Once upon a time in the mid 90’s I had a musician friend who played in the opening band at an Allman Brothers concert. His band was named Red Dog and he put my name on the VIP list so I could get backstage. I came to the concert prepared with the usual concert stuff, you know.
It was raining cats and dogs that day and the Allman Brothers didn’t get out of their bus that was parked at the back stage entrance.
No one was really around so I walked into one of the trailers that were set up behind the stage.
There was a group of folks there so to explain myself I said, “I’m with Red Dog.” They all said hello and continued talking. I just kind of said something about the rain and sat down on the corner of a desk, folded my hands and waited for the rain to slack off.
I'm just sitting there being quiet when after a while, a really cute girl came over to me and started making conversation and being sort of flirty. We talked for a bit then she asked me, “How long have you been in law enforcement?” I was shocked to realize I had landed in a nest of police with my concert stuff in my pocket. I said, “I’m not.”
She said, “But, you said you were with Red Dog?” To which I replied, “I’m with the band Red Dog.”
Well it just so turned out that “Red Dog” was also an elite Atlanta police division who were second in training and tactics only to the S.W.A.T. team. Their primary mission was to bust street level drug dealers. Eventually they became emboldened with their autonomy, and began to use excessively rough tactics and brutality towards suspects, particularly at one traffic stop that caught the attention of a local T.V. station. They had become so feared and infamous that they were disbanded soon after the television report, by the Mayor and Chief of Police.
We both had a good laugh and I said something like, “Let me go look for the band,” and left.
It continued to rain so hard that when the Allman Brothers’ buses tailpipe was under water bubbling, the concert was canceled.
However, I did learn a valuable lesson on the day; you just never know who you’re talking to. It’s a good thing I didn’t offer the cutie a puff or two.
I thought that you had accidentally gotten on the Allman Brothers trailer and that the cute girl thought you were a member of the Red Dog band… A groupie. But the reality was just as funny. You're right. Sometimes you never know who you're talking to.
Join me as we travel together on the road called "Aging." I will be sharing my personal experiences with you and offer ideas on how we can better navigate the complex byways of our older years. Grief, healing, generations, ancestors, and more.
Asa D Seeley, a young Afro American man, shares his struggle to leave his past behind as he reaches for his future. In his one-of-a-kind style, he searches for answers...from the visible & invisible. A Memoir in Poetical/Prose form.
Once upon a time in the mid 90’s I had a musician friend who played in the opening band at an Allman Brothers concert. His band was named Red Dog and he put my name on the VIP list so I could get backstage. I came to the concert prepared with the usual concert stuff, you know.
