Like many people I have gathered a few nicknames over my years and through the different careers I have had the pleasure of experiencing. In my early rock ‘n’ roll days I was called crazy Charlie Morgan. If you’ve toured or worked in theaters and arenas and clubs, you have a long list of nicknames … in many cases you’ve never known the actual name of that person.  

I had a propensity for running audio system a little louder than other people, and so somewhere along the line the name Morgan changed to Moregain. When Charlie was at the board the system ran with more gain.  

One summer I was out with Lightfoot doing the “Shed” dates that happen each year.  These are indoor/outdoor venues that provide lawn seating as well as traditional covered seats.  In the Midwest it’s not unusual to see high humidity and temps in the 90+ range, so even mild exertion brings sweat!  One such day was at Tanglewood just outside Boston.  It was the second to last show at the facility prior to a major remodel.  Poco would follow us and do the last show. Poco showed up a day early to hang lights so we would have their lighting rig, and we had some ‘lively’ exchanges during the day.  But it was hot and muggy and we were booked to be at Fort Adams the next day, site of the Newport Jazz Festival, so when the show came down we pushed hard to pack up. I was, at the end of the truck pack, wearing tennis shoes and a pair of shorts. Nothing else.

I walk into the Green Room looking for something to drink and the after-show party has consumed everything.  BUT, there in the center of the room, at the bottom of a 50 gal drum of ice water, is one bottle of Mickey’s Malt Liquor. I cannot reach it with my arm. T-Bird (Lightfoot’s bass player) cackles when he sees me pondering my next move and says … “he’s goin’ in!” I dive head first into the barrel which give me enough extension to reach the MML. On the way back up and out I snag my shorts on the retainer ring at the top of the barrel and it goes over, dumping all the water on the floor.   

I hastily pull my shorts back up and one of the staff says don’t worry about it – the place is being torn down next week – so I walk out and continue to button up the load out. (PS – this is the moment the word shrinkage comes to mind) (see Season 5, Episode 20, Seinfeld – The Hamptons)   

The next day at Fort Adams, a venue made entirely of sod walls, features Judy Collins,  my good friends Leo Kotke and Steve Goodman (RIP), and a host of others performing on a near-permanent stage. Sound and lights are in place, so we need only unload backline. It’s rare that Chuck Thomas and I would arrive at the same time as the band, but it happened so on this day. As we got out of our vehicles a man came out of the tunnel and asked, “Lightfoot?  Which one of you guys is The Goon that spilled all the water yesterday at Tanglewood?”

The entire group of guys all turn and point to me whilst emitting a sound like a door buzzer. At that moment I became Moregoon, aka The Goon.