Toronto
anudder day in the neighborhood
August 16
HIGH HO SILVER AND AWAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!! On the way to the Exhibition, one of the Pranksters inquires what
Toronto means. Kesey answered with Toronto is a Canadian word meaning The
Lone Ranger's Companion.
The Bus art needs to be refreshed
from the Trip and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame summer visit. 
Kesey starts by opening a can of sparkly
acrylic fabric paint and instructing Really? to do the sky. Roy prepares
the rest of the painting tools as Kentucky Maria, Phil, Emily and George
get into the act. 
The art
on the Bus is a perpetual work in progress. You can look at one area on
a Tuesday and by Friday it may be different. But then by Friday, you may
be different! The art refreshment took place in the parking lot of the Delta
Chelsea hotel much to the amazement of the patrons of this busy upscale
hotel in downtown Toronto.
The parking lot attendant created
quite an uproar toward us because he thought we had skipped out on his fees
the previous day. We may have... but Mother Merry Furthur insisted they
had been taken care of as part of our reservations. She is soooooo good
about that sort of stuff!
Well... we were now two hours
late for our gig at the CNE which according to Bus Time means we are practically
right on schedule. The Bus doesn't leave until the Chief says it is ready.
Some days, the contents of the Bus are loaded and then unloaded and just
when it seems we will be leaving, we are instructed to unload once again
for some particular reason. No one bums out, it is just part of the Bus
routine of controlled chaos and utter confusion to keep the cosmic giggle
whistling and the procedure happenstance!
For example, the sound system
is as much a work in progress as the art on the outside of the Bus. The
sound mixer which sits in front of Kesey undergoes a daily reconfiguration
to add a microphone or a headset, or to add a CD player which was functioning
perfectly fine the day before. The ride on the Bus each day starts out with
the perpetual sound check.. TEST CHECK TEST TEST CHECK. Kesey will say I
NEED A BIG to LITTLE to which Babbs repeats BIG to LITTLE COMING RIGHT UP.
He reaches into a suitcase filled with a spaghetti maze of wiring searching
for a wire that on one end has a large input connection for the BIG and
on the other end a smaller input jack for the LITTLE. Other sound devices
require a BIG to BIG connection, others are LITTLE to LITTLE. Often the
Big to Little riffs get out of control over the Bus sound system evolving
into amusing riffs about LITTLER to LITTLER and BIGGER to BIGGER and if
the digital delay is turned on the voices searching for the appropriate
connections eminating outside and inside the Bus must sound quite amazing
if not downright nonplussing to the straights who witness this madness as
the Bus passes by. Hearing the search from the inside of the Bus is definitely
an experience in its own right! Watching the people in street look and listen
is truly funny!
We pulled into the Exhibition
area once again with the Bus functioning in all its glory with people on
top, speakers roaring, music playing, bubbles blowing, horn blowing and
Pranksters playing various instruments. If anyone is within 300 feet of
the Bus, they are certainly aware of its existence drawing the curious closer
and closer. George drives slowly through the clean Exhibition grounds back
to our spot at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum space Mother Merry
Furthur secured for our visit next to the Molson Web Truck. 
The Rock Hall
and Cleveland have there own exhibits inside. Outside the sun is bright,
it is another beautiful Canadian day in the neighborhood. Really? heads
into the Web Truck and sets up the Prankster Virtual Communications laboratory
via ethernet through the dual ISDN lines thanks to Maris and Lucas.
Kesey instructs the Pranksters to set up for another balloon
stomp for the children. Several Pranskters take some large chalk and draw
a line shadow of the Bus and its inhabitants on the road where the Bus is
parked. 
No sooner had we unloaded the sound gear for Kesey's reading
and the Prankster performance, when a parade sauntered by.
The parade had the usual marching band
but was unusual with several unique things that delighted the Merry Pranksters!
See for youself... There were a some large costumed animals riding a tram.
A clown, a Big Truck and a... Bozo???
Where did that Bozo come from? 
Several
of the Pranksters can be seen here enjoying the parade and wondering what
that Bozo was doing in the parade. Is this one of the Lost Bozos? Are they
all Bozos on this Bus? The Pranksters have been on the trail for several
weeks now, they're all slowly turning into Bozos, one by one!!! Is this
Prankster evolution?
Babbs appears... OK KIDS, who is ready for the Prankster
Olympic Balloon stomp? With Caleb as his co-master of ceremonies, Babbs
gets a couple of dozen children's ankles tied with a balloon attached to
a two foot string. 
They
are about to play the game where you try to stomp on someone else's balloon
to break it while preserving your own balloon. Children dig the Bus because
of the fun factor. Babbs himself has about ten kids and experience dealing
with them is showing. Remember, this is the GrandFurthur Tour after all!
The ankles are tied... wait, two more kids show up causing two more balloons
to be blown up and tied to their ankles... Are We Ready? Babbs questions,
someone repeats, Are We Really?
TEN... NINE...
EIGHT... KAPOWWWW OOOPSSSS...
someone's balloon broke prematurely... quick, get that kid another balloon...
three more kids show up... balloons are prepared for them... READY? ...
SEVEN... SIX... FIVE... FOUR... THREE... TWO... ONE!!!
Pranksters Swan and Eli accompany the Balloon Stomp
by playing Let It Rock by Chuck Berry on guitar and bass... the excitement
mounts as the kids balloons are broken one by one. Babbs stops the action
and clears away the kids whose balloons are gone... OK... TEN KIDS REMAIN...
READY... THREE... TWO... ONE!!! KAPOWWW KAPOWWW.
Toronto has been a pleasant experience!
The city is vibrant, Prankster friendly and wired! The Rolling Stones were
here doing the final mixdown on their latest album and preparing for the
upcoming fall tour. 
They
were contacted regarding a Kesey/Prankster visit, but they had their noses
to the old grindstone and were unable to accommodate a visit by the Bus
or even a brief ride on it. Too bad Jumpin' Jack Flash... it would have
been a Gas Gas Gas!!! 
The
visit was coming to a pleasant end. We all enjoyed
this lovely spot! We're ready for the Trip back to the hallowed halls of
Rock and Roll! We've left our mark... clang clang... time to pack em' up
and head south, back to the good ol' USA.
A friend of George's climbed behind the wheel which was
ok because a friend of the George's is a friend of mine and since those
pesky 
twenty hounds were
still around, we needed someone able to communicate with them . As Frankie
from Twister says... IF YOU AIN'T GOT RIDDUM, YOU CAN'T DANCE WIDDUM! CLANG
CLANG... HIT THE ROAD JACK!
Thanks to all of the citizens of Toronto... we hoped we passed the audition. We met nice people like the folks at Dope.com. Perhaps we'll get back to your nice restaurant to eat that great food and hear that good music you Canadians make!
WE'RE HEADING BACK TO
THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM.
