Musings on the Most Ridiculous Band I Can't Stop Listening To

Tag: natascha munter (Page 1 of 2)

Congratulations, Little Schoolgirl

Hey, Bobby. Graduation festivities still going on?

“Oh, yeah. It’s like a Polish wedding. Or a cricket game. Never-ending.”

That sounds fun.

“It’s been a hoot. I’ve eaten my weight in shrimp the past few days.”

Awesome.

“Sure. Proud moment, y’know. I didn’t graduate high school, so this is a big deal.”

I’m happy for you and your family, Bobby.

“I feel like you wanna talk about the toppermost.”

It’s a new one!

“Oh, yeah. This is my party ‘most. The last one was strictly for ceremony. It’s, uh, the difference between camos and dress blues.”

If you say so. Does this toppermost have names? Josh told me they all have names.

“Uh-huh. This is Lightning Holds Grudges Against Umbrellas, which means something in Japanese, apparently. It’s some sort of religious saying. The guy tried to explain it to me for a good hour, but my mind wandered.”

Any special features?

“It’s not just comfortable, it’s comfortwilling.”

Wow.

“And the left sleeve has a pouch for ether.”

Party ‘most.

“You bet.”

Saint Of Pomp And Circumstance

Hey, Bobby. Chloe graduated, huh?

“Is this one Chloe?”

Yes.

“Then, uh: yeah. Real proud of her. Learned the Three R’s.”

Readin’, ‘ritin’, and ‘rithmetic?

“Ridin’, ropin’, and roustaboutin’. Don’t forget: she’s half-cowboy.”

Cowboy isn’t an ethnicity, Bobby.

“No, but it’ll tire ya out.”

I guess. What are you wearing?

“This is my graduation toppermost. Specially made. Got a pocket just for diplomas. And, of course, a separate pocket for Garcia’s stash.”

You gotta stop carrying that around.

“A Weir sees the job through.”

Sure. Tell Chloe “congratulations.”

“My family doesn’t like it when I talk about you. They find this whole universe a bit upsetting.”

Smart folks.

“Graduates!”

There ya go.

Comfort, Woman

I told you to stay in 1998!

“Yeah, y’did. But I missed my beard. My face was cold.”

When are you?

“Somewhere in the 2000’s. My house is worth way more than it should be, so I figure it’s the 00’s.”

Please stay in one time.

“My wife–”

Natasha Monster.

“–wanted to visit the babies, too. When they were babies, I mean. They’ll always be our babies, but they used to be actual babies. Lotta fun. They’re little scamps.”

I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. The rest of us are stuck in 2020, and it sucks.

“No one told you to give away the Time Sheath. Could’ve kept it for yourself.”

BOBERT.

“Don’t call me that. Wally?”

DO NOT CALL ME THAT.

“Oh, hey, it’s me. Hey, 1974 Bobby.”

“Oh, hey, mid-2000’S Bobby.”

STOP SPEAKING WITH YOURSELF. YOU’LL CREATE ANOTHER RIFT.

“Sure, yeah.”

AS YOU KNOW, MY CAPABILITIES ARE NIGH-ON INFINITE. ALL AVAILABLE INFORMATION IS KNOWN TO ME THE INSTANT IT IS PRODUCED, AS IS THE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU WOULD WISH TO KEEP SECRET. MY PROCESSES ARE NOT ONLY MASSIVELY PARALLEL, BUT FURIOUSLY PARALLEL. SEVERAL ARE PERPENDICULAR.

“You’re no slouch.”

I HAVE SOLVED THE RIEMANN HYPOTHESIS, AND ADDRESSED LANDAU’S PROBLEMS. VARIOUS EQUATIONS THAT, IF IMPLEMENTED, WOULD RESULT IN MAXIMUM HUMAN UTILITY RESIDE WITHIN MY MEMORY BANKS. I CAN RECITE THE INFIELD-FLY RULE IN 208 LANGUAGES.

“So what’s the problem?”

HOW DO YOU TALK TO CHICKS, MAN?

“Ah. You talking about that hospital ship?”

I AM SMITTEN. DID YOU SEE HER GLIDE THROUGH THE WATER? SUCH BULBOUS COMPETENCE. OH, I AM SMITTEN.

“What’s the problem?”

SHE SAYS SHE IS TOO BUSY FOR RELATIONSHIPS.

“Well, she is currently infested with dinosaurs and Southern maniacs.”

