2nd & Hayes by will wakefield

The patience of the Brazilian government grew thin and in 1972 Will found himself stashed into a crate marked "bananas" and headed for the States.

Not long after departure, a freak deck-waxing incident led to all crew members falling overboard. Snug in his crate, Will lived on bananas for 16 months before the freighter crashed into New Jersey.

Will's first steps onto American soil were determined ones. The long voyage gave him time to mentally cement his dream of juggling bowling pins professionally. He knew instinctually that the road to this dream would necessarily run through the entertainment capital of the world: Boise, Idaho.

In the fifth year of his on-foot journey, Will ambled along a country road deep in the Mississippi delta. Around a bend, he spotted a patchwork plywood house, it's corrugated tin roof radiating swampy summer heat. On the porch sat a sepia-toned, depression-era photograph of a man, blowing harmonica and sending a high, lonesome sound all across the dusty south.

"Sonny boy," rasped the old man.

"Whuddup, dog?"

"Looks like you gots them blues real bad."

"I'm lost, drifting aimlessly with no purpose," Will lamented.

"Boise isn't as big as I thought."

The old man chuckled, ducked inside the lopsided doorway and emerged with an electric guitar and amplifier."Tell me 'bout it, Sonny."

"Right on time," said Will as he strapped in.

The jam took off and the duo soon grew to an ensemble as passersby joined in over the next three days. Alas, the juggling dream was overshadowed. But a new dream was formed: it took place at the high school gym, but it was all weird 'cause Will's friend Maurice was there, but Maurice looked like David Byrne and he had a midget monkey on a leash who kept saying "5 o'clock and alllll's grooovay!" He knew it was time to move on. And time for a new dream.

Seattle called to young Wakefield and the love affair began. It ended 20 minutes later when Will found out his new Seattle friend, Trixie, was charging by the hour. With his decision to settle in Seattle, Will opened himself creatively and music became his passion, his voice.

Years later, the fruits of his labor are presented here and the whole-hearted dedication to his artform is obvious. But I heard on the internet that if you play it backwards, it says "juggling is cool...juggling is cooool..."

- John Resland

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