Roger Zee Memoirs

"Life and Times of a Pandemic Musician"

Sensitive Guys 07/20/20

As a bass player-for-hire in the late 70s and 80s in Manhattan, I worked with some really inspired, original groups. One of my favorites, the "Sensitive Guys," specialized in vignettes of Yuppie Love, you know, flirting around the office water cooler -- a pre-Nerds, post-Devo kind of thang! Welcome to another excerpt from my memoirs, "Life and Times of a Pandemic Musician."

The band, fronted by two singer/songwriter guitarists (Geoff/Steve), backed by Sonny on drums and myself on bass, serendipitously fell into a magical, Beatlesque chemistry. We played the usual circle of Manhattan originals clubs including The Bitter End, Cartune Alley, Eric's, etc. But you know what I really loved the most about the group? We rehearsed on the 10th floor of the 4 Times Square building. At that time, the top (11th floor) consisted of a killer, inexpensive Indian restaurant where we loved to eat!

This all happened before Mayor Rudolph Giuliani cleaned up Times Square and turned it into a Playland for the rich. Walking home to my apartment on West 22nd Street, I would mosey on down 42nd Street and stop at some of the peep shows. You got a lot of entertainment for a bunch of quarters, LOL! Don't forget, cable TV didn't exist back in those days.

You could choose between the loops, or actual live women! The ladies kind of freaked me out. Because one day I saw one that I knew as a music fan... You would step into something that resembled a toilet stall, very careful not to slip on the goop on the floor. You put in a quarter, the gate goes up, and there's a woman who starts taking her clothes off. Of course she doesn't get too far before the gates slams down and you have to put more money in the slot, LOL! On my way home, I'd stop for a quick nightcap at Billy's Topless at 24th St.and 6th Ave.

As much as I loved the "Sensitive Guys," the inevitable occurred. The two leaders started fighting, each believing they didn't need the other to make it, when in reality, the magic grew from the combination of their talents. As usual, the drummer and I pleaded with them not to split up, but to no avail. I ended up playing a few gigs with Geoff's new band, but we didn't get very far until he threw in the towel.

So on another, soul–sucking, overly humid, 90 degree, lockdown Plague day, I hang with my new cat, Zoe, while I go over the bass lines to Santana's scintillating, 1981 "Zebop" album and dream of my lovely 42nd Street ladies. One <3

YouTube - The Sensitive Kind - Santana