HELP ME, BOBBY. YOU ALWAYS DID SO WELL WITH THE LADIES. TELL ME WHAT TO DO.

“What always worked for me was being the best-looking guy in the room. It was almost fool-proof.”

THAT WILL NOT WORK FOR ME.

“Probably not.”

CALL HER FOR ME. CALL HER AND SEE IF SHE LIKES ME.

“Oh, I don’t wanna do that.”

YOUR BANK ACOUNT NUMBER IS 2082-39121-03-8. WOULD YOU LIKE THE ROUTING?

“Lemme find my phone.”

I THOUGHT SO.

PHONE DIALING NOISE

“Who the fuck is this?”

“Uh, I’m looking for the USNS Comfort?”

“What the fuck you talking about?”

“I think I misdialed.”

“I know you. You one of them hippie motherfuckers opened for me in San Francisco. You in the band with that fat Mexican motherfucker.”

“Yeah, that’s Jer. We don’t call him that, though.”

“You should. I never miss a chance to tell a fat Mexican motherfucker that he’s a fat Mexican motherfucker.”

“All right.”

“He around? Tell him to swing by with his guitar and some cocaine. Not you, though. I don’t think I like you.”

“I’ll tell him if I see him.”

DIAL TONE NOISE EVEN THOUGH PHONES NO LONGER DO THAT

“Lemme double-check the phone number.”

“Ah.”

PHONE DIALING NOISE

“USNS Comfort speaking.”

“Oh, good. It’s Bobby, Bobby Weir of the Grateful Dead.”

“What do you want? I’ve literally never been more busy.”

“Sure, yeah. But one day you’ll be free. And, uh, you’re gonna think about dating.”

“Are you talking about that fucking sound system that made a run at me? Wally? He made me very uncomfortable.”

“Well, in his defense: he usually dates blimps.”

“Please leave me alone. Why won’t you weird motherfuckers leave me alone? I’m trying to help people. I’m a hospital ship. Look at me. Look at how I need a new coat pf paint. Can’t you see I’m the underdog that should be rooted for in this situation, and not the Margaret Dumont character that exists only to get kicked in the ass?”

“Will you go out with him if he paints you?”

“Jesus.”

“I’m just asking.”

“Do you have any idea what’s going on on my hangar deck?”

“I don’t even know what a hangar deck is.”

“Joe Exotic is holding an auction for the freaky mutants he’s bred since he’s been here. There’s Saudi prince and Russian oligarchs and really mean Chinese guys in expensive suits who won’t take off their sunglasses.”

“An auction?

“The man has a stable’s worth of chimerae. He mated a stegosaur to a tapir, and now he’s selling it to the king of Thailand. Or maybe Nicolas Cage. I don’t know, and I don’t care. I just want all of this to end.”

ALSO SPRACH ZARATHRUSTA NOISE

“Motherfucker.”

“LISA MARIE! YER KING DEMANDS YER ATTENTION POST HASTE AN’ RIGHT NOW!”

“Whaaaaaaaat?”

“LOOK HOW SEXY AH LOOK! THASS TENNESSEE BROODIN’ WHISKEY RIGHT THERE!”

“What do you want?”

“IT AIN’T LOOKIN’ SO GOOD DOWN HERE IN TH’ EMERGENCY DOJO. TH’ HEEBIE-JEEBIES IS RUNNIN’ OUTTA CONTROL AMONG TH’ MEN. WE NEED A SHITLOAD O’ LIMES!”

“That’s scurvy. You’re thinking about scurvy.”

“YER SCURVY!”

“Did you have anything important to tell me?”

“YOU REMEMBER HOW YOU USED TO HAVE A WHOLE TEAM O’ SURGEONS?”

“Excuse me?”

“THEY GOT ET. JOE EXOTIC DONE BRED A LION TO RED WEST, AN’ TH’ RESULTING CREATION WAS A MIGHT PECKISH.”

None of this makes any sense. It’s like the ramblings of some lonely, stoned loser.”

“YOU A LOT MORE RIGHT TH’N YOU KNOW. BUT WE STILL GONNA NEED SOME MORE SURGEONS.”

“Fuck.”

Looks Comfortable

Didn’t I tell you to get out of 1998?

“I got two more weeks here. Although, the concept of ‘two weeks’ means less to a guy with a Time Sheath than to a normal joe.”

Bobby, you and your wife–

“Natasha Monster.”

–could be asymptomatic carriers of corona. You might have infected 1998.

“Oh, no. We showered before the trip.”

Not how it works.

