(PIANO)
GK: Way down in my heart deep,
The blues just makes me weep,
Every evening, when the sun goes down,
Thank you so much. You're beautiful. No, really. I love it here. The stool, the piano, the cigarette smoke drifting through the air, the tables and people at the table, my people, people who come here to the club, people who have a lot of trouble with personal relationships, and my pianist....Pete.
TK (SMOKY VOICE): Fifteen years we been together.
GK: Fifteen great years.
TK: Fifteen years.
GK: He's always been there for me. Pete. Never lost faith in me. I lost faith. Him, he never lost faith.
TK: That's cause I saw the real you down deep. Other people only saw the dandruff and the bad hair, but I saw the artist, I saw the real Tony.
GK: I appreciate that.
TK: Other people only saw the cheap jewelry, the fake mannerisms, the attempt to be hip. I saw the real guy.
GK: Friends that I used to know
Don't even say hello.
In the nightclub they leave me weeping.
I came in the club tonight and Art was waiting for me in the dressing room. Hi Art.
TR: How you doin, Tony?
GK: Fine.
TR: You look good.
GK: Thanks. So do you.
TR: You feeling okay?
GK: Yeah. Of course.
TR: You look okay.
GK: What is it, Art?
TR: You and me, we been --- like this --- fifteen years.
GK: Right.
TR: Have I ever lied to you?
GK: Yes. Often.
TR: But you knew I was lying. Right? Did I ever lie to you when you didn't know I was lying?
GK: No.
TR: Good. I need you to move your stuff off that table.
GK: How come?
TR: All those old magazines and stuff --- I need you to move that, okay? Is that a big thing? Can you do that?
GK: Am I sharing this dressing room with someone else?
TR: Yes, Tony. You are.
GK: You booked another act?
TR: Yes, I did.
GK: How can you do this?
TR: It's going to be a double bill.
GK: I always was a single, Art.
TR: Try working as a double, you'll like it. You and Pete can go home early.
GK: This other guy is working the late set?
TR: It ain't a guy. And she's working the first set and the last set and you're gonna do a half-hour guest set in between.
GK: A guest set.
TR: Like you to meet Diana Krall. Diana, this is Tony. Tony, Diana.
DK: Hi, Tony. I didn't get your last name.
GK: It's Antonio. Tony Antonio.
DK: Pleased to meet you.
GK: Likewise, I'm sure.
DK: Is this my dressing table over here?
GK: Yeah.
DK: Can I move this stuff?
GK: Sure. Just put it on the couch.
DK: I see you're a Nat King Cole fan.
GK: Yeah. Listened to him when I was young. In the Forties. Quite a piano player. Got all of his old 45s.
DK: I never saw a 45 except on jukeboxes.
GK: No?
DK: You mean people had these at home?
GK: Yeah. We did. ---You want me to leave?
DK: No. That's okay. I go on in a couple minutes.
GK: Nice dress. Mind if I smoke?
DK: Actually, yes.
GK: Oh. Okay.
DK: Thanks.
GK: I remember back when nobody would've said they minded smoke.
DK: Oh really? When was that?
GK: You're young, aren't you.
DK: Twenty six.
GK: Twenty six. Where you from?
DK: British Columbia. Little town called Nanaimo.
GK: Huh. I went through there once. With Frank.
DK: Sinatra?
GK: Johnson.
DK: Oh.
GK: My manager. He died about fifteen years ago. I never replaced him. Not too many people seemed interested in taking me on. None, as a matter of fact. You got any albums out?
DK: Yeah. Got a new one called "All for You".
GK: So what you going to play tonight?
DK: I was going to start off with...___________.
GK: _________________!
DK: Something wrong?
GK: ________________---- that's a song that around here is sort of associated with me. People come in here and they say, Tony, how about ______________. And I do it for them. You do ___________, really?
DK: If you don't mind....
GK: No. I don't mind....I'll just do _____________.
DK: I was going to do that for my second song.
GK: __________________?
DK: If that's okay.
GK: Sure. Bite em in the butt, kid.
DK: Thanks.
TR: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome....with guitarist Russell Malone and bassist Neal Caine....Impulse recording artist....Diana Krall.
© 1997 by Garrison Keillor