Mike MacDonald from Rude Buddha was there...

This weekend my cousin was in town. He's a good guy, that one, and he loves to mix things up. Stir the pot a little bit.

Whenever someone comes to LA for the first time, the host (that would be me in this for instance) is under the unspoken obligation to play "tour guide" to an extent. Fortunately for me, I live right on Hollywood Blvd, so a liesurely stroll down to the Walk of Fame is always in order. After that, being in Hollywood, the next stop is usually the Sunset Strip.

Now, the Strip is a place I generally avoid at almost any cost. Driving through it is one thing, but actually getting out of the car and spending time down there is quite another. My cousin is the kind of guy though, who would really thrive in a place like that. A sea of young, beautiful idiots. Oh yes, that's a playground for a guy like him.

My brother Jake, his girlfrined Heather and I hopped a cab and took our kin folk down to the Saddle Ranch. You know, that crazy bar with the mechanical bull? Yeah. Anyway my cousin had a plan, which we excecuted at least ten times that evening, and which turned out to be a hell of a lot of fun.

He'd find a group of two or more cute girls, then cassually stroll over there to order his drink. After a few minutes, I'd then walk over as if just passing by, and as I did, I'd do a double take on my cuz. "Excuse me," I'd say, "Are you Mike MacDonald from Rude Buddha?" He'd act flattered and a little coy before admitting to being the one and only. I'd then ask for a quick autograph, and my cousin the fake celebrity would be happy to oblige. Unfortunately, he didn't have a pen. Uh oh. Neither did I. Well, maybe this group of hot girls has one? Sure enough, I'd get a quick signature, then proclaim my admiration for his music one more time, and I'd be on my way. I could hear twitterpated girls giggling and asking him to sign their arms, napkins and other various keepsakes.

This racket worked like a charm. There were a couple of times I'd ask some girls to take a quick photo of me with him, and hand them my phone. Then, inevitably, they'd all want a pic with him too. It'll be great for myspace!

Nothing came of this scam, except a rockin' good time. That's the way I like it. No harm done, just funnin' with people. That's all. There were no hurt feelings, and no one lost or gained anything, really. That's my kind of yarn. Spreading love through the telling of a little white lie. A lie that we wanted to tell, and most people wanted to hear.