The winters were harsh in North Carolina and I would be expected to drive in to work without traction devices, you didn’t hear about traction devices like we used in Oregon. So I would put on my big girl pants and make the drive from the country into Asheville. White knuckling all the way and sometimes being turned back home because the office would end up closing.
One morning, I fell on the ice while going to my car. My special friend in London was keeping in touch. Chris Wilson of The Flamin’ Groovies as well as The Barracudas . He wanted to be sure I was alright and to be careful. He knew what the winters were like on the east coast as he grew up in Massachusetts.
He would write from time to time keeping me posted of dates he would be touring in the South. At first there was a gig in Tennessee but I declined. Then I got the message, he was coming to New Orleans and he had given me his hotel itinerary. I talked to my new friend Crystel in NC. She had been wanting to get out of town so I asked her if she would be up for a trip to New Orleans to see the Flamin’ Groovies.
She said yes and even offered to drive if I paid half of the gas. We were able to book a beautiful room in the same hotel just off Bourbon Street. We only had two months notice and it normally takes a year in advance to book a room during Jazz Fest!
I felt the Universe was working some magic! Crystel picked me up in Etowah from where she was living in Marshall. We spent the first night in Atlanta with her friend Kat, the rock diva of Atlanta. We had Thai food for dinner and went to the Star Bar to check out some local bands.
It was the first time I could smoke cigarettes in a club since the 90’s. That became illegal in L.A., SF and Portland. I enjoyed the friendliness of the Atlanta scene. The bar had an Elvis museum, and the bar back was a member of the Biters so I snapped a selfie with him.
The next morning we set out for breakfast, and then the long drive to New Orleans. We stopped to stretch our legs in Mobile, Alabama. Being that close to the Gulf of Mexico it felt like a sauna as I stepped outside the car for a cigarette. It was a wicked humidity that took my breath away.
I got excited seeing the signs approaching New Orleans. After arriving at the hotel and dropping off the car and our bags we set out for a walk. We deserved a nice dinner and cocktails and went to my favorite restaurant in the French Quarter, The Court of Two Sisters. Afterwards, Christel was on her way to hang out with her friends while I went back to the hotel for a bath and a nap. It would be hours before the Groovies would be landing at the airport at midnight.
Chris was flying in from Texas and he would not have use of his phone in the States so I would be in touch via his band mate George, the bass player. He texted me that they were in the lobby. I went downstairs and met George and the leader of the band, Cyril Jordan.
Cyril was dressed in a very cool trench coat. We went out to the sidewalk to have a cigarette and engaged in a quick conversation before Chris pulled up in his manager’s SUV. He was smiling and waving and jumped out and came over and gave me a bear hug and swung me left to right.
Cyril was hungry and was looking for a specific diner. Wherever Cyril wanted to go was where the band would go. Chris thought it was too bright and noisy at the diner. He preferred to go somewhere quiet, have a drink and decompress. I told him “We’re in New Orleans, we can get drinks to go.” So we grabbed a couple cocktails from a cart on the street and walked back to the hotel. There was a beautiful courtyard with water fountains. A peaceful space for us to talk and he could finally relax.
We talked for hours and I admired the bracelets and rings he was wearing. One being a silver bracelet he had found lying on the ground in London. He took it off and snapped it on my wrist. It was rock and roll romantic, in a Sid and Nancy kind of way. We left the courtyard and walked through the lobby and I snapped a Gerbera daisy from the concierge’s desk and gave it to Chris and then he handed me his yellow scarf! He walked me to my room and he gave me a kiss goodnight. He was so chivalrous and kind, it was like a first lovely date.
The next morning I went outside to wait for my friends Pauline and Jerry Teel. Jerry was a member of the great New York Bands Boss Hog, Knoxville Girls and Chrome Cranks to name a few. He and Pauline moved to NOLA and started a band called Chicken Snake. They took me to a botanica shop that I frequented in Portland after it had been relocated due to Hurricane Katrina. Eventually the shop returned to NOLA.
