Garth and Maud Hudson with Jeff Alexander, Americana Music Association Conference & Awards Show, BB King's Club, Nashville, TN, 09/25/04.

Garth, Jeff and Maud. Virgil Cane to the right.

Jeff Alexander and Garth Hudson

On Friday night, after the AMA awards show, a DJ from WFDU in NJ approached and visited for a while. I think his name was Jerry Treacy. I listened to that station a lot when I lived in NY, so I was familiar with his show named "Crash On The Levee". Anyway, I took a picture of he and Garth with his camera, and he took one of Garth and I. When he prepared to take the one of Garth and myself, Garth, on my right, put his arm around me, said "Ok Jeff", and jokingly raised a fist. I have not yet received the picture, but I did think it was hysterical, and recall wondering just what Garth was up to. Later, a slow synapse in my brain connected, causing me to think that he was putting em up, in reference to my GB monniker. The next day, at the end of the night, I asked another friend of ours to shoot a few pics of Garth , Maud and myself. So I said to Garth , ok, now put em up, and I put up my dukes, in a mock boxing pose. Garth, to my left, said, "No, like this", and raised his right arm, fist up. So I raised my right arm and fist. Garth said "No, the other arm", so I raised my left arm and fist, and leaned it against his, having decided he saw solidarity in PuttingEmUp, and PuttingEmUp as something other than a challenge of any kind. Of course it is completely possible that Garth had an entirely different idea about all of this. As you can see, it was a hoot. As soon as the picture was snapped Maud, quite entertained, said "That looked like the two of you were handcuffed together. And that's all it looked like". A riotous end to a great but short visit. I must say that I have never spent time with Garth and Maud when I did not laugh, and it seems like I also always leave laughing.
--Jeff Alexander