I’ve been away from this progression through my old journals–my “Captain’s Log”–longer than I intended. Looking back, I see that I was chugging along fairly well through February. Then the pandemic hit, and I made no posts at all in March as I rushed up to spring break, went to Charleston for half of that week, and then had to come home early (because our favorite restaurants closed) to get my courses thrown up online for the remainder of the semester. I then made one more “Through the Years” post in April and one in May.

Now, here we are in August, and the pandemic is still going strong. Stronger than in March, actually. At least that’s the case here in east Tennessee. I’ve wondered if I should skip ahead and reboot with August entries, but I haven’t decided about that yet. If I could get my shit together well enough, I might be able to do two posts in a week. One coming up from the spring–this one gets into March–and one running along through the days we’re actually living.

I’ll think on that some more.

Captain’s Log: Stardate 022.878 (Tuesday, February 28, 1978)

Today was just like yesterday. I missed all of my classes and just stayed in bed. I’ll have to wait and see how I feel tomorrow before I decide about classes. I feel hot like I’ve got a temperature.

I guess I’ll get get some sleep now and try it again tomorrow. . . .

How unsettling it would be in this COVID-19 moment to “feel hot like I’ve got a temperature”!

I’m working on a novel that is based on the summer of 1979, which I spent in Europe with strangers-who-became-friends from all over the country. One of the things that I want to do with that novel is keep an awareness of the real world surrounding our fun and games and the actual events that took place in the world as I was living mostly carefree days in Europe.

Likewise, I’m going to try to find interesting things that go along with the lived days I’m transcribing from my journals. So, I’ll think about–I’ll google–what was happening in the world as I was doing this or that in my daily life.

Captain’s Log: Stardate 030.178 (Wednesday, March 1, 1978)

I finally got out of bed and went to classes today. I felt really bad this morning but I’m doing OK now.

Well, 48 hours from now I’ll hopefully be with Kelly, the good Lord willing. I pray that He’ll give me a good time down there. Now that I’m better physically I’m anxious to start practice again ’cause the Lord gave me these talents to polish and We’re gonna make it!!!! I think George and Betty are gonna meet me at the house tomorrow night for supper. . . . God gave you a mind, a body, and a soul so Be Yourself and at the same time be His

While I was living through this day–probably while I was sleeping through the night–Roman Wardas and Gantscho Ganev, Eastern European refugees, stole the coffin and remains of Charlie Chaplin from a Swiss cemetery and asked for ransom equivalent of $600,000 for the return of these. Chaplin’s fourth wife Oona refused to pay, saying that her late husband “‘would have thought it rather ridiculous’.” The grave robbers were caught in May.

Captain’s Log: Stardate 030.278 (Thursday, March 2, 1978)

Today the blizzard hit. That about cansells [sic] my plans for Greensboro this weekend.

I’m supposed to have a flute lesson tomorrow, but Dr. B probably won’t be here.

I think I may call Leesa and ask her out one night soon. . . . Ernie got a tape for accompanying the Alleluiah music . . .

As I’ve probably written in these pages before, Leesa was hard at work in Asheville’s Creative Hair Design and mothering Lane during these months when I was in my freshman year at Mars Hill College.

Captain’s Log: Stardate 030.378 – 030.578 (Friday – Sunday, March 3-5, 1978)

It’s been a nice easy weekend but I wish I could’ve gone to Greensboro. I reckon I’ll go over Spring break. I’m really not ready for another week so I’m gonna have to draw on the Lord heavily for this week. . . . George and Betty are in. . . .

On Saturday night the 4th, the Duke men’s basketball team–remembered as “Still Forever’s Team”–won the ACC basketball tournament, defeating Wake Forest 85-77. This was the first time the Duke men’s team had won the tournament since 1966. To my knowledge, the most recognizable name on that roster was Mike Gminski.

Captain’s Log: Stardate 030.678 (Monday, March 6, 1978)

Today has been a bummer but I’m still alive and trying not to complain.

Tomorrow night I’ll be going to Tweed’s for supper so hopefully tomorrow won’t be so bad. . . .

I have no memory of why this day was a bummer for me, but history tells us it was a greater bummer for Hustler publisher/pornographer Larry Flynt, who got caught in the crosshairs of a sniper in Georgia, a shooting which left him crippled.

Six trips around the sun later . . .

Captain’s Log: Stardate 8403.04 (Sunday, March 4, 1984)

I wish I wasn’t so lazy and would keep up with this as I should. Still, I guess when things are slow it seems futile to write it down. I [sic] going to try to do better.

