Well, funny how I was up for an hour before Julian! I showered and did some stuff on the computer and whatnot and then he did wake up and came out. long and lanky, the guy is 3 weeks removed from 5 years old and he’s already an old man. I got him sorted with breakfast and then we went down to the beach to fly his kite. it was hot but windy and a perfect day for flying kites. and all teh gals were out and so i counted al the gals with tatooes on their high bum area and then i counted gals with tatooes on their high bum area AND tummy studs. well, i lost count. not as many tummy studs as there were high bum tatooes. EVERY woman in Santa Monica has a high bum tatoo. now, that’s not a complaint, just an observation. hey, i have peppermint hair! so then i wound up flying the kite by myself (why are kites so fun? I LOVE EM!!!) WHILE jULIAN charmed several female surfers (he’s SUCH a rascal) and then got hit by God’s biggest wave ever, which was really kinda funny and kinda my fault, as he’d turned around when i said “Watch out!” But Jules is a good sport, always. That boy knows no fear and, according to the new guy, that’s not always a good thing! (when are kids play together, the new guy cringes everytime Julian does some bizarre thing that you know is going to end up with everyone in the emergency room but somehoe the kid has avoided any broken limbs…knock on wood…) So while he was goofing off and being adored by all these bikini clad chicas calientes, i was off in my mind (occasionaly checking on the ol boy to make sure he was, um, alright) remembering the Imaginary friends. A very fun band my friend, gary and i had. as i stated before, it used to be just the two of us. then we added my old roomy, Kliz (this was circa 1990), on bass. then we had Steve Wagner on drums but he got caught up in a venture capital that would become his beer company (he always brewed us his “experimental beer”) in San Diego called STONE BREW. Ever had “Arrogant bastard Ale”? that’s Steve. yep, he’s a millionaire. he missed out, huh? Well, so we got Joh Wood on drums (he’s the guy who is engineering all the new LOVE recordings) and he lasted exactly 9 minutes before gary fired him. so then we got jeff davis but all he did was program the drum machine. so then we got Rusty Squeezebox for a few gigs and then dave green. this was all PRE-BABY LEMONADE. BL wan’t even a thought back then. we did it all for fun. then gary wanted more. well, my gal at the time, the lovely miss Melissa Kent, came aboard on keyboards and backing vocals. trained as a classical pianist i had to break her in on the rock and roll thing but she cuaght on fast. A successful Film Editor by day, she secretly rocked out and lived out her stage fantasies in teh imaginary friends. gary wanted backing vocals and so we brought in her sister, Shelley Kent and a close friend of ours, Circe Link. So we had 2 gal background singers and with Melissa’s voice, that made 3. now, someone was always singing off key but we never found out who. i won’t speculate, even though i think i know who. But, at our good friend, MICHAEL SHELLEY’s 40th b/day, gary and i joke about putting the band back together again. i said i’d do it for a few gigs, just for kicks. but now everyone is so spread out. of course, Rusty and daddyo and i are in LOVE but Circe has her own career belting out tunes with her quasi-swing band at GENGHIS COHEN’s club in West Hollywood and i haven’t a clue what Shelley’s up to. Gary is a very successful DJ on LA’S awsome KCRW with his ultra cool show, THE OPEN ROAD WITH GARY CALAMAR. As for Melissa, she’s working towards that Oscar i always predicted she’d win. we always joked that she’s thank me when she won (um, i really doubt it now!) but i’ve only seen mel 2 or 3 times in the 8 years since we’ve split. but she has gone on to edit some of the most important movies around so maybe jamming with the Imaginary friends would be a step down for her. But, Mel, if yer listening, the keyboards are warmed up. You say the word and we’ll life the Imaginary Freinds up from the dusk. it very well could be the comback of all comebacks. So, i know what yer thinking. where is the tape, or LP or CD of this group? there wasn’t any. just 2 4-songs demos. that’s it. and both are worth gold, as far as i’m concerned. so that’s all teh mush going through my mind when i’m flying my kite and Julian is looking like a scene from the LOVEBOAT. so he was terribly soaked and we went back to my house (2 minute drive from the beach) and showered up and had some snacks and then went and got lunch. after that i dropped him off at his mums and from that point on it was all guitars, songs and singing for me. i’d bought a new acoustic. actually, it was 2nd hand but practically new. a Hohner. it played like butter and when i say the price tag at truetone i couldn’t believe it! ken threw in afree case and i was on my way. writing tunes as the sunset just to the left of the santa monica mountains. Julian was having a sleep over at his mums with one of his friends and those chicas calientes were doing whatever chicas calientes do. as for the Imaginary friends, only time would tell. I’d done my part. it was now time for the LAKERS game 6. i crossed my fingers. it was 9pm, 3rd quarter. i thought about how much i hated the Spurs and how much i loved watching Coronation street and drinking tea with only the best. i was a bit fed up with East Enders. But atleast Corrie Street is available on BBC America here on cable! and then i figured, what’s the point of writing about when i go to sleep. these diaries are as dull as a Laura Bush orgasm to begin with, aren’t they. My lord, i think these cats are making me crazy. oh, by the way, does anybody want 2 cats? they are Albert and oakley and they’re actually really nice. i’ll PAY you to take them….

Mike Randle