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garrison part2

This was originally written on 09.02.2002

A big city bus station is a really interesting, and probably more than slightly dodgy place to be early in the morning. There were the expected drunks and random kids walking about the place, but it didn’t take long for me to have my own brush with bus station craziness. This older drunk guy walked into the terminal and made a beeline straight for me. He was old, drunk, and not too big, so I wasn’t too worried, but it was still awkward as hell. He asked me what I was reading, and I tried to explain, as best I could to someone who was probably totally unfamiliar with punk culture, the idea of a zine. He then asked me if I was American. “Oh no”, I thought, here it goes. I expected an anti-tirade like the one that Timothy had told me about where a drunk guy berated Timothy’s fellow Americans with lines like “you Americans and your big passports!” I replied, reluctantly, that I was American, and he asked me if I thought Scots were “thick”. No, I said, as diplomatically as I could, I didn’t, and in fact some of my flatmates held the stereotype that Americans were thick. He then proceeded to take my zine from my hands and prove to me that he could read. “See,” he said, “I’m a bricklayer and I can read”, as he showed me his weathered workman’s hands. All throughout this tense conversation, I was exchanging nervous glances with the rock musicians sitting across from me. It was actually pretty funny in retrospect. “I never doubted that, mate”, I replied. I asked him how he liked his work, and he replied, “it’s alright but sometimes it’s shite.” I asked him where he was headed tonight and he said that he didn’t know. I couldn’t make it out clearly from the accent and the drunkenness, but I got the impression that he had gotten kicked out of somewhere. Be it from the pub, his flat, or the arms of a jilted lover, I’ll never know. To my relief, the old fellow departed into the cold Glasgow drizzle as abruptly as he had arrived.

The bus finally arrived and I spent the next hour reading record reviews and thinking longingly of my bed. When I finally got back to my flat, Pete was digging through the trash (or rubbish as they say over here) can looking for his girlfriend’s gold earing. He said something about a fight and harsh words exchanged with his girlfriend and how she had left to spend the night with a friend. Whooboy. I wished him luck and scurried off to the warm safety of my bed.

glossary:

• Iain

  One of my flatmates in Edinburgh. Skater, snowboarder, self taught guitar rocker, and one of the most clever, nicest guys I know. He’s also introduced me to a load of music and keeps me from being too much a music snob. Has replaced Shad as the house shit-talker.

• Marco

  Another flatmate in Edinburgh. Lady killer, a legend in his own mind, and karaoke prince of Aberdeen. A passionate Glasgow Rangers supporter, I’ve spent a couple evens watching football matches on the tele with him. He can slam a bottle (or two) of Buckfast like none other.

• Brooke

  A girl I met at a weekend outing with the other Arcadia Univeristy study abroad kids. Philosophy/Art major and weekend Denny’s waitress. She’s from PA, and would be a definite contender in an Alicia look-alike contest. Like Iain, keeps me from being too much of a music snob. A great person with which to swap small-town PA anecdotes.

• Alicia

  High school pal and Fallout partner in crime who can play music so much better than I will ever be able to. Super-interesting artist and Italian speaker, scene kid living in Philadelphia. Vegan to the max. One of the few kids from high school with whom I still keep in touch.

• Rob

  Yet another flatmate. Ardent Manchester United supporter, rugby kid, and fun guy. The most entertaining of my flatmates when pissed, surprisingly coherent, though he can have a mouth that gets him into trouble. Drives like a maniac, but takes me to Sainsbury’s and sometimes school. An icon in his terrycloth bathrobe.

• 13th Note Club

  260 Clyde Street

  Glasgow, UK

  Rad indie club in Glasgow. Has a variety of punk, metal, indie, hardcore, etc. shows in a nicely sized (albeit noisy) space.

• 13th Note Cafe

  50-60 King Street

  Glasgow, UK

  553 1638

  The sister space of the 13th note club, this place has a more intimate setting and doubles as an excellent (and cheap) vegan restaurant. Check this place out for sure if ever in Glasgow.

• Dana

  I met Dana because she was part of the whole Beaver Creek, OH crew. Additionally, she was in my Freshmen Engineering Honors classes. She studies computer science and is easily one of the smartest people I know. One of the most idiosyncratic ones as well, I suspect (how many CS belly-dancers do you know). A really nice person, she has introduced me to so much good music as well as fun stuff to do in Columbus. Spends her summers breaking hearts and working for HP.

• Steven

  Ex-housemate at the Sweet Life and all around nice guy. I met him through Columbus United Students Against Sweatshops. Easily one of the nicest, most rational, laid back kids I’ve ever met, he’s also down for skating and show-going. Another Dayton kid.

• Katelynn

  Like Steven, she’s a Sweet Life/Dayton kid. Also a really nice person, with this fun, quirky nature to her. She reminds me of Alicia, both in nature and in stature. Wicked soccer player who’s currently studying agriculture. Also one hell of a cook.

• Sweet Life

  My home for the autumn of 2001. Could also be called the house that Will built. So far, despite occasional drama, it’s been the best place I’ve ever lived. Skateboarding, amazing eclectic music that is a testament to it’s amazing, eclectic, and intelligent inhabitants, and rocking vegan dumpster food. Not the best place to study, but in terms of having fun and feeling comfortable, it was great. It was sort of a real world, real world, with seven kids who only slightly knew each other, it was a pleasant adventure and evidence that last minute arrangements can sometimes work out for the best.

• Pete

  The last of my Edinburgh flatmates, and the one I feel that I know the least. He seems pretty intelligent (with statements like “Electro acoustic music is the response to hardcore” you have to be at least smarter than the average bear), and he studies music technology. He is a super-talented pianist and also a Jungle MC. He’s pretty nice, but for some reason, I always feel awkward talking to him.