Send questions to: bonnyhind@hotmail.com
| Sunday, August 31, 2003
8.31
good bye.
|
|
| Saturday, August 30, 2003
8.30
we are waiting to check at the club in vermont. sitting on stage.
**
drove
from montreal, after all the secret ventures were done, into the heavy
line-up at our border, where sat and read SURFING INDONESIA while our
TSA, i guess< checked and double checked for troublers attempting to
permeate. got to burlington and hunted down the “festive and fancy”
garb required for tomorrow’s “commitment ceremony” we will be
attending, in strange full circles fashion. so got a shirt that would
pass for either festive or fancy and waited for Mike on the ped mall.
He came, we ate (enchilda casserole, kale, beets, two double ales) and
then in the rain we got into our cars.
**
over
this trip have fell particularly in love with a bjork song about “I
have seen it all” and on the way to te car bought a used copy of
it...very angry to hear some man’s voice polluting the song; it’s a
very great single-voice, first-person song. wanted to smash it! but
haven’t yet.
**
we drove a long way. mike had given us our song and we listened and
practiced in the car on the rainy drive. at his house, out in the
middle of nowhere! we talked, me and him and terri and then got more
food, barbecue chicken and fries plus from the pantry fresh tomatoes
and cheese, pickles, olives. drank wine too. talked to bryan on the
phone, which was great.
**
the bed assigned to us was a thin firm mattress on a high platform,
very comfortable, surrounded by windows, and when it was bedtime (we
had got a movie but didnt watch it: IT ALL STARTED TODAY). but in bed
instead I watched some of the HUNTED which wasn’t very good, and so
went to sleep. Mike gave me to read : EROTIC TALES OF OLD RUSSIA
(BILINGUAL EDITION), which begins with this paragraph: “An old man once
bought his wife a sheepskin coat, then fucked her all night by the
fence. In the morning the weather was rather damp. The old woman walked
along all hunched over and was crying. The old man followed, ready to
hop on her again. She implored her husband, ‘Please don’t tear me to
pieces, dear!’ But the old man was hard of hearing, so he rammed his
prick into her womb and fucked the shit out of her.”
!!
**
It was in bed there, and in the morning, and over the whole evening
really, that humanity crept back in. full humanity reigned three times
on this trip, once in malibu, once on christian island, and then here
in vermont, and the circumstances seem similar: some kind of remoteness
or isloation paired with the company of loved ones, and ones liked a
whole lot. speech returns, clarity.
**
in the morning, this morning, mike and me went to breakfast (eggs and
bacon and raisin toast) and then across the street a little book store
that had a sale, so we got a book on Lefty Frizzell (for todd) and one
on June Carter Cash, plus a book of ballads, and Atlas Shrugged, and a
book about JOhn Cassavettes. Half price.
**
then to work, where I had to sing my part on “Lonely Financial Zone” at
the Re-Bop records HQ, doing a Sinatra style post-duet with a
nine-year-old girl. it was very fun. mike said he had also recorded
michael hurley right there too. diana at re-bop gave me fifty bucks for
my troubles, a welcome surprise.
then swimming, with sweet beers and rock-jumping from little cliffs
into deep pools. introduced Mike to COUNTRY GRAMMAR and SOUL RUSH on
the drive. we hit another swimming hole, a small gorge with loopy
liquid gray rocks with holes and tunnels and currents. the water
temperature was perfect, although the day today was gray and cool.
**
the show in winooski vermont was a favorite. because of the audience
and because of listening to CHOCOLATE FACTORY before starting.
“Ignition”.
questions
q:whats
your favorite book, not even a really intelligent good read, maybe
guilty pleasure? my mom like harlequin romance novels, i read one once
(well actually skimmed one) and now i think she's a bit sex crazed,
those books are mother's cry of sexual frustration everywhere.
a:along those lines, one of my favorites is GO TO THE WIDOW MAKER by James Jones.
q:theres this song about this black lady, in the inner city, who kinda
screams when sings and she's singing out her window and people tell her
to keep it down, i think it's from the 60's. do you know what it is?
a: I can’t think of it. can anyone help us out?
q:why do you refer to yourself in the third person?
a: because sometimes who we refer to is a shared thing.
Q: why do you speak in poetic obscurities ("the sea is our home" instead of "i like to tour"), when you could just say it?
a: the answers given are the CORRECT answers.
q: is this all part of "the act"?
a: yes, baby.
q:Acknowledging that we're a bit off the beaten track, is Alaska in your plans?
a: fill us with info; how many places could we play, where where where. we will go.
q:Who is your favorite film director & what is your favorite film by that person?
a:
taking into consideration all of the movies that each of these
directors made before: BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA directed by
Sam Peckinpah; BENEATH THE VALEY OF THE ULTRA VIXENS and SUPERVIXEN
directed by Russ Meyer; LOVESTREAMS directed by Joh Cassavetes. you
asked about directors, and it isn’t always the direcotr who is
responsible for the movie, but in these cases it is.
q:what should i ask for, for my birthday?
a: do not ask for anything.
q:is music as meaningful to you these days as it was when you started?
a:yes.
q: does it feel as urgent?
a: yes.
q:especially as the trends of music have gone in such different directions than when you started?
a:umm...don’t they always? plus ain’t nobody turned off the taps of the past, it’s hot.
q:have you ever had a kinder bueno candy bar?
a: only if that’s the kinder egg job.
q:and do you know how much we loved you at red rocks?
a: no, how much. we loved you too. that was a very visual audience.
q:I
suppose when someone writes as many songs as you do, it's hard to
generalize, but how do you typically get an idea for a lyric? Do
you start with tradition, and update it (Ohio River)?Ot start with a
line from elsewhere?
a: really: any old place. frsh, stole, old, took upon.
q:a
few people on your newsgroup are saying you made this years choice of
songs intentionally obscure, for some reason or another. what made you
choose these songs to perform? what makes you choose songs to perform
on any tour?
a: well, gosh. we pick what we can sing at any given time.
q:one
of my favorite songs is "lets start a family" and it's usually my one
song intro to your music on many a mixtape. who is the girl backing
you, what will era is this from?
a: glynnis
mcdaris sings on that song, and it was recorded maybe four years ago in
brooklyn with matt sweeney and mike fellows by nicholas vernhes at the
rare book room. the song is a little older than that.
showers of blesses,
wolfie
|
|
| Thursday, August 28, 2003
8.28
I
dont know. who knows here? I have met the people who are first to say
that they know, and they are only first and loudest to say so because
it conv5nces them, because it convinces others. the rest of us know,
most of the time, and it is either fine or it scares us. but now I dont
know.
**
when
we are alone, and the phone is an accomplice in this, and far then from
many things...like now mike and dagny and justin and jilan are very
close butI can’t find them, and they may as well not be close, and the
phone doesnt really work, plus we are tired of it and almost hate it,
and then you know that you should be, now in the water, under water,
and when you come up there should be something there.
