Upon being evicted from my hotel suite in
Vancouver's historic Gastown, to make room for tourists attending Vancouver's Expo 86, I
purchased a plane ticket to Amsterdam. Why? Because I had heard that the Dutch people really
like North American country music. So, equipped with cowboy hat, guitar, and a new recording,
I embarked on what would be an exciting and fantastic adventure. Now first let me explain that
I had never given any thought to what kind of city Amsterdam might be. I guess I assumed I was
going to some quaint European village. Man was I in for a surprise!
After getting off the plane and clearing customs, I grabbed a train to Central
Station. When I stepped out the doors I went into shock to realize I was in the middle of a very
crowded, fast paced metropolitan city. Hell I thought I was back in New York! I had to go back
inside for a few minutes just to collect my thoughts before walking across town, over bridges
and canals, to check into a cheap hotel on the outskirts of the red light district.
The first thing I discovered when I got to my hotel room was that my guitar had
been smashed in transit. There I was, a stranger in an unfamiliar city with a broken guitar. By
this time I was freaking out until I suddenly recalled noticing a small music shop while trudging
through the pouring rain to get to the hotel. I doubled back to find it. The shop turned out to
be that of a harpsichord maker. I stood outside for a few minutes pondering, then decided "what
the hell" and entered the shop. I explained my dilemma to the proprietor and asked if he might
be able to glue my guitar back together. He said he could if I left it with him for a day or two.
I was back in business!
I had briefly met a Dutch musician in Vancouver and knew him only by his first
name. He said if I ever got to Amsterdam to look him up at a particular cafe. As luck would have
it I found the Prinsen Cafe, went in and asked the bartender if he knew a fellow named Woody.
He gave me Woody's phone number, I rang him up and we agreed to meet at the cafe that evening.
Woody is a Dutch rockabilly/country singer who at that time had a band "Woody And The Sidemen".
I told him I had come to Holland on a whim and asked if he knew of any places I could play. He
said he would make some phone calls and maybe add me onto some of his own upcoming gigs. As it
turned out we did twenty seven dates together, sometimes with the band, and sometimes
just myself on acoustic and Woody on the lap steel. It became a spontaneous whirlwind tour of
clubs, cafes, bars, radio shows and villages throughout the Netherlands. It was great - better
than if it were planned!
Woody also introduced me to his friends Yme, Jan and Hugo. Yme had a small recording studio
where we got to record some new songs I had been writing in Holland. Hugo was a motion picture
soundman who owned a movie camera so we shot a video as well. Jan was a folk/singer and a
talented photographer. It was invigorating and exciting to be involved with a new family of
creative people. We still keep in touch and it is my wish to visit the Netherlands again real
soon, team up with my old buddies and once again get down to some good ol' pickin' and singin'.
