Something Is Happening Here But You Don't Know What It Is: Your Plastic Jug Mandolin

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Editor's note: The following piece describes the Gourd-related dream of one D. Jones on the night of August 1st, 2010. Kevin Russell, who received the story by email just yesterday, enjoyed it so much that he obtained the author's permission to have it reprinted here.

Subject: Your Plastic Jug Mandolin

Hey Kevin, I had a really weird and vivid dream last night...

I was at some kind of flea market that I think was a benefit for something. Pretty much everyone there were Gourdheads. It was a nice day, the sun was out, it was nice and warm. The flea market was in a grassy park. How nice!

There was a lady who had an assortment of camping gear that was understood to have been donated by the Johnston family. Mostly it was like old WWII surplus packs and cots, musty smelling green stuff, but tucked in amongst this stuff I found Max's camping fiddle! It was made by Coleman. It was made out of stamped sheetmetal and had the same construction as those old kerosene gas tanks that hang on the side of their camp stoves. It only had two strings, but man, even I could play it! What a great find, thanks Max!

I went home and right as soon as I got there I realized that I was going to miss you guys playing in the park (maybe the one adjacent to the flea market stuff?). Dammit, gotta go back!

When I got back there, mostly all of the flea market people were gone, but there were these two women that were at the tail end of packing up. One of them was holding a mandolin. YOUR mandolin! and she was saying something about what a shame it was that nobody had bought it. It had a masking tape sticker with "160" scrawled in black crayon on it,

Just as I was approaching these ladies, not able to get that 160 out of my pocket fast enough, who should walk up, but Kevin Russel himself, there to pick up his mandolin! You started saying something to me about how you would let me have it for 20, but I would not bargain with you. I absolutely insisted that you take the entire 160. While you handed it to me, you mentioned something about having played a few shows on it.

I got your mandolin! I was so elated! It was wierd, though, because from the front it looked like a mandolin, but from the back it was a clear plastic jug. It was a little greasy and there were remnants of some chile or paprika-tinged oil still left in it.

I was still pretty happy about it.