"Bane of the weasel for biting is fun, jump on the turnstile and watch me go
Round.
Swim with the cactus and float with the stone, I try to convey what you strive
To condone."
I just want to send personal thanks to Mr. Leonard Cohen for being in what was without doubt, the best seat in the house for what I think was his second performance in the United States in 15 years... even if the history books do not record the fact that you played for a very small crowd of crew and say Coachella the 17th was your 2nd US performance... I was there and know what you did Thursday...
I was dead center next to the camera your manager made me put down, wearing the goofy straw hat, dancing in my "seat" and singing along with you... ask your amazing blond backup singer who I shared a moment with when I caught you altering the words "anal sex" during The Future and she giggled at me when I was startled by the change... she played the harp, beautifully, and she caught me noticing that you altered the lyric... I wonder if I will ever know why you censored yourself....
(btw, i would not be disrespectful enough to actually be singing when you were, I was mouthing the words only)
Dear Mr. Cohen, As a fellow Lithuanian, I can only respectfully ask that you allow your concerts to be recorded by anyone and anyway as long as its not for profit... you are no spring chicken and what you have to offer is truly amazing and far beyond what you may realize that you have... to not allow it to be shared is almost criminal... I have faith that you want to do what is right... and what is right is your legacy and sharing the amazing gift you and your band have been given... give it away for free and you will sell more than you can imagine... and again, thank you for the very private intimate show you put on for the crew... I know many didn't realize what you gave but I want to assure you that at least 1 person did... and I hope your performance at Coachella touched those who needed it in the way you touched me... and again, allow it to be shared... please don't make anyone shut off the recording again... your gift is amazing, warts and all...
"I had a good raincoat then, a Burberry I got in London in 1959. Elizabeth thought I looked like a spider in it. That was probably why she wouldn't go to Greece with me. It hung more heroically when I took out the lining, and achieved glory when the frayed sleeves were repaired with a little leather. Things were clear. I knew how to dress in those days. It was stolen from Marianne's loft in New York sometime during the early seventies. I wasn't wearing it very much toward the end."
3 hours ago I was called to do a camera check at the "Outdoor Stage" at the Coachella festival. I was on the film crew and we needed to sync the audio and video for the webcast.
At 1st I was bummed that I had more work to do... I have lived in the area within a 20 minute drive from the venue and managed to miss every annual Coachella Festival ever put on, a tradition I will most likely continue this year. Besides, I only wanted to see 4 acts, Paul MCCartney (who I actually dislike the most out of any Beatle and was only interested in seeing so I could say I did), Leonard Cohen, who I REALLY dig for many reasons, Crystal Method for novelty, and Groove Armada because I think they might put on a fun set.
I don't really like festivals anyway because you have to choose who you miss AND particularly this one because it is really hot as a general rule at this time of year in the desert. Yesterday was rather cold and windy which made the 7 or so MILES of video cable I was part of laying much more tolerable (if you see any of the webcast this year, you're welcome for my part in helping you see it).
We did the hard work yesterday, so today our bodies were a little hurt and it was much hotter today, and we thought we had done what we needed and were on standby until we were cut at the 10 hour mark. After today, only one more shift of "work" to go...
I was also thinking about what I had to do tonight (and still have to do). Pack up my life in one of only 3 places. All of it going to the trash, to storage or in my car as I begin a new chapter in my life. I am beginning the process of intentional homelessness and going to stay with Imaya for a few weeks for her graduation prior to my tornado chasing and Phish tour. Due to some strange car problems and space and time limitations, tonight I pack after a full 10 hour day outside and in 12 hours I pick up the U Haul to put my stuff in storage. I will be lucky if I get any sleep at all, and I was already beat from yesterday.
So I wasn't in the mood to do any work, and when the call came in, I wasn't exactly thrilled. But I am a good worker and went toward the "Outdoor Stage" since it was the closest to my location for laziness sake. I thought there were 2 cameras there, and saw 2 of my crew on the way to that stage, so I figured they had dibs so I started heading to the main stage, the "Coachella Stage" which had like 8 cameras.
An old friend from my crew who was heading to the "Outdoor Stage" ahead of me stopped me from going to the "Coachella Stage" and mentioned there were 3 cameras there, not 2. So I went there and grabbed the handheld camera positioned dead center stage between the crowd barrier and the stage.
The process of syncing the webcast audio and video consists of the camera getting closeups for several minutes of an audio technician alternately counting to 10 and clapping. As you can tell, I was really excited about the prospect of this task.
But then it happened, Leonard Cohen and his band surprised our crew took the stage for his soundcheck. He will be Fridays headliner on the "Outdoor Stage" opposite McCartney. And he would have been the only reason I would have even wanted to attend the festival in the first place.
So I did what any cameraman would do and started pointing my camera at him. Well, his manager freaked and made all the camera crew put our cameras down. But we hadn't synced yet... so I was again on standby but this time less then 20 feet from Leonard Cohen and his band, closer and with a better view than anyone with a paying ticket could have possibly had. And they began their soundcheck.
If you have never witnessed a sound check, it can be as few as one or two songs, and generally 3 is the norm. 3 Songs with lots of fine tuning and stopping and starting songs to get the monitors just right for the band to hear each other played fairly lackluster is a typical standard soundcheck. It usually underwhelms. Mr. Cohen and his amazing band had other plans.
