Tour diary: Victoria Vox
Every so often, I ask local bands to send me a couple of good tour stories. This is from singer/songwriter Victoria Vox:
I was recently on tour in St. Louis. After my show I vaguely remember pulling some fancy parking maneuver and backing into a curb a couple of times! (I swear I was sober!)
The next morning, with a six-hour window to get to Chicago, I pulled away and immediately felt my car handling differently. Yup, my front right tire was blown! Of the 120,000 miles I've put on my Honda Civic, I've NEVER had a flat tire ... and unfortunately, I fit into the stereotype of women who can't change a flat.
I pulled over about 6 blocks away to Truck Sales place. They referred me to a tire place, who quickly came to the rescue and checked out my situation. Since I damaged the tire wall, I needed a new one. After a spare was put on I followed the tow truck to the garage.
While in the waiting room, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the ONLY book on the "reading table" was "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus." I've been wanting to read that!
I picked it up, and immediately started getting comments from the men working in their cubicles at the garage. I suggested to one man that he should read it ... but he said that there was no need, since he already had his own abbreviated list of do's and don't with women!
I read it. It was pretty accurate, I think :) Then he suggested that I take the book, finish it, and bring it back. I said that I was from out of town, and that I couldn't take it. But he insisted, and gave me his card with the garages address. He told me that I could mail it back!
I never thought that a tire garage could double as a library! I did get to the gig in Chicago, JUST in time ... though a little frazzled ... but hey, I got some good reading material ... and two new tires ;)
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
