It’s a haul, Folks.
I write this thing every week. I have no idea how many people read it. Sometimes I dread it but I do it. It’s good to write. Helps one think.
I just got back from a road trip to some gigs up in Northern Cali. I took Blair Socci with me to do shows in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey. Pretty little towns. The shows were solid. Good crowds.
Something shifted in me doing these shows. I put a lot of pressure on myself generally and I think I’m getting tired of it. Because of who I assume my audience is, I feel like I have to have answers or solutions or a plan of attack to get through what seems to be a very effective and unstoppable authoritarian takeover of our government.
Even saying that is a bit jarring to people. Some people really want to hang on to the idea that this is just another presidency, an aggressive and scary one, but a presidency nonetheless. I don’t believe that is true. I don’t know what it would take to get what’s left of the media to report on that, call it what it is. It will happen eventually, if they are allowed to continue reporting at all, in terms of access. I assume an actually undeniable constitutional crisis will occur in the coming weeks that will be doubled down on and there will be no denying it.
That said, given that the people who come to see me are like-minded I feel a responsibility to report. Not the news, but my feeling about what is happening and how I am dealing with it. I hit some groove with it that was new to me in these last few shows.
I will entertain.
I spend some time up front expressing my feelings of fear, hopelessness and anger (in a funny way). Then given that it's out in the open and we are all on the same page, I set out to just be funny. There’s some heavy topics thrown in but somehow I have become excited to be entertaining. Informed and with a point of view, but entertaining.
I’m doing some story driven bits that roll well and get really big laughs and I felt happy about that. They aren’t saying anything challenging or confrontational or necessarily political. Just some fun bits and people were laughing the laugh of people who were relieved to be able to find it in themselves to do it.
My people.
I also want to acknowledge the passing of David Lynch here. He was a visionary artist who I believe had a profound impact on all the arts. I don’t quite get a few of his movies but I like watching them. To see the work of a brilliant director committed to his unique vision and have it be singular is rare. Though I think my two favorite films of his are The Straight Story and The Elephant Man, I do enjoy engaging and reengaging with the ones that don’t quite come together for me. I blame myself for that lack of understanding.
Marianne Faithfull also passed away. The arc of her life and career and her commitment to finding a voice through it all kind of changed my life. When the album Broken English came out I had never heard anything like it. The depth of the mysterious dark intensity of her singing haunted me and I’ve stayed kind of haunted by it.
So, RIP Marianne and David.
Today I talk to Ke Huy Quan about his epic journey to become an Oscar winner. On Thursday I talk to Demi Moore. It hasn’t happened yet but I’m excited about it. Love her.
Enjoy!
Boomer, Monkey and LaFonda live!
Love,
Maron
