Roger Zee Memoirs

"Life and Times of a Pandemic Musician"

Misha 3 06/12/20

My Taekwondo Master embroidered the words "Tiger in the Rain" in Korean on my 4th degree Black Belt in 2007 when I qualified as a Master Instructor. Welcome to another excerpt from my memoirs, "Life and Times of a Pandemic Musician."

"Most of the time he's the lord of the jungle. Everyone grins while he gripes. Usually he's found just lounging around in his stripes. His tiger lady's a superfine feline. Just what his highness deserves. A sweet purring pussycat proud of her pussycat curves. He's a tiger in the rain."

Back to the Misha saga (see photo in comments). Nothing beats the endorphin-driven ecstasy of new Love! Neither Misha nor I had dated anyone in a while so we both had plenty in the tank just longing to ignite. Flame on big time! Adventurous in amour, we made love any and everywhere. In the woods at an outdoor Greenwich Capital party. In a bathroom stall while eating a Friday lunch at Manero's across from my office. The sheer joy and excitement of it all vastly outweighed the minor stress of constantly performing, LOL!

As what usually happens with me when I hook up with a new girlfriend, I integrate quickly into her crew while bringing along a few of my friends like bassist Jeff Meyer. Lots of BBQs, jams, gigs, and discussions about music and the visual arts, especially since Misha continued to submit work to gallery shows and Robert had just packaged up an exhibit that began a train tour of the East Coast. Very heady times indeed.

I started to get nervous. For the first time in what seemed like ages, all the major areas of my life simultaneously clicked in sync -- work, music, martial arts, and most importantly, love. Misha and my ex-wife Wendy got along famously and would sit together, chatting and laughing while they made fun of me at my daughter's softball games. And I would hang out with Wendy's live-in boyfriend Will and do the same. I couldn't believe that I finally found my place in life. But as expected in these matters, the road soon turned a little rocky.

So on yet another warm, humid, beautiful lockdown Coronavirus day, I dream of mythic days gone by while I learn the bass lines to Michael Franks' glorious "Best of" album. One <3

YouTube - Tiger in the Rain - Michael Franks