**
raced into montreal, race race. wanted to stop and get flowers but
there was no time, there were stopped cars and congestion, and
directions were vague so asked all the stopped cars : ou est-ce que
blah blah, then got to where could put the little freedom coupe by a
wterfall here on the grounds of Holeye Nothingville on island where my
couch is in a biosphere. yeah yeah. yeah.
**
tomorrow, best to say, will wake up, somewhere, and drive to VT where
am meant to make a recording for a young person’s record, singing “the
lonely financial zone” with a very young singer, and hopefully swim.
sunday this diary will come to an end, and so for the first time will
anticipate it with some description of events to come as opposed to
those that have been. who else dwells on the four ghosts of xmas carol;
who else dwells on tusitala? who? here’s fun, stomping! maybe get some
togs festive and fancy for the commitment ceremony of sunday, and the
beginning of seeing just a fucking bout everyone from our whole lives,
everyone but Brute.
**
it’s insane. can hear the heaps of bullshit through the paper thin
walls. heaps. bring me my shark. bring me my shark. bring me my shark.
bring me my shark. bring me my cunt. I will wash it and name it
georgina.
**
the crew, has been so very good. we are grateful. trying to decide if
it is worth it to go back to kentucky for two nights before the last
show in toronto. cindy will join us there, good.
**
going to burlington, to vermont, one of the better states in the usa.
one of the exciting things about dean is that he’s from VT, and say the
difference between Arkansas and VT maybe the diff between Howard and
Bill. went to Burlington a few times before, good drives up the left
side to stay with bryan and carveth, or to play. good lake, good
eating, high. they were long times ago.
**
q:Can you dance?
a: o yes.
q: Is it true you ate mushrooms with the director of WAKING LIFE...?
a: no. not exactly.
q:Will you please play a set in Williamsburg, Brooklyn before or after the Bjork dates?
a: no.
q:Niel Hagerty's new record is so good it gives me a hard on. Agreed, no?
a: we haven’t seen YOUR hard-on.
Q: Is the surfing any good in India, or do you know if there is a surfing culture there ?
a: yes, yes.
Q: Have you ever met Lance Armstrong ?
a: not even in dreams.
q:
what waters does an old salty dog like yourself most enjoy taking a
cool dip in? is it a lake, is it a river, is it an ocean, or is
it a pool full of clorine and chemicals? furthermore, do you have
a secret spot or three which you most enjoy swimming?
a: most enjoy the ocean. certain pools (thank you laura and monica; dv; mrs. bullitt) . Makapu’u. Byron.
q: what (if any) cover songs have you been playing of late?
a:haven’t learned someone else’s song in a very long time.
q:do you listen to any regaee by capleton, sister nancy, buju banton, et al?
a: yes, we copied some capleton from someone about a year ago in La France.
q: when writing songs do you associate faces with characters written about?
a:not blindingly.
q: be honest now, do you believe in bigfoot?
a: I believe in john c. reilly.
q:have you seen In Praise of Love(Godard)?
a: no
q:are you familiar with the early records of "the Mighty Sparrow"?
a: No!
q:have you ever liked the incredible string band?
a: only the very cellular song; most of it is like scratching chalkboards, or smelling dead squirrels.
q:What inspires your you to write about the things you do?
a: the things themselves, and their grip on future shoos.
q: What do intend to instill in your listeners through your music?
a: they know.
q:half-hours on earth, what are they worth?
a: I know. lots and lots.
q:what's the fate of the Mariah Carey cover you recorded with Ian Williams and Buddha Monk?
a: “top people”.
q: can you confirm or deny the rumor that you've been working on a collaboration with David Berman?
a: yes I can!
|
|
| Tuesday, August 26, 2003
8.26
drove
out of nyc the other night, pulled over somewhere between rochester and
buffalo. got nice little room, it was 3 am or so, and dissolved into
bed. the room was an old, small motel room, with no space for anything
but sleeping. alarm for early morning, wake-up call, as there was a
boat to catch. so drove across the border (easy again) and past toronto
to the north, to a little spit of land where my ferry was. drove onto
the boat, and fell asleep. on the other side, was woken up by some boat
official, and everyone had left the ferry, it was a bout to take off,
to cross back over with me agagin. my aunt met me, and I followed her
to the cabin. we were on an island in georgian bay, a reserve, or
reservation, under the control and ownership of a native (Indian) band
(which is like a tribe). this is where I slept for two nights.
immediately upon arrival, cares disa-fucking-ppeared. my family tends
to do this. so, 36 hours of time with my aunt and cousins, in the
water, at the table. some games, lots of talking. some sleeping. the
water completely frsh and clear and beautiful, drinkable even. there
was a little sea-doo/jet ski type thing that made for goodness on the
water.
**
second morning, woke early to catch the
ferry again, then race across ontario to ottawa. my aunt packed me a
lunch (!). had got free the night before, and with all the water
activity and lack of sleep , jeez, was fried to melting still, and
could not imagine singing that night. how? drove in, soundchecked, ate
thai, then sat and worked on the strings and the voice and the set.
also did two local radio talks, which were fine, and proof-read a copy
of the EASE booklet for a new printing. surprise visit in the dressing
room from La’s half-brother, amazing. convo, photos, then back to work
and wondering how. on stage, our favorite, hot and wet and sweating
heaps and loads and tons. (on the television here : “just what canada
needs: another problem that brings the safety of its meat into
question.”) so sang for a good long time in ottawa, sang “wolf among
wolves” and “drunk at the pulpit” for the first time on this trip, and
the audience was super excellent and so somehow it happened, thank you
Mini-man!
**
after show, got free as a motherfucker and came back to the seventh floor, big bed, got food sent up, then slept.
-wolfie
questions:
q:What do you think of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Ryan Adams?
a: do you ask just because they are all from south carolina?
q:Do you ever watch the television ?
a: Yes.
q:Have you ever been a fan of the Partridge family ?
a: yes.
q:Do you like Donnie Osmand or Marie Osmand more ?
a: we only like them both together.
q:Do you like the film The Wiz ?
a:don’t recall seeing it all the way through.
q:Do you ever smoke cigarettes ?
a: not much. somewhere between 1 and 2 cigarttes may have been smoked on this trip.
q:Do you vote ?
a: some of the time, not all of the time. in public elections.
q:Can you do any good break dance moves ?
a: I can die trying.
q:Have you ever owned a pair of parachute pants ?
a: not I, in family there were some.
q:Are you a fan of Gary Coleman ?
a:what you talking bout, Batman?
q:What format do you prefer ? records, cassettes, 8-tracks,cd's or other ?
a: I take it how I can get it, honestly.
q:What/how do you think/feel about keeping a tour diary ?
a:Well, I feel alright about it.to try once, it’s good.
q:Are you experienced in any forms of martial arts ?
a: mind war.
q:Do you use microwaves ?
a: yes.
q:Do you like any Star Trek ?
a: Wrath of Khan, and the Kobiyashi Maru motif of the first movie.