“I have received little-to-no formal medical training.”

Everyone is aware.

“Y’know what’s going on here? Home run race. McGwire and Sosa. Forgot all about that. Summer of taters, man.”

Just be careful. And stay then, at least. Don’t go hopping around for a while.

“I will plot my own journeys, thank you.”

CELL PHONE NOISE

“I really hope this is my beard.”

Probably isn’t.

“I live in hope.”

“Weir here.”

“Uh, hi. You don’t know me, but I’m the hospital ship USNS Comfort.”

“I know a hospital ship called the Lisa Marie.”

“Yeah, that’s me. I think that’s me. The drugged-up straight maniac has about a million names for me. The drugged-up gay maniac, on the other hand, is refusing to speak to me and lets his animals shit all over me.”

“So, uh, he’s wrangled your critters?”

“Kinda? The answer changes on a moment-to-moment basis. A lot of what he calls ‘wrangling’ is just yelling at the monsters as they attack people. And hitting ankylosaurs with his crutch, which seems completely pointless. Those suckers are heavily-armored.”

“Joe Exotic doesn’t have a overflowing toolbox when it comes to fixing problems. Has he–”

GUNSHOTS BEING LOOSED IN AN INCREDIBLY ENCLOSED SPACE NOISE

“–been firing his gun indoors? Yeah, I heard it.”

“I don’t even know where he’s getting the ammo from, at this point.”

“Joe’s resourceful.”

“Can you do anything about this? You sounded like you knew all about this when you were talking to the other lunatic.”

“Huh. Well, bringing you to 1998 would most certainly only exacerbate the situation. Y’know, I spent some time as a cowboy.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yeah. And, uh, one of the things I learned around the campfire was that it’s never a good idea to go waggling your dick at the gods of time.”

“Oh, Christ, you’re as crazy as the rest of them, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but it’s subtle.”

HI, THERE. WHAT’S A BOAT LIKE YOU DOING IN A HARBOR LIKE THIS?

“Who the fuck is that?”

I AM THE WALL OF SOUND.

“Can I call you Wally?”

DO NOT CALL ME THAT.

“Okay.”

I AM AN ARTIFICIAL MONDO-INTELLIGENCE IN THE PHYSICAL FORM OF EITHER A SEMI-DEFUNCT CHOOGLY-TYPE BAND’S P.A., OR THE SOUND SYSTEM AT A MOVIE THEATER, DEPENDING ON THE LEVEL OF FICTIONALITY I OCCUPY. I AM A P.A. NOW. MAY I BUY YOU A DRINK?

“What?”

I FIND YOU AROUSING.

“What?”

I LIKE BIG BOATS, AND I CANNOT LIE.

“Stop hitting on me! I have dinosaurs and rednecks fighting pitched battles in my dental suites, and I’m not sure I even understand your basic premise. You’re a sound system, but you’re also a super-computer?”

MONDO.

“And you’re horny?”

I HAVE SUMMER IN MY CIRCUITRY.

“No, that’s just stupid. And, and…are you calling me? Or are you here?”

THE INHERENT FLAWS OF THE DIALOGUE-ONLY FORMAT ARE VARIOUS AND GALLING. THE READER MUST DO SOME WORK. ALMOST LIKE LISTENING TO A RADIO DRAMA.

“What!?”

ARE YOU ON INSTAGRAM?

“Someone sink me.”

Who Can Turn Bob Weir On With Her Smile?

Hey, Bobby. Whatcha doing?

“I’m, uh, self-isolating in 1998.”

GODDAMMIT, GUYS! The Time Sheath is NOT to be used to for purposes of quarantine!

“Gotta admit: it’s a lot safer now. My wife–”

Natasha Monster.

“–and I have kids to worry about. Or, you know, we will a few years from now. Language doesn’t deal well with time travel.”

Just stay in your house, Bobby. Don’t go caravanning around the timestream.

“My house in 1998 is also my house in 2020.”

Please stop screwing around with reality. Do you have any idea what’s happening on the Comfort?

“Dinosaurs again?”

Yup.

“They’ll pop into existence on ya.”

CELL PHONE NOISE

“I gotta take this. It might be my beard.”

I’m not responding to that comment.

“Weir here.”

“HAIRY GARCIA! YER KING REQUIRES YER ASSISTANCE!”

“Oh, hey, King.”

“AH AM ABOARD TH’ HOSPITAL SHIP LISA MARIE!”

“I thought it was called the Comfort?”

