09.25
Breakfasting Chamber of Noise & Continual Hostess-Wittering, Motel Modesto, Somewhere, NJ.
The Hostess has responded negatively to Leonardo’s request that the television be turned off. After all, none of the guests (all of us) are watching or listening to the stream of bad news & gossip freely available to accompany our complementary breakfasting. But, as I have noted before, the facilities available at a hotel / venue / establishment, including NPUs, are only nominally provided for the guests / performers / clients: their real function is to serve the needs & interests of the staff. On this morning, the widescreen tv + simultaneous NPU is here to support the Hostess’ interest & she is not inclined to be deprived. A compromise is agreed: the sound is turned off, the vision contiues. The hostess proclaims to Leonardo: it’s the time difference you’re on! This is how she understands that Leonardo would rather not be bombarded with negative witless crap at the beginning of his day, this while eating: Leonardo is jet-lagged, therefore deficient in various facets of his humanity, therefore negative witless crap is not welcome the life of this deficient, therefore the poor sap should be tolerated; not as a client / customer / guest of Motel Modesto, but as someone not-quite-up-to-a-full-sandwich-box for the picnic party.
I’m not your usual hostess! There’s no other hostess like me! She is now collecting the autographs of The LCG: you’re going to be famous! These’ll be valuable when you’re Number One! Now, this is a bright wheeze for me: I’ll get the Team’s autographs and sell them by to support my retirement years of ease & riches.
Mr. Beefy joins us at the breakfasting trough and turns up the volume on the tv to hear an interview with the separated high-profile English wife who is doing the publicity rounds in support of her position as injured party in current headline divorce proceedings.
Lobby call for 10.00 & a drive into New York City.
An incoming call, on the new 3G cellphone (exchanged free for my last Model T cellphone) from the Minx – yippee! This has powered up my day.
16.23 NY Ethical Society.
A drive-in through the industrial wasteland that is New-Jersey-as-seen-from-the-approach to / from the Lincoln tunnel. There is another very different New Jersey, but it took some years for this Travelling Gigster to discover it.
Out of the Lincoln Tunnel & Into the city I…
II...
III...
IV...
V...
As we pass, Mr. Beefy tells me he was staying here recently with The Adrian Belew Trio Of Power, Wonderment & Bliss Arising. The Milford Plaza was the accommodations for Crimson in 1981 when we were playing two shows a night, three nights in a row, at the Savoy. Billy B found a dead rat in his room, and Adrian drew upon the experience for Neurotica.
VI…
A block up Broadway (centre street) was the Atlantic Studios where I cut KC albums from ITWOP to Red (KC – The Atlantic Years).
XI…
The Ethical Society is a block from the Lincoln Center.
XII…
Mr. Beefy goes in search of parking instructions…
The notice above the stage is The Place Where People Meet To Seek The Highest Is Holy Ground. Sadly, this is covered up for the performance.
Sylvain & Mr. Beefy get hands-on with the Solar Voyager…
As we arrived early at the Ethical Society, I hurtled to the Best Buy 2 blocks away, which opened one week ago.
Practising.
19.12 Sound check I…
II…
III…
01.23 Hotel Acceptable, Westbury, CT.
During the main Soundscape, and afterwards, I became aware of a hole in the centre of the performance. Everything was fine, everything was not fine. Strange to notice this in the moment. We are playing well, the sound is good, the audience are supportive: so why this absence? The performance did not-quite-recover (for me) until the hold at the end of the final piece, the acoustic Calliope. This I mentioned to the Team when circling & un-fisting backstage immediately afterwards. There were flashes while we were acknowledging the audience.
Otherwise, a generous & supportive audience for an honourable performance.
Afterwards, Mr. Agent Man arrived backstage for a business-meeting re: KC’s return to active service next year.
Then into the Jerry Can with Mr. Beefy for a drive to our next accommodations. Biff was miffed: he got a parking ticket, parked where he was directed by one of our Team.
On the bedside table: complementary earplugs & the note - To help with the city sounds and to assure a quiet sleep… please use these and rest well. Free earplugs by the bedside are not a good indication, in a room placed close to major highways. The motel looks like a cheap construction, taken over by a better hotel chain that has improved the facilities. But it is almost impossible to overcome shoddy initial construction, with no sound & heating insulation, based on the assumption that energy is cheap & infinitely renewable. No prob in heating a room unable to retain its warmth! Switch on the air con! Who cares that the guest endures the noise of the heating unit – the construction is cheap! Who cares that energy is being wasted out the wazoo – this is The American Way!
So, accommodations cheap & cheerful, even if a tad nippy.
"Nothing is compulsory, but some things are necessary."
