Irie Louisville

We have two days off in Louisville because of the cancelled Lansing gig. It seems to be a fantastic town to be stranded in. Lots of cute business establishments set up in big houses, a health food store with fresh carrot juice, and lots of yoga studios. We decide to have very healthy vegetarian food at Zen Garden for dinner. It's a ways away from the hotel, so we call a cab. When we come downstairs for it, a cab is already pulling away with other passengers. The driver, a rastafari wearing a big white cap, rolls the dark windows down. There is a tri-color Ethiopia air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror.

CAB DRIVER: Where are you going, mon?

GANDA: 2240 Frankfort Ave.

CAB DRIVER: If you want to get in, I take you there after I drop these folks off.

Miho and I climb into the back of the minivan cab behind a couple who look like they're about to go line dancing.

MIHO: Nice music.

CAB DRIVER: You like my music?! [He turns the music up til the bass buzzes and makes the minivan vibrate.] You been to Jamaica, mon?

MIHO: Irie!

CAB DRIVER: Sista! IRIEEEEEEEEE!! [He laughs with delight.]

The white-haired gentleman, Gary, is a corrective color specialist at a hair salon called Let Yourself Glow, according to his business card; he and his date Kelly are from Cincinnati, and are just in town to party for the weekend. We ask them for some restaurant recs in Cincinnati, where we'll be on my birthday.

GARY: [To the cab driver] What's your name, Rasta?

CAB DRIVER: I lost me slave name a long time ago. Me name is Ras now.

GARY: Where are you from?

RAS: From Jamaica and Mississippi, but mostly Jamaica. I got a house down dere, mon.

Gary and Kelly get dropped off at their sushi restaurant. Ras beckons us to come sit up near the front.

RAS: Where are you from?

[simultaneously]

MIHO: Brooklyn!
GANDA: Brooklyn!

RAS: Oh, Brooklyn in da house! FIRE! [But it sounds more like FAI-yaaaaa!]

We arrive at Zen Garden. Ras gives us his phone number so we can call when we're done. After dinner, we call, and he rolls up with his beige minivan again, the bass still buzzing through the dark tinted windows.

MIHO: Irie!

We talk congas, music, touring, Louisville history, vegetarianism. He says he's going to come see the show tomorrow; he also says he'll come to Brooklyn with his congas and his reggae band. We love Ras.