Styx at the MGM - Dave and I have seen Styx twice now. Once in 1978 (or thereabouts) and once here in Las Vegas a few years ago. The first time was in Montreal. Crossing the border from the states is always an experience especially when you have long hair, about an ounce of weed, a case of beer, the truck reeks and your eyes look like two pissholes in a snowbank. Art (designated driver and close friend) rolled down the window. The booth attendant took one look at us and said "You boys headed to the concert, eh?" We all started talking at once and he waved us through.

Crystal Ball - This was purchased at a small shop in Woodstock, New York. Exactly, the concert. Number one, the concert wasn't held there. It was held some 40 miles away and people look at you like your stupid when you ask. Actually, they can see you coming and give you the stupid look at about 10 yards. Number two. There was only one concert ever held in that field and that was in 1969. The later events were clusterfucks and had nothing to do with anything other than media. The fact that more than one happened indicates clusterfuckitis and, honestly, you hate to see it. Great bands, bad idea, cool crystal ball.

Sheriff Eric - I held the position of Sheriff in the Hamlet of Keene Valley, New York for about 7 years. Not for real, more like in my head. Although no one else acknowledged my position and I was eventually locked up for impersonating a dimwit, I still have the badge.

Philadelphia Eagles Ticket - Eagles baby. Dave and I share an ulcer during the NFL season. Before the opening game, we flip a coin to see who gets it first. During the preseason, we lend it to our friends who are Cowboy's fans.

805 - This is a room number from the 8th floor of the Berkley School of Music in Boston, Mass. Berkley was the first place I officially had my ass handed to me by musicians that were more talented at 16 than I would be at 40. I met some cool cats, we played some mean jams, we visited the combat zone, we tripped on the bank of the Charles while the Boston Pops played beneath a blanket of fireworks on the 4th of July. 805, it's time to rock.

Mom's Ring - This ring belonged to my mother and to her mother before that. I want to include a personal item of hers in the collage and the guitar was simply too big. So the ring it was.

POW/MIA - I have a few friends back home who will know why these items appear here. You are not forgotten.

Aladdin Die - I found this die in an ashtray at the Hacienda Casino... go figure. I picked it up, put it in my pocket and security landed on me like a SWAT team. They were about to take me to the "special room" when they realized it was from the Aladdin and I was apparently no threat to their establishment. This was back in the days when I would wander around casinos in an oblivious fashion only to realize the guy I was standing next to was a dealer on a live game and I was on the wrong side of the table... "Do you mind?"

Slowhand - A photo of us playing at our second gig in Upstate NY. Our initial gigs went very well and we amassed a decent following around the local bar circuit. Everything was running as smooth as silk until one bar owner took note of a photo in the local newspaper. The paper featured photos of regional high school soccer teams and, lo and behold, most every member of his house band, us, was in the photo. We were 16 at time. Our manager told him we were not the brightest bulbs on the tree, had been held back a few years and were indeed all over 18 and legal to play in bars. Seeing that we were high most of the time and in a stupor, he bought the story and life went on.

Sanddollar Gaming Token - The Sanddollar lounge. Home of the blues in Las Vegas. If you're a fan of the blues or just proud of your Harley, this is the place to be.

Mom - This is my mom playing her Martin (shown elsewhere on this site) in a local tavern in Upstate New York. She and my father had been divorced for many years when this photo was taken... by him. I found it in his belongings after he passed away. I was very young when they parted ways but I can still hear the sound of his heart breaking when it happened. My mom was an amazing woman.

Adirondack Mountains - Dave's dad was the undisputed champion of the Adirondack Mountains. Every once in a while you meet a person who is a part of every rock and tree and he was one of those people. On a few occasions, Dave and I used his dad's coffee grinder to chew through a bag of weed (without his knowledge of course). Needless to say, this probably made for some interesting morning brews. God Bless.

Papermate Pen - This is the pen I have used to write about 99 percent of my lyrics. It's more than 20 years old and has seen a lot of late nights.

Jamaica Mon - I went to Jamaica once and don't remember a thing other than getting my hair dreadlocked in a boat a mile offshore and some guy named Mr. Fuji.

Chunk of Sign - Our first band was called slowhand. We put it together in about three days and then played our first gig. We needed a sign so I spraypainted "Slowhand" on a piece of Styrofoam. The paint ate through the Styrofoam and left us with a very cool looking prop (we were really high). Twenty years later, I felt it was time to move on so I said a few words, broke off a corner as a keepsake and threw the rest away. This is that corner.

Eagle - Don't get me started on the Eagles. When the Eagles are doing well this is on Dave's refrigerator. At the end of a bad season it's in a box at the back of a closet labeled "losers" along with any other logo items.

The Rose - Roses are red, violets are blue, get the hell out of the bathroom and stop being so damned selfish.

Now or Never - These recordings boiled down to exactly that. Nuff said.

Johnstone - This was given to me on the day I graduated from high school by my mom. A lot of people called me Johnstone because of my scholastic brilliance and love of education. That was a joke son.

Rock and Roll All Nite - The original Slowhand business card, carefully crafted on an Olivetti Lettera typewriter. This is the only one left in existence as the others were consumed by dinosaurs during an attack on our village.

Fuddom - For a short period we called ourselves Mr. Fudd. On every tape we made, somewhere in the recording was a soundbite of Elmer chuckling. Nobody else got it because there was nothing to get but it made us laugh like hell.