I drive cab two nights a week and sometime during the day before each shift I check out the major events going on in Madison. Not only is it good for business–I can cruise past the Barrymore after a show gets out and pick up someone going downtown–but its also handy for the folks who get in my cab and want to know where to go. Nothing keeps the conversation going (and the tips flowing) like appearing to know what the heck is going on.
Some days I’m too busy to read the paper or check on the Daily Page and I wind up out of the loop. Tonight I drove some folks to the Kohl Center and had no idea what I was taking them to. The two couples were talking mostly about movies they hated (among them American Beauty and Identity) but mentioned something about “the show.” I knew there was no basketball at the Kohl Center (yes, I read the sports section despite my disinterest in most sports, mostly because many many folks in my cab want to talk about the Badgers) so I scrutinized my passengers as best I could to see if I could tell who they were on their way to see. They were all wearing jeans but had big coats on so their clothes were not very telling. I could have asked but I decided I’d wait until they were out of the cab to ruffle through my bag for a newspaper.
I cruised down Dayton past the Kohl Center and saw some dudes in cowboy hats and realized my C & W gut instinct had been correct. And waaaay down Dayton I saw some young women wearing those horrible short skirts that look like they were made out of Elvis’ bedsheets or something. Indeed, when I finally found my copy of the Isthmus there was a big ad for Rascal Flatts at the Kohl Center.
Which made me wonder about the bigger question in Country music today: Is Kenny Chesney gay?
Aaron Scholz 