q:Do you drink the milk of cows ?
a:yes, though not avidly. I would drink the milk of anything if it was served to me. Bees, dogs, giraffes.
q:How much do you allow for the ideas of other players to influence the composition of a recording?
a:other
players often end up overtly creating the arrangements of recordings.
on most of the recordings, who was there determined what was there. to
the point that if someone were to make an anthology of David Grubbs’
music, I would hope that wthey would pull a song from ARISE THEREFORE.
q:How many more records do you see yourself releasing, or is it impossible to say?
a: we see a couple more.
q:have you ever been to/played in, or are you ever going to come to/ play in Wilmignton, NC?
a: if we haven’t been there yet, we will be there, yes, for sure. NC is going to be the epicenter of something.
q:do you read any contemporary poets?
a: rarely.
q:do you collect shells when surfing/swimming?
a: actually, collect rocks instead.
q:what's your favorite meal to cook?
a: something using meat, lemon, a skillet.
q:
I saw you play in Beloit, WI at an ostensible folkfest back in
'01. So it was somehwat puzzling that you claimed in response to
an earlier question that you'd never played such a thing; maybe you
don't remember, it was the weekend before 9/11 and you told me that you
don't play the Midwest often because you don't like the feeling of
being so deep into land (a statement that popped up in the tour diary
too).
a: I don’t know where I said that I don’t remember this, I remember it quite well, the whole afternoon and evening....
q:
Anyhow, I asked you, briefly after the show, about some of the then-new
songs you'd played. One, you allowed, was a John Phillips cover,
but it wasn't "Somebody's Sleeping." I finally picked up _John,
Wolf King of L.A._ and was wondering what exactly the song was,
again. Also, have you read JP's autobiography, _Papa John_, and
would you recommend it?
a: the song was from the
soundtrack to BREWSTER MCCLOUD and it was called, I think, “Unnatural
Acts”. We have flipped through PAPA JOHN, and since we mainly like JP
for his 1970 solo record and for the Brwester tunes, and because those
songs/sessions are all but ignored in the book, we have little use for
that book.
q:Gotta
say: the no-band/auto-harp set wasn't really projecting to the back
row. To off-set this, would you consider employing a giant inflatable
version of yourself a la the Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels tour?
a:
(this is referring to friday night at coney island). that night we
weren’t really projecting. whatever else can be said for the Stones, we
don’t have any good feelings about their stupid stage sets.
q:by the way, "i am a cinematographer" sounded great. are you playing that often now? or was it a request?
a: have played it twice on this trip.
q:are your set lists looser since you are playing solo?
a: no , not really.
q: have you toured solo much? i usually see you with a fairly good sized band.
a: it seems to have been half-and-half of late.
q: are you touring solo right now just to keep that fat bjork check all to yourself?
a: We wanted to be alone.
q:also how long will you have yr diary up?
a: new entries will stop on August 31st. the diary will remain up for another week, and then go away.
q: i do a show on radioindierock.com and was wondering if you have any song requests?
a: sure, yes.
q:How do you feel about the film "McCabe & Mrs. Miller"?
a: we remember liking it.
q:And which recordings do you believe hold Mick Turner's finest work?
a:
very finest? I really love the Tren Brothers, and, subjectively, some
tapes of music that I have had for a long time, the basic roughs for
the GET ON JOLLY songs.
|
|
| Thursday, August 21 - Saturday, August 23, 2003
tonight it is a bad night.
went to visit the jackson pollock house today.
haven’t gotten in the water, must before bed; it’s only thirty yards away. rented a bicycle, rode to the harbor.
**
so now it is days later, and far better. that day drove to the
hamptons, where the pollock house is, and that (east hampton et al) is
a miserable place, where wealth is enough death. too many no turn
signs, too many cars obeying too many rules, and buddah bellies on
every one; I do not think it’s cool that buddha is fat the way buddha
is.
**
but that night, did get into the water. a fellow, nice one, came out to
montauk to my motel to interview me, and we drank bottles and bottles
of barley poison while we talked, and ate sushi, and talked about
music. he gave me a promo of a DFA comp, thanks peter. had had a dream
the night before maybe where my girl was brittany murphy, so I went to
the local video store and found a movie she is in, SPUN. it is, I
figure, about crystal meth. the opening music track sounded familiar
but I couldn’t figure it out for a while. I thought it sounded like Lou
Barlow but as a boy; the voice was good, the lyrics good. by the end I
realized it was sweeney doing an iron maiden cover. all of the music,
though credited to billy corgan, had sweeney all over it, and was all
good, especially when corgan sang in a falsetto, which was very pretty,
and when matt sang. bravo! the movie had mickey rourke in it too, he’s
charming. and brittany was...what the ass(donkey) in me melts with!
maybe just a little more barley poison, and opened the notebook and
began to transcribe transcribe. late night it got to be, and so we
forced ourselves to sleep after jumping in the ocean at some point.
**
still no surf in the morning. coffee, juice. bought a little stuffed
octopus puppet for bjork’s new baby as a thank you gift. sure we have
said it before, but her and her peeps are all real nice and
accomodating. up early in the morning for the drive to NYC, in case.
pick up two hitchers, a couple, and they guide us around the traffic on
country roads.
**
the nyc shows are at coney island, at the ballpark of the minor-league
team the Cyclones. lots of friends and aquaintances in nyc, including
the crew that’s filming the shows; that crew has four folks that we
know from all different places: braden from working with him on Dutch
Harbor, Morgan from Louisville, Ian from music, andLance we met out in
portland but were already some kind of fan of what he had worked on.
then more friends from louisville, the tylers, were there, and they
brought a friend, and we went out to the poison shops (milk and
honey:rum). my ghetto pad at the “off soho suites” is not slept in.
filthy place.
**
the friday night show is alright; almost auto-pilot because new york
can be such a hard place to focus sometimes, as the energy is coming
from all the fuck over. but it gets done, and we like it, although all
of these shows are strange in their way, and are eating into the soul
along with the rest of the rag tag dirty dozen of cavity creeps that
are hauling off at our TEETH!
**
another early fucking morning, no sleep hardly at all. get coffee, go
to the movies. the usher, jess, is very nice and sayd hello. went to
see THIRTEEN which made us angry, cry, like really it was like we were
PMS-ing, with tourrette’s outbursts frequent. argh! oof! bitch! Holly
Hunter. when I was...well gosh: thirteen! she came to kentucky to do a
play. I beleive the play was called EDEN COURT and was writ by Murphy
Guyer. she’s very little, and so I was too, and just fell for her ( I
was in a play too then, at the same festival). THIRTEEN the movie
freaked us out, not a difficult thing to do. right now.