He played almost every song I knew from him and a bunch I didn't, maybe close to an hour, during which a crowd had formed and him and his band went into full blown performer mode... and what a performance he gave the 40 or so of us various crew.
During the surprise afternoon performance I lucked out by attending, which I surely had the best seat in the house for (and was being paid to watch), I had an epiphany... all my worries and fears about the odd choice to put my "life" on hold so I could go out and live disappeared.
For about 5 or 6 years I have had a hard time living. I have existed, in a rut, getting up and going to work to survive, not to live. I was an ugly little caterpillar inching around not sure what I was doing or why.
After Imaya made me go to Hampton to see Phish's reunion on my 34th birthday, I rediscovered joy, love, life, and living again... and that was the basis in which we both decided to take a leap of faith, hit the road, and go on living and forget about existing once we were graced with tickets this summer to very hard to get shows. And there have been weird little setbacks, and as little as a week ago, it almost looked like it might not happen the way we needed it to happen to have what we felt was essential for us to survive with. But then miracles kept happening, over and over, in a very short period of time and everything worked out.
God LOVES Skee Ball and I have wasted a lot of time not playing for him, and I was worried about playing skee ball... I was nervous, scared, doubtful... but tonight, the wonderful Mr. Leonard Cohen provided my epiphany.
My cocoon has cracked today, and in just hours, this butterfly will take flight and enter on a long overdue game of skee ball across this beautiful country of ours. And meet lots of beautiful people. And hopefully, do lots of good for people as well. I hope you, dear reader, are one of them.
I have many people to thank for this opportunity. I am only going to name a few. Imaya, of course, for helping me find the person inside myself that I used to like. My mom, for putting up with a lot of bad shit from me and overextending herself to help me time and again, often without proper thanks from me. To my Godmother, Vamparrot, for too much to mention. To Ron and Shirley for making my car healthy basically at cost when it looked like it was going to die. To Gregg and Suzanne, not just for the opportunity to go chasing tornadoes and the work, but for showing me through their new beautiful baby boy (12 days old today) how precious and amazing and what a gift life truly is. To Damian for always being there and helping me get where I am today. To the people who kept me working this year when it was lean for so many. To the people who have offered Imaya and I a couch to crash on during our travels. To Phish for getting their act together and doing what God put them on this earth to do. To the Grateful Dead and all their prankster pals for helping to start this bus. To Brian for putting me on this call. To Scott for telling me about the third camera at the "Outdoor Stage" (truly brother, all is finally now forgiven... it took awhile but I forgive you). And so many others, I can't even begin to name them all but I hope they feel the warmth I am sending them. And most of all, to God. I owe you some skee ball, and I hope I do right by you.
And its real and it wont go away, oh no I cant get around and I cant run away I need a miracle every day.
If not... we may be in your neck of the woods and need a place to stay for a night or 3 (at most). Hot showers appreciated!
if you have lodging, please offer, if you are in a destination town, please, let's meet up... perhaps even at odd hours in sketchy places!
Imaya and I have tickets to 8 phish shows in a row this late summer tour (10 shows total AT LEAST, just THIS YEAR for us) and will be putting massive miles on the old odometer by the end of the year!
Already, I have wracked up 6,000+ miles to see Phish THIS YEAR ALONE!!!!!
Imaya has topped me at 7,000+ miles.
And that was JUST to get us both to Hampton, VA (Friday and Sunday, we did not even try to get in Saturday after we got shut out of lottery and Ticketmonster.)
And it gets weirder... the following is an internets version of our tour itinerary.
At the end, we will be homeless, jobless, and directionless (unless Phish announces Fall tour by then.)
Anyway, here is our virtual trip (hee hee hee)! We have actual paid for tickets to ALL of these shows/venues for every night available and thre more be more stops on tour than listed dependent on circumstances...
So Happy Trails to everyone! (and email me if we can crash on your couch/floor from August forward and you are in an area we will be in around/after these tour dates or after tour, somewhere in the Pacific Northwest! Also, email me if you want to donate money to us support our broke, homeless, directionless hippie asses... I'm not kidding... HELP! We will be intentionally HOMELESS past August 11th, 2009)
OK, as promised, our tour itinerary, innerwebs styley!
Dates, locations FOR SURE thus far: 07/30 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO 07/31 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO 08/01 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO 08/02 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO 08/05 - Shoreline Amphitheatre - Mountain View, CA 08/07 - The Gorge - George, WA 08/08 - The Gorge - George, WA 08/11 - Toyota Park - Chicago, IL
If All Goes Well, before we are homeless, our map will look something like this:
If you want to help us, we still need tickets to the following dates...
08/13 - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center - Darien Center, NY 08/14 - Meadows Music Theater - Hartford, CT 08/15 - Merriweather Post Pavilion - Columbia, MD 08/16 - Saratoga Performing Arts Center - Saratoga Springs, NY
If you plan to/want to donate 2 tickets to each show to the cause, please let me know ahead of time so I can update this post so people don't buy us multiple tickets to the same show... that would be a waste and would wrong, we only want what we can use.
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