Old Lane: This Way ===>

"happy new year, everybody!" cardigan called out as he entered the pub.

variations of "happy new year, gavin!" were shouted back to him as he accepted a beer from danny blake at the bar. "what's on the menu tonight, danny?"

"black-eyed peas and cornbread. it's good luck for the new year."

"buddha knows, we can use all the good luck we can get," cardigan stated as he turned to join his friends at the table.

"hi, gavin. isn't this great? burkie's writing about us again!" marian was beaming.

Mysterious Lurker popped up, nodding. "it's a good sign."

"are you sure?" cardigan was skeptical. "maybe he's just bored because the rose bowl is such a blowout."

"that's true," taylor noted, looking at the score. "maybe we should switch the channel to a rerun of Angel."

marian rolled her eyes. "don't be so negative, gavin. this will be the best year ever!"

"that's right," special assistant hepzibah spoke up. "burkie has decreed 2009 as The Year of the Best."

tucker grinned and strummed his guitar. "lots of words rhyme with 'best.'"

i wrote this song at burkie's behest
about his childhood in the great southwest
for fun he'd stir up a hornet's nest
he looked the part of a young beau geste...

"er, we don't really need another song about burkie, tucker," blake commented at he delivered cardigan's dinner.

"well, what do you want to hear?" tucker asked everyone.

"what, you're taking requests?" cardigan looked up in surprise, a wedge of cornbread in his hand.

"sure. we can all sing along. it'll be fun."

"do the panic!" marian suggested.

"um, i don't know that song."

"oh, how about stuttering (kiss me again)?" sierra asked.

"um....no. sorry."

"that video is freakin' hilarious with the photos from 'weird science' in it," The Lurker exclaimed, a wide hair band in her big hair. "i love that movie, especially when she says, 'You can't just go around hitting people with your Rex Harrison hat!'" she turned to tucker, her hair going blonde and spiky now. "can you do untouched by the veronicas?"

"er, no. i'm sorry."

"that's really cool how they put anime photos to that song!" sierra nodded her approval.

"how about the ol' cookpot by the duhks?" s.a. hepzibah inquired.

tucker squirms on his stool. "no, i've never heard it before."

cadigan taps his toes. "that's a nice song, hepzibah. i've never heard of the duhks. how did you find them?"

"burkie told me about them."

"oh." cardigan scowled.

"how about bloodletting, by concrete blonde?" taylor asked. "it's about--"

"vampires!" everyone else said in unison.

tucker shook his shaggy head. "sorry."

suddenly, hepzibah's cell phone started to buzz. "oh, it's a text from judge st. bishop. he's asking for it's summertime by the flaming lips." she looked up. "i like that, too. can you do it, tucker?"

tucker tried a couple of chords, then muttered, "nope."

linda nulo sighed. "he knows hundreds of songs, but he never knows any of the songs i request, either. he still doesn't know any kenny chesney songs."

"hey, how about that new year's song?" marian suggested. "you know, all enzymes?"

"all enzymes?!" cardigan laughed. "that's not the name of it!"

marian made a face. "well, what is it? that's what is sounds like to me."

"um....," cardigan stammered. "now that you mention it, i've never been sure myself. i thought it was old ironsides, you know, like the ship?"

"i think it's german," The Lurker, now in blonde pigtails, was humming the song to herself. "like auf wiedersehen or something like that."

"i always thought it was old man's sigh," sierra admitted.

tucker coughed. "i don't know that song, either."

cardigan drained his pint. "here's to 2009."