Friday, June 26, 2009

80s Kinks - Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues

Here are some great clips of the Kinks from the 80s to listen to as you read or simply to watch... as you wish! The one above you probably do not know, but the two below you could not have missed.

Kinks - Destroyer





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWw1z3h-ee0




A Fish Tale


I love to fish. I used to have a friend who lived here named Lo. We were fishing buddies. One day we took her two sons to fish off of the tugger dock . As soon as we got there, everyone picked their spot and marked their claim to space. Then we set about getting the poles ready.



I glanced over at An, as he played with a large lure. He held it up to show me. I smiled and nodded but thought in my head that was a pretty big lure to catch anything here. It was a green and yellow thing with two three hook dangles on each end.



There are a lot of river weeds where we were at and I wondered how long he would have his lure before it was tangled and had to be cut free or his line broke. But I didn’t say anything. Some lessons are better learned the hard way. I paid attention to my own pole.



The sun was shining and a cool breeze was coming up off the water. My hair kept blowing into my face, so I grabbed an old beat limp Red Sox hat out of my gear box and popped it on my head. Satisfied, I baited my hook and cast out. The line sailed in a beautiful arc right to the exact spot I’d chosen. There is something sublime about a perfect cast. I reeled in slightly and then sat on my box to wait.



One of my favorite parts about fishing is watching the water. I like the ripples from the breeze and the way the sunshine zig zags across it. I was watching this light and water show when something tugged at my cap. Instinctively I put my hand on top of my head.



I didn’t want to lose another cap if the wind blew it into the water. I sure wasn’t going to go in after it.



Something stung me through the cap! Then my head jerked to one side. Again. As I turned, it dawned on me that An was having a hard time with his line. Clearly it was snagged. A sharp pull at my scalp told me his line was snagged on my head!



HEY! I said, still holding my cap to my head. “An…you’ve hooked my head!”



He was wearing ear buds. He could not hear me.

I yelled at his mom, who took the situation in faster than I could explain it. She ran over with her needle nosed pliers and nipped the line, setting me free.



“Hold on… I’ll get it out.” She said. When ordered, I sat back down on my box and endured the tugging and twisting.



“I can’t see what I’m doing for the cap.” She grumbled. Ten minutes later she gave up.

“We’ll have to go to the hospital.”



I should tell you that An was horrified. He apologized all the way to the hospital which is two towns over and across the river. He apologized the entire time we waited for the doctor. Once the doctor arrived and began to prod my head, An wrung his hands in dismay. He truly felt awful.



The doctor went through every tool he had with no success. Two of the hooks were embedded in my skull, all the way through the scalp to bone. I will tell you that it did not hurt. It felt like something pulling at my skin, not comfortable but not painful. Eventually the doctor did manage to clip the hooks off so that the cap could be lifted carefully off of my head.



I now had two metal prongs sticking out the top of my head. The doctor cut the hair around it away. Now there was a nice look… I had a bald patch on the side of the top of my head for several weeks. Ha. He deadened the scalp with shots, cut slits where the hooks were settled and tried to pull them out again. No luck.



The doctor tossed the last of his shiny sterile tools into the metal pan and swore. He then marched to the phone and called for the janitor.



The janitor arrived with his tool box, peered at my head and said. “I’ve got just the thing!”



He pulled out a set of snub nosed pliers and with a quick twist pulled out the first hook. He grasped the second hook and moment later and I was hook free. The janitor smiled as I thanked him, tossed his pliers in his tool box, flipped the lid shut and hurried away.



“I hope you plan on splitting your fee with him.” I told the doc. I got two stitches. One stitch for each hook. An was still apologizing when they dropped me off at home. Poor kid. It was much harder on him that it was on me.




I'm going fishing today. Unfortunately, An and his mother will not be with me. An passed away suddenly a few years after the tale above... his lure sits right here next to me on my desk. When I developed mental constipation in regards to this post, I saw the lure and thought I'd tell you about the day that An caught my head. :)

*

35 comments:

  1. I have also had a trip to the ER to deal with a fish hook, though in that case it was my own lure that attacked me after I tried to pull it loose from something.

    And it did hurt. It really hurt. And I was really afraid and nearly passed out a couple of times.

    The hospital didn't really have anything to deal with the situation. They have all kinds of tools, even tools to cut off wedding rings, but none of them would cut this lure off of my hand.

    The hook finally broke off of the lure, and then the rest of the hook was pulling through my skin.

    Fishing is rather dangerous. This very simple thing could lead to all sorts of injuries and even blindness. But until that day it had never really occured to me.

    And I know that it doesn't occur to other people either, as I have taken a walk on the pier and had stuff come flying at me and get caught on my hair or in my clothes, and while I am yelling for someone to stop there is some kid not listening and pulling on the line with all of his strength. And usually some parent is nearby not paying attention, who probably never instructed the kid to be careful of other people, and who is usually not very sorry about the incident afterward. Somehow it is my own fault for walking on the public pier.

    I wonder that I have never seen anything about fishing accidents on the TV court shows.

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  2. What a great fishing story! The part about An's death was unexpected and sad, but it was touching to read about how you keep the lure on your desk and how it helped you compose your post for the day.

    Cool beans.

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  3. laughing-- Oh my goodness! That's awful. I guess mine did not hurt because of where it was located. I have a high tolerance for pain too.

    Yours went into flesh... yikes! Fishing can be dangerous. That's a fact, though we don't generally think of it as such.

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  4. Cube-- Thanks!

    I wasn't going to mention it, but then I kept looking at the lure and it seemed right. Life throws us such curves. You have to appreciate what you have and enjoy while you can.

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  5. oh lordy but is that ever a story and a half! and ya know i would have told the doc the same thing about splitting the fee with the janitor. i'm sorry an is no longer with us but glad you have some good and even this crazy memory with him.

