6.8.04 Boulder CO

I just heard Nellie McKay for the first time.  Holy shit.  My friend Cori (she's married to Matt Westgate, our illustrious webmaster) gave me the CD some time ago, and I only got to listening to it now.  It's quite arresting.  It's sort of french cabaret meets club meets 40's jazz, meets rap.  hmm... I'm sure there's been a million comparisons of the like.  I'm going to be listening to her a lot.

In other news, we're going through the preparations for Dharmapalooza, an event Dharma Pop puts on each year (well, it's only our second year, but...), people come to Boulder from all over the country, attend talks, see shows, and meet each other.  This year we're also taping a live concert DVD.  I'm curious to meet the group that's coming, they are almost all new people for us, in contrast to last year which was comprised more of people that have been working with us for a while.  I'm always amazed by the people supporting the cause out there, I just talked to some of our friends in Holland who have made literally hundreds of calls over the course of months in order to book my tour of the Netherlands this September.  I'm so excited to go to Holland!  I have to admit I idealize the Dutch, and have fantasized about moving to Holland.  First things first, I want to start touring over there twice a year for a week or two, and Rinus, Desiree, and Tanja (our Dutch friends) are making all that possible.  THANKS!  I can't wait for the tour in September.  I know we lost Canada this year (pauses, gazes out window in silence), but dang it, it just won't matter once we get to the Netherlands.  Note to self: check out the legalities of this tour in advance of arriving at the Border...

Been working on a couple new songs lately, one called Deity Freak, and I just finished another called Parker Posey, which has inspired a lyrical debate.  The song is sung from the perspective of a movie director who's pitching a film to Parker Posey, and during the chorus he's telling her who will be in the movie with her, her character's back ground, etc.  As usual, I wrote multiple versions of the song.  In the first version, the lyrics in the chorus go like this:

Alan Arkin is your widower father
Mary Tyler Moore is his beautiful neighbor
You play a daughter with an eating disorder
Starving herself cause she misses her mother

But after singing that a while, I thought "Mary Tyler Moore's name is too LOOOONG.  it's too many syllables."  So I substituted Julie Christy's name.  Rob Berg came over, I asked him what he thought, he said "yeah, Julie Christy is better, it's shorter, it's better.  But then my wife is like "are you fucking CRAZY???!! you can't change it, Mary Tyler Moore's name is my favorite thing in the song!!"  

Now I am conflicted.  I mean, I'm literally sitting around trying to "cast" this damn song.  I'm imagining the movie in my head, starring Parker Posey, and I'm like 'who would make a better neighbor for her, kind of a love interest for her widower dad Alan Arkin, so imagine Alan Arkin with Julie Christy, and then I imagine him with Mary Tyler Moore, and then I'm like "what the fuck am i doing? it's a CHORUS i'm writing here, not a movie" but then...

well the thing is, Mary Tyler Moore starred in Ordinary People.  did you see that?  she was AMAZING in that film, and i could really see how Parker Posey and Mary Tyler Moore would be great together on film, and somehow Mary Tyler Moore (MTM) and Alan Arkin make sense together too.  the full lyrics to the song are as follows, but you could also substitute Julie Christy's name for MTM:

Parker Posey this is your movie
I know how believable you'll be
that's why you landed the lead
It's Pretty Woman meets Clockwork Orange
it's Parker...

I told the casting team,
"You don't get her, you don't get me"
Mmm, we shoot this fall
one month in Montreal
it's cheaper than the States

Alan Arkin is your widower father
Mary Tyler Moore is his beautiful neighbor
You play a daughter with an eating disorder
starving herself cuz she misses her mother
Parker Posey, this is your movie
Parker Posey, this is your movie

Parker are you listening to me?
Posey, this is your movie
There's only one rape scene
it happens in a dream
Parker

I'd say as indies go
you stole Suburbia
and Best In Show
No, I haven't seen
The House Of Yes
But who has, or will unless
You can cough up an oscar
and bump up your numbers

  (Chorus)

I know I can make you
a Minnie Driver
move over,
Winona Ryder

  (Chorus)