Yesterday we drove here from Northampton and, three times in a row, arrived directly without getting lost! Yo!
In the evening Karen Durbin, my long time NY friend from when I was a New Yorker, took me to the National Book Award finalists, reading excerpts from their nominated works, at the New School. We arrived outside the New School to attend the pre-gig reception and, getting out, Karen stepped on a large, black leather dildo, sans strap. I believe this comes under the heading of "Only In New York". Twenty exceptional, outstanding writers, and twenty exceptional readings.
One of the readers, a famous literary commentator, presented a shambolic physical appearance, with such disregard for the condition of his body, that my confidence in his judgement is undermined. One of his volumes is awaiting my attention: I shall read it with interest, but less confidence.
The E train is the easiest ride from the Warwick to the WFC. Riding the NY subway is a must in anyone's liberal education. But it can get scary. A high proportion of the people I've seen in the city during these past 30 hours, not only on the subway, appear to be exceptionally uncomfortable inside their bodies. Their vocabulary of physical gesture is of strain, tension and unease.
Two performances in the atrium at the World Financial Center: 12.15 and 19.00, both one hour long. The ideal space for soundscaping is a church; this atrium, or a Victorian winter garden, is an ideal secular space.
Quote of the noon performance, from a cleaner, overheard by John Sinks at the mixing desk:
"Do they pay him to do that?".
Riding down this early evening I had a sense of the next step in Guitar Craft. Twenty years ago on the NY subway I had an insight: what to do with the out-of-court settlement monies from the London publisher De Wolfe, for stealing the "Larks' II" themes for "Emmanuelle". This was supposedly the first "Blue Is OK" movie. All the sex scenes in "Emmanuelle" used one of the themes or sections from "Larks'". That seeing on the subway continues to inform me today.
Hugh, the Big Fourth, arrived in the city last night for a holiday. Life for a single man in a South Wiltshire valley is sometimes hard going for Hugh. He would rather be living in London, or New York, or Los Angeles. But a poor second best is to visit them all from time to time on a regular basis.
An effect of Hugh being here, for your loyal Diarist, is to delay these postings to the DGM Website.
"In popular culture, our musicians sing to us in our own voice.
In mass culture they shout what we want to hear."