Once I walked in the store, it felt like coming home. I saw the store owner Jonathon, who hugged me. I procured candles, incense, oils and a mojo bag for my future, things were a bit rocky. He was like a spiritual counselor who would listen and prescribe the hoodoo prescription.
We drove back to the hotel. Chris and Cyril were outside smoking and I said “Hey y’all wanna meet the Groovies?” Jerry was excited and said “Oh wow!” Pauline snapped some photos and they left to go pick up their young daughter from school.
Photo: Pauline Teel
It was getting close to sound check time over at One Eyed Jacks so I went back to my room freshened up and changed my outfit. Then I met Chris back downstairs. The club was a mile down the road, apparently we weren’t getting a ride from the manager or tour manager. We had to walk down to the club with drinks and instruments in hand.
I sat quietly while the boys were sound checking. They sang a couple songs and I snapped some photos. There was an upstairs green room, the coolest green room I have ever seen and it had a bar. I wore Chris’ yellow scarf for luck. The club was packed and I stood up in front of Chris and when he started to sing “Shake Some Action” he blew a kiss toward me. At the end of the night Chris again walked me to my room like the gentleman he was and he gave me another one of his scarves.
The next day Chris and I were both being interviewed for a Flamin’ Groovies documentary. We walked around the French Quarter holding hands and then we had dinner in the hotel restaurant with the filmmakers who bought us an expensive bottle of wine and Chris bought my dinner. It was our last night in New Orleans and Chris said “I miss you already.”
It went by so fast but I wasn’t sad, I knew we would see each other again. I woke up in the morning to do some last minute shopping on Bourbon Street and saw Cyril outside sitting on a stoop smoking. I bummed a smoke off of him and said goodbye.
When I returned to NC I was planning my next trip to Memphis. I knew the band had a gig there and I didn’t think I would ever see Chris again unless I went to Memphis to seal the deal. It was like the Sonics song, “Have Love Will Travel.”
George had given me the hotel itinerary and I told him to let Chris know I would be coming. I left early in the dawn before the sun came up and it took me ten hours to get there. All the while I listened to Kiss Cd’s, chain smoked and drank tea or diet coke to keep me awake.
The drive was very therapeutic and peaceful. I went through the entire state of Tennessee, through the Smoky Mountains. It was a perfect sunny day, with Spring flowers blooming. I took a road stop and to my surprise the sign read “You are on Musical Highway, Johnny Cash Rest Stop.” That was the best luck a girl ever needed!
When I got to the hotel in downtown Memphis there was a time change and so I had gotten there about an hour earlier than the band would arrive. Chris had no idea I would be coming as I was there to surprise him. I asked for two key cards and left one at the concierge’s desk for him and I went to my room and fell asleep.
I woke up maybe an hour or more later and was scared. I thought maybe they weren’t staying there and I was worried I wouldn’t connect with them. Maybe I had the information wrong. I called the front desk and they advised me that the band had just checked in so I asked for Chris’s room number. I dialed and George answered. "Is Chris there?” he said no but gave me his room number. I called but there was no answer.
As soon as I hung up there was a knock at the door. I asked who it was and I heard, “It’s Chris.” I opened the door and said “Thank God!” and hugged him. He said he didn’t know I was coming and thought he would never see me again. He came into my room and sat down. He was a bit frazzled from the trip so we went to the bar across the street from the hotel.
The tour manager, Jimmy walked in and laughed and said “Hey Smokey” my nickname for chain smoking. We had a few rounds and the bill came to around $80 bucks. Memphis was going to be expensive. We went back to the room and Chris had brought his luggage and guitar and stayed with me. The next day everyone was sick, I let Chris sleep all day.
I got the boys some vitamin water, cold and stomach meds as well as Cyril’s favorite drink, orange soda. When Chris woke up he thanked me for saving his life. He hadn’t gotten any sleep on this tour and he finally had a good ten hours. We checked in on Cyril, I put an ice cold rag on his forehead.
The show was at the High Tone and there wouldn’t be a sound check. We arrived about a half hour before they would hit the stage. The place was packed and I would run into Ted the drummer of Satan’s Pilgrims. The show was a hit even though the boys were still getting over a bug they had gotten in Texas. Afterward we left for the hotel and then decided to take a walk down to Beale Street.
