I can't really quite remember first meeting Jim Mac Dougall. I think "Rockstar J" told me to consult him about the construction of the studio. I had seen him around town always riding a beach bike with ape hangar handle bars and sporting a Panama Jack style straw Fedora. He's a low key ladies man moving through town with a relaxed but sure pace. He's often collecting softball sized rocks for a wall he's building in front of his modest, yet colorful bungalow. Everytime I meet with him, he speaks in a low confident voice, "Hello Loveless, (insert witty comment... ie. "I hope Less is more Love for you.") His comments are consistently more clever than my example. I always get two or three sentences ahead of what he said... and laugh. Turning his way, "That's fuckin funny Jim, I just got that." He has a certain Humprey Bogartish presence. It's all Mac Dougall though.
Jim is possibly the premiere, numero uno, rock-star of our artistic village, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. When ever I'd asked any of my musically prodigous friends about song writing or studio talent, the answer was always, "You need to ask Mac Dougall." The more I learned about this man, the more I appreciated his immense talent and his vast knowledge base. He can basically play anything... I think. Over the past few months I've been getting to know more of Jim as a performer and a friend. I'm always amused by his being.
Mac Dougall is the standard house musician of open mic night at Lazy Mon (beachfront bar). Every Sunday night Jim has been plugging away at the keys, with a Gin Tonic and a grin. As I was building the recording studio with "Rocking J", Lazy Mon was building an "Open Mic Night" audience simultaneously. I didn't make my way there much, because I was distracted with my own harvesting of local and traveling musicians. Slowly, as my studio time stabilized, I made my way there more and more often. These days I make it a regular haunt to sing some kind of Vortex, Drug or Devil song. I tend to enjoy a freestyle over a random jam. It's seems Jim has become my regular backing band. We work well together and I've gained at least some of his confidence that I'll be able to effectively entertain the crowd. I'm getting better at grooving with him weekly.
When he's not tickling keys and and telling one liners, Jim is the most prominent music teacher in town. After a few recent shows, he's offered to take me on as my piano teacher. He'd mentioned to a friend, "I'd love to get Loveless on some keys." So one night, at the season opening of Stashu's restaurant where he was performing I approached him on the subject. "So I hear you want to teacher me some keys Jim?" He said, "Well, you'll have to make an appointment Loveless." I laughed. You see my current existence is made of 2 or 3 day drug and alcohol binges. I have zero responsibility. No job. No woman. Just fuckin off and making music if I feel like it. I replied, "Well I guess we're not meant to work together." He laughed and said without an appointment, I'd be without a lesson. I carried on my daily existence of debauchery. Sometimes I'll drop by and see if he's busy. Maybe I can hit him at a moment when he's in the mood. Lately, he tells me that he appreciates my persistence... and maybe one day... we'll get some time under my belt.
These days you can find Jim still peddling around Puerto Viejo on his Ape Hangar Handlebar Beach Bike, straw fedora, straight posture moving slowly around town with something always in his bicycle's basket. He sometimes meets the gang of early risers or 2 day'ers at Tex Mex right as the town wakes up and starts bustling. Or dressed in appropriate beach casual wear entertaining the throngs of locals and tourists here looking for a good time, usually in company of John Doriate on guitar.
His past life included nightly cruise ship entertainer. He says, "Loveless I was performing over water 5 miles deep." I've heard passing dialogue of some kind of arthritic condition that, for some reason, is not so harsh here in our little magical mystical Vortex. He's not only one of my favorite musician jedis, he's also a nice man and becoming a great friend. He's always full of color, character, class, and reserved dignity. AMEN to you Mac Dougall. I love you. Can't wait to get you tracked on my "I love drugs" song.
