Baby Wipes

I took pictures of myself and the graffiti on the wall of the Agora Theater then walked back to the van. Taking my seat I could tell the mood was more relaxed. Travis was in mid sentence explaining to Phil how I would write about the moments just before I got out of the van.

“Ray’s gonna write, Travis slams the insence burner on the dashboard and yells at Taylor,” he laughs, adding “But what makes it good is the Baby Wipes.”

“Totally,” I say.

“It could have been about anything,” Travis says. “A coke, a soda, cigarettes…but it was over Baby Wipes.”

“That’s what makes it awesome,” I say.

“I know.”

“I’m sorry I forgot them,” Taylor says from the back seat.

“Those were good Baby Wipes," Malcolm said.

“I know," says Travis, still feeling the loss. "They had Aloe Vera and shit.”

Every person that has handled our rider on this run has commented on how little had been requested. Water. A few soft drinks. Perrier. Three avocados. And a box of Baby Wipes. When getting so little, there is the potential for the items to take on greater meaning. Last night Malcolm was bemused that they gave him San Pellegrino instead of his Perrier. “These don’t even have twist tops,” he moaned. “How am I supposed to open this?

“Fuckin bullshit, brah.”

But Malcolm was also quick to spot the jade green plastic box in shrink wrap. He knew immediately that whoever had handled the rider at Machine Shop knew their Baby Wipes.

"Has Travis seen these," he asked me, holing up the Wipes.

"I don't think he's been in here yet," I said.

"Well he's gonna love these," Malcolm said. And he was right.

“I really got excited about those Baby Wipes,” Travis reminisces. “I went on stage at the Machine Shop and played the set and the whole time I was thinking about those baby wipes.”

Travis left town for this week of shows and forgot his black jacket. This was a serious matter in the realm of comfort and security and much was considered about stage dress before the first show in Illinois. Luckily, Travis had his cool mulit-colored shirt to settle into. But two days ago Travis left the shirt in a motel in Michigan. All of this was met with frustrated resignation, making for a palatable build up of tension by the end of the week when Taylor, the nubie on tour, leaves a box of Aloe Baby Wipes at Machine Shop.

Travis’ freak out was, like the Baby Wipes themselves, safe, non-abrasive, and containing no alcohol that can irritate sensitive skins. The dashboard took a beating, Taylor was maybe a little unnerved, but no one was hurt, which is why less than 5 minutes later, Travis was writing the blog for me and everyone was laughing.