Friday, April 2, 2004

FL Solo Tour Diary #2

Played by the pool and did laundry (yeah, I started the tour with a bag of dirty clothes). We slothed around most of the day until the Grand Buffets arrived. At 8 we all jumped in Mor's van and headed out for Gainesville. What a strange thing, leaving for a show so late. When you play with just a CD player I suppose that's the procedure. On the way we embarked on our timeless discussion (the same one we have every time we hang, Jacks/Grunge and I) - must one find value in crappy art? I always come at it from the elitist tip, and Jackson from the well-educated hippy angle. My thing is, why waste time listening to Coldplay, if you can have Radiohead? I'm not saying the two are identical, I'm saying they're in the same ballpark and one has way more expressive and convincing layers, the other uses wide girthed lyrics and melodies that are pleasantly familiar. I'm saying why pay to see Hellboy when there is a movie like Batman (the first one)? This conversation always morphs into how I don't think it's ok to dismiss Anthony Kiedis' ape-like persona/lyrics because "that's the Peps!" I think the fact is that everyone else in the band is so good that they would be much better with someone capable of more than a Dr. Seuss rhyme scheme. I always feel like a shmuck in this conversation because I get backed into the elitist roll when truly I think I'm over that. I just suffer from this weird sense of urgency in all things - like there's no time to listen to Nickelback, because we're going to die soon enough and therefore my time is better spent listening to Self or Cornelius (if I'm in the mood for pop).
The show was fun... until I played. I sort of crumbled in the middle of Tarpit, which had never been a problem until Gainesville. I felt like I was muffled to the audience or something, separated by foggy glass or something. Where the in ear monitors had provided shelter the night before, now they obstructing my vision, figuratively speaking. I think all around I just was off balance due to our late arrival and wanting to impress my colleagues. It weird to perform, knowing that this comic colossus is going to bat cleanup. Made me very straight faced and not funny. I enjoyed both Bleu Bird's set and Grand Buffet's set quite a bit. They cheered me up.

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