Annie Clark Tour Diary



[Most Recent Entries] [Calendar View] [Friends] Below are the 17 most recent journal entries recorded in annieclarkdiary's LiveJournal:

Tuesday, April 6th, 2004 2:14 am in a heartbreaking turn of events...

my ipod got run over by a bus today. i just got it saturday--saved up all my pennies in a jar---only to have a cruel hellbound mbta vehicle take its life. so young. so beautiful. i was listening to joan armatrading, free as you please, crossing the street with some other fine pedestrians. look left, the coast is clear. look right to see a gianormous bus careening straight for me. i make a sprint for the safety of the other side of the street. my ipod falls out of my pocket. god, it is too gorey to think about. a slow motion action sequence. 'nooooooo!' back bus wheel clips my sweet baby, sending it hurling in the air. i rush to retrieve the soldier down amid more onrushing cars. think: frogger. many curse words and much coddling later, my sweet child breahes its last breath. i surrender. crestfallen.





other than that, my friend matt and i recorded a choir last night for an upcoming project. they sounded heavenly. but like, rock and roll heavenly. like a hug white rock and roll church with reverend horton heat.



thanks to everybody who came to the paradise shows, the virgin shows, the lowell show, and all the shows to come.



xo (3 Comments |Comment on this) Sunday, March 21st, 2004 11:36 am christopher durang

does anyone remember from which one of christopher durang's plays the tuna fish monologue came? can anyone help me with syntax? wow. i woke up with the tuna fish monologue in my head. (it entails a woman having a nervous breakdown in the supermarket over a can of tuna fish. i always picture the youngest sister from todd solondz's 'happiness'--you know--the aspiring folk singer who falls for the russian taxi driver---doing that monologue.) it is not 'baby with the bathwater.' gosh, this will drive me crazy. wait, it'll come to me. BEYOND THERAPY! that's what it was.



i was in the boston herald today. just great. uber-music-journalist, robin vaughan (who has possibly the best reporter's name ever. second only--arguably--to april o'neil of teenage mutant ninja turtle fame), wrote the article.





have great days, respectively.



xo



Current Mood: bouncy

Current Music: arvo part's 'te deum' does anyone remember from which one of christopher durang's plays the tuna fish monologue came? can anyone help me with syntax? wow. i woke up with the tuna fish monologue in my head. (it entails a woman having a nervous breakdown in the supermarket over a can of tuna fish. i always picture the youngest sister from todd solondz's 'happiness'--you know--the aspiring folk singer who falls for the russian taxi driver---doing that monologue.) it is not 'baby with the bathwater.' gosh, this will drive me crazy. wait, it'll come to me. BEYOND THERAPY! that's what it was.i was in the boston herald today. just great. uber-music-journalist, robin vaughan (who has possibly the best reporter's name ever. second only--arguably--to april o'neil of teenage mutant ninja turtle fame), wrote the article.have great days, respectively.xo (4 Comments |Comment on this) Saturday, March 20th, 2004 5:37 pm cat power

cat power is really great. who knew? i heard 'moon pix' when i was in high school oh so many years ago (3 years ago? strange) and really did not like it. but the other day i was trying to put in ornette coleman's 'tomorrow is the question' and accidentally put in cat power. i adore this album. jesus. how is she so great? she's great, and i mean great. wow. the guitar playing is just perfect for this cd...charmingly and appropriately rough. great great great. this feels like a revelation.



love,



annie



Current Mood: awake

Current Music: led zepplin--just kidding. cat power. (Comment on this) Friday, March 19th, 2004 9:47 pm links to the future

i am sick. try not to get too close. my friend, david the handwriting analyst, sent me this link. i found it to be most interesting reading:



http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/undergro und/toc1.htm





am going back to bed now.





paradise in 4 days...



xo



Current Mood: and sick

Current Music: john lennon's 'mother' i am sick. try not to get too close. my friend, david the handwriting analyst, sent me this link. i found it to be most interesting reading:am going back to bed now.paradise in 4 days...xo (Comment on this) Sunday, March 14th, 2004 12:50 am television

i am opening for television in a week and a half. 'marquee moon' is just ridiculous. life is so ridiculous. television is so amazing. i can't wait to see their show. and i get in for free...all i have to do is play for 45 minutes.



