Tour Notes: On the Road Again
As the great Kathy and Mo once sang, “On the road again. Dit dit dit dit dit. On the road again.” I don’t know the song either. But I was on the road again, for the first stop on my Climate Change Tour in Detroit, Michigan, the home of Aretha Franklin and Patti Smith. My heroes.
They weren’t at the show, dang, but it was fun anyway. The Royal Oak Theater is a gem of an old theater, being lovingly restored and cared for by Justin Miller and all his fine support staff. I had written a lot of new material – oh, heck, the political stuff seems to just surge out of me – and I even remembered a lot of it. The State of the Union address [aka “If I Did it”] Dick Cheney almost shooting Wolf Blitzer. It was a pleasure to be in Michigan again, especially since all their hard mid-term election effort returned their legislature to the Dems and re-elected their Governer, Jenifer Granholme. Change is in the air.
The next night in Minneapolis at the gorgeous Pantages Theater, it was a see and be seen event! Eileen Scallen, on the advisory Board of NCLR, stepped up and produced the show and it was a flawless night. Karyn and Sharyn of the Care and Share Show, opened with a hilarious send-up of lesbian feminism and me. After the show, at the NCLR reception, I met years of my history in the Twin Cities. From the days of the Women’s Coffeehouse, to the time I got put on the “do not ask back” list at the St. Kate’s, to the time I did my best Garrison Keillor imitation at the World Theater – it was a night of great conversation and reminders of what my hair used to look like.
The next morning at a brunch benefit for NCLR, I met lots of interesting ladies – especially the women from Smitten Kitten (smittenkittenonline.com) a feminist owned, transgender friendly sex toy store. Not only do they do free shipping, the toys they make are absolutely made out of non-carcinogenic materials. Check it out.
My galpal met me in Minneapolis, there’s a sequitor for you, and it was great to hear her laugh in the audience. Like she’s never heard the stuff before! We spent a great Sunday with Ann Vitala and Laura Ayres – visiting art museums, going to see the movie, “Stomp the Yard” [not enough gals, but amazing dancing], eating and admiring the beautiful twin cities and the amazing Mississippi.
