NEW YORK TRIP 12/2-6, DAYS 3 & 4 I’m writing this in the air on the way to DENVER. It just occurred to me that I’d better hurry up and finish NEW YORK, since I’ll be having to follow up with this DENVER trip any day now. Who knows what awaits me in the snowy depths of the mountains? The last time I was here, in the 90’s, all I took from it was an inherent fear of hippies and a promise to myself that I’d never, ever own a bright orange pair of oakley’s that’d cover half my face. Although, I have to admit, when I spared change on the streets of DENVER (I was a crusty punk in my younger days, so you know, but I didn’t own a dog) the populace was very generous, but you’ll have to wait for real good stories of DENVER past in my next blast/blog, whatever this monster is turning into. Anyway, onto the cliff hanger from last time…. Day 3 in NEW YORK CITY and my third consecutive day waking up with a hang over (oh what happened to the days of being invulnerable!). I was a little confused about what to do at first. Originally, this was supposed to be my last day in NEW YORK, but I still felt like there was a lot I hadn’t accomplished, plus, PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES were playing the next night, one of my all time faves and good buddies to boot, so I extended my flight. After succeeding in putting on my 5th layer of clothing and discovering the holy grail of my mornings, coffee, my phone rang. It was MATT of MATT & KIM, the newest addition to the IHEARTCOMIX RECORDS roster. They wanted to meet for brunch. Finally I had some direction to my day. I hopped on a train over to BROOKLYN, transferring twice and constantly watching the people around me. I can’t help but let my eyes wander as I ride. It’s NEW YORK, so to me it feels like a foreign land, more similar to PARIS and CHICAGO than anything on the west coast. The amalgamation of characters entering and leaving the cars is always interesting and it’s always fun to spot cute girls you’ll never talk to. That’s probably what I’m talking about more anyway, the latter. I know, I know, I’m shallow. I eventually met up with MATT & KIM and we headed to a rather tasty diner. We planned, plotted and traded stories for hours, the excitement in the air mounting as we dreamed about our future together. I felt like I’d found two old friends I didn’t even know I was looking for. Both of them are just such good kids and full of ideas, and as much as they hate it, possibly the cutest thing ever. I’m so excited to be working with them, and they seem to be with me, so high five to that. After brunch they took me a small art gallery and then to the coolest store I’ve ever seen. It was filled with endless amounts of hand made art projects, zines, buttons, you name it, the front, an art gallery, as well, with a rotating theme each month. While I was there, the theme was suburban Christmas, or something like that. I felt like I was sitting in a twisted version of one of my Midwestern relative’s living room. I wish I could remember what the name of the store was…. At 7:30 I decided to make it back into the city and I was hungry again. My friends Alexis and Daniella invited me over to their apartment for dinner as I reemerged in the LOWER EAST SIDE. I accepted. They were close to where I was staying, and besides, I’d be a fool to pass up a free, home cooked meal. Once 11pm rolled around, I had to leave to go DJ at a party my friend COUNTER COMMONS was having at SCENIC. I think I showed up a bit late, because by the time I got there, the crowd was a little thin. COUNTER immediately greeted me. “Here’s some drink tickets,” he said. “oh, cool,” I replied, and began walking off, but then he grabbed me by the shoulder (and this is where the cliffhanger from my last post starts to creep in), “Hey, so you know, there’s some guy here looking for you. I guess you messed around with his girl or something.” “What?,” I said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I walked over to the bar and ordered a drink. PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES showed up a few minutes later. They’d just arrived in town to play a couple shows the next few nights. I love that band and the people in it so much. While we were hanging out I proclaimed myself their ..1 fan. I’m not totally sure if they agreed with me, but I think that we did narrow it down that I’ve seen more PRETTY GIRLS shows than anyone else except roadies and what not. So, I’m a freak. What? Sometime in mid hang out with the band, I decided not to DJ anymore and I caught the eye of a familiar looking girl in the crowd. She walked over to say hi. We gave the usual ‘what’s ups’ and then she pulled me close and whispered in my ear, “Don’t say anything about FRIDAY, my boyfriend’s right over there.” I was shocked and confused. I thought I’d figured out FRIDAY night, so I leaned back in and whispered back in her ear, “What happened FRIDAY night?” She told me I’d ran into her at one of those clubs I’d I went to on my parade of the city and we’d made out. It wasn’t a huge thing, but it’d happened and I wasn’t even sure where it fit in. I figured that’s what COUNTER must have been talking about, then the boyfriend showed up. No mention was made and everything went smooth. Note to self: join AA. PRETTY GIRLS, COUNTER and I left SCENIC and went to BLACK & WHITE. CARLOS D from INTERPOL dj’s there on SUNDAYs. The bar was full of vampiric looking scenesters emulating the name of the bar. We were already wasted, but it didn’t stop us from frequently ordering shots of tequila. JAY CLARK (of pretty girls) and I spotted CHLOE SEVIGNY sitting with some friends. We decided it’d be fun to sit at the table next to her’s and try to join in. It didn’t really work out the way we wanted it to, but at least we got introduced. I woke the next day to the reality of a MONDAY morning. I had work to get done! So, most of my day was full of emails and phone calls, minus a trip to the BEN SHERMAN offices for a nice hook up (thank you!). PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES put me on the list for their show that night at the KNITTING FACTORY. I called JENNIFER JAFFEY again, and after rolling up stagecoach style in taxi cab, we headed off to the show. PRETTY GIRLS played a ton of new songs, all of which were hands down incredible. They never cease to amaze and have finally written themselves some genuine hits. JENNIFER and I crammed our way through the crowd to the front of the stage and pogo’d around as they played. It’s a habit I partake in every time. That band is just that good, plus I’m the ..1 fan, so I’m required. After the show, we hung out backstage for a while and I caught up with the always awesome, YALAN, booking agent extroirdinare of the KNITTING FACTORY NYC. After that we made our way to the CELLAR BAR and then to MOTOR CITY. It was more of the same drunken high jinks from the night previous and just about every SEATTLE person that’d moved to NEW YORK came out of the woodworks. I made my way to the airport at 7am, tired, drunk and hating life. Traveling is beginning to wear on me. I love it, the adventures are great, but I feel like my body is decomposing. It’s screaming at me to take a break, but the show must go on. Stay tuned for DENVER….
12/13/05