Nashville trip diaryHello Amigos
Just a little note from me to say March hello. I’m currently getting ready to visit America and I’m pretty excited about that. I will visit my daughter and her partner and also get to meet my granddaughter for the first time and that will be very near NYC. While in the States I will also be visiting Nashville for the first time and playing a show there (Third and Lindsey, March 23rd 18H00!) and I’m gonna buy myself a nice new pair of cowboy boots as well!
I’ll also be traveling to Philadelphia to spend a couple of days with my good friend Joseph Parsons and I’ll also be playing a gig there in his city. Stay tuned to these pages as I’m going to try and send a daily report from America to give you my impressions and let you know the scene. First installment will be Sunday, March 18. Also please keep checking the spring touring schedule as I hope to have some specific dates and places to give you soon. Also, if you have anything articles ect. that you’d like to send our way we could put them in the language section for your own country! Most times I never see reviews or articles in the different countries so please, if you think about it, save the good reviews and we can post them on the internet!I hope spring is coming to you where ever you are right now! Here in France it’s still rain, rain, and rain….... but I understand it’s still winter on the east coast of America. Peace to you all!!
Letters from America, March 2001.
First time back here since more than one year and it's been more than 20 years since I've been on the east coast. I remember the first time I arrived here I was shocked by how "ancient" all the buildings were. Of course growing up out in the west nothing was this old. Certainly spending most of my time in Europe these days has changed my idea of what old is! First impressions this time around?
1. Space - By this I mean there's room here. Miles and miles of little houses, separation between buildings, huge parking acres, cemeteries that go on forever ect. Because of the space there is also lots of garbage, trash and waste laying around everywhere. If you don't like something just leave it where it lays and go away.
2. MacDonalds - They are everywhere. This resturant chain is now conviently placed at all the gas stations next to the freeways. They are huge too. Soon to be the national food of America.
3. Big cars - I'm surprised how big all the cars are here. Everyone is driving huge, gas guzzling affairs, very expensive and well, large. The highways here on the east coast are old too and everyone seems to be driving but very slowly.
4. Really poor neighborhoods - I've only been here 2 days now but I've already seen too much of these run down, dark and dirty inner city streets full of abandoned cars, broken glass and garbage and loitering men and women. It's no wonder that the law makers of this country are afraid of rappers and hip hop, punk rock ect. for it is with these musical forms that the truth is being told about what is really going on out here in the streets and cities. Scarry for the suburbs indeed.
News from Nashville - March, 23rd
Less than 3 hours from NYC and I'm almost on another planet. Nashville claims to be the country music capital of the world and from what I can see so far this is true. I know that it is the capital of Tennessee and there is that 'world' going on around me here but mostly there is just music. Talk of music, the buying and selling of music, the history of music, the money of music (or lack of) and on and on and on. Almost everybody I've met in the past 2 days is related too or, at the very least, knows personally some famous artist or writer. To be honest I am a bit bewildered by it all but it is totally and equally fascinating. Nashville itself is a pretty city of about half a million souls. I'd forgotten what it's like to see cowboy hats everywhere! From what I can tell music is going on all the time here. My little gig here began at 18H00 and there were 4 more acts coming on after me that would fill up the night until 02H00 and that's only one of numerous music venues. I have met some great folks here and it's a very friendly atmophere. As you might expect there are lots of mediocer or just plain bad songwriters floating around as well. On the other side of that I've met a surprising number of songwriters who collect very good royalty every year from songs that have "cut" by more famous singers. A fascinating world for sure and one I do hope to come back to! Living in Europe means that I don't get to listen to country music so much and that's normally ok for me but I do have to admit to really enjoying catching up on a music style that is quite relevent and good. There's to be a cocktail party tonight being given in my honor and to introduce me to some more of Nashville's finest yeeeeeeeeeeeeehaw!!
Saturday March 24th
Post-cocktail party morning but not feeling too bad considering what...Staying not too far from Franklyn which is the city where all the "big" country music stars stay in. It's really quite lovely here with soft rolling hills and lots of country to see. The weather has been great and winter seems to have fled from these parts. Trees and flowers blooming everywhere. A great time to visit for sure because this country gets very hot in the summertime! I've been meeting all kinds of people and that's a fact. This city is really loaded with songwriters, musicians and music business people are everywhere. I've shaken hands with #1 hit writers, producers, engineers, sidemen and whatnot. Lots of pretty American girls with cowboy hats and boots and they all sing and write too! Very interesting here to be sure and it will take me awhile to digest it all. There's some serious drinking going on around these parts and I can understand why bourbon is the drink of choice in these parts. I took lots of pictures last night so when I get back to Europe I will post them on this page and with some notes about who all I met. Today I'm going to do a tour of Nashville and I'm gonna have lots of gossip and dirt to spread after it's over. Stay tuned friends...........
