Archive for July 2005
Massive Attack
It struck like lightning. I was fresh from Stella, strawberries, and the New York City Philharmonic — complete with fireworks — on the Great Lawn. I had just walked — maybe “swam” would be a better choice of words — across Central Park, and climbed five sweaty flight of stairs to my apartment (listening, it’s…
Read MoreHot August Night
For a second, I can imagine I¹m sitting next to Carole King, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Which I guess makes me the dude from Herman’s Hermits. Or maybe Neil Diamond. The best part about seeing the Pixies (and later Wilco) perform at Hollywood’s famed Greek Theater was finally having visuals to accompany the audio…
Read MoreKilling Yourself To Live
It really doesn’t take much to rescue one’s self from melancholic exile. It’s a self-imposed exile, really. I’ve withdrawn, I’ll hand it to you. The reasons are complicated, and personal, and the kind of thing I’m not going to give away for free. They’re well-intentioned. Chopping wood, carrying water — that sorta’ thing. Yesterday wasn’t…
Read MoreYour Love Is Gonna Drown
I set myself up for melancholy from the word go. My weekend beach plans fell through, so I was in no hurry to leave The MTV. I was filling out a CRF (computer request form) when it occurred to me that the office was a ghost town, and that filling out a CRF on a…
Read MoreI Will Follow You Into The Dark
I had the most beautiful dream last night. Still, it scared me just a little bit. I lived in Telluride, CO, a tiny mining-turned-resort town tucked nearly 9000 feet into a tiny corner of the San Juan range, during the summer between my junior and senior years in college. At 9078 feet, the Telluride Regional…
Read MoreSet The Moon
It’s one o’clock in the morning. Producer Guy Benny and I are toiling on my forthcoming EP, “The Rivington Sessions,” when I turn to him and say, “At least let me buy you dinner.” “Nah, I’m fine, thanks,” Guy says. “I think there’s a Pepsi in the fridge.” It was that kind of night. Guy…
Read MoreSummer Skin
Something about the quality of light tonight reminded me of summers in Oak Park. Dusk is deceptive. Everything turns deep blue. Shadows and light blend into one. Depth fades. We scramble through backyards blindly, illuminated solely by the flicker of fireflies, and surrounded by the sound of children’s laughter. Oak Park, Illinois, the first suburb…
Read MoreBittersweet Me
I shook myself from sleep at 5:42 this morning. I was dreaming about airplanes. Well, not exactly. Not solely. I never made it to the airplane. I was dreaming about airports. It was a two-parter. In the first scene, I am hurrying to some regional airport — say, Syracuse — for a ten o’clock flight.…
Read MoreBittersweet Symphony
I am strong enough, but I am not strong. I’ve long advocated that mental fortitude can carry one any distance: a marathon, triathlon, whatever. And for the last six or seven years, that’s proven true. Yes, I run and ride perodically, every few days even. But do I train? Not a ton. Not really. I…
Read MoreChin Up
How do I prepare for a morning of swimming, riding, and running? I eat, drink, and sleep. And then do it again. Tomorrow morning is my fifth New York City Triathlon. Used to be, I spent weeks preparing. I’d do laps at lunch, ride out to Jersey on weekends. Not so of late. I squeeze…
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