saw Rachmaninoff's piano concerto with my amiga de espana at the bso the other day. wow. i usually like to watch the conductor because the movements are just so expressive and grand and lovely, but this time i closed my eyes. it was a cartoon battle scene. so many colors. wow. and am now trying to get me grubby hands on the shostakovich biography. (part of the night's conversation which i was thinking about: my friend thinks that since america has never lived under fascist dictatorship that we don't know how to spot one when we see one. we talked about the wretched prisoners at guantanamo bay forced to listen to american patriotic music at high volumes, starved, and tortured. no no no suffering.) back to the shostakovich biography---stalin's secret police were taking people away every night. a wealth of culture totally gone. dance, theater, literature, visual arts--wiped out by stalin. completely decimated. no record of these people. must get hands on the shostakovich biography.



just want to play guitar forever. i don't want to practice, i just want to play. and have time to write the gorey ingmar bergman lyrics. and read! and make feedback loops with delay pedals all.day.long.



Current Mood: content

Current Music: iluminada in my head i am opening for television in a week and a half. 'marquee moon' is just ridiculous. life is so ridiculous. television is so amazing. i can't wait to see their show. and i get in for free...all i have to do is play for 45 minutes.saw Rachmaninoff's piano concerto with my amiga de espana at the bso the other day. wow. i usually like to watch the conductor because the movements are just so expressive and grand and lovely, but this time i closed my eyes. it was a cartoon battle scene. so many colors. wow. and am now trying to get me grubby hands on the shostakovich biography. (part of the night's conversation which i was thinking about: my friend thinks that since america has never lived under fascist dictatorship that we don't know how to spot one when we see one. we talked about the wretched prisoners at guantanamo bay forced to listen to american patriotic music at high volumes, starved, and tortured. no no no suffering.) back to the shostakovich biography---stalin's secret police were taking people away every night. a wealth of culture totally gone. dance, theater, literature, visual arts--wiped out by stalin. completely decimated. no record of these people. must get hands on the shostakovich biography.just want to play guitar forever. i don't want to practice, i just want to play. and have time to write the gorey ingmar bergman lyrics. and read! and make feedback loops with delay pedals all.day.long. (Comment on this) Monday, March 8th, 2004 2:57 pm the unbearable lightness of touring

no more go*machine boys on my couch. i had gotten used to them watching bad 80's movies (whoa, just had a thought---the 80's were a long time ago. who will carry the torch of john hughes? who will dare be the molly ringwald of the upcoming generation? is there room for a socially awkward, bra-stuffing, virginal redhead in this generation? if not, i do pray for american youth.) anyhow, i had gotten used to being around those sweet and smelly boys.



after trying unsuccessfully twice to send out the boston globe press thing, i have to shake my head in defeat. nobody wants to receive 7,000 emails from annie clark online except for possibly my mother. one musn't inundate the 'fans.'



oh, will put up some live clips from the knitting factory show on the website and possibly the video...look out.



xo



Current Mood: crazy

Current Music: ry cooder's 'statesboro blues.' no more go*machine boys on my couch. i had gotten used to them watching bad 80's movies (whoa, just had a thought---the 80's were a long time ago. who will carry the torch of john hughes? who will dare be the molly ringwald of the upcoming generation? is there room for a socially awkward, bra-stuffing, virginal redhead in this generation? if not, i do pray for american youth.) anyhow, i had gotten used to being around those sweet and smelly boys.after trying unsuccessfully twice to send out the boston globe press thing, i have to shake my head in defeat. nobody wants to receive 7,000 emails from annie clark online except for possibly my mother. one musn't inundate the 'fans.'oh, will put up some live clips from the knitting factory show on the website and possibly the video...look out.xo (Comment on this) Sunday, March 7th, 2004 11:49 am wash your hair

wow. wow. the milky way was a three ring circus with a motley cast of characters. bj ray absolutely hooked it up. what a fantastic guy. apparently, the guys from morphine (minus the sandman) were there for my set. funny, because in some ways the new song i played with evil matt terrenbaum (he's evil in the most compelling of ways) is an attempt at the sort of slow, languid, and darkly sensual thing that morphine did so well. the second matt came in doubling the hook an octave lower in rehearsal, i absolutely freaked out. freaked out. like the black and white cookie before it, opposites were joining to make each other what they were meant to be...a delicious tasty treat? a veritable musical cookie? i suppose the simile really only goes so far. damn, and now i'm just terribly hungry. the point is, i was very happy to have evil matt join me for a spell.



