1 July
So, Thursday night and Randy's wonderful concert.
After Jonathan Richman did his Troubadour Savant bit, it was time for Randy. And unlike Jo-Jo, he didn't get a big intro, he just wandered out onstage. It was very charming and sweet, sort of like he thought he'd play a couple of tunes since he was there and we were there, and less like a big star come to have his audience suck his dick for him for the next couple of hours. It's Money That I Love It started out as raining a bit, and looking very threatening, but as Randy said after this opening song, he sang that particular song as a sacrifice to God or whatever higher power we believed in, and that basically, if we just would worship him (Randy) very hard in our hearts as he played, the rain would go away. Which it in fact did. So it just goes to show you that intense fannish love can work miracles. Birmingham Here, I think, was when he stopped to check the sound from the piano, because "those bastards at Steinway" made him keep the lid down because they were afraid that the rain would "wreck their precious piano". It sounded just fine. Marie We were sitting on audience left, which meant that we were basically looking straight head on the piano, with Randy facing us. It was the perfect position to see him wave his little legs about during the course of the show. The leg that wasn't working the pedals, he'd kick out straight and bounce it up and down. There was an orange stripe going down the sole of his sneaker. Short People The audience was thrilled. You could tell that they weren't the real fans. That's a joke, because Randy isn't crazy about the song and thinks that it's the worst thing to be famous for, a novelty song, so we sit there with sympathetic expressions on our faces as he plays, thinking "We understand, it's because it's what they want to hear. We wish you'd play Let's Burn Down the Cornfield instead, but we know why you can't." The Girls in My Life Pt. 1 He said that one day he did something that he hadn't done in years, he looked in the mirror, and could tell that, because his hair was starting to go grey, it must be the millennium, and that he knew that he probably wouldn't get on any of those millennial lists, those "300 greatest composers of the last thousand years" lists, so he'd better write a song as good as Schubert or Shostakovich so that he could make it. Then he sang the above, which, if you don't know it, makes a funny joke with that intro. The World Isn't Fair He has a new family now (five children, rather than the four in the previous song, but he said that he didn't change it because it works better that way. On the other hand, I notice that the 16 year old girl in It's Money That I Love is now 19, which has nothing to do with anything, but I couldn't fit it in when I talked about that song). The parenthetical asides are getting longer than the text. Anyway, a new family means that he has become intimately acquainted with Orientation Nights, which lead to my favourite lines in The World Isn't Fair. I Miss You "And now that I have a new wife, I thought that it was time to write a love song to my ex-wife." I Love LA A funny song to hear in NY. They really should make it the official city song for Los Angeles, it always makes me smile and think of that wonderful video.
Rollin' down, 'perial Highway
Anytime, babe.
Guilty
An astounding song to hear in these PC times, but he trusts his audience enough not to feel the need to explain or over-explain it into the ground.
Baltimore
I sang this on the fan cd my internet group, The Little Criminals made! I don't know if I've ever heard it live before. Did he sing it last year? Let me look...Nope! It was very cool. Better Off Dead He ended up singing a surprising lot of songs from the new album, which was pretty cool, as I understand that he wasn't in his other shows. He trusts us New Yorkers. Even with the whole dressing like monkeys thing.
You Can Leave Your Hat On
This was a sing-along extravaganza! He taught us the backup "He's dead! He's dead!" bits, and we all sang along lustily.
In Germany Before the War
First he did his bit describing the movie from his point of view, which I still find funny "And then I wrote this beautiful song about the doll and the boy, and then it was Christmas and there was something about a spaceman or something, and there was this piece that I wrote that was like this, but they just kept talking over it so you could hardly hear it!"
Real Emotional Girl
More singing along! "Shame shame shame sha-aame shame!" Dixie Flyer I love the piano part on this song. Am I making everyone want to buy the albums? I hope so, this one's off of the wonderful Land Of Dreams. Feels Like Home The other song that I sang on the cd! Political Science And that was it! He left! But was persuaded to come back and sing a couple of other songs. I wonder sometimes who the concept of presumed encores is for, the audience or the performers? Both, I think.