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  6. laughing - As I read your post I realized the reason for No Overhead Casting on the Pier. Thanks for claering up one of life's little mysteries for me.
    ananda - Yikes! I love looking at the surface of the water, too. So, if I go fishing, then I have a reason to stare at the water for hours with no excuse needed? Wow and thanks!

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  7. Hell of a story. Sorry for you that An isn't around anymore :-(

    The Kinks are one of those bands that should have been much more beloved than they are. Some folks consider "You Really Got Me" to be the first heavy metal song, and I'm sort of in that camp myself. Always a fun listen.

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  8. i've been hooked (pardon the pun) on ray davies' storyteller for quite a while.

    you're a better man than i gunga din. as far as i'm concerned; once hooked, twice shy.

    my dad hooked himself in the leg when i was about 10 years old. he asked me to cut it out. i think he was surprised how quick i sliced him open.

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  9. limr-- Thanks. I have tons of memories with An... from singing in kindergarten to his journey from T-Ball to Babe Ruth and beyond. I treasure each one. He was such a nut. :)

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  10. crazy4coens-- Absolutely, you may stare at the water and pretend to fish all you want! Sometimes that is all I do.

    We are into catch and release. I will occasionally eat something I catch when the hook has set so badly that the fish will not live anyway. Waste not and all that.

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  11. Suldog-- From a storyteller like you, I am flattered greatly. Thanks.

    I adore the Kinks. Have since I first heard them way back in wonderland days. I agree... You Really Got Me was the intro to metal for sure.

    I think that they are one of those bands that do not really have a category that they fit into easily. They are unique and wonderful. Ray's personality shines and pulls you in.

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  12. billy-- I love the pun!

    Dare I guess that you were once, if not still, an Ian Hunter fan... as was I? Or were you of the Great White fan base... which I think is not as likely the case?

    Yikes! Your dad was a trusting soul! Not squeemish I take it? Ha. Great story. There are not many who would take on an undertaking like that so quickly. He did live didn't he? :-)

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  13. billy-- I cannot say enough about the Kinks. I was thrilled to find such a nice selection of music videos on youtube.

    I do not know why they are not in my MP3... but I'm resolving that omission today! It was fun dancing back through their hits, but I want some of the not hits I haven't heard in a long time too. Great stuffs!

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  14. I will have to do a lot of memory-dredging to come up with my fishing tale. And it is not as good as these.

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  15. dmarks-- Do dredge and then share!

    Sometimes the best fishing stories are about the peace you feel while doing it, or the frustration at losing that damn fish! Any fishing tale is great to me.

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  16. dmarks-- Ooops... I forgot. (Shame on me.) That was a nice compliment. Thank you!

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  17. billy-- Funny you should say that... Dexter is exactly who I thought of! LOL

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  18. I haven't been fishing in many, many years since my grandfather was alive. I was cringing while reading your story, the thought of hooks in my skull is not a comfortable feeling.

    By the way, good music choices.

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  19. aliencg-- Honestly, it did not really hurt unless someone was pulling on it. Most of that happened at the hospital after they zapped my head with numbz-it stuff. But thanks for the empathy.

    You and I have many of the same musical tastes. We're good! and Thanks!

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  20. dmarks-- Oooooohhh! I did like that very much.

    You know, I know so little about this group. Guess I better look into them too, though it is not the first time you turned me on to a song of theirs. I should have looked closer then. Nice.

    Thanks for the link and adding to funch today. That is always welcome. ;)

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  21. that is another cringe inducing story. I loved it. I saw the Kinks in concert in 1984. Great show.

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  22. Churlita-- I'm sorry... so many of my stories do involve injury. I am a magnet for bizarre accident. Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.

    You got to see the Kinks! OH! ENVY SUPREME!

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  23. Marillion's most famous singer was Fish. He did not sing "Hooks In You". Go figure.

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  24. dmarks-- Fish! Ha. He fits into this post so well. He certainly should have sung a song about hooks... but maybe he, being a fish and all, shied away from it. giggle

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  25. I should have said "Go fish" instead of "Go figure".

    About Fish. It is said that he got the nickname Fish, not because he drank like one (and I believe he did drink like one), but because he rented a flat that had very limited hours to use the bath. When he got his bath time, he used it to the max. The long-term water immersion got him the nickname Fish.

    Now, why would he need a nickname? Consider his real name: Derek W. Dick.

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  26. dmarks-- LMAO. His name should not be that funny, but it is. And Fish is such a better name. hahaha

    I have a friend who's name is Dick and I am constantly saying that this or that was a real dick and then, having to apologize.

    Interesting story about his nickname. (I wonder why we call them "nick" names?) Thanks for adding that.

    I caught two trout... both were small though. They were happy to leave me. Good to be clean again... I'm with Fish. A long hot soak is a good thing. :)

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  27. First, I love the Kinks! Second...dude, you get hurt a lot! hee hee! Really, though, what makes for a better story? And the janitor got to be the hero. Sorry to hear about An though...sounds like he was quite the guy.

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  28. laura b-- I do! Janitors rock!

    Yes, sigh. Losing An was so unexpected. Thank you for the sympathy. He was dear.

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  29. laura b.-- I lose a lot of people too. It is an odd thing about my town. We are so small that we all know each other and so it seems like we lose more people. We just lost another this week that was way too young to die. This one was depression... because he lost his job and ran out of medication that you should never stop taking suddenly. So very sad.

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  30. Oh ack! That sort of thing freaks me out.

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  31. secret agent woman-- Oh, sorry about that. It happens to me kind of a lot. I am very used to it and stuff like that does not bother me. Looking back on it now, I find it all very funny. I have a bit more sympathy for the fish!

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