other matt--the drummer who embodies the very marrow of rock--played a few songs with me. ahhh! telecasters so bright! but god, how they bring the rock. if i had any money, a tele would be my next investment.



prettytheboat was amazing, as always. they are simply a likable band. i cannot imagine anyone not liking them. so much light there. the best people you could want to know. and vanessa's voice...aye dios mio.



heidi saperstein was also quite enjoyable. and a very charming person to boot.



so people came. it was a great turnout. people were listening. that's just so great. who could ask for much else?



more later...must get pictures developed.



xo



Current Mood: chipper

Current Music: i just realized that i actually like cat power. wow. wow. the milky way was a three ring circus with a motley cast of characters. bj ray absolutely hooked it up. what a fantastic guy. apparently, the guys from morphine (minus the sandman) were there for my set. funny, because in some ways the new song i played with evil matt terrenbaum (he's evil in the most compelling of ways) is an attempt at the sort of slow, languid, and darkly sensual thing that morphine did so well. the second matt came in doubling the hook an octave lower in rehearsal, i absolutely freaked out. freaked out. like the black and white cookie before it, opposites were joining to make each other what they were meant to be...a delicious tasty treat? a veritable musical cookie? i suppose the simile really only goes so far. damn, and now i'm just terribly hungry. the point is, i was very happy to have evil matt join me for a spell.other matt--the drummer who embodies the very marrow of rock--played a few songs with me. ahhh! telecasters so bright! but god, how they bring the rock. if i had any money, a tele would be my next investment.prettytheboat was amazing, as always. they are simply a likable band. i cannot imagine anyone not liking them. so much light there. the best people you could want to know. and vanessa's voice...aye dios mio.heidi saperstein was also quite enjoyable. and a very charming person to boot.so people came. it was a great turnout. people were listening. that's just so great. who could ask for much else?more later...must get pictures developed.xo (Comment on this) Thursday, March 4th, 2004 4:36 pm wellesley 1, fitchburg 0

from the moment we stepped into the compound in the blue collar town of fitchburg, ma and we heard an emasculated fred durst from the jukebox singing, 'you whore, you whore!' looked to the left and noted the beefy boys in skullcaps singing along without irony, we thought, 'hmmm...maybe fitchburg is not our scene.' wow. wow. i always thought, 'you know, it doesn't matter what style of music you are playing. if it comes from the heart and is good, people will see that and respect that.' yeah, maybe, paulo coehlo, but not in fitchburg. during my first song, my low e string tuned down to a d flat in a matter of seconds. thank god the only people listening and not playing pool or watching the 17 tvs that were stationed above the bar were go*machine, who began laughing hysterically. lesson: know your audience. the same people that like disturbd, mudvayne, and other bands with unremarkable misspellings might not like me.



amazing.



wellesley, however, was fantastic. the crowd was attentive, kind, and probably had a collective iq of 17,000. yuri cartier is my hero. and i finally met someone who had as many pearl jam singles, cds, and bootlegs as i did back in junior high. mattastic rocked the drums. 13 minute drum solo at the end of a sensitive love ballad? absolutely. bring it.



and i saw my dallas unitarian universalist buddy, eleanor (rigby), whom i hadn't seen since a senior year of high school. this girl is just an outstanding human. always easy going, always kind, funny, and brilliantly smart. in a word: a winner.



i played 'light my fire' as an encore.



gaby wohl is my lord and savior. how helpful she has been. wellesley, you win. i will be back anytime you want me.



