“Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader - not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.”
E.L. Doctorow
Another Friday for fabulous words. Words that move us in some way. Who knows what words will speak to someone? You gotta think honesty is one element of it.
Beer/Jay Bennett: I watched a fine documentary on him this week: Where Are You, Jay Bennett? Most people know Bennett, if they know him, from his time with the band Wilco. Jeff Tweedy hired him during work on Wilco's second album, Being There. Tweedy wanted to push the band in a more dynamic direction and he found the right man for the job. Bennett was a gifted multi-instrumentalist and combination techno-geek and mad scientist in the studio, fascinated with sonics and textures. He played a central role in the next album summerteeth and it's follow-up, the critically beloved Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. It was in the making of that record that tensions grew between Tweedy and Bennett over control of the project's direction. Longterm, you can't have two genius chefs in the same kitchen. Since it was Tweedy's kitchen, Bennett was dismissed. It was a tough blow for Bennett and he spent time in a bleak place. In the end he was on a good road back to stability when cruel irony had its way. After fighting his way through addiction, he died of an accidental fentanyl overdose from a leaky patch he was wearing for chronic hip pain. He was 45.
You say I drink too much
You say I think too much
You say I laugh too much, when things are really serious
You say I live too hard
You say I've gone too far
I think I'll crash my car, then I'll become a star
Overnight
Wilco/I Know What It's Like: Speaking of Tweedy, I tip my hat to a guy who has played the game at a high level for longer than the Israelites wandered in the desert.
When the lights are dim
In my window I have a twin
I'm always looking out
And he's always looking in
I know what it's like
Starting over again
Acoustic #3/Goo Goo Dolls: I'll say it to anybody, anywhere; they're an underrated band.
They painted up your secrets
With the lies they told to you
And the least they ever gave you
Was the most you ever knew
And I wonder where these dreams go
When the world gets in your way
What's the point in all this screaming
No one's listening anyway