(my very old blurry cell phone image of Chris getting his guitar tuned up for the gig in Memphis)
Not realizing the time it was really late, about 1 am. There were a lot of crackheads and scary dudes following us asking for money. Chris said we needed to get back to the hotel immediately. I felt safe with him, he recently got certifications and licenses for security in London and he was about as sharp and aware as a Doberman Pinscher.
We had a day off to ourselves….(another old cell phone pic)
The next morning I woke up crying, he said we were kindred spirits. I made the drive back to Asheville and got in after dark. I was exhausted, happy and sad. Chris would soon be off to London after the tour. This was one of those times in my life that I faced fear and had to make a decision. I did not fit in North Carolina. I thought of going to Atlanta or Nashville and starting over again. At least I had new friends there and I would be close to family. My initial dream of moving to Brooklyn proved to be impossible.
One night while I was depressed and worried about my future, I had a dream. I heard a soft faint high pitched voice, “Hi Lori!” Then as if a camera was panning upward I saw what appeared to be purple corduroys and a paisley shirt and then I saw his face and heard a loud bang and I awoke. I couldn’t believe it, it had been years since I had really thought deeply about him. My mentor and my dear friend Greg Shaw was still with me.
I struggled thinking. Maybe I should return to Oregon where I had a strong employment history, professional references and friends. It was a scary time thinking if I went back there. I could possibly be homeless, all I had were two suitcases and $1000. I struggled with the fact that I had fallen in love with someone who lived across the pond. It may have well been another planet.
Every morning I would go out to my cousin’s back deck and light up a cigarette and look at the trees and the sky. The morning after my dream while smoking on the deck I saw a red cardinal. I knew that they were a sign of hope. It was time for me to make a decision. I sold my car and booked a one way flight back to Portland.
Meanwhile, I got an international plan on my phone and would be able to talk to Chris on the phone. I would have just enough money cushion so that I could couch surf and look for a job. When I came back I landed a new job within 4 weeks. After pet sitting for a friend, I rented her furnished basement flat. Then I bought a car.
After 6 months of holding a long distance relationship, Chris had decided to return to the States. He had been living overseas for 32 years and he thought if he returned to the States it would also be helpful to the band who had more plans for the future.
In November of 2014 Chris moved to Oregon. I ended up getting the position of Social Media Manager from 2014-2019 for the band as well as being the blogger on Cyril’s website during that time. The band were still touring and releasing a new album. At the end of 2018, Chris decided to get sober and retire.
I always say Greg pulled strings from the afterlife. He loved us both so much. After that dream I can only believe that he paired us up. I can hear him now saying how cool this all is. Thanks Greg. and thanks to that move to Asheville for 7 months that brought my life where it is today.
God bless the Flamin' Groovies and all who sail with them. I saw the Groovies several years ago when they played at Dante's in Portland (I still have my t-shirt I bought). If I remember correctly, they were filming for the documentary you mentioned. If it's been released, I would love to see it. One of my all-time favorite videos on YouTube is the Groovie's badass, maraca-shredding 'Slow Death' video from French TV in 1972.
On a side note, I also wanted to comment on a past post, but the comments were for paid subscribers only. I really enjoyed your Paisley Underground article. I was a big fan of The Tell-Tale Hearts and The Miracle Workers (among others). Mike Stax and I first connected in the '80s over our mutual love of The Pretty Things, and he soon became one of my go-to people to trade tapes with.
In 1990, I visited Portland for the first time and walked into 2nd Avenue Records. A Miracle Workers 'Moxie's Revenge' poster greeted me at the entrance, and I quickly found several Miracle Workers albums I could never find back home in Cleveland. I eventually met Mike several years later in London, where I was living, as he helped organize a festival that reunited the Chocolate Watchband along with his and Anja's band, The Loons.
Since returning to the States from London in 2007, Portland has been my home, and I am pleased to say that Miracle's poster is still on display at 2nd Avenue! 😎
💖❤️🩹🍀🌈🥂