Globex Corporation Newsletter

First of all, I've been blessed to be associated with some pretty good guitar players. That's not the way I planned it, though. You see, I used to think I could play guitar. Once I started playing in public, I realized that pretty much everyone who had ever picked up a guitar was better than me. I could do what I do, and it still amazes me that on occasion (that goofy open mic in Piedmont, for example) an audience has found me somewhat compelling on guitar. Well, guitar and harmonica though occasionally that becomes guitar and kazoo.

It's the harmonica that people first noticed me for. I don't think it was because I was that good, but I played it in a band that used it in a completely different way. I play a little differently than most people do, too. Even though I started out listening to blues and wanting to play like Little Walter or Sonny Boy Williamson, I developed my own style that was completely different.

As time went on, I stopped even bothering to take my guitar to open mics. I used a canvas bag to put my harps and accesories in. The bad thing about that bag was that sometimes a harp would get lost in there in a tangle of cords and the like. I'm a pretty organized person, so when I coudn't find the harp I was looking for, it was really frustrating for me. I needed another option for transporting my harmonicas.

At the same time, I had put lots of cool stickers on my guitar case. Most of them were ones I made myself, just stupid stuf like me with Nick Nolte coming out of a bar or band logos that I made. Since I never took my guitar out of the house, nobody ever got to see my cool work (pre BOJ News Service anyway).

Two problems usually lead to one solution, and I decided to turn my seldom used guitar case into a harmonica case. I tell people that I did it because I want to look cool like a guitar player, and that's true to a degree, but it has turned out to be really convenient. I simply took some foam and cut it to the shape of the inside of the case, then cut out space for different stuff to fit into. Since harp boxes are labelled with the key on one end, I put them into spaces end-wise (assuming that's a word) which takes up less space and makes it easy to pick the correct harp. The green bullet microphone now has a home that keeps the cord from becoming a tangled mess every week. And of course there room for my Kevin Smith autographed "Buddy Christ" from the movie Dogma, a must for anyone who plays Plastic Jesus, a gift from my good friend MonyP (you can't be my friend if you don't have a blog-tastic nickname, well, you can be my friend, but I won't reference you in the blog).

Now I'm looking for a way to make the case stand, tilted back slightly so I can see everything in the case at a moments notice. I'm also looking into using a stiffer foam as the current foam is tearing a little bit, the Suzuki Bb harp is usually found anywhere but in its slot after transportation to a gig. Those things aside, I love this case. Not only is it ridiculously functional, but it's fun and people always comment on it.

And once I'm famous (or, more famous - I'm so deluded......) I'll be able to sell my own line of BOJ Harp Cases and become wealthier than my wildest dreams. Then global domination will be only weeks away.....

BOJ