As I transfer the Journal of course there’s just tons and tons of photographs from my open mics. There are fond memories, bad memories, weird memories. Good deeds and bad. I remember Capital City Cheesecake and the good times of how packed it would get, but the bad times of having to randomize the list because Takoma Park seems to be so aggressive about the list (something I still have never had to do anywhere else). Old Bowie Town Grill which was so good until the owner reinstated another open mic on another night of the week and then suddenly we just weren’t getting enough people in on a Thursday night to make it worthwhile (or whatever night it was). Teavolve of course. Artists who were fantastic until they showed their true colours. Regulars who now I know are also misogynists or right wing Trump nuts. Anti-vaxxers or overly-sensitive creeps who ‘can’t go back there because of that one thing I heard that one person might’ve said’. So many weirdnesses that, don’t OUTWEIGH the positives, but mean that I’m not feeling an overpowering desire to start hunting venues again. If one comes to me, good, but …
Then I also hear the need for it. A friend contacts me to see if I’ve heard any good ones around that aren’t overwhelmed by guys hitting on any fresh pre- I mean young women who show up. Another friend says that a local host has been sending really obnoxious audience-shaming posts to local message groups and this place is pretending everything’s normal and another just got shut down because of safety violations. It feels like there’s a rob-shaped hole out there that I could certainly be called to occupy, and that vacuum CRIES to be filled – but …
Now we’re in a weird limbo. People are happily throwing their masks off and venues are joyously opening up. Hell, I’ve been much more relaxed recently as well, though a lot of that is driven by the knowledge that within my particular community I’m one of the LAST in line, and that outside of children I’m on the back edge of people who’ve been immunized. 11 days from now I’m supposed to be in as good shape as I’m going to get anti-COVID-wise and so I at least should be able to go forth and conquer mostly-fearlessly.
I have tons of questions, tons of misgivings. Not simply because I know for a fact there’s tons of people in our “community” who’ve quietly decided NOT to take part in anti-COVID vaccinations (on top of the not-so-quiet ones) but because I don’t know what kind of legal ramifications there’s going to be if someone DOES claim they caught COVID at a venue. Hell, Java Mammas was sued near to death because someone slipped off a stair and hurt their ankle, claiming it was the open mic’s fault because things were too crowded. People want to find a way that their problems are NOT their own doing, and I feel like a target.
In any case. I suppose if a venue contacted me and they said all the right things, yeah – I’d be back in the hosting game pretty swiftly. There’s a couple of irons flirting with ignition points here and there, but I don’t imagine anything’s ACTUALLY in the fire anytime soon. And I’m not burning to get back in the game, so I guess that’s okay.