Whisky A Go Go (08.07.12)

Hello again, reader. Nice to see you here. By the way, I can't actually see you. That would be weird, and pretty creepy.

Last night was Tuesday, and for the past couple of months, that means I was performing my live music show at the Whisky A Go Go in Second Life. I didn't put together any big theme for last night's show; it simply wasn't necessary, and I never force these things unless they seem to happen naturally. Of course, with my Zaksters, themes can kind of pop up on their own. And, more often than not, it's the fault of the seemingly prim-and-proper Maali Beck, my manager.

[18:20] maali.beck smacks Sesh in the back of the head w/ a wet fish
[18:20] Christine Haiku: hahaha
[18:21] maali.beck: he's gonna wonder where that wet fish smell is coming from

It's my recommendation for newer SL musicians to ignore the local chat going on. Even experienced musicians aren't used to performing live music while reading other people's conversations, and it can throw off your performance in a big way. However, those of us with years of SL playing experience know how to juggle this sensory overload, so I do glance down while I play to see what my silly audience is talking about. At that moment, all I saw was Maali's "wet fish smell" statement, and it was off to the races from then on. I started inserting fish references into my songs, and the Zaksters chipped in with all manner of somewhat suggestive fish talk.

So there was that, which was fun. The other thing that perhaps made this show memorable was my self-announcement. If you've never seen my show (uh... why haven't you seen my damn show? I've been doing this shit since 2006), you might not be aware that I tend to say things like, "Thanks for coming. I'm Zak Claxton, your musical madman," and so on. I say whatever I'm feeling at that moment, which could be anything from "your musical moron" to "your musical master of insanity". For some reason that perhaps will never be determined, last night at the Whisky, I gave myself a new title by saying the following sentence:

"I am Zak Claxton, your musical gooby gooby! (Maniacal laughter) Jeeeesus, I have no idea what I'm saying, ever."

Or, just listen to it yourself.

And, I have to admit, that's true. Part of the fun of my show, for both myself and my audience, is that I'm a huge fan of spontaneity and improvisation, and the reality is that I plan very little and allow things to happen on the spur of the moment. That includes almost everything that I say when addressing my audiences, and the results can be as silly and surprising to me as they are to anyone. Speaking of surprising, I did a few tunes last night that probably were high on the unexpected scale.

Whisky Set List...
I've Been Waiting For You (Neil Young)
Come Around (Zak Claxton)
*Torn (Natalie Imbruglia)
The Crystal Ship (The Doors)
Fade Away (Zak Claxton)
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da (The Police)
Free Man In Paris (Joni Mitchell)
†Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond)
For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield)
Falling Down (Zak Claxton)
Lola (The Kinks)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
†50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (Paul Simon)

*Indicates the first time I've performed this song in Second Life.

†I only did "Sweet Caroline" once before, specifically to tease my friend Triana who is an avowed Neil Diamond hater. I did it again last night for the same purpose. I'd only done "50 Ways" twice before, the last time being on August 28, 2010.

Triana moons me in retaliation for maliciously subjecting her to "Sweet Caroline". Photo by Kat.

Big thanks to my Zaksters... the Zak Show is as much you as it is me! Special hats-off to those who supported the show!
Triana Caldera, KarenMichelle Lane, TheaDee, Kat Claxton, Sesh Kamachi, Christine Haiku, Alexis Fairlady, Cicadetta Stillwater, SL's finest manager Maali Beck, DJ/Whisky host Dmitri Polonsky, and owner Cameron Trenchcoat!