Up 5-7. Back to bed, listened to a 5049 episode w/ Theresa Wong (dauntingly accomplished cellist).
Left about 9. Train/breakfast/coffee: Read about 10 p. of Isacoff, then got into the Modiano.
At Schwarzman a little after 10. Spend a couple hrs. w/ old issues of Forced Exposure, looking for Salem 66 reviews - one live, and A Ripping Spin, but no mention of the later records, which is telling.
Went to MoMa to see Three For the Show (1955, H.C. Potter, w/ Betty Grable, Marge & Gower Champion, Jack Lemmon, and some outlandish Jack Cole choreography). It’s not great, and I realized I’d seen it before, but I needed to give myself the break.
Went to the Hilton nearby and found a place to call Jenny; talked about stuff related to the PopCon talk for maybe 45 min.
Haven’t been able to nail down a time with Beth Kaplan.
Madiano on train home. Went to E77, tried to write an hr. or so.
Rested at home, helped Bree change sheets, read more (the Isacoff is pretty dense), daybook poem.
In bed 10:30; listened to a dharma talk about “not-self.”
4.19.18
Up 8. Slow start.
Worked on opening of talk at E77, 11-1.
Had planned to hit the library again, but honestly could not face the cold and the rain and the sky and the F train.
Let myself drift at home until 3. Braxton CD and Taylor DVD came in the mail. Made a to-do list.
Read 25 p. Isacoff. Giordano Bruno comes up.
Read a few poems in Ash. Good, esp. the menacing “Desert Song,” but I’m distracted.
Called Stephen Smith to talk about Salem 66. Good guy.
Called my dad, since I had time.
Finished Ash. He’s one of my favorite poets, truth be told.
Beth Kaplan from Salem 66 got back to me via facebook; hope to have a phone conversation this weekend.
Some tidying, emailed my uncle, arranged a ride (from someone else) from Ontario Airport next week. I have a bigger email backlog (100+) than is usual.
Went to drugstore for Bree.
Read a few pages of Patrick Modiano, Missing Person.
Lights out 12:45.
Up at 5, dithered online, read another 1/4 of Ash, went back to bed for a while 9-10. Daybook poem.
Breakfast/coffee, read 25 p. of Isacoff.
Picked out 3 Cecil Taylor records to bring to Scrabble, but forgot to take them with me.
Listened to an interview w/ Emily Apter on her book Unexceptional Politics on train. A little general, interviewer’s fault I suspect. I like her Against World Literature.
At NYPL (Schwarzman) around noon. Worked until 7, w/ lunch break, though too much of it was looking for a quote from a Liz Phair interview.
Went to Jean and David’s for Scrabble - Ben and Steve S. also in attendance. Played poorly (I was challenged successfully on “Tyrolean,” b/c the official dictionary doesn’t recognize an uncapitalized form), listened to Cecil Taylor LPs. Picked up the books I’d left there 2 months ago.
Didn’t realize I was on the D train “home” until I was far uptown, had to turn around. Read to p. 125 of Temperament, listened to the Studio One comp. and some Ali Farka Toure.
Home 11:30, didn’t stay up long.
4.17.18
Up 8:30. Scanned book contract for grant application.
Out before 10. Posted tax return. Couldn’t do the last bit of grant submission b/c E77 wifi wouldn’t let me on.
Daybook poems. (They’re crap, by the way.) Read the rest of the Raincoats book (good, stirring, cool that she talked to some contemporaries like Green Gartside and Mayo Thompson, in add. to women musicians the rec. influenced, esp. Tobi Vail. There are some detectable tensions/contradictions that aren’t really explored). Oh, there was a related essay on punk-era feminist detournment in a Routledge collection at the library yesterday. I liked a phrase from a Slits review - “gothic nursery rhymes.”
Came home before noon, finally hit ‘send’ on the grant app.
Listened to Till Eugenspiel’s Merry Pranks (Strauss), w/ Bree when it came on the radio.
Listened to The Raincoats s/t. Profound record. “The Void.”
Correspondence, a couple of small tasks for Bree.
Went out again, 4-6 to have a bite, get my head together and write a bit. I can see the shape of the piece….
Keys went through a hole in my overcoat pocket into the lining; had to tear it more to reach them. I hope I can stop wearing it soon, but not much sing of Spring.
Bree on phone w/ my dad when I got back.
Called Kristin Thompson mainly to get some factual background on her positions at FMC and since.
Played piano while Bree was out - a little Bach and a little improv, no real focus. Took out trash.
Put on a LP of Schubert songs, “Alinde” and others - German pressing, so no translations of the lyrics. Pianist seemed a little heavy.
Read to p. 50 of Stuart Isacoff, Temperament (had started it earlier in the day), and started John Ash, The Anatolikon - the title poem is lovely. “And still I kept looking for something that was not there amid so much that was.” Or “Flute Music”: “The city had been removed like a slide from a projector.”
Lights out midnight. Had a jazz interview podcast on.
5.16.18
Up at 7:30. Watched Last Week Tonight.
Read this interview.
Read about 1/3 of Jenn Pelly’s 33 1/3 on The Raincoats on train.
Replied to editors of the pop music studies encyclopedia I’m revising the “bridge” entry for. Set a deadline of 5/8.
Therapy. Bought $1 CDs of The Chronic and a Brothers Johnson best-of at Housing Works. Lunch.
To Lincoln Ctr. Uploaded all elements of grant application except original book contract, which I have to look for at home. Took until about 4.
Took a break (dithered) for an hr. Ordered a recent Anthony Braxton solo CD, on Brad San Martin’s rec.
Spent an hour sending emails to people I want information from for the PopCon piece.
Looked for farm-raised salmon for Bree in Whole Foods, no luck.
More Raincoats on the way home.
Kept up in poetry daybook. Otherwise unproductive.
Lights out 2 am.