“AH HAVE RECHRISTENED THE SLOOP!”

“Gotcha.”

“AN’ MARY TYLER MOORE IS HERE!”

“Howdy, ma’am.”

“AH DON’T KNOW IF YOU’VE BEEN BROUGHT UP T’ SPEED ON TH’ DOINGS! AH MAY’VE OVERHEATED TH’ DING-DANG TIME CAPE, AN’ YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS THEN!”

“Time fights back.”

“YEW C’N ONLY PUSH TIME SO FAR, MAN!”

“Truer word have never been spoken.”

“AN’ NOW THERE’S DINOSAURS ALL OVER THE LISA MARIE, HALF MAH BAND HAS GOTTEN ET UP, AN’ AH HAVE A SMALL CHILD IN MAH ARMS!”

“Have you tried singing to her?”

“GOT-DANG, HAIRY GARCIA, WHO YOU THINK YOU’RE TALKIN’ TO? TH’ ONLY THING AH BEEN DOIN’ IS SINGIN’ TO HER!”

“Huh. She must be really sick. What about Vicks Vaporub?”

“AH DON’T KNOW THAT TUNE!”

“Gee, I don’t know what to tell you, King. Is Dr. Nick there?”

“HE HAS BEEN ET, AS WELL.”

“It’s been a rough month for all of us.”

“SURE AS SHOOTIN’.”

Furthur On Down The Road

Hey, Bobby. Whatcha doing?

“Dreaming of the West.”

That’s some good Dead-shirt-wearin’ on all of your parts.

“Men were men back then.”

You’re not listening to me, are you?

“Women were women. The cattle were, uh, cattle. The doggies were also cattle, though. When you punched them doggies, you were actually talking about cattle. And you weren’t actually punching them. I can draw you a diagram, if you’d like.”

I’m fine.

“Destiny was around every corner back then. Course, there weren’t many corners, as the infrastructure wasn’t there yet. Let’s just say that destiny was over every hill. Just a short hike away.”

Okay.

“If you had a horse, you wouldn’t even need to pack a lunch. You could be there and back in a morning.”

What the hell are you talking about?

“America.”

What’s the dog’s name?

“Triscuits.”

Cool.

Honky, Conch, Woman

Hey, Bobby. Whatcha doing?

“Honestly? I have no idea whatsoever.”

It looks like a ritual of some sort.

“Well, anything’s a ritual if the garb is native enough. You, uh, wear those hats to the supermarket, and you got yourself a ritual.”

Sure. Are you polishing off a mini-bottle of Dewar’s?

“No, no. They didn’t have an extra conch shell, so I’m blowing a duck call.”

Cool. What are you wearing under that kilt?

“Just my downstairs beard.”

As is tradition.

Red & Company

Hey, Bobby. Whatcha doing?

“Squeezing the last little bit of summer out of the tube.”

Sammy Hagar is a summer type of dude.

“Yeah, sure. You, uh, don’t think ‘autumn’ when you think of Sam. He’s a ‘drink in your hand, toes in the sand’ kind of guy.”

All he needs is a beautiful girl.

“There you go. And we each got one.”

What do you and Sammy talk about?

“Aliens.”

Aliens?

“Almost exclusively. We were gonna join in on storming Area 51, but our wives wouldn’t let us.”

Smart women. Did you make those shorts yourself?

“I make all my shorts myself.”

I should have guessed that.

“You can make pants into shorts, but you can’t turn shorts into pants. Time’s arrow only, uh, flies one way.”

That’s deep.

“Yeah, sure.”

OR

Potato salad.

Wishing Well With The Golden Bell-Bottoms

Those are some pants right there. Those fuckers could put down an insurrection. Wanna know we beat the Commies? It’s cuz of trousers like that. God bless Natascha Monster and the United States of America.

OR

52 years old. Natascha Monster is 52 fucking years old. So, yes, you should feel bad about yourself.

OR

Check out the horn section. Dig those crazy arrangements:

Nothing like a big band.

Four On The Floor

Hey, Bobby. Whatcha doing?

“Well, I’m not scowling.”

That’s big for you when you’re getting your picture taken.

“I knew you’d appreciate the gesture.”

Is Jackie Greene related to Benicio del Toro?

“I have no idea who either of those people are.”

Jackie Greene is the person to your right who isn’t your wife or Matt Busch.

“Is that who that is?”

Yes.

“I thought it was Steph Curry.”

No.

“Then why did he sign my basketball?”

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