11.3.17

Up at 8:30. Dithered online. Went to E77 at 10:30, worked through a couple grafs of intro. I think I need to put something back a little earlier in the section. Back home at 1, rested for a while, finished the Kluge. Fantastically depressing book. Bree went out, I skipped trying to go to the Kitchen to get on the wait list for the sold-out Raincoats 33 1/3 launch. Just as well – had a lot to tick off for the show tomorrow (esp. after Gail wrote and asked if I’d do a few songs solo, which I hadn’t planned on) and recording Sun./Mon. Spent a couple hours making a new chart for “Paradox” in Sibelius. Tried out my amps – the Princeton seemed fine after it warmed up, then started crackling like a m.f. when I tried it again later. The Deluxe (which is larger and heavier) is ok, a little buzzy – could be my outlets. (Describing these lame, ordinary hassles, and the extent to which getting anything done/squared away/prepared never goes entirely smoothly—whether because I’m a fuck-up who tries to take on too much, uses time poorly, and doesn’t have many of my life in working order, or because it’s like this for everyone—is as much the point of these posts as anything.) Played though some of my songs, and some of Laura’s set, before packing the piano. Made a list of what I have to take tomorrow so I can think less. Took to bed around 11, started reading Jonathan Gould’s Otis Redding bio and Raymond Smullyan, The Tao Is Silent. Put on the A-Z playlist, drifted in and out.

[Neil Young, “Alabama,” to Caetano Veloso, “Alegria, Alegria.”]

11.2.17

Up at 6. Got coffee, finished Monson. Rehearsed “My Old Man” with Bree. Train to library around noon. Had a bite, got to library, worked on intro 1-6. Not bad: Cut down the first half of the current section to about 2K. Getting there. Headed to Sid Gold’s for David Nagler’s show. Chatted w/ Jennifer O’Connor. Sang “Dress,” with Jessica Pavone on violin, about 2/3 way through the set – pretty decent, except Joe McGinty blasted some feedback while working the mics w/ the iPod Mixer. Jennifer was quite good – “Dress You Up,” “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off,” and “Raspberry Beret.” Home around 11, visited w/ Bree, watched an episode of the Menendez miniseries, lights out 12:30.

[Karen Lake, “Air Mail, Special Delivery” to Alabama, “Neil Young”]

11.1.17

Up 8, left at 10. Spent an hr or so at E77 doing online promo for upcoming shows, email. To library, worked on intro from 1-4:30. Did something resembling last 2 grafs of section, but it all needs a once- or twice-over. Met Laura and Pete at a rehearsal studio in the mid-30s to rehearse Sat. set. It’ll be fine. From there to David Nagler’s space in DUMBO. Ran into the bros. Baluyut in the hallway – they’re playing a Pacific Ocean set at Chickfactor tomorrow, which I can’t go to. Listend to David and Jessica Pavone work out “Famous Blue Raincoat” and “Venus in Furs,” which involved retuning her viola, then ran through “Dress” – finally decided not to just sing, w/o gtr. Stopped in Berl’s Poetry Shop on the way to train, said hi to Jared, bought the W.D. Snodgrass chapbook of translations from the Minnesinger that I’d eyed last time. Train home – read most of the rest of Monson, inc. close reading of this Jaki Byard recording over the course of the day. Home 11, lights out 12.

[Sallie Martin Singers, “Ain’t That Good News” to Marian Anderson, “Ain’t Gonna Grieve”]

October 2017 reading

China Mieville, October

Catherine Blauvelt, Here High Note, High Note

Leonard Feist, Music Publishing in America

Carl Richardson, Autopsy: An Element of Realism in Film Noir

Nicole Brossard, French Kiss

Margo Jefferson, Negroland: A Memoir

Caroline Levine, Forms: Whole, Rhythm, Hierarchy, Network

Campbell Jones, Can the Market Speak?

Ron Moy, Authorship Roles in Popular Music

Susan McClary, Feminine Endings: Music, Gender, and Sexuality

Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

George Starbuck, Bone Thoughts

John Ellis, Literature Lost: Social Justice and the Corruption of the Humanities

10.31.17

Up at 8. Wasted time online, left by 10, mailed a CD to Jack Silbert, got coffee and read Ellis (I don’t know why I’ve interrupted Monson and Kluge for this fairly bad book, it just seems like something I can polish off and forget, except as an example of a running strand of hidebound reaction to the political motivations of the contemporary humanities. It’s weird, the book is from 1997 but would be about the same if written today – seems like there’s just a standoff, except that the exponents of traditional views are dying off.) Decided against the library, went no further than Lucid in Woodside, got another coffee, worked on book from 11:30-3. Added another 1000 words that need heavy editing but are at least in the right order, feel like I need one last paragraph before I make another pass over the whole section to get into shape (and proportion). Unsuccessful attempts to call the Kitchen (for Raincoats tix) and my dad. Came back, ran into Bree on the corner, watched a bit of the local kids’ Halloween parade together. Went home, rested and read a bit. Dad called back w/ some bad news (not medical, but not general readers’) that screws up some of my plans for the next year or more; told him so frankly. Distressing. Finally found the last box of copies of The Accordion Repertoire in our storage space. Went out for an hr, got back into Monson (interesting discussion of Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things” – some of the usual “destroying the standards” cant, but more measured and detailed than many). Came back, figured out the weird additive-rhythm to PJ’s “Dress” for rehearsal tomorrow, rehearsed a few songs I might play in Hudson. Got involved in a fb thread about Big Dipper w/ three of its members. Lights out by midnight, listened to a relationship podcast I’m embarrassed to name.

[James Brown “Ain’t That a Groove” to Fats Domino, “Ain’t That a Shame.”]