Up 9. Weight same (though up from a week ago). Watched last night's SNL clips - oddly moved by the gentle Obama-themed parody of Run D.M.C.'s "Christmas in Hollis." Met Drew G. and Michael G. (from Columbia) at Muhal Richard Abams big-band rehearsal 11-2; same line-up as last week, though he also had a synth player, not present last time, making sounds somewhere between Sun Ra and Richard Teitelbaum on a Nord + delay. George Lewis showed up! (But didn't play.) Wrote down a lot of Abrams' directions and stray comments in the daybook. Best was to the rhythm section: "I'm telling you something, you know, but I'm not tell you anything." Had a coffee w/ Drew. Forced myself across town to the Met Breuer (the old Whitney bldg, I now realize) for the big 2-floor Kerry James Marshall retrospective. Fascinating painter, working through African-American themes w/ a range of techniques, though this isn't the place for art criticism. Particularly struck by his mock-sentimental "vignettes," esp. one involving a wishing well, and a parody of Barnett Newman with text from Baldwin in the red field. Lyrics from Smokey's "Two Lovers" scroll through one painting. Heaed downtown, listened to most of a minor '80s McCoy Tyner trio album while on foot. Tried to stop by Housing Works bookstore - that place has the most annoyingly erratic hours and event closures. Met Bree at Pangea for Carol Lipnik's show; talked to her pianist, Matt Kanelos, for a while before and after. Wrote in the daybook a bit more during the set, including new originals and 3 Leonard Cohen songs. "Anthem," done more martially than the original, seemed so apposite. Kind of a pricey night out, w/ a food minimum and a cab home. I've decided not to record expenses until the end of the year, to avoid getting annoyed at Xmas expenditures and for the sake of self-administrative sanity. Did some pre-packing at home, got to bed at 1. Red quota of Rosenberg over the course of the day, have stalled out on the Doppelt poems. No prose.
12.17.16
Up 9:30. Weight up. Woke up over coffee and Caples (whose big theme is the effacement of Surrelaism by art history). This book has nothing to do with anything I'm supposed to be doing right now, but I need breaks from the Gershwin literature. Oracle: worked steadily from 2-5, about 950 words on the last 4 songs. Draft is too long already at 2500 words, but I think I can close in on an ending and cut in the next few days. Hauled 2 bags of books from my locker back home + earmuffs and wine I left last night. Came home briefly, went w/ bree to Queens Consort early music concert at St. Marks. "The joyful third movement [of Manfreidi's Christmas Concerto, early 1700s] is…frequently accompanied by drones which evoke the drones of the Pifferari making the pilgrimage to celebrate the Christ child, a tradition still performed in Rome and Christmastide each year, in remembrance of the shepherds and Bethlehem." Introduced ourselves to the violinist/leader, Claire Smith Bermingham, who recognized me from E77, knows our friend Amy Domingues and also plays with Richie Blackmore. (Random, as the kids say.) Came home and went to our neighbor Jennie's holiday party [per emails, "Wassail"]. Chatted at length w/ a likable ex-Artforum editor (who I advised not to send her daughter to Bard), Phil the chemist, a librarian who knows Daphne Carr, &c. Came back around 11, read quota of Rosenberg. Lights out 1.
12.16.16
Up 9. Weight down a hair.
Got out around 10, read quota of Rosenberg on train. Dithered over a couple of emails for a long time at Oracle, read 1st 3 pieces in Caples' Retrievals. I don't know that I buy every word of what he says about Wittgenstein in the preface, but his prose is stunningly and enviably pellucid, especially given his subjects (modernist art). Worked on Game Theory notes from 3-9ish, w/ a long dinner break (read more Caples). Knocked off for Oracle holiday party; Bree met me there. Happened to run into David Levine and Claire Lehman - had a conversation about some bad editorial experiences. Stayed 'til 12:30. Home, daybook, lights out about 2.
12.15.16
Up 8. Weight same.
Started Rosenberg's George + Ira book more in earnest at coffee. Hagiographic, but detailed. Went to Oracle, assembled some TPA chunks into one file (overlong, as usual), worked on polishing a couple of grafs, nearly at random. Called Claudia Gonson about SM interview, worked on correspondence until 6. Rode down to Berl's Poetry Shop to hear David Nagler give a solo version of some of the songs from his Carl Sandburg project, and read a few poems he didn't set. One, I think with "Telephone Pole" in the title, beginning "I am a copper wire…" sounded on this occasion like Suzanne Vega. Wrote quite a bit in daybook during the set. He hasn't had a chance to listen to "Enemies of Song" for the possible orchestration, but I hung out a little with him and his wife Theresa, Richard Martin, and Beth from Bird of Youth. Bought four books (I've been good since Rhinebeck) - collected Gil Ott, Erika Meister Copia (an interesting interviewee of Rachel Zucker's I had never heard of), Alicia Cohen Coherer (just looked good on a flip), and Garrett Caples' 2014 book of essays Retrievals. Headed home, read a bit of Suzanne Doppelt, Lazy Suzie (trans. Cole Swensen, prose poetry loosely around photography/camera obscura themes). Lights out 1.
12.13-14.16
Up 9. Weight same. Finished Wilk (ends w/ a long Irving Berlin overview, which I was strangely moved by) and Levy. "And I realized that if I was seeing girders that I was part of the bridge that was falling." At Oracle from noon, but largely squandered time on correspondence (about the SM piece) and a couple of conversations w/ other writers. Went out later, daybook, a chapter of Alter. Long phone call with my dad. Lights out 12:30.
Diffuse, underperforming.
Up 7. Left for Manhattan around 8:30, spent an hr+ in a very crowded Birch Coffee, looking at some older sections of the Tin Pan Alley chapter and writing a few sentences. Started Deena Rosenberg, Fascinating Rhythm, but my enthusiasm for another 400 p. Gerswhin book is low. No wifi, but learned on my phone that my paper/proposal didn't get into EMP! I'm surprised, but it may be a blessing in disguise re the schedule for both the book and the album (for which I'm scheduling a week in April.) Is it ok to say "their loss"? Met Kathy Pence for lunch, pleasant. Left a little too late to make a Raul Ruiz movie at Lincoln Center, so went to oracle and had another round of correspondence about the SM piece, and a phone conversation with the editor. Wrote to Amy Maloof about helping me w/ j-card design. Left at 6:30, home at 8. Daybook after a nap. Some other correspondence - wrote Mary Timony about a vocal on "Different City."
Badiou on the subject of liberalism (re the election). "A human subject is a beggar, a consumer, an owner, or nothing at all. That is the strict definition today of what is a human being."