By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON
"The first time I saw her was at a place that's torn down now, a real toilet," said RON DELSNER, the music promoter. "She was great. She spit on the floor. I never saw a chick spit on the floor before."
It was a lovely afternoon at the spring luncheon for the ladies of the Upper East Side Botanical Society.
We kid!
We kid because we love! They would have spittoons, of course.
We were actually backstage at the theater at Madison Square Garden, at the fifth annual Jammy Awards. The chick that Mr. Delsner was referring to was SINÉAD O'CONNOR, and he meant it as a compliment.
The Jammys are dedicated to honoring "the improvisational music community," and the awards show brought together musicians from all over the pop and success spectrum. Among those attending were HUEY LEWIS; BRUCE HORNSBY; BURNING SPEAR; TRAVIS TRITT; MEDESKI, MARTIN AND WOOD; LES CLAYPOOL; and MAVIS STAPLES, who sang "Freedom Highway" with the North Mississippi Allstars.
The International Smell of Jam Band Music wafted throughout the backstage corridors, and though the musicians performed free, they were treated to bottles of top-shelf tequila and beer chasers.
We found BUDDY GUY, who won a lifetime achievement award, sitting on a worn taupe couch in a backstage room, wearing jeans, a floppy white fishing hat and white sneakers.
Sitting next to him was the baby-faced JOHN MAYER, whom Mr. Guy called "the hit record man."
Mr. Guy is a curious one. The last time we saw him in concert, several years ago, he tied a towel around his neck and pretended to fly for a significant portion of the show.
Our correspondent asked him how the blues could go on being the blues when life has changed so much.
"I've had two wives," Mr. Guy said. "I don't have one now, and I don't think I'll ever have another one because, you know, everything changed but the dollar. The same dollar that my dad and my grandpap worked for is still here, man, and it's still working."
Judging by the national mint around his wrist and fingers, this dollar has apparently been working for Mr. Guy.
"I know you're not paying no attention to what I'm saying now," he said to our correspondent.
"You begin to look at my bracelet, and now you going to look at my ring."
He smiled. More gold there.
"You forget what my face looks like. You just want the rings and watch."
Mr. Hornsby, tall and still athletic-looking, talked to us about his days playing with the GRATEFUL DEAD, and Mr. Lewis lamented the fact that commercial music has become a dirty word.
Commercialism, pro and con, was a favorite conversation topic for the night, as has been mandated by the federal law on interviewing blues and rock musicians.
Ms. O'Connor, who was barefoot and has grown a bit round, still has those limpid blue eyes.
She has three children, and the 18-year-old, the oldest, was with her in New York. But he had gone back to the hotel. "You know how it works," she said. "I am his mom."
As we were talking to Mr. Delsner backstage, KEN DASHOW, the D.J. at Q104 , came into the room.
Mr. Delsner told him that he was going to London to see CREAM, which is having a reunion concert in May at the Royal Albert Hall.
"There's no shot they're coming to Madison Square Garden?" Mr. Dashow asked.
"I had them," Mr. Delsner said. "I had them, man. Then GINGER BAKER got cold feet because he had to get through an embassy in Toronto or Ottawa."
Two marijuana offenses in the early 70's had complicated Mr. Baker's attempts to enter the United States from South Africa, where he lives. "Nothing about heroin or overstaying his visas," Mr. Delsner said.
"I was negotiating. I even had posters made. They'll be a collector's item."
With Luke Jerod Kummer and Kari Haskell
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