A Busy Saturday

I'd been up until three-thirty or four A.M. with some buddies, howling at Stooges shorts and celebrating my friend Beth's birthday. I got her a Border's gift card (as she specifically requested), and we got treated to Hawiian haystacks and hula dancing with Beth and two of her newest students. I'd have taken pictures, but it was already dark, and her pupils were already very self-conscious! They needn't have worried, as both were very good.

I was to meet my pal Ken the next day at Where The Magic Begins, but he got sick and couldn't make the signing (Bill "Voice of Goofy" Farmer was there, too). I was going anyway, so I threw my Sharpie® into the fray and drew a bunch of sketches for the attendees. Bill was a super-nice guy, so we shot the bull about voice work during the quiet spots. Cindy, as always, was sweet and gave me a nice statuette for my trouble!

I left earlier than I usually do - at around three-thirty P.M. - and hustled into San Francisco. Sam Phillips was performing at the Borders store in Union Square, and I didn't want traffic to make me late. As it turned out, I got there in plenty of time - with about ninety minutes to kill!

I stopped by the Disney Store (which is also closing, along with the rest of the chain, as I understand), and got a neat Oswald the Lucky Rabbit maquette for $4.50 - whatta deal! I picked up a very late anniversary gift for Anita, and swung by Jeffrey's Toys, Urban Outfitters and Karikter. The latter had some mind-blowingly good Asterix and Tintin maquettes, but they were a little too pricey for this visit. I clenched my teeth and headed to Border's, saving my bank account (for now).

I was still pretty early (it was about five-forty-five), so I got a good seat. Ms. Phillips was already there warming up, so I took a bunch of pictures. The lighting wasn't optimal, so most of them didn't turn out well, but between those and the ones I took during the set, I got two or three that were pretty good.

She played for about a half-hour, mainly songs from her latest CD, Don't Do Anything (which is great, by the way - you can buy it for $9.99 at iTunes, or for $12.99 + shipping at Amazon). It was a really nice set - very stripped down. She played acoustic guitar, accompanied by a back-up man who played an electric guitar, and on some songs, a period violin replica with a tin Victrola-style horn attached to it. The performance space was full, but not jam-packed - a comfortable and intimate show.

Afterwards, Ms. Phillips signed CDs and chatted. I was a little surprised how upbeat and playful she was, as the new album was a somewhat somber work, but it made a great finish to a wonderful evening. She was a total sweetie, so I invited her to the studio. Hopefully, she'll come and visit!