Just Another Road Story

Way back when I was the sound and light guy for a rawk band on the endless northern Ontario bar circuit, we spent a grinder of a week in a northern town the name of which I can't recall, but I know it was about 45 minutes out of Sudbury, and it was the dead of winter.

Anyway I've never seen so many dead-end kids with so many drugs, and surprisingly a LOT of barbiturates (Seconal, Tuinal, etc). These goofs had clearly accepted that their lives were pretty much over by age 18 so they spent their days and nights in a wasteland.

As is the norm in just such an asswipe of a town, the bar with the band was the gathering place of choice for drunks, whores and scrappers. And, not surprisingly, the owner was not above serving alcohol to the underaged. Well didn't that just turn around and bite him in the ass. On our final night the packed tavern was raided by the local constabulary. While cops blocked all the exits other cops circulated around the room checking ID's and hoping to spot dopers with dope. Turns out the only dope they confiscated was on the floor, because the moment they announced "raid" everyone's stash hit the floor like they were tossing burning bags of shit from their pockets. Seriously, the floor was littered with bags of pills, weed, hash, and all the paraphernalia that goes with it.

Of course the night was not without personal reward, otherwise the tale would have little point. In his confusion the owner overpaid us by $250. Needless to say we packed up and hauled ass in a hurry, the consensus being that we would spend our newly found riches on a lavish meal for 5, one that didn't include French fries. I don't recall what I ordered, probably a steak, but I do recall it being one of the best meals of my young life.

Oh, and the bar owner was fined quite heavily for serving minors. Oh well…