**
made a plan with cindy to practice, she joined us for the second coney
island show, and bonny switched to guitar, and wore the powder blue
ladies’ sweats, tight on the bulge, hood up, red-white-and-blue wendy
strap. cindy wore a jumpsuit. this was on stage. we practiced in the
ghetto shithole room I had rented. ate two turkish lamb roll-ups from
the houston street turkish fast-food jernt. good! watched a little of
BEAUTIFUL MIND on tv, but started to get it mixed up with CONFESSIONS
OF A DANGEROUS MIND. also: at the theater saw a great preview for the
second time, it was for SHAOLIN SOCCER.
**
there’s aprty tonight, an after party, a costume party where everyone
is meant to dress astheir favorite song. and everyone is meant to bring
a copy of the song too. so maybe in my powder-blues I’ll go as lil boy
blue and bring the bobby bland song (?) ...not time to plan for these
things.
**
friday afternoon stopped answering the phone, and won’t pick it up
again until drving out of nyc. too many calls. gonna throw it away in a
couple of weeks.
**
last night bjork’s show was more of a party set than before. denver had been subdued subdued it seemd.
**
bob just crept in to say hello. we’re so tired. there’s so much that’s
inappropriate for these pages! where will it go?
good night!
questions:
q:what are your feelings on goethe?
a: have none in radar.
q:do you think one can fully experience literature that's been translated?
a:totally.
q:have you seen animal crackers? if so how did you feel about it?
a: yes, it was very nice and funny!
q: would you ever play live music in a "dramatic" performance situation (play)?
a: yes.
q: how often are you offered acting roles and turn them down?
a: not very often.
q: can i publish a writing of yours in a small magazine?
a: what writing?
q: what would it take for me to have you write a song for my play?
a: a thrilling way of phrasing the request, with all that “thrilling” entails.
q: did you write that song expressly for "all the real girls"?
a: no, tailored it to fit.
q: what is your opnion on The Mountain Goats?
a: the opinion you seek is not worth the seeking.
q: i would love it a lot if you learned to play and then played 'holiday' by the kinks. can i hear that?
a:
we have played “holiday” by the bee gees, once in brimingham alabama
with lots of special guests on stage, including all of USA; is this the
song you meant?
q: do you have any plans of collaborating in any way with David Berman? those are old rumors now, but we would love that.
a: we collaborate all of the time.
q: have you read "babel-17" by samuel r. delaney?
a: no.
q: what do you think of matthew barney?
a: evidence still flowing.
q:were the pale orange pants a part of yet another two-piece hoody set without the top piece?
a: no. they were cords, part of an ensemble built by wendy.
q:Do you like Mia Doi Todd?
a: yes.
q:I
saw your show in Dublin earlier in the summer, and enjoyed it very
much. I haven't seen such a rabidly enthusiastic audience at one of
your gigs before — continuing to scream for encores after the lights
came up. Have you ever gotten this kind of reception anywhere else
before?
a: we don’t know!
q:Do you sometimes use an idea from a book or a film to tell a story ?
a: yes! have done!
q:is
Riding based around the Blind Lemon Jefferson song 'John the
Revelator'? It asks questions about where John the Baptist is riding,
then answers them, like 'Riding' does.
a: well, I
don’t know that version of the song you are talking about, unless it is
the Blind Willie Johnson song you mean. and I always thought, in that
song, that John was “writing”, and that he was writing revelations,
being a revelator. so the answer to the question is No.
q:When in the dark with a record player, would you rather it be playing a male or female voice?
a: a female voice
q:do you have a favorite Alan Lomax collection? If so which one?
a: bahamas, scotland, one of those.
q:why do you choose the orthodoxies you choose?
a: not everyone can afford the new invisible braces.
q:Have you heard australian instrumental 3 The Necks?
a: No.
q:how about L.A. guitarist Nels Cline?
a: well , a very little.
q:Would you ever work with Liam Hayes again?
a: if god is truly merciful.
q:When writing and recording songs, do you imagine a listener's reaction, or can you only feel your own?
a: no difference.
q:What makes you nervous?
a:doing the necessary.
q:Do you have a favorite Townes Van Zandt song?
a: not as such, no.
q:Was "No More Workhorse Blues" recorded during a thunderstorm, or was the sound manipulated?
a: that song was recorded during a thunderstorm. it was take two or three. the windows were open.
q:Have you read "Anam Cara" by John O'Donohue?
a: uh-uh, no.
|
|
| Wednesday, August 20, 2003
8.20
sleep
came. woke at 8:30, and thought, “well.” then closed eyes and woke
again in the early afternoon, ready to sleep more. no luggage, though.
surf is very low, even bodysurfing looks pore. so went to the
lighthouse and hopped around on the rocks towards a beach where there
was not one single one, and swam there.
**
one
bad call came today, from someone we don’t know too well. she asked if
we were angry. well. then a swim, and another call came, and that was
very good.
**
tomorrow in the early morning they will bring my bags. dinner tonight,
fish and spinach and more greens. martina bussed the table, she from
Czech republic. before saying anything, she brought me candles and
candles and candles because I was reading the newspaper at the dinner
table. looked at her and then we talked for a while. watched a show on
George Cukor, listened to Les Brown. yesterday listened to Nicolai
Dunger and Rapture.
**
the paper said Donny Rums was in Colombia re-authorizing shooting down
suspected coke planes. Jane says Bogota is great.
**
very happy that Cindy will join me on stage in brooklyn on saturday.
questions
q:Over all these years of making music, what release (full length or single) did you feel the best about?
a: this really is an impossible question. I love all of those kids.
q:Now,
when I say best, I mean that you just felt like everything happening
around you was moving by itself, like you were there and had control of
your own actions, but the outcome was something much much larger than
its sum of individual parts.
a:with those rules: ODE or ARISE THEREFORE.
q:Is it true that Henriqe Prince was included in that 93 tour on the basis of a street busking performance?
A: yes.
q:What is he up to now?
a: no idea.
q:you gotta earn, right?
a: unless you’re pretty, yes, you do.
q:what's a shameover?
(definition or example?)
a:when
you wake up and your principle motivation for continuing is the hope
that the future can somehow justify the actions of the recent past. the
concept came fr6m potty-mouth; thanks. really, if you must ask...
q:So with a few dates with Bjork finished, does the tour with her still feel like a 'vine thrown into the quicksand'?
a:yes.
q:Good to see you will be doing solo shows too - will you have a band with you for any of these?
a: no.
q: How are the new recordings going?
a: well, but slowly with all of the other action.
q:Are you playing any new material on this tour?
a: yes.
q:I was also wondering who you are, Bonny - tour manager, girlfriend, wife, friend?
a: none of those!
q:Coming to Australia sometime again?
a: maybe this summer (yours).
q:do you have any favorite early film comedies?
a: DUCK SOUP
q:in your travels which have you found more enjoyable: eastern europe or south america?
a:by default: eastern europe (never been to S.A.)
q:how do you see the state of the political left in this country?
a: excessively quiet.
q:did you play on d.c. berman's cover of friday night fever
a: no.
q:Do you have any plans of playing southern ohio/northern kentucky any time soon?
a: no.
q: Do you remember who played piano on your version of "Every Mother's Son"?
a:
what a silly question! it was Colin Gagon. the lead guitar was bob
arellano, and it was recorded in the house my lady and I were renting
in Rhode Island that Summer.
q:Do you put limes in your gin and red bull? Ice? Do you have a name for this drink?
a: ice, no lime. name: skeeter beater.
