Guest Book

Hey I'd like to say a couple of things about Reddog's post or rereading of the first post: "Take a couple of years off." Well if my memory serves me right Betts was let go mid-tour 2000. The rest of the band, hired guns included, couldn't or didn't even want to finish the tour with Dickey. Ten years ago this October God told me if I didn't quit drinking for a year, he'd kill me. I quit for a year and my life was so much better that I have yet to start back and have a beautiful 7 year old son to show for it. No I don't know for sure, but I liken Dickey's ouster to my sobriety i.e. Things are better why go back? "Oteil spaceville stuff." Whether anybody knew it to begin with or not, Oteil was/is an incredible bass player. A virtuoso on the six string bass. So what do "they" make him do? Play a four string... like Berry did. I liken that to having a 12 cylinder Ferrari but not using 4 of them cause my old Camaro had 8. The original band was about creating new music, pushing boundaries with instramental virtuosity. They "covered" a lot of tunes because they didn't have the catelog to draw from. Remind anybody of another band? Of course the ABB today have a huge catelog of music unfortunately the majority of it belongs to the dude they fired. "Allman's not being able to draw." Personally I think the economy plays a bigger part in the equation than anything. As I remember correctly the ABB has never been that big in some parts of the country ever. Plus I think they are still being promoted like crap. Also the pop music world has changed. What passes for music these days has absolutely nothing to do with music. If rock isn't finally dead, it's sure laying down. I mean both Ron E. and I drove 2 hr.s on a week night to see pitifully attended but great none-the-less DB & GS show. Was it popularity or sign-o-the-times? "Warren guys." Warren is a 44 year old tarheel guitar playin' son of a gun. Just like me. (Well I'm more of a 44 year old tarheel wannabe playin' son of a gun but that is beside the point.) Damn right I'm proud of him! Like Rick Flair says, "Whether you like it or whether you don't like it, learn to love it cause it's the best thing going today. Wooooooooooooooo!" But Warren better watch out for Derek cause I firmly believe before Derek is through he is going to surpass all of them-Duane, Dickey, the ABB, whoever. Of course it's all JMHO. And I certainly appreciate Lana and Rowland giving me a place to state it. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion and I respect that. I love ya Dog. I think we can all agree that Gregg, Warren, Derek, Oteil, Butch, Jaimoe, hell Dickey for that matter aren't living in the past. Maybe we shouldn't either. God bless all y'all. Keep it kind. ------------------------------------------------- "I'm going to move away from here. You can find me if ya wanna go there."