10.23.16

Up 8. Wt. 204.

Some sort of reduced train service, couldn't get to LIC easily, so worked in Lucid Cafe, Woodside, about 11-3:30. Continuing to draft on 1920s Gershwin, have 3300 words in the file since Mon., but it needs a lot of work. Read Gates on the way back. Took a nap, spent about 90 min. on organizing regimen. Headed out to Joe's Pub for Laura's show. Finished reading Kizer on the way - the translations from Tu Fu are really fantastic, would quote but the book isn't ready to hand. Listened to a bit of Wire, 154. Show: The solo opener had some chops, but was cloying between songs. Laura's set quite good, w/ Mark Spencer/Jeremy Chatsky/Jimmy Ryan/Steve Goulding - chagrined to say it was overall better than most times I've been in the band! Guest spots by a ppl involved w/ "Not the Tremblin' Kind" - Jay Sherman-Godfrey and George Usher, writer of the title song, whom I've never laid eyes on. Chatted after w/ Jay and his daughter Lily about the 21 Pilots show he'd taken her too, got a ride home to Queens w/ them and Laura. Read a few p. of the scansion book. Lights out 12:30. No daybook.

10.20-22.16

10.20: Up 10:30. Weight 214.2. Went to a different coffee place than usual, cleaned up email until 1:30. Worked on "Goo Goo Eyes" until 5; going to move on. Rested at home, spent some time on organization, went out about 8, finished Hunt's Piece Logic (liked a prose poem on household appliances best), started Carolyn Kizer, Knock upon Silence, read 10 or so pages each of Keynes and Gates (on the "Talking Book" trope). Lights out midnight.

[Lost 10.22]

10.22 Up 8, but barely got going until 10. Read chapter on iambic pentameter in Charles O. Hartman, Verse: An Introduction. (I wasn't feeling Keynsian today). Listened to Sneaks, Gymnastics (a new Merge artist, drum machine/bass/fm vox, hits a Rough Trade button pretty dead center, haven't made out the lyrics). At Lincoln Ctr. library, wrote around 700 words on "Stairway to Paradise" and "Half of It, Dearie Blues." So-so. Glanced at some sources, but I'm not looking forward to digging into the Gerswhin literature. Hung around past usefulness, read Gates on train, home too late to visit gym (footshooting, tbh). Spent some time w/ Bree, returned a call from my dad, went out to E77 about 8:30. Daybook, Tu Fu translations in Kizer. Home, read a bit more Hartman. Lights out 1.

10.19.18

Up 9. Weight 214.2

At coffee, finished Brown, read a modest amount of Keynes and Gates, caught up on daybook by 11:30 or so. After which, mundane/domestic tasks; would have like to have get out again at 2:30-3, but too much intervened. Left around 5 for Park Slope. Listened to extra disc of Spike, read more Gates. Used up my credit an Unnameable books: Alison McCracken, Real Men Don't Sing; David Hadju's new Love For Sale; Emily Apter, Against World Literature (have wanted to read about competing translations of Madame Bovary for a while), facsimile of MoMa's Douglas Fairbanks book for Bree, a chapbook interview w/ Clark Coolidge, a couple of dollar poetry books. Passed up reprints of Sing Out! Walked to Congregation Beth Elohim for Lethem/Lerner reading/conversation. Genial; no chance to say hi to Ben. A couple of the audience ? were borderline nutso. Took a cab w/ Andrew Hultkrans and a former p.a. of JL's; long discussion of Luke Cage. Reconvened at Brazenhead Books, hung out for a couple hrs w/ the above, James Hannahan, Alix Lambert, and a few people I hadn't met. Picked up John Hammond's autobiography and O'Meally on Billie Holiday, both of which I'd passed up on a previous visit. Long walk + train from UES, listened to Lester Young and read most of a chapbook by Erica Hunt. Fun and all, not sure it was all worth getting in past 2. 

10.18.16

Up 4:30-6, slept again until 9. Weight 214.3

Finally sent an 10" order I've had packed for a week to Australia. Left from p.o. for Oracle about 10:30. Listened to 4-track compilation from Dan in Iowa - generally quite strong.  The tracks he sent before release doesn't have artists, but I recognize Mike Watt and Tim Midgett by their voices, not sure my sloppy acoustic contribution ("Granges-Sur-Salvan") stands up. Spent an hr+ on email responses, then worked on "Goo-Goo Eyes" 2-4:30.

Came home, napped, helped Bree download some medical records, headed downtown to rehearse. Read a bit of Keynes, listened to a few songs from EC's Spike, thinking of rhythm arrangements as possible models for "Shovel-Ready," and an early Ike Turner comp. Rehearse 8-10 at Rivington, working mainly on that song, "Illusions," "Untimely Beggar," and running through "Old Currencies," "Our Films, Their Films" + "Enemies." Got an idea of some guitar parts I should decide on/practice. Finally got back to Sterling Brown's poems on the way home - some of the later work is incredibly bitter; tendency to move from race to class (not the only African-American writer to do so). The moments of musical critique are powerful, and not un-Adornian. 

Cleaned up stray emails at home. Too tired for daybook, Gates today. Accomplished a fair bit though. Lights out at 1 am.

10.17.16

Up 7. Wt. 214.5

Didn't leave the neighborhood or try to write; bree was out of the apt., so I spent the day on mundane tasks and organizing. Only of interest insofar as an example of the tiny steps toward a given outcome: e.g., wrote emails related to the next album,  a Shrimper cassette release, a possible release of Human Hearts singles/comp tracks, and my liner notes for a Game Theory reissue,  Cleaned out one messy drawer full of adapters, etc. (why do I have this many MIDI connectors when I have no idea how to use them?); some relief, though the office is full of similar chaos. Cleaned out my email in the evening, finally wrote in daybook and read 10 p. of Keynes, on the Treaty of Versailles. A little hard for me to follow -- it turns out I know very little about international trade balances. Lights out around 11.

It looks like I won't be traveling to Boise in November. 

Theme song for a Japanese civic mascot. I find this very comforting. 

Andrew Cyrille profile, w/ Spotify links to five excellent albums from his past.