APRIL 21 2006 – TUCSON

I decide to take on the fast. I can just slip in enough days and still have that final morning of poco cosa salsa on my way out of town when I head to the airport. The massive ’sno angel tour is impending. It begins for me may 1. I can jump on the lemonade fast for about 6 days and then jump off in time to hit the road. Give everything up. Clean up.
I got to get ready.

During this time I am not myself. I am wobbled from the lack of meals, which in itself is indication of how much I need to stop eating and drinking too much junk. I am free now, but wobbled. I am wobbled at the cat power show. It is about the best live show I have seen and I want to talk to chan, but I am too wobbled. I am wobbled hanging there with neko. I was wobbled playing piano for chris Scruggs there in the studio. The only time the wobble feels safe is watching my son at his basketball practice in the school yard. The winds blow through me. They are strong and certain. The sun stains my back and the light bouncing off the young players is startling. It is a sunset mirror on small humans.
I am wobbled.

MAY 1

Jumped off the fast on Sunday.
Headed down to poco cosa on Monday, but they were closed because of another mexican solidarity march. I leave a note. Right before I head to the airport, Sandra from poco co shows up at the house with some salsa to go.
That helps.

Leaving for the airport, I have exactly 10 minutes to spare, if I want to make my plane on time and arrive at the very last minute allowable. I chose to vote first, just to see if I can, and still make the plane. I play these kind of games heading to the airport, always daring the plane to leave without me. Daring destiny to alter its course, but always end up making the plane even when I think I shouldn’t.

So then I end up sitting on the tarmac in a middle seat back in coach for almost 2 hours. Big winds in chicago dictate. I am thankful for the fast. I fit in between these large humans much better now.
The end.

MAY 2 – OTTAWA

I am homeless. Thought I would use the price line dot com method of hotel stay to get me through the day to day. Worked the first night, but now I am sunk. The town is sold out because of a tulip festival.
I’m stumped.

When I head down to check out, the woman at the front desk who woke me to kick me out, now remembers me from staying here last time. She finds me a room for the next 2 nights and then discounts it.
I once was lost but now I’m found.

I walk off to the embassy to get more pages for my passport book cause all my pages are used up. They tell me at the embassy they are closed. Will have to try back the day before we leave. Otherwise england always has a problem when my passport has no room for them to stamp me in.

- – - that night we attempt a rehearsal at dave’s studio.
- It is that overwhelming feeling of focusing back in to this matter of business from so many years ago. I intend to wrap it around me, but at the moment I am just enjoying eating again. Too many things to do. It all might be too much. I will wait and see when the mind just shuts off again. That has happened a lot with the infinite details of setting this tour up. The mind just shuts down when it gets besieged with an overwhelming amount of information.

After having a meeting with the choir and fielding all their sweet questions, I go off to the manx alone for a dinner and a wine. I leave and pick up some carrots for the hotel room.

MAY 3

So today I spent the morning like an office worker. At the desk here in this hotel room, doing up all kind of things. Lap top stuff. Amazing amount of details that seems to wait for you to water it, and then buds and blooms.
Like an allergy waiting to happen.

I hit my usual favorite little restaurant for lunch.
2 blocks away and perfect after the fast.
Italian.

The rehearsal tonight turned a corner for me. I was more there. And then the choir surprised me with their version of “mountain of love”. It was a big slice of original inspiration for me. They also showed off some of their choreography for the funky tunes. And we were all able to work up this idea I have of an encore that marries my sweet lord in to oh happy day… but have not told them yet about me starting it off with walk on the wild side : I might save that for the first night live.

The night ended with lucie idlout coming into town with a friend. We sat up most of the night in a dingy hotel room going round robin singing songs. Her friend casandra brought along the most severely amazing ancient wurlitzer piano I have ever witnessed.
We set it up in the room and had at it.

MAY 4

Got up at the crack. Got to the US embassy before they opened. Needed to get those passport pages. Everything goes ok, but they cannot do a decent name check on me. Something is amiss they think. I wait. And then I wait. After a while I wait some more. Eventually they just over ride the system and let me out of there. But the name check thing never panned out. I might not be really me after all.
This could be a relief.

Last rehearsal tonight. A fairly quick one. Then jeremy gara shows up and we head off to dinner atop the spinning restaurant there in the center of the city. Every time I make the mistake of taking my hat off and placing it on the ledge next to me, it slowly disappears: riding on the spin. Jeremy and I get a rare chance to talk. We both be tickled by the critical success of this record we recorded, and by the band arcade fire he’s now in and their upcoming recording endeavors.

The night spins slowly. I retire early. I am in the crown plaza, because of the gamble of price line dot com, and they only offer me a stanky smoking room. I shove myself off to sleep to just try and get to the morning.

MAY 5

The bus. We all get there early. It seems more like this tour will actually happen now, but I always remain unconvinced till we are all aboard the plane. The choir however has not heeded my warning of traveling light. They have a stunning array of large suitcases, each combined with a smaller satellite suitcase attached. I tried several times to make this clear, but they need to find out for themselves now. Traveling with too much stuff on the road diminishes the treasures of momentum.

So we bus it to montreal. Get on board. We take off, and now it feels like we are on tour. Everyone is a glee. No problems at passport control. 13 of us and no problems yet.
We fly into the next day.

MAY 6

Arrival in Brussels. Its easy. The hotel needs us to wait for our rooms. Most everyone falls asleep in the big lobby chairs. I go for a walk in the turkish section there. Every other store front is a turkish pizza joint or a barber shop.

This night I manage to take everybody out to my favorite italian restaurant. This is no small event, but its good practice to try and make a move with 14 people like this. All goes well. Then it’s over to the outdoor cafe section where I usually hang when I’m in town. Also nice. Then the choir heads back to practice and me and the band take in the old jazz bar “the arch`duc” just for good luck. They like that just fine. Then hotel home.

MAY 7 = BRUSSELS

Natalie showed up with her daughter bruna to try to tour manage us some. We show up for sound check and there is never really enough time. We are set up unlike we all decided we were going to set up. Then off to dinner.

I dress all in black with a big turquoise bolo tie and grey hat with brown lizard shoes. The choir has all dressed in white and khaki. We commence. The crowd seems to adore. I am surprised by the weight of it all. It has an enjoyable thrust. It’s only the first show ever, so it is not perfect, but way way better then any first show I have ever been privy to.