Current Mood: contemplative

Current Music: the mars volta from the moment we stepped into the compound in the blue collar town of fitchburg, ma and we heard an emasculated fred durst from the jukebox singing, 'you whore, you whore!' looked to the left and noted the beefy boys in skullcaps singing along without irony, we thought, 'hmmm...maybe fitchburg is not our scene.' wow. wow. i always thought, 'you know, it doesn't matter what style of music you are playing. if it comes from the heart and is good, people will see that and respect that.' yeah, maybe, paulo coehlo, but not in fitchburg. during my first song, my low e string tuned down to a d flat in a matter of seconds. thank god the only people listening and not playing pool or watching the 17 tvs that were stationed above the bar were go*machine, who began laughing hysterically. lesson: know your audience. the same people that like disturbd, mudvayne, and other bands with unremarkable misspellings might not like me.amazing.wellesley, however, was fantastic. the crowd was attentive, kind, and probably had a collective iq of 17,000. yuri cartier is my hero. and i finally met someone who had as many pearl jam singles, cds, and bootlegs as i did back in junior high. mattastic rocked the drums. 13 minute drum solo at the end of a sensitive love ballad? absolutely. bring it.and i saw my dallas unitarian universalist buddy, eleanor (rigby), whom i hadn't seen since a senior year of high school. this girl is just an outstanding human. always easy going, always kind, funny, and brilliantly smart. in a word: a winner.i played 'light my fire' as an encore.gaby wohl is my lord and savior. how helpful she has been. wellesley, you win. i will be back anytime you want me. (2 Comments |Comment on this) Tuesday, March 2nd, 2004 2:21 am tour pics

look at tour pictures here:



http://www.gomachinemusic.com/gbtpic.ht ml look at tour pictures here: (Comment on this) 2:02 am 40,000 flies

if smoking blunts was a competitive sport, 40,000 flies from richmond, va would be gold medal winners. that show (richmond, va) was so absurd and so much fun. first off, the place was a dive like you wouldn't believe. punk rock remnants of beer caps, cigarette butts, and the inevitable used condom on the stage. and of course, some gianormous paintings of anatomically incorrect nude women on the walls...in some very difficult positions...emotionally.



prabir put on a solid, albeit short set--just the kind of beatles-esque, pet sounds-esque songs you want to hear coming from a rickenbacker.



from checking out the dudes of 40,000 flies, i thought they would sing some brooding, tormented love songs. how wrong i was. picture of anthony kiedis mated with a robot who had mated with mario lopez from 'saved by the bell' in character sitting on a backwards chair at the max. who can forget such classics as 'i wish you were beautiful' and 'i don't want to drink with your mom, but i will drink with her gay friends'?



it was awesome.



i had a fit of delirious laughter onstage (during my set) as confused and alienated crowd looked on. daniel insisted on calling 'sunday morning secret' 'sunday bloody sunday.' and i lost it for an uncomfortable amount of time.



xo, suckas. i am going to bed.



look out out, fitchburg. you will be dominated tonight!



Current Mood: amused

Current Music: sunday bloody sunday if smoking blunts was a competitive sport, 40,000 flies from richmond, va would be gold medal winners. that show (richmond, va) was so absurd and so much fun. first off, the place was a dive like you wouldn't believe. punk rock remnants of beer caps, cigarette butts, and the inevitable used condom on the stage. and of course, some gianormous paintings of anatomically incorrect nude women on the walls...in some very difficult positions...emotionally.prabir put on a solid, albeit short set--just the kind of beatles-esque, pet sounds-esque songs you want to hear coming from a rickenbacker.from checking out the dudes of 40,000 flies, i thought they would sing some brooding, tormented love songs. how wrong i was. picture of anthony kiedis mated with a robot who had mated with mario lopez from 'saved by the bell' in character sitting on a backwards chair at the max. who can forget such classics as 'i wish you were beautiful' and 'i don't want to drink with your mom, but i will drink with her gay friends'?it was awesome.i had a fit of delirious laughter onstage (during my set) as confused and alienated crowd looked on. daniel insisted on calling 'sunday morning secret' 'sunday bloody sunday.' and i lost it for an uncomfortable amount of time.xo, suckas. i am going to bed.look out out, fitchburg. you will be dominated tonight! (2 Comments |Comment on this) Monday, March 1st, 2004 6:52 am new ah!

