we're older now

this morning i've been listening to the leaked tracks from the who's upcoming LP, Endless Wire.

i won't say much so as not to cloud judgement about the tracks or the album as a whole, but...


while roger's voice is undeniably older, the spark is still there even minus two of the original band. i'm looking forward to it. "it's not enough" brings out pete's hollering guitar and "tea & theatre" is a somber lament (i think) on the past...40ish years? dreams and goals and life and music and passion lamented as a past with just a hint of a future, but not much anymore.

i think i may have more to say about this when the album drops on october 31.
i want to tie in the commentary in the music industry (outside of the mainstream) that the album is dead and singles live on, that music has gone awry, and people don't care about the older guys much anymore (the dylans and petes).

as a side note, i watched The Fearless Freaks for the 3rd time and i commented to my friend vince via IM that sometimes you do recognize the talent of some entity (a musician, a band, an artist) and then it smacks you in the face of how awesome that talent is. i fell in love with the Flaming Lips all over again watching the documentary. they have a passion for pushing it all further, making music for the future. admirable passion. something we all often don't embrace in ourselves.

Santa Ana winds blowin' hot from the north

finally, a few words about los angeles.

i flew out almost 2 weeks ago to hang with my friends amanda and ben in honor of his 30th birthday. while there i saw many things: the getty (gorgeous gardens!), mulholland drive (i looked for david lynch, but he must have been putting down the pie at bob's big boy), cowboy curtis (aka laurence fishburne), alan arkin's baby boy, adam (in the valley!), and a line for rock star: supernova. there was lot of fun in between and i was just so delighted to see my friends after so long.

so, here's some photos for your enjoyment:

as promised to my friend, jason, i stalked tom cruise. no suri, but he has little feet and worked the witchcraft on me:



the hollywood rock walk featuring one of my favorites (the whole thing was a rock freak's dream...the cure, brian wilson, X, the ramones, etc):



me on mulholland drive. no david lynch, sadly:



also, if you really know my humor, then you'll know why i even took this blurry photo:



what's a pappy cleaner?

in addition to the few fun times i took photos of, we also went to this really awesome seedy bar that reminded me of those forgotten motel bars. the purpose of the speak easy cocktail was to celebrate ben's aforementioned 30th birthday. the bartender was ruthie and she was scottish and it was so awesome when she sang along to 'sweet caroline' and ALSO had her own cds in the jukebox. i asked her about it just before we left and she explained that while she doesn't record now that she's in the states, she does do the karaoke. music of choice?

"mostly country. it's the music of GOD, you know."

i love l.a. (we love it).

i can't get the west off of my mind.

I stumbled upon your secret place

i was sitting here watching vh1 classics (i think the one with elvis costello and green day and death cab for cutie is the best so far) and it's Heart with Alice in Chains and Carrie Underwood and Rufus Wainwright.

the weight of the world crashed down around me during rufus' rendition of 'dog and butterfly' with ann wilson. how did i get here? how did this change come about? when i think about it, i don't really want to think about my personal timeline. the twists and turns in my memory can be so overwhelming. i wish (sometimes, other times i'm glad) that i didn't have the memory i have.

since everything has cooled off i've made a point of rolling my windows down in the car. i especially enjoy it at night listening to highway 61 revisited on my way home from rehearsal. each night on the way back, coming back to myself after portraying a sad, scorned housewife, i yell along at the top of my lungs, "HOW DOES IT FEEEEEL???" my god. what a liberating moment. (side note: what in the hell is bob dylan doing playing guitar on an IPOD commercial???)

each time i do it i'm reminded of that night you sang 'it's the end of the world as we know it' and screaming into the mic, "AND I FEEL FINE!!!" how blind i was not to realize that my anger and discomfort was matched. how did it feel for you to put your guts into it? at that moment i saw passion in you, the passion that i always wondered about, if it was there. imprinted in my memory now is the notion that you have it in you to be an amazing songwriter. what's blocking your entry? probably the same thing that prevents me from showing my real words to anyone.

so much change and so much more to come. my countdown to THE REALLY BIG MOVE has begun. just less that four months now.

l.a. photos and thoughts coming....after the issue of jury duty is resolved.