8.15.03 Seattle Pier 62/63 (photo by Paul J. Brown)
|
|
| Tuesday, August 19, 2003
8.19
now
settled in my new little room; drove in as it was getting dark, lik
years ago driving all day and night to siesta key, and getting there in
the cool evening seeing palm trees, wondering about hurricanes,
everything lit by street lights if at all, thrilling! so now it is
thrilling, again, high warm wet winds and sea smells. in vancouver the
night before last, denver last night, and now at “the end”. driving
from the airport east, picked up a hitcher knwoing where he had to be
going, out here to montauk. from this seat I could see fireworks,
little homespun ones, over the sea. the room is light minty green and
rustic, families on either side. the beach is just over the dune.
something ate the luggage though, so we went into “town” and got
seven-dollar trunks and a toothbrush and Crest with tartar control, and
spanikopita and beer. guess that we hope that the bags might come some
time, but me be hard-pressed to care right now. also got a powder blue
girl’s cotton hoody and sweats that’s bad.
**
here
is to catch up on sleep and to transcribe and edit notebooks, and get
in the ocean. just felt the water, and it feels god, which is good
because the wetsuit is in the missing suitcase. right now the moon is a
big half orange way off the end of the island. we took a leak into the
ocean, made it that much deeper.
q:To what extent did the Matewan uprising help mobolize union efforts in West Virginia?
a:damn!
q:who do you read? do you read jorie graham, james galvin?
a: today MORE TERRIBLE THAN DEATH by cook, and VIBE, SURFING, PREMIERE.
q:is baltimore lovelying all over its girled self, as much as it sounds like?
a:everywhere.
q:did you have some sort of negative experience in Minneapolis that's kept you away from the Twin Cities since 1996?
a: we fear the center of a continent.
q:are you preparing the setlists before hand,or winging it?
a: mostly prep just before set time, with maybe an onstage change.
q:are they changing from night to night?
a: yes.
q:trying new songs?
a: yes.
q:does playing in these big venues change the directions the songs take?
a: yes!
q:If one was to send you a card, a note, a gift, a prayer, where would one send it?
a: c/o drag city.
Q:q:how many is in we? a:In you and us? in y'all
A: a murder.
q:does she have really cumbersome and ornate costumes?
a: how’d you know we called her a she?
|
|
| Friday, August 15, 2003
woke
yesterday, friday, early again. 6 or 6:30. by the ocean, a good place
to sleep and continue sleeping. had gone to a place in Los Angeles the
night before; first a barbecue at Sarah and Geoff and Frances’ house,
then some club that is a shoe store in the day time. talked for a while
with a painter woman.
**
drove the car, freely,
very fast back to the ocean, dv’s tummy tied in knots but loosening
from one thing or another. as with most nights of late, sleeping was
difficult to avoid.
**
read about howard dean on the airplane, and listened to LONG JOURNEY by
michael hurley. saw a picture of a woman named balchandi; she plays
“keyboards and samples” if I remember right. would like to play with
someone like that. also want to find beats.
**
met dan waiting for the airport shuttle in seattle. we checked in to a hotel, and I went to sleep for an hour.
**
last night, in seattle, it was the third show. The crew, and everyone,
are excellent, and each night becomes more enjoyable. the sun was out
and strong for most of the afternoon, then just before our performance
the clouds came in, just like a ceiling, like a tent. Well I liked this
very much. Had planned to repeat the set from L.A. but with Dan around,
started to think and then made a better set. Ali and Max came back
afterwards and that was nice and good. Max is big and 2.5 years old.
**
Dan and I went to visit Scotty where he was DJ-ing in downtown Seattle;
and we watched some of Cubanissimo, which was great; maybe 12 or 13
people on stage, the percussion made me sin :covet, and the way, as
scotty put it, that the folks who went to the show got all dressed
up...these were good things. dancing and kissing everywhere.
**
exhaustion puts an end to a subset of waking life, morning up very
early so go and swim. the pool’s deep end is 9 feet, plenty for a sea
lion like bonny to cavort as he should; the pool was long too. coffee,
reading, and we are off to canada after maybe getting the nappy roots
record that has the song on it about the whole world being country.
q:have you ever read 'Moby Dick'?
a: maybe a third. saw the movie, god damn it.
q:do you plan on playing in germany or austria any time in the near future?
a: well yes we think so. there was nice people with the matthew herbert
big band that made berlin sound good again. and there is something
strangely magnetic about austria.
q:Do you like Cat Power?
a: especially MYRA LEE and YOU ARE FREE.
a:is it possible to be friends with someone who dislikes the music of John Lennon and Neil Young?
q: all the more reason!
q:Just
wondering if you had any idea if there was a Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Australian tour in the pipeline. Maybe early next year??? or later this
year perhaps?
a: those who would make it so have just begun writing, and so we might do in this coming “summer”.
q:who is our favorite sports team?
a:either side on any given dodge-ball field at any time.
q:will you openly accept song requests via email without complaint?
a:yes.
q:i can't decide what to name my daughter, either edith, martha, or frieda? suggestions?
a: of those, martha.
|
|
| Thursday, August 14, 2003
8.14.03
still
waking very early, today at 7 a.m. for no reason. definitely the body
is getting its workout, the mindbrain, the heart too, everything, so?
many creep into dreamlife, it’s all full. went to a shop yesterday
where they sell records, and thank you to the gentleman who gave me
such a nice gift! no names here in case, but it was really fine, and
freedom reined last night and today. Now the power is out all over (not
here, on the ocean out west).
**
spent hours in
the ocean yesterday and then again today. yesterday in the evening,
with sun setting behind clouds and then today in bright bright sun.
worked for a while today in the early parts before getting into the
ocean. Bonny is NOT a good surfer; yet still we got on a couple of
great boards, two different Herbie Fletchers. looked at a “high
performance” long board, but I have too many bags to carry anything
else right now; we got two instruments in tow.
**
two interviews yesterday morning, with vermont and ottawa.