March 26 New Haven
Minus 1 degrees and snow all day long! I wore long underwear all day long and was still cold. I remember why I left the east coast 25 years ago. The winters here are way too long. I went to a mall today looking to buy some blue jeans to bring back to Europe with me (half the price here). Just mostly a lot of fat people walking around eating bad food and looking bored. I was bored too but perhaps for different reasons. I definatly don't want to live here in this part of the world. It's been fun visiting my daughter and granddaughter though. I am (hopefully) teaching Liza how to say "no" to Emelia. Not always easy to do with your own children but that's what grandfathers are for. I hope your doing well where you are now and certainly I hope that it is warmer than here!
March 28-30 Philadelphia
A couple of days to visit with my good friend Joseph Parsons in the City Of Brotherly Love. That’s the "official" slogan for this city of 3 and half million. How the people that live in the north side slums and tenaments must laugh when they hear that expression. Friends, I have traveled quite a lot in the last few years and have seen a lot of waste and urban decay and especially in the former Soviet satellites but nothing can compare with America’s own reservations and inner city ghettos. Bridgeport, Trenton, New Haven, north Philly and that list goes on and on. Living in such places it is dangerous to be trustfull and such is the face that many of these east coasters present to the world. The jails of America are full of the disinfranchised. No one who lives or passes though such landscapes can remain unchanged.
I am lucky that I have the choice to not have to live in such a place. There are too many who have no such choice. To be sure there are pleasant quarters, holdfasts, streets and neighborhoods. Kind and even friendly people. My daugher lives in such a place. A quiet street of wood framed houses. Mostly home owners and blue collar workers. Peacefull. Surrounding this enclave though are abandoned houses, chronic unemployment, concrete, violence and waste. A dangerous place I think and one I would not want to raise my children in but she likes the city life, the rent is cheap there and so it is her story and not mine. I certainly do digress here don’t I...................
I took the train (Amtrack) from New Haven to Philly and was pleasantly surprised by the trip. The trains were well cared for and on time. I was expecting worse especially considering the mostly efficient and high speed European trains that I frequently ride. Anyway the trip took about 3 hours and I was met at the beautiful Philladelphia station by Joseph. After dropping off my guitar at Joseph’s flat we immediately went around the corner to Chubby’s for the sandwhich that Philladelphia is famous for which is a cheese steak (sliced and grilled beef with melted cheese on a special hoagy roll). If you eat meat I can promise you a real taste treat that can only be found in this city although you certainly can eat a Philladelphia cheese steak most anywhere. Coupled with a couple of Heinekens I was in 7thheaven! Next stop for us was Bobby G’s which was the neighborhood pub of some friends of Joseph (Jim and Denise). I guess we spent a couple of hours there sharing stories, beer and more food. Nighttime and it was over to the Dawson Street Pub for a couple (ok, more than 2) drinks. I met a lot of the local music scene during this night. Joseph is quite the celebrity in Philadelphia and I really got the handshake tour on this fun filled and beer soaked night. Fun, fun, fun!
Thursday night Joseph and I shared a gig on a very stormy and wet night in downtown Philly bar called The Fire. There weren’t a lot of people there but it was fun to play music again and to have the chance to hear Joseph sing his fine songs. After the show we went over to Chinatown for a late night meal (dried scallops, BBQ’d pork, friend rice ect) and then it was over. The next day I would train it back to New Haven and then, on the last day of March, I would take the long jet trip back to France. All in all I can say that I had a good time here in the states. It was fun to hear English being spoken all the time. I haven’t digested all that has happened to me just yet and perhaps I will write more about this trip at a latter date. It was great seeing my daughter again and meeting Emelia. For the rest, well……………we’ll see.
PS : At this point the airline (United) seems to have "lost" or misplaced my guitar. It wasn’t on the plane with my other luggage ! As you can imagine I am quite upset just now and I’m just praying that she will arrive today. I guess this is every muscians nightmare. It is mine! Keep your fingers crossed for me and stay tuned for further word…….
PPS: 1 day later - My guitar is home! A horrible experience though. How the fuck can you lose a guitar?
