Hey, all you cool cats and kittens! (Remember Tiger King? That is how Carole Baskin greeted her viewers in all of her videos. Weird. She totally killed her husband, by the way.) Anyhow, thank you to everyone for being so supportive and reading these entries, listening to the songs, and sharing them. It means a lot and encourages me to keep writing. I just got done with going down a little rabbit hole on YouTube. Maybe it is a little embarrassing, and maybe you would not think that I would be the guy to do this, but I watched like four Lady Gaga solo piano performances. I cannot get enough. That song “You and I” is fire!!! Then, I watched Rihanna sing “Love on the Brain” at Global Citizen Fest. I love that song so much and Rihanna kills it with that performance. Where are you Rihanna? The world desperately needs you though; congrats on the baby though.
Ok, enough silly business. Let’s talk about Ireland (essentially an oxymoron as you do not get a sillier country than Ireland). I visited Dublin this past weekend and celebrated my favorite holiday, St. Patrick’s Day. As a Jew, I connect deeply with the story of St. Patrick and I think about him and all he has done for us as I sip my pint of Guinness. I loved Dublin and the people. It is a very happy-go-lucky city, or at least it was on St. Patrick’s Day weekend. The nightlife is awesome, and the Temple Bar area was cool to explore as the vibe and music in each place were different. There is something to be said about live music. There was a bar where a man with a guitar and a woman sang some classic pop and rock tunes, and even songs I have heard a hundred times had some sort of new energy to it. The singers were not that great, and the guy committed a federal crime in the Josh Carus lawbook by banging the s**t out of an acoustic guitar and disrespecting the grace and fragility of the instrument, but I digress. All this to say that they were not the best performers, but the fact that it was live made it more fun. Maybe that had something to do with the Guinness though.
I am happy to be back here in London for the next couple of weeks. I am seeing Lucy Dacus this upcoming weekend, which is exciting. Interestingly enough, I have seen Lucy Dacus on tour for each one of her albums. I saw her open for Car Seat Headrest; that is when I discovered her because she was amazing. Then, I saw her do a headline show in New Jersey for Historian. Then, I saw her open for Bright Eyes on the Home Video tour, and now will be seeing a proper headlining show in support of that album. It is pretty cool. I am a longtime fan—a hipster of sorts.
Grateful Eight:
* Pepcid. It is a miracle drug and relieves you of any stomach pain or discomfort that you may have. I was explaining to Mr. Ben Dietz last night that it is a miracle drug. It is the best over-the-counter drug you can buy in a store.
* Do you want to know the best food you can buy in a store? Well, I will tell you. The answer is Rao’s marinara sauce. Man, I miss it. They do not have it here in London, so I want everyone who has access to it right now to not take it for granted.
* Buck Showalter. I do not think there is anyone who loves baseball more than Buck Showalter. He also happens to be a really funny guy. The Mets and the Mets fans are lucky to have him and I can only hope he brings us success!
* The sun. The Velvet Underground sing “who loves the sun? Who cares that it is shining? Who cares what it does? Since you broke my heart?” Not everything is about you, Lou Reed. I love the sun and I feel so much happier when it is shining. It has been shining in London lately and it was really shining in Dublin. Sorry that you got your heart broken, Lou, but do not take it out on the sun.
* Creedence Clearwater Revival. In creating this project I have tried to get to the very foundation of American songwriting. I have been listening to old country legends like Hank Williams and Roy Acuff. Then there are vinyl area classic rock guys like Bob Dylan, of course, and John Fogerty is a big one. That man knows how to write a hit and each song is about three chords. It is genius. It is remarkable he was able to write so many amazing songs in like four years, I think. Nuts. God bless him.
* I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson. If you do not watch this show, you have to. It might be the best sketch comedy series I have ever seen. Some sketches make me laugh so much I cry. It is on Netflix.
* American food. I love London, but the food stinks. Good restaurants are a little bit few and far between, unfortunately.
* Solid Sound. (Wilco’s music festival). I am going to be sad to leave London, but knowing that Solid Sound will be just around the corner when I am back eases the blow.
This Week’s Rare Mnemonic Advice/Josh Carus Recording: Clawing at the Glass
This is a fairly new song that I am super proud of. It has become one of the centerpieces of this new album/project that I am working on, and it may even be the namesake of the project. This entry has been pretty lighthearted and funny, which is interesting considering this song is pretty deadly serious. It is about seeing the world and seeing a relationship through the lens of mental illness. It deals with forgetting who you even are, who and what you are supposed to be, and why you may mean a lot to people. It is a trippy thing, but I have had the experience of looking at myself in the mirror and not connecting with the person I saw. It is crazy how people can smile and laugh and seem fine on the outside when on the inside, they are struggling. I will let the song and the lyrics tell the rest of the story. This recording is from a session I did for Pausewave, a classmate’s capstone project.
“Clawing at the Glass”
Too young to fall apart
Together now, growing up in the dark
Waiting on something like rain to wash it away
Waiting on purified tears to drip down your face
Too weightless to even stand
On the platform of our lonesome land
As I look at my face, I’m sick with a smile
Loving what I see, but it’s not me
I’m looking at you through a window
Muddied by the waste that my own mind excretes
Clawing at the glass for peace
I feel like feeling bad
But feelings are thin like the skin on the palm of my hand
Tragically majestic like a piano with broken keys
Embellishing a room but it's of no use to me
Stuck in the back of my mind
Trying to get out but freedom is so hard to find
Believe me, I love you infinitely
But tonight I forget who I’m supposed to be
I’m looking at you through a window
Muddied by the waste that my own mind excretes
Clawing at the glass for peace