**
work looking good and fun, voice stronger today than yesterday.
tomorrow early morning flight to Seattle.
q:since
"sweeter than anything", we are waiting for a duet with pollie. have
you done, planed or just thought of recording / touring with
her ?
a:we have only talked about it, among other things.
q:how
was irreversible?- it was surprisingly punished with no home viewing
privaleges in ontario for now.... ?
a:for its form and style, it was exhilerating; for its content, it was disturbing.
q: what was the worst physical injury you ever sustained?
a: a foot broke in three places in the destruction of a ride.
q: are you familiar with the paintings of joe coleman? he is a scary guy i suppose but paints some vivid imagery.
a: no, not yet.
q: do you go fishing at all?
a: very rarely.
q:
when on tour, what do you miss most about the comforts of home, or
perhaps rather the comforts of a relatively static place to lay your
head down.
a: waking up with the same person every day.
q:wondering if you will play in detroit in the near future
a: it is unknown by humankind.
q:Have you ever studied the homeless during the Depression in our fine country?
a: only passively, reading books written directly about other subjects but set in a state of homelessness during that time.
q:favorite stevie wonder song?
a: “Maybe Your Baby” maybe? “Superwoman” maybe?
q:Do you have a favorite part of the world?
a: Yes, many!
q:Did you meet Werner Herzog when you were involved in Julien Donkey Boy? did you see “eats his boots?”
a:We didn’t meet him, but we did see that movie about the eating of the shoes.
q:are you working on new album yet?
a: Yes
q:Have you been fishing lately?
a: No, goddammit.
q:What unmakes you?
a: Unintentional hostility.
|
|
| Tuesday, August 12, 2003
8.12
went
to bed very late last night, well, relatively. in bed maybe by four,
set the alarm for eight-thirty but woke before it fired, of course. got
up, had coffee, and Barrocca(sic) and cracklin oat bran, then sat in a
beautiful corner chair, facing out to see los angeles, and got to
finishing the tweaker lyrics. worked for a couple hours, on timing and
filling in mostly, then swam. chris came to get us, drive us into east
l.a. where his home/studio is at. he asked me a couple years back to
write words and melody for an instrumental track he had, and I did; we
recorded in austin texas at the home/studio of paul leary, which was a
trip and an honor and a gas. did that singing in two days. had such a
good time doing it, and the song turned out well, so he asked again
recently and we scheduled to make the recording while I had a break
between shows here. there were four different kinds of vocal parts to
do, and we did about four or five passes of each, recording to
pro-tools and comping the eventual finals, as each take had different
melodies and rhythms. I really love working in this way, and today’s
work was a fucking blast. being in los angeles and working like this
reminds me of being here years ago looking for acting work; this
recording today is far closer to what I had hoped acting could have
been like. Chris “cast” me in his record, and then I had time to work
on it and work with him, and then the tracking has an energy and
urgency to it. chris had asked for the lyrics to be “dark” and I tried,
in my mind, to go extreme, like necrophilia or
rape-during-a-nuclear-holocaust and then toned it down to where it is
now. chris’ wife grilled tri-tip for lunch and there was a spread of
beets, potato salad, all kinds of salads.
can it be that you aren’t happy?
so sorry if creeping in to see you somehow violates you
and if in so violating something in me learns to hate you
there’s nothing to keep me from becoming what most horrifies you
that’s part of the chorus of the song done today.
**
swam for an hour or so in the evening, with a mask and cleaned the pool
while. then dv got home and so swam for another hour or so. then out to
dinner, hot chicken and beer. went and saw CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS.
then home to bed bed bed.
questions:
q:there
is a bootleg from the palace brothers gig in salzburg, austria but
sadly without a date and information about the venue. nobody knows when
or where that was over here. can you maybe remember? also i'm kinda
curious how that gig happened. well, any chance you may come back some
day?
a: I believe that that would have happened in
the fall of 1993, with Rian Murphy, Paul Oldha, Henriqe Prince, and
David Pajo. Don’t know how it happened. We will return to Austria,
maybe in OCtober.
Q:I see you mention the autoharp in your journal. Do you play it on the Bjork tour?
A: yes.
q:When out on the road, do you wish to be at home and when at home do you wish to be out on the road?
a: our sweet home is the sea
q:Is this tour just you and Bjork or is it a festival type thing?
a: along the way, also playing are other acts.
q:Have you ever played folk festivals before? Thought about it?
a: never have; at least not that we know of. most likely have thought about it, it will be an undertaking.
peas and all,
bon
|
|
| Monday, August 11, 2003
8.11
yesterday
was travel and rest. up very early, after little sleep, then off from
the north bay down to SFO and into the air to go to Los Angeles. pulled
a vehicular from under-the-radar rental co. and drove immediately, bass
thumping, to the coast, where we were received in the open arms of good
friends. ate, drank, swam, slept, got up, ate, saw STEP INTO LIQUID and
back to bed. Rose came to the movies and dinner.
**
monday morning woke, coffee, read, went to surf at third point with dv.
the waves were small, the water perfect but scummy. dv went to work,
away, and we sat still and the body was worked while the mind worked
too. came up with the chorus for the tweaker song, after thinking of a
premise and then working backwards. sped through malibu canyon to the
hollywood bowl. the union kept things moving slow, giving us time to
tune our instrument. then raced to dv’s for a jump off the roof into
the pool, and a grilled cheeseburger with fresh grilled eggplant from
the garden. raced back to the bowl, changed into my wendy clothes,
banged the bridge of the nose with the instrument, drawing blood.
poored a gin and red bull, and was off to earn. sang. it was very fun.
the hollywood bowl is a beautiful place to play.
**
I spent most of Bjork’s set in my little room, writing. the room was
about 20 feet from the stage. at one point, I left the room and peered
through the glass on the stage door, onto the stage. i watched three or
four songs like that. the set ended, taking me by surprise; everyone
from the stage rushed into the liitle nook I had occupied. so I went
out onto the stage and stood behind the back wall ofthe stage, looking
for a door out, but there was none. so I was stuck in this new exitless
nook until the first quiet song of the encore was over. when the noise
resumed loud, I walked across stage right and back into my little room.
I turned all of the lights out.
**
drank gin. went out on the town. would have a shameover if we knew what was good for us
questions:
q: was there a record recorded in alabama?
a: yes, VIVA LAST BLUES was recorded in Hueytown, Alabama.
q:how many is in we?
a:In you and us?
q:ever read "Pattern of a Man and Other Stories"? (james still).
a: no.
q:Are you playing w/full band opening for Bjork?
a: no, alone.
|
|
| Friday & Saturday, August 8 & 9, 2003
8.8/8.9
thing
sbegin to intensify. this is Things “away”, as they are and as we are
built for; where every quarter of every day is a completely different
set of. yesterday Nathan and Rachel, we met them out in Fairfax, CA at
the Good Earth, and drove up to a reservoir that had a “no swimming”
sign facing out towards the road (on the backside, it didnt say
nothing) and hiked down into it. cold clear water, a long swim out to
an island, then sitting on a rock watching the two big fish swim by. so
much swimming, arms tired, long distances out in the open. cold wind.
eat golden watermelon and some kind of thmas campbell dip with bread,
and dates and juice.
**
we had woke up very
early, with body clock set to the east, hmmpf. saw Dawn and True in the
morning at the store. Dawn’s friend Hermione wants to set up a benefit
show in September or October.
The swim goes late, and we are enrvous, we truck it on back and over
the Golden Gate to the Piers where we’re supposed to play. Happily see
Drew there, and all of the crew are very nice although waiting on us.