lucky cat...am moving to brooklyn...knitting factory...dank in that charming new york way...met a costume designer for broadway shows and could have talked about it all night...raphael the sweet bartender...my friends matt and michelle turned up...5 hour drive back to boston at 7 am...now here...want sleep...also might not wake up...class and rehearsals from 11am-11pm...



xo



Current Mood: crazy

Current Music: remind me to call hollie back lucky cat...am moving to brooklyn...knitting factory...dank in that charming new york way...met a costume designer for broadway shows and could have talked about it all night...raphael the sweet bartender...my friends matt and michelle turned up...5 hour drive back to boston at 7 am...now here...want sleep...also might not wake up...class and rehearsals from 11am-11pm...xo (2 Comments |Comment on this) Thursday, February 26th, 2004 1:49 am collector of ideas

am meeting the warmest and most fascinating people on the road. hmmm...



handwriting analyst--lets think about the how our subconscious manifests in the micromovements of our bodies.



the obesity specialist---take down that corporate sponsorship in schools.



baltimore, richmond, arlington? where the hell am i? philly. philly for a night with joi joi and then to the town where the baby jesus was born...bethlehem...pennsylvania?



fun is being had specifically by the members of this tour de force. we certainly reached new levels of inappropriateness. tonight was good though. all nights have, to be fair, been really good. either the crowds we receptive (this has been the case every night) or the venue was cool and you get the serendipitous incidental people. tonight i couldn't help but scream at the end of the first song. and thus begins...the most depressing set in world! for a set, you want to tell astory, or at least attempt an exposition, climax, denounment. timing, climax, all these things come into play. and sometimes you want a 'light the incense' song to start. and sometimes you want to dig in...but going from 'dig in' to 'settle down' can be too jerky. so you go from screaming, to ominous foreboding, to bittersweet alcohol song...and then close with hopeful and upbeat? seems schizophrenic. feels like i wanted to fit the 'apocalypse song' in, but, seeing as eastern is a christian campus, it might have been taken all too literally.



but there is this great piece---print and painting called, 'your devotion has the look of a lunatic sport.' so i've been trying to write a song about it...but it keeps coming out with really gorey imagery. blame ingmar bergman. so i have to finish it and play it.



must work on onstage banter--or don't say anything at all. how to go from being deeply into a song into plugging a website or a mailing list? i suppose it must be done.



Current Mood: curious

Current Music: radiocabeza am meeting the warmest and most fascinating people on the road. hmmm...handwriting analyst--lets think about the how our subconscious manifests in the micromovements of our bodies.the obesity specialist---take down that corporate sponsorship in schools.baltimore, richmond, arlington? where the hell am i? philly. philly for a night with joi joi and then to the town where the baby jesus was born...bethlehem...pennsylvania?fun is being had specifically by the members of this tour de force. we certainly reached new levels of inappropriateness. tonight was good though. all nights have, to be fair, been really good. either the crowds we receptive (this has been the case every night) or the venue was cool and you get the serendipitous incidental people. tonight i couldn't help but scream at the end of the first song. and thus begins...the most depressing set in world! for a set, you want to tell astory, or at least attempt an exposition, climax, denounment. timing, climax, all these things come into play. and sometimes you want a 'light the incense' song to start. and sometimes you want to dig in...but going from 'dig in' to 'settle down' can be too jerky. so you go from screaming, to ominous foreboding, to bittersweet alcohol song...and then close with hopeful and upbeat? seems schizophrenic. feels like i wanted to fit the 'apocalypse song' in, but, seeing as eastern is a christian campus, it might have been taken all too literally.but there is this great piece---print and painting called, 'your devotion has the look of a lunatic sport.' so i've been trying to write a song about it...but it keeps coming out with really gorey imagery. blame ingmar bergman. so i have to finish it and play it.must work on onstage banter--or don't say anything at all. how to go from being deeply into a song into plugging a website or a mailing list? i suppose it must be done. (6 Comments |Comment on this) Sunday, February 22nd, 2004 1:40 pm bollywood dancing

last night we played in chapel hill with project mastana, a bollywood dance band. people were dancing! not like, hipster shoulder bouncing, but as in lovely freeform african and indian dancing. everybody was dancing. it was quite lovely. there seems to be such a community vibe here in chapel hill. before the show we went to the neighborhood indian food bizarre. the whole neighborhood congregated upon this lovely woman's house who had cooked the best indian food you could ever want.



