Cable Trouble

I never understood why rockers wear rubber soled shoes. I used to think they were ugly with all those thick laces but experience is the best teacher they say and this is how I found out…

I was invited for an open mic gig for one of the leading music stores in India. It was an honour and so even though it was really far away and I had to spend my precious money on taxi fare, I went there with a song on my lips and joy in my heart. 

I was to perform at 7pm and the sound check was at 6 o’clock. Since the place was really far away from my place and traffic jams are a daily part of life, I started out at 4 o’clock.

I really enjoy sound checks; it is a great time to understand how you sound live and to know how good the other guys are. It is also an opportunity to make friends (especially with the sound techs). I was the first one for the sound check but my enthusiasm landed me in shocking trouble. It was an experience I’ll always remember with fear and trembling. The hell of a genius guy who was in charge of operations gave me a thumbs up and with an idiotic grin on his face yelled, “Connect your guitar now.”  So, like the obedient girl I am, I picked up the cable and then all I remember is ‘Whooooooooooozzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.’ It was so bizarre! I just held on to my guitar and let the cable go. For a few minutes everything was a blur, I could hear my teeth knocking and my fingers and my toes were tingling, my hands felt numb. This was repeated THREE times! The manager and staff members came rushing. Apparently, they did not have a trained electrician and so had severe earthing issues. I had come a long way to go back without playing, so I did my thing.

Later that night, the family doctor said, “You’re lucky, it could have been serious.”