Captains spell each other off on these ships. Our ship alternates between Captain Johnny (the comedian captain) and Captain Thor (the rock star captain). Captain Thor is currently the master of the ship, and today he held the first rehearsal with his new rock band.

I'm not in his new band, but Kamal, our guitarist, and Crusher, our drummer, were both 'asked' to be in it. When you're asked to be in the captain's band you say yes. Or, more properly, "Aye-aye Captain!"

I wasn't asked. Captain Thor got Claudio, a sound technician who also plays bass, to play in his band. I'd like to think it's because Claudio will be around longer (on the ship, I mean - my contract's up in just over three weeks). But I think it's because he's younger, and can jump around better than I can.

It's just as well I wasn't asked. I'm not much into Bruce Springsteen, the captain's main man, and the jumping around might aggravate the old gout...

When I ran into Kamal after the rehearsal I asked him how it went. Maybe he was trying to downplay things so as not to make me feel too sorry about not being asked to be in the band when he replied, "Oh, it was bored. The music was very bored, and I was boring."

"You mean you were bored, because the music was boring?" I asked.

"Isn' tha' what I sayed?"

"Well, it's good to be in the captain's band, isn't it? Don't you feel kind of privileged? I mean, it's not about the music."

"I would feel more privilege' if we got some money. Today was s'pose to be my day off. But, well, anyway our fridge benefit is he took us to lonch in the Win'jammer." The Windjammer is the guest buffet on deck 12. When he said "fridge benefit" I thought he was going to say he got a case of beer or something.

I thought I'd make Kamal hip to the politics of the situation. "Getting friendly with the captain is a good thing, Kamal. Most people on the ship don't get that opportunity. Maybe you've noticed, the captain carries considerable weight on the ship. He's a good guy to have on your side."

"I guess so. But I still like to be paid. Should I make a complain' with our supervisor?"

"Whatever you think, Kamal." Some people are their own worst enemies.

I have a feeling I'll get to hear the band. There's one more Captain's meeting before I leave, and the band will probably debut at it. I heard last year's version of his band (on my first contract) and I'll be durned if Captain Thor wasn't pretty good.

Everybody's a musician...