Nabob is technical advisor to the front-of-house fellow. set up, like
it, sing, go. Then eat the fine food (halibut, apple crisp) and drink
our own beer, and dress, worry, practice, smile. then go sing.
**
it is a big crowd and they are all of a good mind, and it feels good up
there, although the time is spent, most of it, checking and double
checking how the next shows will be, because the first one is bound to
be full of strangeities and I sit with my snug Wendy pants on showing
off the form of my pork chop legs, they splayed; sing. one chord won’t
play, making a percussive silence. a few songs work very well, but just
a few.
**
see Dianne Jones, and Joanna and Noah, and stay up all night on a boat
talking. very tired the next day. a swim, a snooze in the sun, burnt,
then to bed, then two interviews with Vancouver, which go fine. dinner
with Dawn at her neighbor’s; a belly dancer entertains, a seal swims
by. buy a little black satchel to carry show stuffs, bought at a little
thrift store, a cancer store. must rise early tomorrow, to go to Los
Angeles.
**
questions:
DO YOU HAVE ANY MOONFLOWERS GROWING.
I want some.
I heard a rumor that Bjork might be covering an Oldham-penned song on her upcoming record? Any truth to that?
I have no idea.
I
was wondering if you record any of the musical performances that you
participate in ? Do you ever allow people to tape your live shows
? Do you know why the music fest in Columbus, Ohio was cancelled
? Do you plan on playing in Yellow Springs Ohio again any time in
the near future ? Do you have any idea how long your set will
last at the Bjork shows ?
a) no we do not usually record the performances.
b) it is not for us to “allow”
c) no!
d) no plans to.
e) they say under an hour
amor and language,
bonny
|
|
| Thursday, August 7, 2003
8.7.03
Started waking up aorund 4:20 (!)
in the morning, anticipating the alarm’s rising-volume ring at 5. would
fall back asleep, warning dreamland not to set up too big a circus, as
it was all to be packed in way too soon. then up in complete darkness
(from the sky) and walking around doing the things that ggo tleft to do
the night before. it was miserable, in its way.
**
the cab driver’s name was Ollie, and he is a lyricist. he sang three or
fou rof his songs to me, the first was called “What have we done?” and
it was about how fucked up the children are today. He sang a gosepl
song, and a top-forty song, as he called it. The latter was truly
great, and his voice was great, and I took his card so that I coul dcal
lhim when I got back to Kentucky. He had a cool hat on, and golden
rings on all of his fingers.
**
the flight was running over an hour late. there had been weather in
Chicago the night before, and the crew was late getting to bed, and
needing their union-allotted sleep hours. fair enough. there was time
then to get the boots shined (by a drummer in a gospel group) and sit
in an isolated corner and play music and sing where nobody could hear.
**
the elation began to hit as we woke up from a snooze on the first
flight, descending into O’Hare where our connection was to be made. had
started to shake off some of where I had been, and what was to come was
opening me up, probably much like a “popper” does to a prosepctive
butt-fucker (of any gender or orientation). the house just left is a
good one, but I’m not sure I belong there now, at least not alone.
**
in sanfran ran into rio. drove in for lunch with caveh and mandy, and
watched a cut of a short film caveh made in which he and we are on
fungus in the wilds of texas. it covers most of the high points that I
remember. jet lag on the weast coaste has got bonny fading, in the
beauty of all that is out here. night night.
|
|
| Wednesday, August 6, 2003
yes scotty it’s just you
***
a few years ago, our friend King Henry introduced us, by phone, to
Bjork. then in Reykjavik was eating in a restaurant and she walked by,
so Bonny ran out and said hello. we went to geysers and waterfalls
then, she a very very gracious rep. some more little times were spent,
and good vibes reigned. also there was a friend of hers, a poet, whose
book is around here somewhere...
and then Botch called a little while ago and said I was invited to come
along on these shows. at the time, it was a vine thrown into the
quicksand at which bonny leapt and clawed.
we
saw her show in Denmark a few weeks ago, and it was great. all of these
shows, fairly sure, are out of doors, and observing the mounting of it
all, and playing out of doors, and the music all around...plus, on
stage with her is drew of matmos, who is a very longtime acquaintance
from louisville. he said it would be good to have more americans on the
trek, the scoundrel.
***
now it is the day before
departure, so much to be done; we are imprisoned here, waiting for
packages: clothes from Wendy, musical equipment from Alto,
correspondence and more from Dan, and an autographed photo of Bernardo
Bertolucci from another friend. It is gray anyways, but would love to
be out and about stretching the legs and working ominous rumblings out
through exhaustion and full-body recognition.
***
many things don’t exist? oblivion? then who else.
***
packing books:
THE NEW JOHNNY CASH by C.P. Conn
SISTER OF THE ROAD by B. Bertha and Dr. B. Reitman
MORE TERRIBLE THAN DEATH by R. Kirk
AL-JAZEERA by M El-Nawawy and A. Iskandar
APPOINTMENT AT SAMMARRA (sic) by J. O’Hara
FRIGHTFUL FAIRY TALES by D. Darcy
|
|
| Tuesday, August 5, 2003
had
a dream about Lil Money. Her ma and grandma had moved into her
apartment. at one point her ma offered me a chicken leg that she was
eating; it had an electrical cord running out of it that you could plug
in to warm up the chicken. Lil Money seemed good, her apartment was all
changed around and looked big.
then dreamed about
Dave Cook, who is a good Louisville artist who works at a screen
printing shop. In the dream he worked at a hardware store and had a
great singing voice.
and also, now realizing, dreamed about a song from richard&linda thompson’s SHOOT OUT THE LIGHTS. no real song.
over
Bustelo in the morning read from HI LO HAPPY PAPPY by Ricky feather; it
is awesome. while we read, we saw a confused finch and another catbird
approach the feeder, wondering why the new seed we’d acquired hadn’t
made it into the feeder. so...we did that.
it is gorgeous here in the morning.
the
day as a whole was terrible, horrible, no good, very bad. a hospital
visit due to the ingestion of something that there may or may not be an
allergy to. a jarring centerpiece. the best part was working with Paul
at his house on some of the new recordings.
someone
asked how MASTER AND EVERYONE was recorded; the question was followed
up by a statement of projected circumstance. so let it be.
Have never read MCTEAGUE but tried to watch the movie (GREED) once.
Years ago, many years ago, we saw the first Palace Brothers record in the country music section of Tower in Nashville.
Let
us say: we accepted the invitation to travel this month with an eye and
ear directed at the stage and behind; not at the audience for once. We
figure most of our audience won’t be at these shows, and most of her
audience won’t be there either when we play. We wanted to see the
venues, the cities, the bjork shows inside and out. The stomach
feels....okay. the brain is tumulted. the body is in good form.
the tadpoles ate algae. the frogs now eat bugs.
