by Mike, New Castle, DE

In 1998, a friend of mine invited me to a Republican Party fundraising event at the Kings Mill in Aston PA. Not being a republican, I initially balked at the idea, but when I found out who was going to be there I quickly changed my tune.

Originally, the special guest was scheduled to be Sonny Bono, but after his untimely death, a last minute-replacement was quickly found. The new guest of honor was none other than Jeff “The Skunk” Baxter of Doobie Brothers and (more importantly) Steely Dan fame. As a guitarist, Jeff Baxter was a long time idol/influence of mine, and I was ecstatic over the chance of meeting him. He was introduced by some local politician, spoke a few words regarding politics, and then played a few songs with the band that was playing the event. However…he quickly became involved in discussion with the politicians after his few songs were over. It seemed I was going to miss a chance to chat with him, as I couldn’t stay too long at the event.

After a half hour or so of trying in vain to engage Mr. Baxter in a conversation, I decided I had to leave…so I headed off to use the bathroom before my drive home. Mere moments after I entered, who should walk in behind me? That’s right, The Skunk himself! It’s not often you get to talk with one of your idols separated only by a urinal partition. We had a brief, perhaps somewhat awkward conversation, but I left with an unforgettable experience, and a highly amusing story.