Graham Parsons Room at The Joshua Tree Inn

Where do I begin? Life is completely random and planned all at the same instance. Last Friday I was searching for film editing jobs on the internet and came across a few in the Los Angeles area. I have applied to many of these jobs in the past and usually I get one of two results: Either nothing happens or I get the occasional "Can you come in for an interview?" The latter result is obviously more exciting but has been extremely difficult to expand upon because I live near Charlotte, NC... Over 2,000 miles away.

Last Friday, I got a reply from a job about three hours after applying. They loved my work and wanted me to come in for an interview at anytime convenient for me between Monday and Wednesday of the following week. In the past, I would ask to do a Skype interview. This past Friday, after a phone call from a friend, I made the decision to journey to California.

My brother from another mother and one of my long time best friends, Beau, hooked me up with a standby ticket to Phoenix, AZ. Phoenix has been the home of Beau for the past two years. I would fly in on Sunday and then we would drive to Los Angeles during one of the next days. Sunday comes time for me to fly out and I miss every single flight to Phoenix due to a very busy day for U.S Airways. Charlotte and Phoenix are both major hubs for the airline and if you have ever flown standby, you know you are not guaranteed a seat on any plane. All together I missed around 7 flights from 7 a.m to 5:30 p.m. Needless to say I was discouraged. I was exhausted and I was bummed. However I still had a couple of options. I could wait until Monday and try to catch another flight during a similar type of day, I could just not go and skip the experience (embarrassingly I thought about that option quite a bit, especially towards the afternoon) or I could try to find another way to get there.

On the way from one gate to another, I was stopped by a girl who was trying to get to Idaho with a connecting flight to Phoenix. She was a lovely soul. After a full day of waiting in the airport and not having much conversation, it was really nice to meet someone so pleasant. She ended up catching a flight to Seattle so she could get home. I hope to keep in contact with her if I am ever up in the northwest. After our conversation I was faced with a choice of trying to get on another flight to Phoenix or just to go home. I was pretty discouraged again.

At the last minute, I ran into an older lady who was trying to get to Phoenix all day as well. She told me about a connecting flight in Las Vegas at 6:15 and then a flight to Phoenix from there. I was all in. I got a seat on the plane and I was on my way to the west coast for the second time in my life. I met a cool guy named Steve. He told me has going out to Las Vegas to see a guy who was selling an RV. He wanted to buy it and live outside of Las Vegas for the rest of his life. He gave me some positive advice on how to approach my interview. Strangers can be compelling creatures at times.

I was relaxed for the time being until I got to Las Vegas... and missed the connecting flight to Phoenix due to it being sold out. Again, I was discouraged. After talking to the employees of U.S. Airways at McCarron International Airport I learned that trying to fly to Phoenix the next day was going to be extremely tough again. Except this time I was going to be stuck in Las Vegas and not at home. Now for me that didn't sound that bad at first, but in the end I knew I had to get to Phoenix.

So after being at the airport all day and being exhausted, I called Beau and told him I was going to rent a car. So I rented a car at 11 p.m. west coast time and began a five and a half hour drive to Phoenix that night. At first it was great, I was now in control of my own fate. I was moving and getting closer to Phoenix at my own pace. Then the stress and fatigue began to set in as I rolled down the desert road with having no idea of what to expect. I became really scared. It was a culmination of the lack of sleep, uncertainty of getting to Phoenix through the desert at night, not having anybody else to go with me on the endeavor and just the thoughts of what might happen if something were to go wrong.

My view as I drove from Las Vegas to Phoenix.

The sides of the road were very dark and there were very few cars out that night. All I could do was drive. I rode for about 2 hours until I came to a small town called Kingman, AZ. I had to stop and sleep or I wasn't going to make it to Phoenix. I pulled into an Economy Inn and paid for a room that I took a 3 hour nap in. This was a room that you'd see in a movie where a guy could easily wake up in a bathtub full of ice with his kidney stolen. I locked the door and passed out.

