jul 24

Up 6:30 am. Figured out a key piece of financial info for my dad. Met Kyle for breakfast at Brandon’s in Rancho Cucamonga, caught up. Went by the Rancho Cucamonga library book sale, bought a book about Oskar Fischinger, that Stuart Hall-edited Representation textbook (I might already have a copy somewhere), and a medical CD of lung sounds - $1 each. Home around 11, finished the A&L book in the family room while my dad watched an Olivia De Havilland movie w/ the sound off. Got an email from the Pomona English dept. secretary that she was closing the office at 2, so drove over to get my keys to JL’s office. Dithered a bit, worked from 3-5 polishing the first few grafs of chapter intro. Dinner, Jeopardy!, read a good chunk of the Vincent Katz book I’d started before leaving, watched about 1/2 of Laura before getting sleepy. Lights out 11.

Have also been trying to play/learn a piano piece, La carcajada (translated variously as “The Peal of Laughter” or “Hearty Laughter” by Ignacio Cervantes, from his Danzas Cubanas. It’s probably no more than intermediate for a real pianist, and the proto-tango rhythm isn’t unlike things I play in pop contexts (e.g. “Sad & Afraid”) but it will be challenging for me to get both hands. 

jul 23

Up in time for therapy via Skype - 6 am, b/c of the time difference. Tried to go back to sleep a bit, up at 8, got to KSPC by 10, did my first show. Playlist: https://spinitron.com/KSPC/pl/9157087/The-Manila-Folder

Stopped into Claremont Library book sale room, picked up some cheap classical CDs, inc. some Rorem and Britten, and a book of poems by someone I dislike personally, and one called Packs Small Plays Big, an insider term among magicians. Treated myself to lunch at the Meat Cellar. Went to Rhino - 2 Carla Bley LPs (they also have an Escalator Over the Hill), a v. early gospel box (Arizona Dranes, Washington Phillips), and a CD of Han Bennink and a pianist I don’t know (though they do one Misha M. tune). Home around 3, exhausted, called Bree and then napped through a terrible airplane disaster movie w/ Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, Anne Francis, Keenan Wynn, and Patsy Kelly. (Oh, ok: The Crowded Sky, Joseph Penvey 1960). Managed about 20 p. of the Art & Language book, and an interview w/ Green Gartside, in which A&L also come up, from a post-punk anthology. Dinner, Jeopardy! w/ dad, went out to Starbuck’s a little after 8. Worked on chapter intro until 10:30. Came home, listened to jazz interview podcasts until I fell asleep. 

Listening to a CD of Die Schoene Mullerin in the car, forgetting the singer right now. Its been 100+ degrees here, little end in sight. 

jul 22

Up in the middle of the night - watched this and that on YouTube. Up for good, more or less, at 7. Got an overview of practical stuff I need to help my dad w/ after breakfast, some printing and email connected w/ that. Indolent for most of late morning, afternoon - watched a B musical, Breakfast in Hollywood on Bree’s recommendation, napped to Alfred Brendel paying Schubert. Couldn’t get it up to read about Art & Language. Finally went out to a local Starbuck’s 4-6, pulled together a Frankenstein of current chapter from various existing documents. Dinner at home, left for Highland Park at about 8, for the Mekons show at the Lodge Room. Opening band, Skokie Girl were well-intentioned, w/ a combination of live and programmed rhythms and post-punk/disco elements I’m in favor of in principle, but their songwriting and vocal chops were limited. Mekons put on a great two-encore show, with a few key tracks from the new album (“Lawrence of Arabia,” “How Many Stars?”, the one about Rimbaud in Abyssinia) but ranging over the entire catalog, from “Last Dance” to “Millionaire” to “Orpheus.” Hung out w/ RJ Smith and Mike McGonigal a bit, saw Tara Jane O’Neil and John Herndon, and Daniel Brodo, briefly. Said hello to Jon, Sally, and David Trumfio on the way out - floated the idea of rec’ding a vocal at his studio while I’m here. Listened to Elis Regina and some very late Ellington, from a ‘60s pop tune session (“Alfie,” “Soon Its Gonna Rain,” and the like) done for a Reader’s Digest LP on the drive there and back. Home at 1 am, said hello to dad’s overnight caregiver, Nicole, before going to bed.

jul 21

Jet-lagged. My sleep cycle will be out of whack for a week or more, but you don’t need a blow by blow. No reading, no book work, but managed to finish and send off my email interview for Rob McClennan’s blog. Main even of the day was Eddie’s “Summer Sweat” bbq/casual music-making evening in Claremont. The usual crowd of Shrimper/Rhino/townie folks - and a couple people I hadn’t seen in years. Good to hang out. Managed to make it through my set, pretty much what I played at Pete’s Candy Store (including the card trick before “Illusions,” which went over). Skipped “I Invented Rock ’n’ Roll,” “Control Freak,” and “Milkcrate,” swapped in “Untimely Beggar.” Home about 10, pretty beat - managed to write in poetry notebook before sacking out. Listened to Deserted again in the car, and played through a couple of Monk standard arrangements much earlier in the day.

jul 20

Up before 6. Already mostly (over)packed, grabbed a coffee around 7, came home and tied up loose ends (e.g. Aug. rent check). Spent some time saying goodbye to Bree. Called car at 10, read a little sheaf of poems by Joel Lewis and Gerald Burns I’d printed out at some point and slipped into my bag this morning. Lewis is, I think, a better poet than many more famous; has a narrow furrow (Jersey), I guess, but mines a great deal from it. Flight: Did crossword and the easy sudoko, screwed up the medium one. Read about 80 p. of Robert Bailey, Art & Language International: Conceptual Art between Art Worlds, which focuses on the UK group’s collaborations and conflicts w/ associates in NY, Aus/NZ, and Yugoslavia. The prose is lucid, but I have to say that some of the A&L group’s “analytic” philosophy, linguisitics etc. at this stage, while not window dressing, strikes me as less impressive than it did in my 20s, for instance a complete misapplication of Chomsky’s notion of an “ideal speaker-listener.” Once I’d had enough, read through A People’s Map: Stories From the East San Gabriel Valley, a newsprint publication by some independent journalists/photographers, w/ 2 page-spreads devoted to a bunch of ordinary/extraordinary folks from the era. I only found out about it b/c David Allen from the Daily Bulletin is in it. Listened to Anthony Coleman’s Jelly Roll Morton album, Freakish. There’s something about the strangeness and artfulness of this music that Coleman does capture, without entirely losing touch with its barrelhousing nature - but what it consists in, I don’t know how to say. 4 hrs. in Denver airport. Lunch, a porter, some email, frankly wasted some time online, finally made myself work on the chapter conclusion the last 90 min. before the connecting flight. Didn’t quite get the draft off to my correspondent before takeoff, and the paid internet on the flight was down. Did another sudoko (got it right this time). Listened to Mekons, Deserted. It sounds really good - David Trumfio on keys, bass, and mixing adds a lot. There’s a lot of Tom on this one. A postpunk grinder called “Mirage” is pretty great. But I couldn’t concentrate too well on the lyrics on the plane. Should hear it at least once more before seeing them Monday. Notebook poem. Landed 8:30, sent today’s writing while waiting for bag, my aunt and uncle Anthony & Beverly picked me up, at my dad’s house in Upland at about 9:30. Said hi, chatted w/ A&B and the caregiver for half an hr, went to bed.