1984 has been a very nice year so far. I’ve been home a few times, seen the folks in Knoxville, taken Geri out a couple of times (things are still feeling good there), and I’ve moved. I now live in the apartment that is upstairs in Earl’s office, where I stayed during my first prolonged trip to Nashville. It’s kind of tough living alone after Lynn and Cindy. We had such a good time. I still haven’t gotten settled in though I’ve been here for almost two months. I’ve stayed in the studio with Earl watching the progress of a new album he’s got on Bobby Lewis. They recorded one of my songs but it didn’t make the album as it was too pop to be consistent with the rest of the music. Still, just hanging out during the going’s [sic] on is a great learning experience. After that project was over Earl took Jim, JB, Danny, and me to Nassau, the Bahamas for some R&R before beginning my next album. It was a fun time between the ocean[,] the hotel life, and the casino. I got a sunburn the first day and didn’t get to spend as much time on the beach as I would have liked but it was still a great time. At one point Earl brought this hooker over from the casino for JB who is very straight and shy about girls and he ran. It was so funny! The girl’s name was Ivory, and she was from Milwaukee, Wi. When we returned from Nassau we went into the studio with musicians for a couple of days for rehearsals which went quite well. Tomorrow we begin tracks on “Blondie Goes Latin”, “Isabella”, “In Old Chicago”, “Can’t You Hear the Music”, “Waiting for the Night”, “The Friday Night Serenade”, “A Kiss in the Dark”, “Promises”, “A Rose for My Lady”, and “Madrid”.

My songwriting has fallen off seriously I think mostly because my mind feels so very cluttered with what I’m doing. I also feel very superficial, very shallow because I’m not staying as close to God as I want to. It just seems I keep my mind so occupied with nothing that it’s hard to think about anything. Then again I haven’t done enough travelling [sic] which always seems to spark me. Hopefully when this album is finished I’ll settle down and get some things done. I’m going to do better! I should say my prayers and get some rest now.

I have no memory of which song Bobby Lewis recorded. I do remember that Bobby’s schtick was playing the lute.

I noticed a couple of things about the songs set for the recording of my second album, which was to be titled Waiting for the Night. One is the presence of “Madrid,” a piano song that I wrote and, unfortunately, can no longer remember how to play. I think I actually had a complete song, but I’ll have to try to find the lyric for it to prove it. I don’t think I even have a recording of it.

The second thing is the absence of “Thunder and Lightning.” Those who know my music know how important that particular song has been for me. I think you’ll find it in the next cluster of entries that I post.

Captain’s Log: Stardate 8403.05 (Monday, March 5, 1984)

Today was a tough day, not really all bad or good, just tough. We started in the studio with problems this morning. Even though this caused bad vibes, we still got 3 good tracks down. I had a cloud hanging over me because of the vibes so I had a hard time finding good in anything but they must have been OK or we wouldn’t have left them. There was also a bad attitude toward the drummer we were using and I’m afraid Earl is going to fire him. It’ll be a shame because he is a good guy and a Christian. Maybe things will blow over tomorrow, who knows? Hopefully tomorrow will go much smoother technically, musically, and personally. . . .

Earl had hired the already-legendary Joe Osborne to play bass on Waiting for the Night. Our drummer for the sessions was a young guy named Mark Hammond. I don’t remember exactly what the beef was between the two of them, but it’s likely that it could be boiled down to style: Old School versus New.

Other players on the session were as follows: John Jarvis on keys; Brent Rowan and Greg Jennings on guitars; Jim Horn on saxophone; Thom Flora and Gary Pigg on background vocals. Of course, I played a little guitar and flute.

Two years passed. Waiting for the Night was never released.

Captain’s Log: Stardate 8603.02 (Sunday, March 2, 1986)

It is Sunday and I’ve had a good time. Church was good, work was good and dinner at Anita’s with my friends was also good. My situation in general still feels the same despite indirect word from Goodlettsville that things are finally worked out and on their way. My reaction is still like those to whom the boy cried wolf. Show me something real is what I’m asking for. I know I sound like I’m from Missouri but that’s all I can do right now. Cindy heard Dickey Betts play “Thunder and Lightning” in Asheville a couple of weeks ago. She said it was pretty good and it got a good reaction. I’m playing the Bluebird Cafe a week from tonight but as usual I don’t know what I’m going to do so I’m not very comfortable with the idea. I’m thinking I’ll start with “Fiesta” but I don’t know. All else is as usual except that I’m not writing right now. I’m not afraid though as I’ve learned that it’ll be back when the well fills back up so I guess I’m actually gaining experience and becoming more accostomed [sic] to my music taking a vacation now and then. There’s not much happening in my life for me to react to and I’ve written enough for now about pain, depression and loneliness. So there you have it.

So, two years on from my sense of panic about not writing, I’m okay with not writing, knowing that it’ll return–which it did. I remember that it was my friend Noel Hudson who passed on to me the idea–Mark Twain’s, I think–that the well will fill up and the writing will return. Anita, mentioned above, is Noel’s mom, and I’m sure the “friends” who came to dinner with me were Noel, T. Michael Scalf, and probably the women they were dating at the time.