The Great Nations of Europe
An excellent ending, especially considering the dousing that we had gotten at the top of the show.
Then, Tracing, Jen and Jen's Friend Jen headed off to get some food, and I headed to the side of the stage to get my ass backstage to see him or die trying. Unlike last year, when I had backstage passes and yet didn't realize because I'm just Not That Bright, this time I didn't have a sausage, because I had forgotten to try to contact his manager until they were already on the road, so I had no assurance. I knew that if I could get a message back to her, she'd let me back, but that was the tricky bit. When I got to the side, there was another guy, throwing her name around, but to no avail, the Vogon guarding the gate ("None shall pass!") wasn't having any of it. I asked him if she was around, but he said that he had heard over the headset that she was gone. This was, of course, a giant, steaming load of bull, as Rand had just walked off the stage, and it was not as though she'd go "Great show, I'm outta here, I'll see you back at the hotel!" So I just stood there, looking for her, hoping for some sort of break. Then, the Vogon's boss, the head Vogon, came and took over for him, and the guy who was looking for the manager went to talk to him:
"I'm looking for *****, she's expecting me, can you tell her I'm here?"
So I just stood there, looking disappointed but hopeful, and not giving him a hard time or anything, and then two people were waved in by somebody on the other side of the barrier, and the Vogon said "Okay, just you four, and that's it!" waving me and the other guy in. I told him that he was very good and kind.
I got up on the deck, where I didn't eat any of the food, and waited until Rand wasn't so busy. It was funny, all the fans back there. They could basically be divided into two categories, the Very Cool, and the Big Geeks. I like to think that I'm the former, but I'm probably the latter, as I tend to talk a little bit fast when I'm around him. No matter what, though, I couldn't be as geeky as a few of the people back there, no matter how I tried, which is a relief at least. He turned to me, after a few pictures and autographs, and he recognized me, which I didn't expect! Then he asked me to remind him of my name, and I told him, and then he really remembered me, and kissed me. I always tell everyone that he kisses me, 'cause he doesn't kiss anyone else. Just me. Nyah nyah. O hell, he probably kisses other fans, but never that I've seen, and I like to think that it's only me--it's the kind of kiss like when you see a friend at a party and you're happy to see them, very friendly and casual and it's mine, and I dig it the most.
"It was fucking hard to get back here!"
I find that so charming. All I could think was, how long has it been for him since the last time it was hard for him to get backstage to see an artist? Or maybe he thought that the Vogons should be able to see how special I am and just let me back? Yeah, that's it. "It was a great show!" I said, 'cause I'm such a sparkling conversationalist. He squinted at me, as he was signing something for somebody else, "Did I forget anything?"
"I don't think so, you could have done God's Song, though."
He laughed at that. This was of course his cue to say "Yes, my God, you were brilliant on the cd! What a voice you have, like an angel, come, sing on my next album!" but he didn't. That's the problem with men, they never know their lines. Of course, considering his rate of output, I'll be 50 by his next album, so who knows if I'll have any voice left by then!
"People really seem to like Feels Like Home, I just don't get it." (that was him, not me).
"So, how's the page going?"
This blew my mind. He notices my posts! And he's right, sometimes weeks go by and I let the posts pile up, but I think I'll be paying very strict attention for the next six months or so--one little mention like that is all it takes!
O, here's a story. The other night, at the Interlochen show, one guy in my group couldn't go because his wife is about to give birth and the doctor forbade it, so when the others went back to say hi, they had a cell phone and had Randy call him. Apparently, the conversation began like this:
"What was so important that you couldn't come to see my show?!"
I think that's brilliant. I'm never that funny under pressure. Anyway, I said to Randy,
"I heard about the phone call to John, that was so cool!"
I thought it was sweet of him to ask. At that point, some rabid, slavering fan dragged him away, and I realized that I had to pee so badly that my back teeth were floating, so I split.
And that's the story of the concert and of our conversation. And if you read this, Rand, I don't want you to think that I was making notes of our little conversation, or that I'm waaaay too fannish to live, I'm just good at remembering dialogue. Honest!
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