Howard Hanks

We're more or less smack dab in the middle of the Drake Bell tour. I'm starting to feel a li'l like Tom Hanks in Castaway. My closest companion isn't a volleyball, however, it's my dobro guitar (see recent blog entries for more on that). I haven't painted a bloody-hand-face on it or anything. That would just be weird. I would, however, scream "dough broooooooo!" if I ever lost it.

Also like Tom Hanks on his desert island movie, I have new facial hair. It's not a tour-'stache like last year, or a gigantic Old Testament beard. It's a tour-tee this time around. Maybe it's an homage to my Grandpa Lofton, who had a goatee long before they were fashionable (and just for the record, I don't think they're fashionable now, I'm just "exploring new territories of boredom"). I'm using it to keep track of time. Maybe I'll call it a calendar-tee.

I feel like I should take this opportunity to poke fun at Jackson, Michigan. We got in last night at three in the morning. We've been staying at über fancy hotels on this tour. As far as I can tell there aren't any über fancy hotels in Jackson. I did however find a lone hair on the soap holder in the shower. Now, I don't expect that I'm going to be the first or last person to use a shower in a hotel room, but a reminder that someone else was recently in that same shower, and was probably naked, is REAL GROSS. At this rate I'll be washing my hands like Howard Hughes in no time! By the by, is there a connection between Howard Hughes with the really long beard and Tom Hanks' character with the really long beard? Did Howard Hughes name his sporting goods? Did Tom Hanks pee in bottles?

All foolishness aside, we're having a heckuva time on the tour playing music and Fight Night (a boxing video game) on XBox. My character is 6'6', has a red ponytail, and a black uni-brow. His nickname is International. I wish I could name him Wilson so when he gets knocked out I could scream his name.

Despite spending lots of time on this tour growing hair, I have also been hard at work on the album.

More to follow.

Till then: don't be afraid of tap water.