down up

Finally found someone I love more than the rain


2013-09-17 ~ 12:23 a.m.

Briefly: big things and maybe-big things.

Tonight I was through in Glasgow to see alt-country/blues/folk singer Jim White. Very good, played some of his most classic songs including Perfect Day To Chase Tornadoes, Bluebird (the only song a singer's written about their child that's not awful), God Was Drunk When He Made Me, and Girl From Brownsville Texas (perfection). He was also talking a lot, telling funny stories, in between all the very sad songs (that mix of very sad art and happy banter is what I'd like to do). Talking about working as a cab driver in New York; living in a house full of surf bums in Pensacola; about failed marriages and his new girlfriend; about how his mother was abused and he's always been attracted to abused women; about driving from Pensacola to Seattle and stopping in the scariest motel in the world; about Bluebird; and Aileen Wuornos. There was an argument with a guy in the audience who apparently just wanted songs, not stories, but he was on stage for nearly 2 hours, so there was time for both. Support was someone called something like Paul Finfarell, who apparently plays clarinet in a funeral ensemble when he's not doing sad songs. He also played guitar, sax, and clarinet for White, including a couple of songs that White claimed were Klezmer music. Afterwards, I bought White's latest album and got it signed; White's a good capitalist - no encores, straight to the merch table.

At the same time with all the sad sad songs I was thinking about sad things. How I've in the past written sad blogs and diaries and attracted very sad people. Most of whom I won't name, but there was a weird, cynical girl called Jen who I've not heard of in ages; and amongst the others there was N who I knew on-off over a few years and she told me to go see a Sage Francis show in Edinburgh once which I did and he's an awesome rapper/performance poet; she suffered from depression and self-harmed but was in the US armed forces and didn't want to tell anybody because she'd get discharged; this was several years ago. I feel bad that I wasn't a better friend to her. I didn't know what to write to her, back then. She sent me a newspaper cutting with a photo of her that I lost. I googled her name tonight, and didn't find much, but there was a photo on a clothes-store's Tumblr from last year of a happy girl on the seafront in California wearing a brightly striped dress with her name and nickname, so I really hope it's her.

And I came out and checked my email, and my friend who's father's been really ill for a long time but I didn't know how ill till last week, had emailed to say his father's probably not going to live another week. His dad taught me chemistry as well as knowing him through being friends with most of the family for up to 30 years.

I finished my dissertation, and I've started seeing a woman who I really like very much, only 3 dates, but she's (a) really pretty and (b) we have a lot to talk about, and we had a great weekend (out Friday and Sunday nights). A couple of little things I'm worrying about that are probably stupid, but I should talk to her not write here. I was actually thinking quite firmly I should tell her that this blog exists, because I don't want to have secrets. But I say nice things about her in the last entry as well.

Aside from that, you can add at a later date Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, and Beau Travail.

3 comments so far

notes

Far away - 2014-02-16
Finally found someone I love more than the rain - 2013-09-17
Taxi driver, be my shrink for the hour, leave the meter running - 2013-08-29
Dear friend, I cannot tell the reason why we started well - 2013-08-06
I saw this movie one time called Imitation of Life. The movie was really kind of shitty but I loved the title. - 2013-07-12

mail note tunes cabbages sprouts

days of yore space year 3000

NYRB LRB Guardian Popjustice Missprint Popbitch Playlouder Honest facade Straight Dope Bad Science Ehrenreich Overheard in NY BPS Research Digest Engadget B3ta Britney's naked cat-a-phone Filmhouse S1play IMDb Everyhit LJ Periodic videos Photoshop disasters iylismwdyglt?


Visitor Map
Create your own visitor map!