wilmington was stunning. beach! warm beach! i got to read my tuscan espianoge thriller with wind blowing in my face overlooking the ocean. and nc beaches aren't like disgusting texas beaches where you have to make sure you don't step on a used condom, man o war, syringe, et cetera. nc beaches are fresh and clean.



good, receptive people all nights so far. and i forgot how nice southerners are. hm, all my northeastern curtness seems to be melting. but we haven't hit nyc yet.



Current Mood: amused

Current Music: gomachine last night we played in chapel hill with project mastana, a bollywood dance band. people were dancing! not like, hipster shoulder bouncing, but as in lovely freeform african and indian dancing. everybody was dancing. it was quite lovely. there seems to be such a community vibe here in chapel hill. before the show we went to the neighborhood indian food bizarre. the whole neighborhood congregated upon this lovely woman's house who had cooked the best indian food you could ever want.wilmington was stunning. beach! warm beach! i got to read my tuscan espianoge thriller with wind blowing in my face overlooking the ocean. and nc beaches aren't like disgusting texas beaches where you have to make sure you don't step on a used condom, man o war, syringe, et cetera. nc beaches are fresh and clean.good, receptive people all nights so far. and i forgot how nice southerners are. hm, all my northeastern curtness seems to be melting. but we haven't hit nyc yet. (1 Comment |Comment on this) Friday, February 20th, 2004 12:21 pm north carolina

trees! there are trees here! scenic beauty!





daniel is going on tour with david bowie when the spree opens up for him. when he told me all i could do was spout out 'that's so cool!' in tourette's-like manner. but that's so cool. iman and he can have gushy heart to hearts over mud baths and massages.



am going back to bed now.



xo



Current Mood: groggy

Current Music: polyphonic spree in m'head trees! there are trees here! scenic beauty!daniel is going on tour with david bowie when the spree opens up for him. when he told me all i could do was spout out 'that's so cool!' in tourette's-like manner. but that's so cool. iman and he can have gushy heart to hearts over mud baths and massages.am going back to bed now.xo (Comment on this) Monday, February 16th, 2004 1:43 am commune

man, oh man. links of humans that i know and possibly adore that you should know and probably adore as well:





www.prettytheboat.com this band is unreal. check them out any chance you get. my best friend, 'nessa wheeler, is just unbelievably talented and possibly the kindest and coolest person ever in the world ever.



www.safeclothes.com this girl rebecca turbow is seriously tapped. her clothes are space age-y and retro and so unique. i cannot wait to sport her gear on this tour.



www.gomachinemusic.com great humans, great music. i have nothing but high hopes for our east coast jaunt.



www.sistersublime.com joi foley designs websites. she also has a heart made of solid gold. seriously, 24k. she has designed me a site that will be up really really soon.



www.tracyandtheplastics.com tracy+nikki+cola have nothing to do with this tour what so ever, but i love this band. you should too.





my friend, matt, claims incest plots are the final unexplored frontier of the film industry and will be coming into fashion ever so soon. for those of you with your money on bestiality, looks like we've got a little wager to settle.



Current Mood: thirsty

Current Music: elysian fields followed by nina simone man, oh man. links of humans that i know and possibly adore that you should know and probably adore as well:www.prettytheboat.com this band is unreal. check them out any chance you get. my best friend, 'nessa wheeler, is just unbelievably talented and possibly the kindest and coolest person ever in the world ever.www.safeclothes.com this girl rebecca turbow is seriously tapped. her clothes are space age-y and retro and so unique. i cannot wait to sport her gear on this tour.www.gomachinemusic.com great humans, great music. i have nothing but high hopes for our east coast jaunt.www.sistersublime.com joi foley designs websites. she also has a heart made of solid gold. seriously, 24k. she has designed me a site that will be up really really soon.www.tracyandtheplastics.com tracy+nikki+cola have nothing to do with this tour what so ever, but i love this band. you should too.my friend, matt, claims incest plots are the final unexplored frontier of the film industry and will be coming into fashion ever so soon. for those of you with your money on bestiality, looks like we've got a little wager to settle. (1 Comment |Comment on this) Friday, February 13th, 2004 1:54 am options

