly cast a nonchalant tort at the 
assembly. 
Robert stiffened up for a moment, but then eased up remembering  he was allowed 
to forgive
himself and John Paul. He turned away for a moment
and took three deep breaths and then sang..."There's a tale that can't be told, 
my freedom 
I hold dear..." "They all looked at each other, and smiled. 
Whether the moment was real or not, none of them cared. It was as if nothing  
had ever been 
undone and all was right with the world for this day. Jimmy said, "Um let's 
try, 'When the 
Levee Breaks','"
Jonesey said, "Are there any basses or keyboards to be had here?"
Oddly there was a Korg, a Yamaha, and an old Hammond. There were a couple of 
basses on stands 
off to the side. One was a Fender and the other was
a one of a kind Guitarman. Rusty  and Bob had been going around turning things 
on and testing 
them. And Bob checked all the connections and kept kind of quiet as usual. He'd 
had a beer 
even though he knew he shouldn't. Bonzo seemed to be totally
oblivious to the idea of alchol. Unusual, but a relief.
He was busy tightening nuts and loosening them and tapping and re-arranging the 
distance 
of the snare from the high hat and repositioning the second bass drum.
John Paul decided the odd out bass had a nicer feel and tone to it, so he 
fingered a couple 
of long riffs and was amazed at how the instrument seemed to belong in his 
hands.
He adjusted the switches a bit and realized that if this wasn't heaven it was 
somewhere 
really close.
End of Part Three
"Another Miracle on Thirty-Fourth Street
by Shar Weiser
Copyright 2003.