Drummer Glenn Fraser is set to go on his honeymoon next week, but not before a gut-wrenching decision on whether to go to Washington to play for Barack Obama. (JEFF HARPER / Staff)
Posted on 01/15/2009 4:28:38 AM PST by Loyalist
Drummer Glenn Fraser is set to go on his honeymoon next week, but not before a gut-wrenching decision on whether to go to Washington to play for Barack Obama. (JEFF HARPER / Staff)
After much hand-wringing, a Halifax hand drummer is passing up the chance to play at a ball celebrating the inauguration of Barack Obama, because he can’t postpone a travel package that’s booked for the same day.
Complicating things for Glenn Fraser, who plays the djembe in the Maritime Centre for African Dance trio, is that the trip to Cuba, beginning Sunday, is a honeymoon paid for by his parents as a wedding gift.
"Honestly, I can’t imagine any more of a pressure cooker," he said Wednesday afternoon.
"It’s the gig of a lifetime for me as a hand percussionist in Halifax to perform for the president-elect. And obviously a honeymoon comes along, for some people, once in a lifetime."
About an hour earlier, Mr. Fraser, 45, had told troupe leader Mufaro Chakabuda he would be unable to join them in Washington, D.C., for the African Inaugural Ball because he was unable to postpone the $2,300 trip or find others who might be able to use the tickets.
Mr. Fraser married Joyce Saunders in October. They booked the vacation through Sunwing Vacations later in the fall but didn’t buy cancellation insurance, never dreaming something else would come up.
The African dance group applied about three weeks ago for the chance to perform at one of the inaugural balls and just learned late last week that they had been accepted.
"Since that time I’ve been basically doing everything I possibly can to find a way to postpone our honeymoon trip or to sell it and put someone else’s names on the ticket; basically, anything I could do other than throwing it away," said Mr. Fraser, who has been drumming for 13 years.
The flight to Cuba departs from Quebec City, so even when the couple offered to sell the package at a four-star resort for less than they paid, they found it a hard sell.
And even that wasn’t a definite solution. Mr. Fraser said Sunwing call centre staff said a manager might agree to change the names on the tickets if they found takers.
He said it killed him Wednesday afternoon to have to bow out of the Washington performance ahead of a marathon rehearsal scheduled for later in the day.
The cost of that trip is being covered by the city, the provincial Tourism Department and other agencies.
Mr. Fraser said that for security reasons, organizers can’t confirm when or even if the Obamas will attend the ball. But he said there is only one other that’s taking place the same evening.
A vice-president with Sunwing Vacations said he couldn’t comment on particular cases.
Lawrence Elliot, contacted in Toronto, said cancellation insurance allows customers to drop travel plans up to three hours before departure.
He said it would be extremely unusual for the company to make an exception and allow people to postpone or cancel without insurance.
"It’s (an) unfair form of cross-subsidization to pass this cost along to the people who do protect their investment, who do take out insurance," he said.
To play before That One may be an honour, but years of listening to his wife dragging up how he skipped their honeymoon during every argument will not be worth it.
“Little Drummer Boy” plays for messiah: DENIED!
Dude...
Life. Get one.
Sure his wife will begrudge him if his skips out da’ honeymoon to play in Washington but I’ve not recently heard of Cuba being a destination spot for honeymooners unless you’ve been in love with Al-Qaeda or the Taliban.
Maybe he’s going to Cuba to drum up some ‘bidness. This story needs a total barf alert.
Figures.
A trip to a commie paradise or to play at the commie ball. I do believe I have the vapors we’ll have to call off the cotillion. Forgive me for extracting a small amount of glee from this mans “problem”.
Life as a committed moonbat is so hard. Decisions, decisions decisions
Or as they used to say on NYPD Blue,”She’ll beat his balls off.”
This dope deserves Obama, as for the nitwit woman, she should dump his sorry behind while she still has the chance to dump this loser for free.
Cuba for a honeymoon? I’ve heard Zimbabwe is nice this time of year.
“a Halifax hand drummer”
aka Loser
Let them eat cake, eh, Barry?
Either way he gets screwed.
Agree. There is no decision between a honeymoon and some drumming gig. What exactly is he expecting Obammo to do? Be there? React so strongly to his percussive skills that Barak breaks out his own set of bongos and jams with him on stage?
I’ll acknowledge my guilt for judging the book by the cover on this young man. I’d suggest he should spend his time on the beach reflecting on what it means to be a husband and eventually a father. It’s time to get a real job, get a real life, and learn to prioritize what is truly lasting and important.
Heh, just look at him. His wife to be must be a dim bulb.
About an hour earlier, Mr. Fraser, 45, had told troupe leader Mufaro Chakabuda he would be unable to join them in Washington, D.C., for the African Inaugural Ball because he was unable to postpone the $2,300 trip or find others who might be able to use the tickets.
The African Inaugural Ball?? What the hell is that?
Cue the music:
“I don’t want to work, I want to bang on the drum all day”.
Perfect for Obama’s followers...
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