IFR CLRNC CONFUSION.

Narrative

I TOOK OFF VFR IN VMC (SCATTERED CLOUDS AT AROUND 2000' AGL). I THEN CONTACTED PEORIA APCH TO PICK UP MY IFR CLRNC TO MEM. I AM A NEW IFR PLT; AND THIS WAS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH RECEIVING A CLRNC WHILE AIRBORNE. I CANNOT SWEAR THAT I HEARD MY CLRNC ACCURATELY; BUT I UNDERSTOOD (AND COPIED THE CLRNC) AS 'CLRED TO THE MEMPHIS ARPT; DIRECT CAP; THEN AS FILED; CLB AND MAINTAIN 6000'.' I READ BACK THIS CLRNC AND I BELIEVE THAT I WAS GREETED WITH 'READBACK CORRECT.' THE RTE I HAD FILED IN MY FLT PLAN WAS: DIRECT PIA; V129 TO CAP; V69 TO FAM; V9 TO GQE; DIRECT MEM; (GENERALLY A SSW RTE). WHEN I WAS PASSED TO SPRINGFIELD APCH; I WAS DIRECTED TO 'DSND TO 5000'; THE CORRECT ALT' FOR MY DIRECTION OF FLT. (THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN A CLUE TO ME THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH MY CLRNC.) AS I CROSSED THE CAP VOR; I TURNED TO A NEW COURSE OF 187 DEGS; WITH A RIGHT-HAND CORRECTION OF ABOUT 5-10 DEGS. A FEW MINS LATER; I RECEIVED AN INQUIRY FROM SPRINGFIELD AS TO MY HDG. I RESPONDED THAT IT WAS ABOUT 190 OR 195 DEGS. A FEW SECS LATER; SPRINGFIELD STATED THAT MY HDG SHOULD BE ABOUT 130 DEGS. ASKED HIM TO VERIFY THAT MY CLRNC WAS THE ONE I HAVE INDICATED ABOVE. HE ASKED ME TO STANDBY AND THEN CAME BACK AND TOLD ME THAT MY CLRNC HAD BEEN: DIRECT CAP; DIRECT SAM; DIRECT GQE; DIRECT MEM. (COMMUNICATED WITH WHAT SEEMED TO ME TO BE LIKE A TONE OF EXASPERATION OR DISGUST IN THE VOICE.) THIS 'NEW' CLRNC WAS A SURPRISE TO ME. I HAD NO IDEA WHERE SAM WAS; AND WHEN I FOUND IT; I DISCOVERED THAT THE DISTANCE BTWN THERE AND GQE IS SOMETHING LIKE 225 NM (A LOT FARTHER THAN I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO NAV VIA VOR AT 5000'). THE CLRNC WAS SHORTLY AMENDED TO DIRECT ENL; DIRECT GQE; DIRECT MEM--A SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT; BUT STILL A LONG HAUL BTWN FIXES. FROM MY PERSPECTIVE; A BREAKDOWN IN THE GND-BASED ATC SYS OCCURRED. THIS PUT ME AND MY PAX; AS WELL AS OTHER ACFT IN THE AREA; IN POTENTIAL DANGER. IT WAS FORTUNATE THAT THE CONDITIONS AT THE TIME MADE IT POSSIBLE TO SEE AND AVOID ANY POTENTIALLY CONFLICTING TFC. BY THE WAY; I INCLUDED THE STATEMENT 'NEW IFR RATING' IN MY REMARKS SECTION OF THE FLT PLAN. I DID THIS IN HOPES OF RECEIVING EXTRA CARE IN HANDLING FROM ATC (SLOWER COMS; ETC). I WOULD NOT ADVISE ANYONE TO DO THIS IN THE FUTURE. I WAS AWARE OF NO INSTANCES IN WHICH I RECEIVED ANY BENEFIT FROM MY ADMISSION; AND IN SEVERAL INSTANCES I WAS AWARE OF WHAT SEEMED INTOLERANT AND CONDESCENDING ATTITUDES FROM A FEW CTLRS. I DOUBT THAT THE ABOVE INCIDENT WAS RELATED TO MY ADMISSION OF NEOPHYTE STATUS; BUT IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR MOST CONFUSED BY CTLR INDICATING A DIFFERENT CLRNC THAN FILED. FEELS THEY WERE TRYING TO KEEP HIM CLEAR OF ST LOUIS AREA BUT RATHER EXTREME DIRECTION TO SE. NO ARWY BTWN 2 VOR'S USED; AND CLRED DIRECT.