tonight (pt. II)!

Tonight!
Indianapolis's Egyptian Room!
Interpol!

simplicity

I believe I've cleared the final hurdle and accepted Joe's death. Unlike last week, the past two days have been free of tears. I feel something inside, a peacefulness, a silence, that I haven't felt since the news of his passing. Because of unalterable circumstances, particularly with Joe's brother, the memorial service won't be held until August 26th. I found this bit of news shocking considering Joe passed away July 20.
So where is Joe? Is he in heaven? Hell? Is he atoning for his "sins" in purgatory? No, no, and no. Has he been reincarnated? No. Has he transcended our reality and entered another dimension that human minds cannot fathom? No.
He's simply become one of the vanished and unborn.
I type this with as much conviction and knowledge as a theologian.
We live and then we die, but our consciousness struggles to grasp the simplicity of our existence, the terrifying monotony of our lives, and the ultimate, frightening end -- death.
I am not afraid to die, and to those who are, I ask, Are you afraid of the raising sun? Does the night sky, dotted with glimmering stars, horrify you? A man who lets the inevitabilities of life perturb him is a senseless and absurd fool. Again, I type this with as much conviction and knowledge as a theologian.
Close your eyes and ponder those living and dying at this exact moment across the globe. People are disappearing all of the time.

mc

postcards from the vanished

Yesterday, two haunting postcards arrived at my workplace. Both postcards were from Australia. Both postcards were from JL.
















(G'Day Office Staff, Things here on the island are beyond description. I could get used to this. Saw a koala on a walk the other day -- got pictures. Joe)


















(G'Day Drivers, Maintenance, and all! Australia is beautiful. Koalas, wallabies, and kangaroos are around everywhere. Take the bus here on the island since we don't have a car. Two to three dollars a trip depending where on the island you're going. Back to Sydney late next week then back to the U.S. on Tues. the 31st. See you soon. Joe)
We'll all be waiting for your return, Joe.

Many co-workers have shared their pictures of Joe, but I believe this one truly captures his wacky and joyous spirit, which was alive literally every day he was at work. I know it's a cliche, but Joe was a one of a kind in every sense of the phrase.

mc

"We're always losing the moment; it's always vanishing." Stephen Koch

awe and shock

After witnessing amazing performances by Calla and Interpol at Cleveland's House of Blues and driving more than 700 miles I arrived home at 7AM this morning. My body and mind were aching for sleep, but before I retired to bed I checked my e-mail. One particular e-mail caught my attention; the distressing subject line read "Some Very Bad News." JL, my direct supervisor at work and, more importantly, a great man and good friend, had passed away last Friday while vacationing in Australia, apparently of a massive heart attack. Two med-school students happened to be with him and he was across the street from a health clinic, so he received almost immediate medical attention but nothing could be done. He was 57 years old.
I've never met a nicer man and as a supervisor he was the best.
Although I didn't work today, I stopped by my workplace to truly grasp the magnitude of the situation and just talk with a co-worker or two. A makeshift memorial was set up with CDs by The Beatles, and The Grateful Dead, a picture of Elvis Presley (he loved Elvis and every time he left work he would say, "Elvis has left the building!"), a hockey puck (he was a local youth hockey coach), and other mementos of JL.
The loss is immense, and his jovial demeanor, joyful laugh, and gentle nature will never be forgotten by those who were fortunate to know him.

mc

tonight!

Tonight!
Cleveland's House of Blues!
Interpol!

first show: seven days

In exactly one week Ry and I will be at the intimate House of Blues in Cleveland watching Interpol. I'm so eager for this show I can barely contain my excitement.
I have officially fallen in love with Our Love to Admire. Damn the critics (particularly the Americans ). Damn the Interpol "fans" who have said the band isn't the same since they moved to a major record label. Damn you all to hell!
Which song is my favorite? I don't have one. Unlike the ADD "music fans" that fester in this digital age, I appreciate a band's album as a whole; I don't treat their work as a collection of individual songs tossed together with no rhyme or reason.
If you appreciate art, regardless of the medium, you find beauty in the "ugly" or "unsettling" parts of that artist's work. One of art's redeeming qualities is its ability to challenge the observer, the listener, or the reader. The challenge is to find merit in the disarranged. This, of course, leads to the timeless question, What is art?
I've strayed from the original purpose of this post, but I know there are many owners (I hope they actually purchased the album) of Our Love to Admire who hopscotch through the album as if they were channel surfing at 2 AM on a Tuesday morning.
Appreciate art. Don't steal music.
And I cannot wait until next Monday!

mc

it's a grower

Interpol's third release and major label debut, Our Love to Admire, was released today -- and it's a grower. Upon first listening to the album I had mixed feelings; the experience was somewhat anticlimactic.
Fans expecting nuggets of the band's two previous efforts, Turn on the Bright Lights and Antics, might be disappointed. Antics was released nearly three years ago, and, contrary to the wishes of some, bands don't live in bubbles. They evolve (hopefully). They change. They're not immune from time's wretched ways. In "No I in Threesome" Paul Banks sings, "You feel the sweet breath of time/It's whispering its truth, not mine."
The band has retained its fingerprint but donned a disguise. After listening to the album a couple of times, the patient listener will slowly peel off the mask and discover a different Interpol, an Interpol whose love is certainly worthy of admiration.
And love is always beautiful.

mc