laurie anderson knows what is up. 'o superman.' man, what a song. ah, to be a film camera instead of a voice, instead of a narrator. my friend, matt, contends that we can thank pornography for the rise of any new electronic technology/medium. photography? video cameras? vcrs? all brought into popularity by pornographers and porn aficianados.



as a person generally more concerned with people and personal relationships than politics, it feels a little strange to live in a time where, by the sheer egregious nature of the current world rulers, one is almost forced to be political. we've got a president using himself as the measure for the moral yardstick. people are afraid. you can feel it. so much of this just screams, 'ripe for revolution.' what is it about these times that feels like the line in the sand is being drawn? maybe it's the either/or fallacy, 'you're either with us or you're against us.' political rhetoric is a nebulous, meaningless abstraction which people can superimpose their own ideals onto. or, in many cases, a seemingly benign term for a pernicious agenda.



just sit the world down and make us listen to mahler's ninth. problem solved.



the beatles in russia was a bigger threat to the regime than any politician.



what would nina simone do?



there's a saying that goes, 'for someone who feels deeply, like is a tragedy. for someone who thinks deeply, it is a comedy.'



it just seems like politics are inescapable. they are inextricable from our lives, our art now.



eyes closing.



Current Mood: contemplative

Current Music: pj harvey's 'rid of me' laurie anderson knows what is up. 'o superman.' man, what a song. ah, to be a film camera instead of a voice, instead of a narrator. my friend, matt, contends that we can thank pornography for the rise of any new electronic technology/medium. photography? video cameras? vcrs? all brought into popularity by pornographers and porn aficianados.as a person generally more concerned with people and personal relationships than politics, it feels a little strange to live in a time where, by the sheer egregious nature of the current world rulers, one is almost forced to be political. we've got a president using himself as the measure for the moral yardstick. people are afraid. you can feel it. so much of this just screams, 'ripe for revolution.' what is it about these times that feels like the line in the sand is being drawn? maybe it's the either/or fallacy, 'you're either with us or you're against us.' political rhetoric is a nebulous, meaningless abstraction which people can superimpose their own ideals onto. or, in many cases, a seemingly benign term for a pernicious agenda.just sit the world down and make us listen to mahler's ninth. problem solved.the beatles in russia was a bigger threat to the regime than any politician.what would nina simone do?there's a saying that goes, 'for someone who feels deeply, like is a tragedy. for someone who thinks deeply, it is a comedy.'it just seems like politics are inescapable. they are inextricable from our lives, our art now.eyes closing. (Comment on this) Thursday, February 12th, 2004 12:35 am Seconds to go

Among the many things that must be taken down in list form, the tour needings and doing are top. I'm not sure if that sentence makes grammatical or literal sense, but it is late and Mahler's Ninth is still on the brain. Just as I was becoming disenchanted with traditional counterpoint classes (not that was I ever too enchanted them, as the way we learn it seems like musical taxidermy, dissecting corpses...We say, "ah, that's how the muscle fits around around the bone to make the arm move," but everyone forgets that this thing was once very much alive. So we stuff it and make it some revered relic.) Anyhow, Mahler's 9th Symphony happens. I was weeping within the first 10 seconds (literally) of the piece. The conductor moved with the grace and ease of a ballerina. The kids from NEC were truly enthralled and played with admirable and palpable heart. They got a well-deserved standing ovation from an audience who seemed shocked by their own reverence and gratitude. Humility. Surrender. You could just weep forever.



A week from today marks the eve of the tour. It's funny how much still needs to happen between now and then. There seems to be an odd serenity about it all, though.



Sleep now. Goodnight.



Current Mood: creative

Current Music: tschaikovski (Comment on this)