It was a great day of NRBQ. NRBQ in the afternoon, what more could you want? Mike Scully, from the Simpsons, is an NRQB nut. He made a deal with VH-1 to do favors for them, if they would let him do a special on his favorite band. So, he was doing "Hidden Treasures of Rock and Roll" all about NRBQ for VH-1. Now, NRBQ is everyone's favorite band. There really is no better live rock and roll band. Mike was going to do interviews with people who loved them and then shoot a live show. The people who love them in public, were Elvis Costello, REM, Drew Carey, Paul McCartney, and me. I went over with Steven Banks and they were running late, but I did my interview hunk with two vent dummies, one of Tommy, and one of Terry sitting beside me. I ranted about how I love the Q and that's what they wanted, "If you don't like NRBQ, I don't like you."

It was going to be a while before NRBQ played, so Steven and I went over to the Hustler Store café, talked and played with my new super-tiny digital camera. I got a call from a friend who said that Lou Reed had died. It was announced on Chicago radio. We tried to find it on CNN, and we called everyone to have them search the Web. Friends were arriving to go to see NRBQ and we were all on cell phones trying to find out. It was a horrible time. I haven't seen Lou in a while, and I was feeling so sad and guilty. I never really believed it, because we couldn't find it on the web, but it was a reliable source. Finally Glenn called the radio station in Chicago and it turned out to be wrong. Lou is alive and well in Europe (if anyone is really well out of the USA). I need to hang with Lou and tell him how much I would have missed him.

So, bunches of us went over and watched NRBQ. It was at the Key Club on Sunset, and it was just about 50 people and TV cameras. Mike asked me to intro them, and I had some of the finest writers in Hollywood giving me lines. Eddie came up with "NRBQ, you can't spell Neo-Baroque with them." Colman cleaned it up to "Quarterbacking" and then I said it wrong on stage as "Quarterbacker" and did the true talent role of dropping the ball. But, I got another take and made it okay. So, I sat in a club and watched one of my favorite bands in a private party with my friends. I talked to the Q, and took pictures on stage with my new goofy camera. I thought about how happy I was that Lou Reed was alive.

I realize this isn't a very clever Road Penn, and isn't even much information, but I had to try to hint at how wonderful it was to have Nell dancing in her seat next to me, while they Q sang "RC Cola and a Moon Pie." I yelled for "Spampinato" and got it (after a lot of yelling). I miss Big Al to balance the stage with Terry, but Johnny was playing wonderfully, like a crazy monkey. I should write so much more about the BQs and how they play and how they make me feel, but I've written liner notes, I've done interviews and I've drug a zillion people to their shows. So, I don't feel like typing about it. You all should know how great NRBQ is already, and I just want to sit back and remember how much I LOVE great music played by great guys, and how happy I am that Lou Reed is alive and I have great friends. Sorry, no twist, no nothing, it's just crackers to slip a rozzer, the dropsy in snide, that's all.

Penn

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