12.11.16

Up 6. Weight same. Headed to Manhattan about 9, tried to write about Ira Gerswhin for 45 min. in a FIKA cafe, but there were pretty annoying kids in a resonant space. Went on to a big rehearsal studio way out on the West Side, practically to the river, to see Muhal Richard Abrams' open big band rehearsal, w/ Reggie Workman on drums, Marty Ehrlich, Ned Rothenberg, and Ingrid Laubrock in the sax section, and many other worthies. Played through about 5 charts, w/ Abrams changing textures on the fly, exhorting players to "make the part your own," and generally playing pretty fast and loose with his own compositions. (Or, sometimes, told people to read what's on the page - "Some of the trombone parts are a half-step apart; if you don't like it, take off your ears and throw them away.") A fun peek inside; there's another one next week. Unfortunately, I couldn't continue my plan for the day, between sleep deprivation and cold weather - had to go back to JH and nap from about 4-7, and skipped the $75 Bill show at Union Pool. Went to E77 from about 8-10, daybook, read more Levy and a bit of Alter, read the liner notes to the previous 2 Game Theory reissues. Made it through quota of Wilk (Sammy Cahn spends about 4 pages talking about "Three Coins in the Fountain") over the course of the day, listened again to most of the Toussaint album. Lights out 1:30 am - there's not much point trying to get to bed early right now, if I'm just going to toss and turn; time change/jet lag coming in about 9 days anyway.

The simplest and most necessary advice in Writing Your Dissertation [for which read "Book"] in 15 Minutes a Day [which of course is a fiction] is "Write first."

12.10.16

Up 9. Weight 214.5

Read 15 p. or so of Levy while waiting for a haircut, read Peggy MacIntosh's "classic"(?) white privilege article over coffee/bagel, ran into a composer acquaintance, Robert something, I'd talked to previously at E77. Really wanted to write a bit this am but ran out of time. Cleared a little correspondence at home. Went with Bree to Trav S.D.'s lecture on W.C. Fields' silent films at the Greater Astoria Historical Society - housed in some rooms on the 4th floor of the Quinn Building, anchored by a mortuary. Kind of a trip - I briefly played a square format Steinway piano made in 1867, watched a Lionel train set that included a boxcar atop which a tiny cop chases a tiny hobo. Bree went home, I went on to Oracle - tried to write some thoughts (about privilege, I'm embarrassed to say), and then spent a couple more hours writing a loose and overcomplicated 800 words on "The Man I Love." Read 50 p. of Wilk - good interviews w/ Leo Robin and other figures it's hard to find extended writing about, but boy could you read this and not know an African-American ever wrote a song. Lights out, midnight.

12.9.16

Up 8. Weight 214.4

Very briefly: wrote 750 words "The Half of It Dearie, Blues" at Oracle - took much too long, and most of it is bad. Took breaks to play the piano. Read 50 p. of Wilk, didn't read Levy, kept up w/ daybook. Nothing else worth reporting. Lights out around 10 but probably didn't get to sleep until 1. 

12.8.16

Up 9. Weight 214.3 - haven't been going in the right direction since Thanksgiving.

Started Andrew Levy, Nothing Is In Here (recent prose/poetry hybrid, not exactly a memoir, by a hard-to-place Language-generation writer) and Max Wilk, They're Playing Our Song (G.A.S.-era songwriter profiles, published in 1973 at the nadir of their critical reputation). Daybook. Still congested/tired/off my game. Listened to podcasts and napped until 2. Did some record filing and organization - stumbled on a large unmarked LP mailer and assembled most of the Des Moines order. Listened to The Wind, Guest of the Staphs (a Mitch Easter-produced '84 EP Matt bought for me in N.C.) Went out for coffee again at 5 and read a chapter from Emily Apter, Against World Literature, on translations of Madame Bovary; the next, on some general intellectual property issues around translation, looks good too. Bought a toothbrush. More organization, listened to Alex Bradford, Black Man's Lament (1972). The first cuts on each side - "Do It While You Can" and "That's What the Bible Says." The title track may or may not be related to "The Black Man's Lament, or How to Make Sugar," an English anti-slavery poem from 1826. Lights out before 10 (but a very hard time getting to sleep).

12.7.16

Up 7. Weight 214.2

Listened to Democracy Now, headed to Oracle about 8:30. Finished Pollack on train, coffee. Read a couple of art-in-the-age-of-Trump pieces. Wrote from 11-2:30; 750 words on songs from Lady, Be Good. Wrote to Electric Literature about reviewing Kenward Elmslie's Orchard Stories (the publishers at Song Cave made the introduction). 

Busby Berkeley double feature at Film Forum: Roman Scandals (1933, Frank Tuttle/BB), an Eddie Cantor vehicle w/ minor Warren/Dubin songs and 6-7 minutes of gratuitous blackface; and Strike Up the Band (1940), a Mickey/Judy vehicle w/ minor Roger Edens songs and 2 hrs. of gratuitous mother-and-flag L.B. Mayer Americanism. Jeff let me in on a pass, which was nice.

Thought about going home, but went on to hear Robert Glück and Luc Sante at the Poetry Project. (Finished the Keith Waldrop book on the way - much more 1st person lyric than I would have guessed, though the worldly-wise (weary?) tone is consistent w/ other work.) I wasn't vibing on Glück's autobiographical prose, theoretically informed or not; Luc read an odd but effective assortment of pieces, which one might or might not define as poetry, including something assembled from Wikipedia entries about self-proclaimed Messiahs, and a similarly structured compilation of one-sentence causes of death (the Feneon connection was evident). Was able to confirm that Ron Padgett got my article about Kenward. Also discussed the upcoming Latouche bio. Went for a drink w/ Luc, Mimi L., Annie N., Drew, and a friend of Mimi who turned out to live 2 blocks away from me, so we split a cab. Home, lights out about 12:30.