“Hey, Mickey?”
“Yeah, Billy?”
“Who are these people? Did you invite people onstage again?”
“Yeah, they’re cool.”
“They are not fucking cool, man. Who is this chick and what is she wailing, man?”
“Oh, that’s Rivka. She’s from my temple. Doing the Mourner’s Kaddish. Uncle died. Very sudden. So sad.”
“I’m so sorry, Rivka. My thoughts and prayers.”
“Yitvadal yitvadash yotchadar, thank you, William shemei d’kudesha B’rech hu.”
“Mick…”
“Dude, do you see how hard I’m drumming here?”
“You do love drumming, but–”
“Love it so much.”
“–I need you to concentrate. Notwithstanding Rivka’s loss, I don’t understand why she’s here at all. Why isn’t she at home sitting and shivering?”
…
“What?”
“When Jews die, the other Jews sit and shiver. In the old days in the desert, the surviving Jews wouldn’t build a fire out of respect for the deceased. As you know, the desert gets cold as hell, so everyone would sit there and shiver.”
“No.”
“Your modern Jew will use the climate control features of his house to simulate the old days. Crank the AC or, depending on the time of year and location, just leave the windows open.”
“Shiva.”
“What?”
“Sitting shiva.”
“Mick, I got this lady from your Jew-church screeching in my ear, you’re actually playing your drums instead of fucking around with your cowbell for the first time all day, and black guys are just wandering around willy-nilly: let’s have the theological discussion later.”
“Okay.”
“And, who’s playing my drum kit?”
…
“My rabbi.”
“I’m calling a meeting after the show.”
Airto Moreira and Flora Purim (…so the Jewish angle is actually germane, in a roundabout way). Who’s the guy in the striped shirt?
The great Billy Cobham. Such a good drummer that he’s the black Billy Cobham: https://thoughtsonthedead.wordpress.com/tag/billy-cobham/
Ah. The only time I saw Cobham, he was bald and beardless. Thanks!
That’s Billy Cobham? Where’s his muscles?
I think the stripes play tricks on the eyes. But it’s possible the Grateful Dead Archive is lying: http://www.gdao.org/items/show/829565
He’s wearing those glasses in just about every picture on Google, so I am going to make the official call in evvvvvvverybody’s new favorite fun game: Is That Billy Cobham?
(Drum roll.)
IT IS BILLY COBHAM! Yay!
Notice that “Other Billy” is standing. Probably tuning a cow bell.
Also…Who “spiked those kits?”
“Your modern Jew…….” classic