No Depression Blog: Cali Wrap

Sunset in Rear View © thenotoriousmark

Cali Wrap or Who Eats This Shit Anyway?
By Kevin Russell
September 21, 2011

Gig by gig loose poetry reviews of the shows, the cities, the hotels, the aftermath in opposite order:

9-17 Lobero Theater Santa Barbara
Bert Lahr- grievin' & smokin', Vincent Price- Haunted
Robert Mitchum- Eyes Of A Child, Segovia-Marginalized
Lynn Redgrave-Ink and Grief
The silence between the applause
sounded like deep breathing
We're always too loud.

9-16 San Francisco Slims
The sailors made it home in time
McMurtry: "you own that ford or rent?"
The few on the other shoot.
Speechless and warm.
Parsons took them to Thailand.
White Rabbit out of Jimmy's hat?
Age of hands was palpable.
Turkey thru the Wastelands
an onk for a compass.

9-15 Winters CA, Palms Playhouse
Trying to not vomit while singing
I Want It So Bad was difficult-Rolaids
Precious hates quaint more than Gotham hates Shangri La.
I shoulda got the fig jam and gorgonzola pizza.
Another 6!?
Alone at last you cryptic SOB
CSPAN ALL NIGHT!!!

9-14 Santa Cruz Moe's Alley
"That's four fifty."
"Band tab?"
"Credit Card."
"I'll be here all night, you will have our money."
"Credit Card."
Greedy hippies get their's
Post-legalization parenting
Meanwhile McMurtry does his Don Quixote.
The dead squirrel in the room
was unacceptable. But
The closet space, wow.

9-13 Los Angeles Echo
Yo Bentley, what up Bizarro?
DJ's name? Oscar wired it good.
Predatory purveyor's of opportunity
in hipsters clothing
"There goes another love song."
Sunset 8, lonely balcony
waiting for a light.

Thanks California for the golden bears and medicine. And for banning smoking when you did. You saved my life. I don't give you all collective clemency from the utter devastation you have wrought upon the planet though. I blame you for passing on the right. But I also give you credit stopping for pedestrians. I blame you for strip malls, urban sprawl as city planning and unethical speculative real estate investment. But I credit you for being so beautiful and mellow. Eh, it's a wash. Haha. None of that happens in Texas.

Congratulations to The Texas Longhorns for destroying the Bruins as we marched into Santa Barbara, The Dallas Cowboys for breaking the 49er hearts as we flew out over the lonely, violent west and James McMurtry for allowing us to witness him laying waste to the souls of the last frontier. It was a blast folks. Now hit the showers!