"Have you ever heard of Joe Kowalski?"

T Max had been slipping into despair. His Brian Eno tribute show was coming up, and he was running out of time to find a bass player with the required chops. Then one day in spring, he called. He was very excited. "Have you ever heard of Joe Kowalski?!" I had not. "Lexi, you won't believe it! He nailed it!" This guy we never heard of, Joe Kowalski, apparently came over, auditioned and dazzled on an 8-string bass. I couldn't give a shit. T Max had been wholly consumed with the Brian Eno thing, and not being a fan, me and everybody else at The Noise was sick to death of hearing about Project Eno. "ENO eno-eno EEEENO eno-eno" is approximately how Izzy phrased his imitation of any conversation with T Max during those rehearsal weeks. I was in full agreement on the matter.

I forgot about this Joe Kowalski until one week before the July 12th show. It was a punishingly hot summer and I hated everyone. I don't handle heat and humidity very well. Somehow or other I ended up being the one to take the Project Eno band publicity shot. I'm no photographer, but I did own a digital camera, rare in those days. Hard to imagine now! But T Max needed the band photo THAT DAY for the Metro piece on Project Eno, and that's the only reason it was me who took those PR photos.

So on a sweltering summer day I went to Peter's house. In the yard, with Bleu calling jokes out the window of the house as the band posed, each member wearing some sort of T Max-contrived costumes of questionable taste, I shot photos of Gene, Peter, Shawn, Tamora, Joel, T Max, Glenn and Eddie, all buddies of mine, barely noticing the new guy. Here was this crazy-good bass player that nobody ever heard of
who would,
pretty soon,
become my best friend
and mad love.

I fell in love with Joe Kowalski. I even like Brian Eno now.

Happy Enoversary, my love.
I'm so happy my dreams pulled you through my door.

I'LL COME RUNNING

(Brian Eno)

I'll find a place somewhere in the corner

I'm gonna waste the rest of my days

Just watching patiently from the window

Just waiting season change, some day

Oh, oh, my dreams will pull you through that garden gate

I want to be the wandering sailor

We're silhouettes by the light of the moon

I sit playing solitaire by the window

Just waiting seasons change,

You'll see, one day, these dreams will pull you through my door

And I'll come running to tie your shoe.

L to R: Gene, Peter, Shawn, Tamora, Joel , Joe Kowalski, T Max, Glenn, Eddie