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10/28/2005: "SEPT 28 - 0CT 3 = AUSTRALIA"

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SEPT 28 SYDNEY

What day is today? I have no idea. Sleep made everything better. I have dinner with the fellow who helped initiate me to get here. He owns and runs the label that should be licensing the records from thrill jockey, but instead chooses to just import them. he offers no tangible reason for this. Maybe it’s the lag stuck in my ear. But I can’t quite understand this.
His wife is at dinner to. She is charming and works for Qantas airlines. She offers no upgrades either.

The set that night is much better. The places is holding about 80 or 90 folks tonight. I play very well. I like the david lynchness of it all. the sound man is named felix. the great piano here seals the show. This set will resonate I reckon. Folks seem as tickled as the ivories.

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SEPT 29 MELBOURNE


we fly to Melbourne today. Check into another apartment style room. Me and adam yee. We walk around a bit. Different feel here then Sydney. I like it. easier to get around. Another piano is at the club tonight. That is a bit of wonder luck. Casey from Chicago is there to do sound. More luck. I venture out after sound check and wander. Nice mix of urban blight and bohemian blander. I like Melbourne.

The set tonight will also be very good. About 80 or so people show up. These numbers are confusing adam yee. He figured on more. I am thinking it all has to do with no record representation here. It seems like a no brainer. It does not figure why there’s nobody to put the records out here? But no one puts the records out in new Zealand either and those shows averaged 200 folks a night. A mystery. Dots need connecting.

SEPT 30 MELBOURNE

Day off. Great. Could use it. decide to shop. I hate to shop. But I need a new hat. My target short brim fake straw lid is bonked beyond repair. I get me a new akubra, which is a grey fake straw short brim and actually fits. Then its off to stock up on blundies. K’noath.

3 pair for the family plus an old new pair of rossi for young luka. Lulu will get stuffed animals instead of boots.

Later that night I will hang out at the triple R radio station playing some guitar and singing. Gary seven was the dj. A good guy. Very good station. Lucky Melbourne.

That’s it then. A relatively early night. But the term early night has no real meaning here in the space time continuum. Not here in the future anyway.

OCTOBER 1 2005 ADELAIDE

A gig is set up here way after the fact of the rest of the tour. Vic from big star record shop did it. been wanting us to come out this way for ages. Tried to get giant sand and calexico to do it several years ago, but it was just at the end of the end back then.


The gig in Adelaide was at the Grace Emily, which was funny cuz when we pulled up to the venue I was just listening to the new mixes by Kevin salem, his daughter named Emily grace.

This place immediately had a comfort to it. I could have stayed inside it for years. It is one of those places on the short list of places to head to when it all goes south. That bar in Salamanca, spain, was the last one that felt this good.

Greg is the proprietor. Like we all could have known him forever. Coopers pale ale on tap. Organic beer with sludge at the bottom of the glass. Tasted like a good idea.

I walked around town some with adam in the lead. This town had the most similar sensation to Tucson. The angle of light and wide streets and all. very homey. Most folks in Australia make distraught faces when mentioning Adelaide, but it feels way comfortable here for me. I liked it fine.

Vic’s band opened up that night. Quietest rock band I have ever heard, wonderfully self mixed. Then I took the stage. I delivered the goods this night, even though it was the first night with a digital piano. It all worked somehow. The crowd was a dense 40 people strong. I liked it a lot. Just my speed I suppose. Afterwards, a woman sat down next to me. I got her a beer the way I would a friend back home. Some other fellows talked about some old records and rainer. I sure liked greg’s place. Good folks there. Until the delve of sleep knew where to find me and stumbled me home.

Next morning we ambled off. Back to Melbourne for the last show in oz.

OCT 2 MELBOURNE

Tonight at the northcote. A perfect club, except for the stage lights. The mighty Casey back at bat. The sounds all spoinked on stage though. Luck of the draw. I was tempted to muck up the set. The punk demons that live within me were conjured and wanted to come out and play. Wanted to destroy the set. I managed to hold them at bay for the duration. After the first instrumental piano piece, I just talked with everybody for 20 minutes. Tonight was more people than any of the other shows. About 140 all in maybe.

They were delightful and loud and insightful and proud. I think. Mostly they were fun, even the drunks that had been following me for 25 years. The girls dancing to a one man show got my respect. And the woman who got up to sing with me was very brave and sparked the set some. I liked it a lot. And was happy to stay off them inner demons toying with the notion of decompose.

Ok then. Back to the room to get some sleep before the plane to Tokyo. The bends have officially set in though. I am funked with a depression of impending plane travel. Just not into it. its happening more and more. I do not know yet that the plane will mostly be empty with plenty of room to lie down.

But for now I am steeped with lament. I do not know what I need. I am bent. No drink can mustify. No drug can rectify. Some connection is what is needed. A connection to the fiber of this world.

They bombed bali today. They got it on video. The actual explosion is finally caught on video. Many Australians were there and hurt or killed. It is instantly a barometer of where we all live these days here in the future, in the throng of murderers. Dark individuals who believe in the destruction of things they could never ever even create. The human body and mind is so beyond anything we can ever design. To violate these workings like this is an evolution bent on devolution. The solution will forever be the delve of love.
But who can come down here and show us that ?


Goodbyes are salutated.

I‘m off.

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OCT 3 2005 MELBOURNE/TOKYO


Ok. I am up after 4 hours sleep. Maybe. Off in the morning traffic to the airport. All these people commuting to work. Me too, but with a longer commute.

My farewells to old a-damn yeee. Good man.

Get on through security check, much easier now with my new blundies.
Change some money. Slightly fall in love with the woman in line behind me. It was her glasses I suspect.
And the first good thought after the dark bali disaster.
Good and gone then.
I board the plane. Not bad really. Flight attendants actually very sincere and nice.

Now I got live james brown in my ears from the 70s. stunningness and a comfort. I gotta clock off now.
Stumble into retrospect. Maybe surrender to some sleep.
Maybe sprinkled with relief. ok then.
Australian wine. bundenburg rum. Ashai extra dry Japanese beer. This plane maintains.