Road Stories

Book excerpt: Stories always have a lot of names of people and places. I have tried to retain as many original names as I could in the name of realism, but in order to protect identities and reputations, and also to follow at least halfway my lawyer's advice, I had to change about half of them. Wherever possible, I simply avoided names altogether, as in "the bass player" or "the club owner" or "the town". Whenever there is a remotely negative connotation the names have most definitely been altered. There is also some fill-in work so far as dialogue is concerned. This bit of artistic license was taken not only because I can't remember every single thing everyone said, but also in the name of technical dramatic writing. There is a sprinkling of fiction in all storytelling. Think of it as the spices in the event-salad. I have tried to keep it to a bare minimum. The only ones who might choke on the pepper are the people who were actually there. And you know who you are.