Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin is a lovely little town on the edge of Lake Winnebago not far from Lake Michigan. Think: quaint town square, Norman Rockwellian vibes and wholesome middle America values. My band The Nixons, played a show at the Fond Du Lac County Fair on Tuesday July 18, 1995. I don’t recall many exact dates. I know this one because of some photographic evidence, included with this blog.
We arrived on the scene early in the day. Our crew set up, we sound checked then retreated back stage to catering for dinner. Prolly, some sort of chicken dish, salad, veggies and cookies at the end. Or was it apple pie? Somewhere in the midst of the pre-show hang, a big burly fella barged in and proceeded to get in my face. Now, his wording here 30 years later, cannot possibly be exactly right but something like…
“I know you damn ROCK bands, with your long stringy hair, loud f**king guitars and amps. And you better not drop one damn curse word on stage. Or I will pull the plug on you motherf**kers!”
Stormed out.
Our amazing tour manager Paul Silveria looked at me. Shook his head and said something like “don’t you dare”.
If you’ve seen my band you know we start a lot of sets with the song “Head”. It’s got a long intro (music peeps: we just ride an E chord. For. Ever).
I stepped up the mic during that long E chord.
Ahem.
“This really cool dude just cornered me backstage and kinda laid out the ground rules. Told me, while using some pretty colorful language, I better not curse. Or he was pulling the plug. And he was really thorough in his instructions. Said I couldn’t say…
“F*ck
sh*t
damn
motherf*cker…”
And then I said a few more.
And in the second quickest time ever being cutoff during “Head” (see Dream Theater fire vs. china cymbal incident).
They shut us down.
Then sirens.
Good ol’ Paul the genius tour manager. Grabbed me. Threw me on the bus and yelled to get me to the hotel. I still remember looking out the window marveling at the red and blue lights of several cop cars.
Next morning. Front page headline.
Band kicked out of Fair forswearing.
And my picture.
Look mom, I made the front page!
Solid story.
And that could be the end. But there’s a part 2.
Fast forward to March of 2008. I had moved into songwriting and producing other bands. And did yearly visits to SXSW (big music conference/shindig in Austin). And had bands I was contending to write with and produce. One was from, wait for it, Fond Du Lac. I show up to the bar they were playing. Met the band and management. Manager starts by telling me he knew the state fair story and was friends with the new chief of police. He then presented me with a framed letter from the new chief, lifting the ban and calling me a welcomed visitor.
One of my favorite exchanges in my favorite movie is:
Glen: …crazy world.
H.I.: Yeah, someone outta sell tickets.
Glen: Sure, I’d buy one.
Maybe I should visit Wisconsin.