Today
was squatting in the grass, watching the dogs at Paul’s play. I looked
down and sticking up between the feet was a sprig of leaves of three.
nasty nasty, deserved.
tonight the “end” of the day is anticipated with joy, or joy upon sleep is anticipated.
want to learn if this is the place for full disclosure.
Mini-man is Love--bonny
|
|
| Monday, August 4, 2003
good
things to do in the morniing are reading and writing. today it is all
cloudy, more intense stormning last night, with thunderclaps that shook
the house, the glass in the windows. the yard strwen with leaves and
branches this morning. waking early again, too early for when bedtime
was, after drinking white lions and eating carry-out veal peccatta from
lentini’s. sat with friends, old old friends known for 10, 20, and 30
years; and one new young acquaintance. then a friend came by, we were
at someone else’s house, and he showed us a TV program he is working
on, for Tech TV, and it was very funny.
this morning
drank two cups of Bustelo and an Emergen-C with MSM and got on the bike
(whipped up a batch in bed; the mornings have been so full of promise
the past three days). rode to where the autoharp was to be delivered,
dave’s house, and left a note with our plague of dave’s script saying:
leave it, beast! and then went and bought safflower seed for the birds
(pore things, we are unreliable) and tomato fertilizer. felt good to
have a back pack full of weight. the pack is spiewak, that matt got for
us just before the mid-atlantic trip some time ago. it was wet and
overcast at first on the ride. then the sun came out and the day really
imposed itself. fear fear fear!
listened to the new RED record, “33”. decided not to have poison at all now until leaving at least.
worked for a while on the tweaker song. then practiced singing and playing lots of songs for a while.
took
a bath, put some vetiver oil in. then took the movie IRREVERSIBLE over
to another house to watch. sat in the dark on the couch, between two
friends. it was the most relaxed so late at night in a while.
these are the exciting internal days before leaving. when, in company, we are only half there.
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| Sunday, August 3, 2003
responses:
it is good to know that the song has made it into the lavatory of a
robber baron. we believe in restroom vandalism, except in what passes
for our own home.
when
we were a kid, the piano teacher hooked us up with a rental in the
somehwat rural outskirts of the evr-developing southern shores of
maine, near the yorks. to answer that. zaghareed by el-funoun, will
look for, or accept a copy. we grew up on copies as supplements.
just
read THE KILLINg OF IDI AMIN, a thriller about the title. In the book,
the assasination attempt is a success, during his reign in the ‘70’s.
now he (really) is in exile in saudi arabia, in critical condition.
then we read ON MUTED STRINGS, part two of THE WNADERER by Knut Hamsun.
now reading THE SEXIEST MAN ALIVE about warren beatty!
today spent most of the afternoon under water, cleaning the bradford’s pears from the bottom of a deep end.
pleased
to see, upon waking, that my tadpoles have grown into frogs, at least
two of them have; and that a hawk hunts in our yard.
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| Saturday, August 2, 2003
we are back in kentucky for a moment. it is
raining, having apparently stormed violent last night. tonight just in
time to lull us to sleep. very tired, flying today, sat with the Blind
Boys of Alabama on the plane. friends came to the house and made dinner
here, argentinean beef “milanesa” and wine from sicily, of which there
are many bottles in the cupboard. saturday, beers drunk. into dark, go
to a show outdoors. it was down by the river downtown ; walked home.
walked by someone’s house. not home. o. late now. washed clothes but
not body, going to bed foul, proud.
responding:
books always welcome. indeed have read YOU SHALL KNOW OUR VELOCITY, and
also the story in ZOETROPE that is about Pilar and Hand, and the story
in the new collection about Kilamanjaro, of sorts. Last November we
were walked to the pirate store and there bought YSKOV ( is that what
it’s called?) because of a word here and there and page one and the
Scorpions note inside in full color! A long time ago read two McCarthy
books. LOVED THEM, HAD ENOUGH.
did listen to Paz
play the autoharp in 3/4, and listened to ‘THE LOBSTER’ with electric
autoharp from FAIRPORT CONVENTION. Also listened to Merle OUT AMONG THE
STARS and GO WHERE THE LONELY GO, Subbulakshmi live, Charlie Rich THERE
WON’T BE ANYMORE, and WILD TCHOPITOULAS record. Watched a movie about
Clint Eastwood and read.
Got Free too. rain falls again as sleep comes.
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| Friday, August 1, 2003
now up on this
ladderback chair we begin. what we want to do is give report on how and
what happens during this month, as many won’t care enough or have the
cash to get in with us at these events. then there will be the smaller
ones where beloved can come and laugh. we are gonna look funny, all of
us. we dont understand much about this life, and you will be made aware
of this, if all goes well, in the coming weeks, and then it wil be
erased and we can go on withourselves. reporting now from maine,
southern coast. getting ready to row a boat down the coast towards a
little harbor, ride the tide in and meet our sister-in-law who will
ride the tide back out and down to this little house. was just reading
in SOMEBODY’S DONE FOR the account of a poor fellow who was caught out
off the coast in the deep water with no land around. in the boat we
will prepare and introduce more properly the venture we are about to
undertake.
***
It is still a week
away from when we leave for our August trip; and yet August has begun,
and so do we in writing this. In the state of Maine, near the south, on
the water just about, surrounded by family and doing inner preparation.
Cheeks sunken, eyes too; the sun masks this somewhat. Dreams a plenty,
last night it was a good friend bringing a whore into the bed he was
sharing with me, and I kissed some of her but didn’t like it one bit
and turned away. Why did he bring that whore into the bed? He is always
doing things like that in waking life, too. Other dreams, of Spanish
friends not seen in a long time, and then the next morning one (one
Spanish friend) writes, in waking life! The poison goes straight to the
brain here, for some reason. Are we not eating enough? Once written,
always true, this is the contract. But Bonny writes this, about whom
nothing can truly be said to be true. Here, from the state of Maine, we
ordered our microphones and our direct boxes and the like, and here we
arranged our bills. In Vermont, the promoter balks at our suggestion,
saying “I can't stress enough how bad a choice I think that is.
Musically, energy-wise, crowd-wise -- really across the board.” We will
see who prevails...ideally the audience. Today sit-ups were done, and
stretches. We have been advised that the hamstrings are far too tight,
potentially causing problems in the lower back (!). Dull burning pain
detected a few weeks ago during Sunday morning revelries. This being a
diary, it will be fairly unedited, and then will disappear.
***
today is the first proper day of this then. and it is raining here.
many people can see what there is to do and leave it be, and some can
see it all and edit, saying “well the day can only be so much, and the
rest is me and liberty and that’s it” and I wish I could let it all
slide. we have tried to get hooked on freedom herb, to smoke it regular
but it becomes faar too much of an adventure at times. tomorrow fly
back to kentucky. last night we saw the PIRATES movie. if, in the
course of these there is a product mentioned, well: I am still married
or getting married to life, and am permanently then registered at any
and all outlets which sell or barter or trade, and so, as this ceremony
is never-ending, gifts are always welcome. like: well like what?
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