GRIFTER’S TALES
WHISTLER · BLACK’S PUB
By Colin Lee MacLeod
An absolute trainwreck. Also epic. Both things can be true.
The plan looked good
Black’s Pub in Whistler had Bandeoke, and I had songs in mind: Bad, Bad Leroy Brown and Johnny B. Goode. That was the plan. My own verdict on the night was less polished: an absolute trainwreck, but epic.
I am keeping those two descriptions together. Editing the embarrassment out would remove half the reason the story is worth telling.
A story does not need a perfect performance
Some travel memories are about something beautiful you saw. Others involve voluntarily putting yourself in a situation where looking cool is far from guaranteed. This belongs to the second category.
I do not need to invent a triumphant crowd reaction to rescue the evening. My own verdict is enough. I went for it, and the imperfect result became one of the things I wanted to remember about Whistler.
Grifter’s Takeaway
You can have a terrible performance and a terrific memory. Give the story a chance to happen.
