Me. I lost a halftime bet with a 9-year-old kid. We were watching Pete Townsend doing his windmill guitar thing and I mentioned how Pete always used to smash his axe at the end of his set. In a moment of Budweiser fueled passion, I said, "Look at him go, I'll bet he smashes his guitar today!!"
"No way," says the 9-year-old.
"What do you mean, 'No way'?" I asked.
"Look at him," the kid says. "He's an old man."
"Okay," I said, pulling out a dollar. "If he smashes his guitar, you get this dollar. If he doesn't, I get the dollar."
Apart from the one-sidedness of the stakes in this bet, we all know the set ended meekly, with Pete gently setting his guitar down at the back of the stage before taking his bows.
"Kid, here's your dollar."
As a post-script to this tale, the kid immediately took his dollar and went down to the local Circle-K to buy a soda or something. When he came back all he had was an empty cup. It seems the local bullies were hanging out front of the store and knocked it out of his hand when he walked out. Just as I was hitching up my pants and getting ready to go down there and kick a little 13-year-old ass, the bet-winner let me know the bully gave him another dollar after the incident and apologized. Kids are weird these days.
"No way," says the 9-year-old.
"What do you mean, 'No way'?" I asked.
"Look at him," the kid says. "He's an old man."
"Okay," I said, pulling out a dollar. "If he smashes his guitar, you get this dollar. If he doesn't, I get the dollar."
Apart from the one-sidedness of the stakes in this bet, we all know the set ended meekly, with Pete gently setting his guitar down at the back of the stage before taking his bows.
"Kid, here's your dollar."
As a post-script to this tale, the kid immediately took his dollar and went down to the local Circle-K to buy a soda or something. When he came back all he had was an empty cup. It seems the local bullies were hanging out front of the store and knocked it out of his hand when he walked out. Just as I was hitching up my pants and getting ready to go down there and kick a little 13-year-old ass, the bet-winner let me know the bully gave him another dollar after the incident and apologized. Kids are weird these days.
Biggest checkin' in:
ReplyDeleteHey Badass, Probably a good thing you didn't go. Tough to explain the plethora of knucklebumps and other contusions received at the hands of a 13 yr old street tough. He probably would have shaken you down for what was left of yer beer money and cab fare as well. Wearin' shades at work to hide the shiner might not have gone over so well w/ the boss.
Next time I'm up that way I'll bring some hard pipe hittin homies with pliers and a blowtorch (h/t QT). We'll track down that punk, stomp a mudhole in his ass and walk it dry.
The Who set was sad and made me feel old. Told Miles I had no idea who those clowns were.