Texture

When we write we lose control of these internal ideas we have by first committing them to words, and then by circulating them.

Much of what I write is to show others the texture of my life. What baggage does the person next to you in line at the Post Office, the store, Starbucks, what story they have. These are a few of my stories. And most of the stuff happened so long ago it is more or less a movie I saw involving some characters I no longer know.

I just saw the Aimee Mann Christmas Concert in Solano Beach [Belly Up] on Thursday night. What a messed-up debacle that was! Aimee, God bless her, has this high concept idea for a holiday show [so far, so good.] But the overall tone of the show was pretty bleak. Depressing. I mean, ask not what Christmas can do for you, ask what you can do for Christmas!

The Aimee songs were well performed, she did:

Band -- Nutcracker
Calling on Mary (Aimee)
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Paul F. Tompkins - Comedy Set
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Little Drummer Boy ( Grant-Lee Phillips/Paul F Duet)
Raise the Spirit (Grant-Lee)
Fountain of Youth (Grant-Lee)
Truly, Truly (Grant-Lee)
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The Grinch (duet with John C. Reilly)
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Little Bombs
I’ve Had It
You Do
God Rest Ye... (merry gentlemen)
I'll be Home for Xmas

Hanukkah Fairy (Morgan)
Dreidel, Dreidel / Burning Ring of Fire
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Letter to Santa (John C. Reilly)
Peanuts (John C. Reilly w/ Band)
Christmastime (duet with John C. Reilly)
Save Me
Humpty Dumpty
Clean up for Christmas
Way Back When
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Wise Up
Baby Please Come Home (All)


Grant Lee did three excellent songs, two solo and one from his days as the leader of Grant Lee Buffalo.

But the show really bogged down during the comedy bits performed by Paul F. Tompkins, the spoken word piece by John C. Reilly or the really lame Hannukah Fairy bit. I'm making a mental note to avoid Aimee Mann shows until she gives up on the mixed-media format. The music-only shows with her and her crack band in the early nineties were SO GOOD that it really hurts to see her deprive the audience of (a) the flow that develops when musicians are allowed to stretch a little, which really only happens after a few songs played back to back, and (b) the ability to hear her play more tunes.