my love will turn you on

I went to see Elvis Costello in Boston this weekend, and man was it awesome. The venue was basically a gigantic tent on a pier. It felt like going to a country fair in Cape Cod, if such a thing actually exists. Anyway, it was definitely an intimate show. He came out and played for three hours straight, with only a short break before the encore and a song or two that he sat out. At first, he came out and played about a half hour of his most raw material; for whatever reason, these songs seemed faster and more ferocious than they even sounded when he first recorded them decades ago. Then, he brought out Emmylou Harris, and they sang a long set of duets that ranged from magnificent to slightly boring. Still, as has been definitely seen on the new Bright Eyes album, she can harmonize with just about anyone and make them sound good.

There were a set of awesome covers; "Wild Horses" (In a completely unrelated note, it seems like every day my appreciation rises for the Rolling Stones), "Pancho and Lefty" (which was slightly off), and "Suspicious Minds," which Elvis sang coming right out of "Alison," which happens to be a personal favorite of mine. He also played "(What's so funny about) Peace Love and Understanding," second to last, and I now have an edict that every band on earth should play that song. It just feels so incredibly necessary.

During the show, there was this crazy drunk guy doing some kind of crazy drunken dance in front of me. After awhile, we started talking, and he decided he needed to tell me about "all the crazy shit going on in the world today." He then began explaining to me how JFK's assassination was connected to the Merovingian bloodline (don't ask) and how aliens are working with humans to create half-alien half-human hybrids (I told him he'd been watching a little too much X-files). The best exchange was this;

Weird drunk guy: So what do you believe in?
Me: I believe in lots of things
Weird drunk guy: Do you believe in God?
Me: Nope
Weird drunk guy: Do you believe in the Government?
Me: Not really
Weird drunk guy: Do you believe in the Government more than you believe in God?
Me: Well, the Government does exist...

*pause*

Weird drunk guy: That's good. I like that.

Finally, after the guy had been ranting at me for like fifteen minutes during the friggin' encore, his poor embarassed girlfriend (who was celebrating her birthday, to add to it) dragged him away.

_______

If I were not at a concert, there are a lot of things I feel like I could have told him. He was one person on the long line of people who have told me how there has to be a god because there has to be something or someone who began everything, no matter how much you believe in evolution. This is a fact that I cannot deny. However, I think listening to this raving lunatic made me finally able to formulate my opinion on this whole point. And, that opinion is this;

Yes, there is some "unknown" in the history of the universe. However, that is all it is, an unknown. For as much as we know as humans, we are never going to be able to wrap our heads around how the universe was created. It's a simple act so complex that it is impossible to imagine. So, why do we continue attempting to rationalize it within our human limits of knowledge? We are the only species on earth that has the nerve to stare up at the sky and demand that we know our place on earth. Every other animal has consciously or subconsciously realized that it is only a collection of nerves, chemicals, bones, muscles, skin, etc. And, as a result, it has realized that the most important thing it should do is make sure it keeps its chemicals balanced and its body healthy. Meanwhile, we're all overweight, depressed, and wondering why we're here.

I'm not saying that thinking is stupid or dangerous. In fact, I think thinking is very healthy. However, I think there are so many humanistic problems that we are far away from solving that it is stupid to worry about things that cannot improve our lives in the present.

_______

Bevin was somewhere in Boston this weekend too, but try as I might I could never get in touch with her. That makes more than a year since I've seen her, and I doubt that I will at all this summer. In a time in which my list of long-term friends is becoming smaller and smaller, it would be really nice to talk to someone who knew a completely different me and has (admittedly sparingly) followed me throughout the years, as those years are quickly eroding away. And, to be honest, I miss her for more reasons than that. I miss her in the same way that I miss Eden. They both have this sort of magnetism; this ability to fully engage your mind and body through nothing more than existing. People like that have this weird way of reminding you why you're alive.

On a similar note, if Eden really is back in the Capital Region, and anyone sees her, tell her I'd love to see her.

______

As this summer goes on, I find myself missing Kelly more and more as well. There's something about having someone like that consistantly in your life that reminds you that there are very few things worth caring about, very few things that are sacred, and the bonds we share with people are the very most important. Before I met her, I was depressed, confused, and stressed very very easily. I can remember a few times where I literally started destroying things because I was getting bad grades; not because I cared about the grades, but because the grades were one of the few things in my life that I could possibly take pride and satisfaction in. Ever since I've met her, this lightbulb has gone off in my head. At some point, I'm going to have to start looking at my future and figuring out some way of balancing all of these things. However, the more time that I spend with her, the less will that I have to bother with all the superficial stuff.

________

It really is a shame that this is the only solo John Lennon song that I have.


In the middle of the night
in the middle of the night i call
your name
oh yoko, oh yoko, my love will
turn you on

in the middle of the bath
in the middle of the bath i call
your name
oh yoko, oh yoko, my love will
turn you on
my love will turn you on

in the middle of a shave
in the middle of a shave i call your name
oh yoko, oh yoko, my love will
turn you on

in the middle of a dream
in the middle of a dream i call
your name
oh yoko, oh yoko, my love will
turn you on
my love will turn you on

in the middle of a cloud
in the middle of a cloud i call
your name
oh yoko, oh yoko, my love will
turn you on
my love will turn you on

oh yoko, oh yoko, my love will
turn you on
my love will turn you on

I dont think he was ever one to let repetition get in the way of a beautiful song. It's admirable, in its own way. I didnt even realize how painfully repetitive it was until I read the lyrics.

It's funny to think about how everyone blames Yoko for breaking up the Beatles. Fuck The Beatles. John was in love. All the power to him. A band, as great as it can be, always comes in second to the music of your life. You can quote me on that.

If you somehow read through this entire post, then you receive my congratulations. In return, I promise I will try to do the same with yours.