Checking in

I had a tremendous time last night when I played a show at the Shamrock, a gay bar in downtown Madison. I almost never go to gay bars anymore, so it was nice to get back in touch with my boys. Everything looks about the same: gay men at gay bars still drink a lot, flirt a lot and touch strangers' bodies without asking. I saw several friends from the old days, when my band the Junkers regularly played at the Rainbow Room, a now-defunct gay bar two doors down.

Per the requests of my gay fans, two songs have shot to the top of the list of tunes I must learn: Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" and Loretta Lynn's "Coal Miner's Daughter."