After the nap, I started out on the road again. I was still very tired and kind of worried about some things. At one point I looked out my driver side window and I noticed the moon and the stars. You could see them perfectly. Far better than any view of them I have ever seen. It was beautiful. This lifted my spirits and I kept on. A few hours later, I was greeted with my first desert sunrise. That was an event in itself. A sight everyone needs to see. I made it into Phoenix around 7 am, returned my rental car and Beau picked me up.

We had breakfast at a nice spot in Scottsdale, gathered some things from his house and immediately hit the road to the Joshua Tree Inn near 29 Palms, California. The Joshua Tree Inn is a famous hotel out near the Joshua Tree National Park in California. Graham Parsons used Room #8 at the inn to escape in his life as a musician many times and eventually he died in that same room. Beau had made reservations to stay in his room that night.

Graham Parsons Memorial Shroud outside of Room #8 at The Joshua Tree Inn

When we got there, we felt an energy that was very positive. We just stood in the room for a few moments and took it all in. It's an interesting experience to be in a place where someone made their escape from the world. Graham Parsons, was a member of The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Bros, and eventually became a solo artist. He was the bridge between rock and country in the Los Angeles area and he is the reason why many hybrid artists are in existence today. Being in the room was surreal. We eventually settled in and Beau begin to play his guitar out near Parsons' Memorial Shroud. I of course filmed the occasion. You can watch these performances below.

That night we got some beer and pizza, relaxed, and then decided to played more songs out in the courtyard of the hotel. I played drums on my lap and a side table along to his guitar and vocals. We had a few occupants of the hotel come and say they enjoyed the music. Next, we met a guy from another room who told us about an open mic night twenty minutes down the road. Of course we went. Once we got off of the main highway we found ourselves on a small winding back road that looked like it was straight out of the movie "Wrong Turn." It was definitely sketch at best but it could've just been how dark the desert gets at night. One thing I've learned about driving in the desert at night is that it can seem like nothing is around but you make one turn and a small town will pop up out of nowhere. Our trip on the road was about 10 minutes and sure enough, we came around a corner to Pappy and Harriet's.

When we got there, we were way too late to play due to the registration deadline. So we didn't get to play on stage. We listened to a few artists and then headed out back to talk amongst the locals. A guy showed us a bass guitar that was worth about $1,000 he picked up from a yard sale for a cool 30 bucks. It sounded amazing. After a few more conversations, we were back on our way to the Joshua Tree Inn.

That night I had one of the most honest conversations with one of my best friends. It's always a good feeling to have when you know you can talk to someone and it be totally unbiased. I don't really have the liberty to share what was discussed out there but let's just say we both left some demons in the desert.

We ventured back to Phoenix a different way around Joshua Tree National Park the next day. I couldn't get to Los Angeles due to logistical reasons. Beau had to be back in Phoenix and my friend Paul, who was doing a internship in L.A. couldn't make it to 29 Palms in time. I really didnt seem to mind. I gained so much from the experience of traveling to a place I've never been and it out weighed missing the chance to get a job. We got dinner and few drinks back at a local bar called Bourbon Jack's that night and if you're ever in Phoenix make sure you stop by there and say hello to Troy. The night ended after a few conversations with some drunk locals and the next morning I caught a 6:30 flight back to Charlotte.

Trips like this one are always wanted, but this one was needed. Some people come and go in your life. The girl and woman from the airport, the guy I met on the plane, the guy and his family at the Joshua Tree Inn, and the locals at Pappy and Harriet's Roadhouse. And some people are constant in your life even in they are 2,000 miles away. I'm not going to say that every experience you have defines you. But I will say they all have a place in your development. This experience topped out my year so far. I've made some great art this year, made some new friends, and even got a chance to see some other places I have never been. But this trip was one I'll never forget. Cheers to life and living!

Beau in Graham Parsons' Room at Joshua Tree Inn

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