Don't Say That Word

"I was working at Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa as a waitress and I was surrounded by all these fish and people who were really into fishing. So I got a fisherman's almanac and wrote it as just a fun sort of blues tune. But I guess it kind of lent itself to double-entendres."

Flemming will be returning to Skipper's in a few weeks - not as a waitress, but as a performer. She has developed followings in Tampa, D.C., and New England, and since relocating to South Florida in 1989 she has frequently returned to those places to play. "There are two schools of thought on that subject," she says. "The first is that if you stay in one place long enough, you can develop a good following. The second is that if you stay in one place long enough, people are going to get sick of you. Since I have a short attention span, I like getting out of town, and the following I'm developing is more regional than just local. When I first left Florida, there wasn't much happening in terms of original music. Now there's more of a scene, but you still have to be realistic. South Florida audiences are not accustomed to having original music around all the time. Most people in a bar want to hear something they're familiar with, and I respect that. So, to avoid boring them and boring myself, I like to take it on the road. Unfortunately, I can't afford to take the band with me."

Thankfully, she won't be gone too long. Flemming plans on staying in South Florida, writing songs, performing in clubs, putting together the CD, and waitressing during the season. "I want to keep on doing what I've been doing, but on a larger scale," she says. "I'd like to branch out into other forms of composing - maybe do a TV sitcom theme song, like the Dick Van Dyke Show. That would be great.