oil-spot

v. to accidentally leave behind a member of a touring company or road show, especially in the form to get oil-spotted. Subjects: English, Automobiles & Transportation, Entertainment, Petroleum, Slang

3 Comments | Cites | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Citations: 1998 Pamm Riddle The Nicks Fix (July 28) “The Best Buy Missing Roadie Reports”: Steve McDonald (our Guitar Tech) got oil spotted. Oil spotting is when you leave someone. Steve ran in to use the phone and didn’t tell anyone so when the bus driver got there we had all been waiting for a while and just assumed everyone was on the bus. 2003 [Dave] A Barking Dog (Oct. 21) “She said oh no, Guadalajara won’t do”: About then prod dude shows up, just aware that he was about to oil spotted, though due to no fault of his own. 2004 Jeri Goldstein How to Be Your Own Booking Agent (Feb.) p. 257: If anyone leaves the bus to get something to eat while the driver is not around, they must leave their laminate on his seat. That way he knows to wait for them. Otherwise they will get “oil-spotted.” 2004 Jacob Slichter So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star (June 29) p. 200: Chris makes sure everyone is onboard and says to John, our driver, “We’re a bus,” which means, everyone’s on, let’s go.…Failing to leave a sign of your temporary absence puts you at risk of being “oil-spotted.” 2006 Dave Rat Roadies in the Midst—Touring with the Red Hot Chili Peppers (Aug. 24): For us roadies, truck stops provide a place to frolic, shop and occasionally get left behind. Being left behind is called “oil spotted” in roadie speak. No one truly knows the origin of the term but evidence does indicate that it may have evolved from the statement “the only thing I could find was the oil spot where the bus used to be.” To avoid oil spotation, it generally a good idea for roadies to leave a note on the drivers seat if they leave the bus. 2006 Lisa Jo Sagolla Back Stage (Nov. 16) “Touring Tips ”: Many tours impose bus fines. If you’re late for the bus call, management will fine you. But on Pink’s tour, we had something called “oil-spotted.” What it means is, if you’re more than five minutes late for the bus call, the only thing you’re going to see is an oil spot left on the ground by the bus, which took off without you. And if that happens, you are responsible for flying or somehow making your way to the next tour stop, in time for the performance and at your own expense.

Posted 20 Nov 06 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

“Oil Spot” was also the USMC strategy for dealing with the insurgency during our “stay” in Vietnam.

by Edward Rockstein 21 Nov 06, 1134 GMT

That’s a completely different entry, which is already on this site: oil spot strategy.

by Grant Barrett 21 Nov 06, 1142 GMT

Just want to occasionally tell you how much I enjoy your site & the daily updates. Skid, oil spotting are terrific. I’ve used Goldilocks Zone on the air a couple of times. Keep it up!
Evan Haning
WTOP Radio

by Evan Haning 29 Nov 06, 1233 GMT