Free association time, got nothing in mind except everything. It's a busy Saturday at the daily internet stop with young kids manning the majority of the consoles, traffic whizzing by ouside, music on the stereo, in short, it's gonna be tough to concentrate until I get some headphones on, so I just put in the request. This place is kinda 'ghetto' in that respect, not all the stations have phones, some of the phones don't work, there is a certain amount of juggling that they do to keep me hooked up, and whatever, even if I don't get some phones today, I can still concentrate, right? Uh, what was I just saying? (he wondered, as the ADD kicked in)
One thing I've noticed lately is that a lot of people think I live here. I suppose I project a quality of being a long timer, what with regular gigs, a few students, bunch of friends, regular routine. It seems like every day, people are asking me if I live here, and my response is 'not yet, but I want to'. Not that I'm doing anything concrete about it, but the feeling is strong that this is home, or at least a place I want to know much more about. Can you blame me? I can't. What with my belief in the imminent big changes, the cheap living, the fact that I feel much healthier here than in the US, the ample opportunities for connection with attractive women, uh I could go on, OK why not? the food, the weather (at least at this time of year), the characters to interact with, the beauty of the countryside (not that I've been out in it for the past month), the lack of US televised bullshit reality that sucks me in when I'm there, the creativity that seems to course through me in this environment.... Uh, it's a no-brainer. I don't know how I could make it economically over the long term... no great pension in my future hah, but then again, is there a long term? I'm not an alarmist, the-world-is-ending sort of person; I prefer to phrase it like this: 'if there's something you've been wanting to do in your life, this would be a good time to do it'.
Interesting gig last night at the bar. I played with my little trio, did the usual mix of some standards, some originals, some Baby Boomer stuff, some jazz and rockin stuff, and folks were into it. But it's not like they're staring at the bandstand and listening intently. It's not that kind of place. Like the sign says, "CU Corner A place for music and conversation". So whereas the diva in me would like everyone to hear all the clever rhymes, chord changes, sweet guitar solos from my man Scott, it's just not like that. There is applause after each number, feels kinda pro forma at times. I quipped 'how do you say 'desultory' in Thai?, but that's just me being a wiseguy. Some people are paying attention and laughing at the right times, others are just talking with their friends, using the music as background noise. It's just the way Jeff likes it.
And Jeff, who is usually very spare in his compliments, has been very pleased with what we're putting out there. People stick around, they're tapping their feet, they're moving their fingers to the music, they're smiling (and they're drinking), so he is happy about the music. We do a great mix, no one else is doing any Gershwin tunes, swing stuff, so he likes that aspect as well. He says that people have been saying good things about it, and that is pleasing to know, partly because the actual experience of playing is good, not great, since there is background chatter, limited focus etc. I'm just recalibrating my expectations of what makes a good gig in the space. less diva, more internal pleasure from putting it out there into the universe... it's working...
Let's see... New Year's Eve... what does that bring up? For some reason I want to travel back to when I was 20 years old, on a break from my second (and final) year at Alfred University, and I headed off on a road trip to Florida. On December 31, somehow or other I was hitchhiking in south Florida and I got a ride from some guy who was heading to a Woody Allen stand up comedy show at some hotel in Miami Beach. We're riding into town and he starts talking about how he hasn't had any sex the whole year... while he's looking at me with that look... I say, 'well hey, good luck next year, cause it ain't happening with me'. He was whining a bit, so finally I relented and gave him a 'reach around'. That's a joke people, just seeing if you're paying attention. There were no reach arounds, though I do like the term :-) Anyhow, where was I? OK I clearly disabused him of any notion that I was gonna be his slump buster for 1973, but somehow, I ended up seeing that show. I know I didn't pay for it, I think I snuck in, can't remember exactly, but I got to see Woody Allen's stand-up routine in a ballroom of some big hotel on New Year's eve. He's dressed in a pair of jeans and a shirt, totally casual, and pretty funny. I can remember two of his lines from that appearance. 'My rabbi was reformed... No I mean he was REALLY REFORMED... He was a Nazi'. And then he's bantering with the crowd a bit and is talking to an older woman.'How old are you, darling?' She says 82. 'You don't look a day over 81' (I've used that bit hundreds of times since I heard it that first time). Worst one ever? When I was playing a gig at a senior center in Eugene, and someone said, 'Do you see her? She's 103'. I tried to restrain myself, but couldn't. 'You don't look a day over 102', I said. (she didn't think it was particularly funny) First time I've ever used that bit in three digits. Woody ended his show by saying, 'OK, I'm going to go have a corned beef sandwich now, good night'
I've been reading 'The Lotus Eaters' a great book about a war photographer (female) during the Vietnam War. Next up is a book called 'Thailand Fever' which is about relationships between Farang men and Thai women. it's written in both languages and is meant as some kind of handbook to clear up some of the cultural misunderstandings that often come up due to different perceptions of what love is. I'm ready to read up on that, as it's obvious that there are a lot of differing understandings going on here between cultures. My student/friend Diamond Dave lent me the book, and he also shared this sentiment. 'relationships are interchangeable here, it's not like in the west'. That is a topic that is very intriguing and loaded with thoughts, and as I read the book and continue to explore, I know that I'll have a lot to say about it. Meanwhile, I got a foot massage yesterday, and the woman who did it was 30, gorgeous, recently broken up from her American boyfriend, and checking me out thoroughly. I'm the perfect age for her, she said. 'Why, because I'm gonna die soon? I countered. No, you're perfect. This kind of interaction is available all around, and though I haven't availed myself of those opportunities, it is certainly something to think about... 'interchangeable relationships'. hmmmm It totally flies in the face of how we're molded in the US, so I would expect my reader, er readers to be offended or uncomfortable. Me, I'm intrigued, as the romantic love ideal, certainly hasn't worked in my life. I could 'embrace' a different concept... or at least find out about it. Safely, of course...
Not sure what I'll do tonight. Be outdoors, the moon has been gorgeous, the crescent of the waxing moon has a different angle than in the US. Here it's on the bottom of the orb, looks like a big smile up in the sky. Feels like it too.
