Las Vegas (Part 2)
It was 5:30 in the morning when we left the Penthouse club. We took a taxi home and I jumped out at my hotel while Ming continued to the house that he had rented for his pre wedding party and the wedding ceremony and party the day after.
The following day started slow. Since I did not sleep the night I left I had been up for 49 hours straight when I went to sleep. I was so tired that I could barely walk. Ming called me around 12 PM and suggested to check out of the hotel since there was a room available in the house. He was so nice to pick me up from the hotel. We both looked slightly worn from the night before and had a good laugh about sharing some of stories about what happened the night before. I totally forgot to ask him if there was Internet in the house and found out that it wasn’t after we got there.
I spent the afternoon writing yesterday’s blog. Around five o’clock the pre wedding party started. There was great food, a dj and yes drinks again. All that was situated around the outside pool. We all had a great time again. There was karaoke later that evening.
I always was a big fan of Elvis. I was brought up with German folk music. My parents did not listen to music a lot and since I spent more time with my grandparents then with them who were already 70 years old when I was born I was more influenced by them then by my parents. When it came to music based on their age and upbringing they were “old school”. Modern music especially music with English lyrics only existed to them to drive young people nuts and to take as many Deutsch Mark to foreign countries as possible.
At age five I was deeply impressed when I heard Elvis on the radio the first time. I begged my father for at least a year to buy me an album. I still remember how disappointed I was when he finally got it because it was a collection of slower songs instead of the rock and roll songs I was looking for. I still spent hundreds of hours listening to it on my mono record player. I even imitate his hairstyle to impress the local beauties while why my mother constantly was wondering what happened to her hairspray. I still remember how heartbroken I was in the summer of 1977 when he died.
When it came to pick a karaoke song I picked “Fever” by “The King” and totally bombed it. Elvis probably turned in his grave listening to my performance. I am still happy that I went for it because in the past I would have been too afraid to look like an idiot and would not have put myself out there. I think it is very important for an artist not to be afraid of being embarrassed. How can I create something new, something different if I am afraid of looking stupid? If I am trying to be safe all I do is repeat the past and do not risk anything. There is no change without risk.
I always felt that I had an Elvis in me. But as with so many things our lives are ruled by our programming. That goes back to driving with my grandparents to their country house. They would sit in the front and my sister and me in the back. And while my grandfather was driving we all were singing these old German folk songs. My grandparents always made fun of me saying that I had zero talent for singing. That became my reality. All I needed was a few classmates in school to reconfirm this assessment and the Elvis in me died.
Tonight I made a decision. I have turned so many misbelieves I had about myself around by now and this will be the next one. I will start to take singing lessons and reprogram myself. Maybe I can bring “The King”in me back to life.
"Las Vegas II" Las Vegas, Las vegas Strip 03-29-08 at 11:56 PM
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