Willie’s, Gay Cowboys, ANT, And Kinky - Oh My!

Posted on March 2, 2006

OK - it’s been a crazy 24 hours!

Matt called last Friday when I was on my to Texarkana to the NA convention and asked me if I wanted to go out to Willie’s ranch with him and I had said yes, but I had completely forgot about it until he called me back yesterday morning.

The event? LOGO, the new MTV spinoff was filming this show The U.S. of ANT where the comedian ANT throws a dart and goes off through America in search of signs of gay life. Hmmm… Now why would Matt invite ME to this?? LOL! Of course I was game. Turns out that ANT happens to be friends with Tom Hester and Tom is friends with Paula Nelson. Now, Matt plays with Paula in her band. That’s the connection for Matt. I guess he figured having an extra gay friend around couldn’t hurt!

Upon arrival we caught up with David Zettner. He lives out on the ranch and is one of Willie’s best friends. He also happens to be an amazing artist and musician. Here’s a pic of Zettner, Matt, and myself inside the Luck, TX World Headquarters.

The first thing we noticed was that something else was going on at the ranch besides the LOGO special. It just so happened (totally by coincidence) that they were filming the video to Willie’s new song about gay cowboys during the day! Neither film crew had a clue the other would be there! How funny!

All of the cowboys were authentic too! Not authentic cowboys… But gay! It was really a trip to watch them dancing around! They even saddled up one of the guys for a shot! Of course I snapped of a shot.

Finally the LOGO crew arrived about the same time the video crew were packing up and the cowboys had changed. They were just going to leave, heading out the door…

Then ANT walked in and everything changed! Those boys were upstairs and back in their cowboys outfits faster than you can say Bareback Mountain! ANT had some fun interviewing the guys and having them do a little bit of the dance from the video. It was a trip!

Inside, I was having a blast sitting in on a jam session with Paula’s band (Landis, Kevin, and Matt) and Tom Hester, Johnny Hardwick (Dale Gribble from King Of The Hill), Eric (didn’t catch his last name - former member of Bronski Beat), and several other people. I think there was Dee, Becky, and Rachael. I know our friend Fai was there. I hope I spelled his name right. Tom played some songs up front and we all listened in and followed along a bit. Everyone got a turn basically. Highlights for me were singing and playing tambourine on Paula’s “Lonely Joe” and be responsible for the same duties during Matt’s “Weedaholic” - that really swung! I was honored when I was asked to play a tune on my own. Because I had seen a crescent moon in the sky earlier, I took that as a sign from God to play, “Texas Crescent Moon.” Everyone seemed to like it. I know they filmed it, but not sure they will use it. I hope so.

Here’s a really cool picture of me and Johnny Hardwick. This dude is way cool. He writes for King Of The Hill and does the voice of Dale Gribble. He did my new outgoing voicemail message for my cell phone. Call it - it’s hilarious! I had a good time hanging out with him. He played the spoons on a song or two.

Then there’s this picture of me with comedians Tom Hester and ANT. ANT was a trip. His interview with Paula was really good and he was very genuine. I enjoyed the whole night. It made me feel good to be a part of something so special. Of course Mom couldn’t believe I was out there, but I was. Good times. Thanks to Matt for the invite.

Now - for a quick check in for today…

So, then it’s time for lunch today, right? Roberto the Faithful wants to meet myself and our friend Brian at Top Notch Hamburgers. (You might remember this place from the movie Dazed and Confused.) This place was super busy. We ordered, actually got a nice table up front and waited for our food. Rob got his, we got ours, we’re eating. Then, Robert says, “Kinky just walked in.” So, I turn around, but I can’t see him. Then I notice the entire restaurant pointing and staring that way and I know he’s right. Kinky commands so much attention. He’s just that kind of guy.

Ah, but there was no room in the inn, remember? We had taken one of the last tables. And it just so happened that our table had 2 extra chairs. Just the right number for the Governor and his friend Cleve (who knew of The Small Stars). So, I did the right thing and offered a seat to Kinky and they took them. Had a nice chat with them, talked about some upcoming benefits and then we went on our way. Kinky was still waiting for his number to be called.

Now I am back home and something else cool has happened. I got a note from the folks at the John Lennon Songwriting Bus and they have asked me to come out March 9th to participate and maybe perform a song! Killer, huh? You may remember my original involvement with getting the bus stopped in Austin and writing a song and making a video with some other local folks. If not, the video is right here.

I’ll keep ya posted.

Thanks for reading!

~kia

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