Sinister: Struan and Stevie sighting in Noo York

[Brian Pennington]

Salutations,
     I foresee this being a very, very long e-mail, as I was going to 
post anyway, and the events of the yesterday have given me both real 
content and reason to make the post even longer. I'll try to keep 
relevant bits at the top, and you can all delete it as you get bored, 
in a sort of marathon-like post reading.
     Went to the Yo La Tengo / Go-Betweens show last night. Fantastic 
show, in fact the best I've seen since a bunch of Glaswegians hit our 
shores. The Go-Betweens were....well not as good as the time I saw 
McLennan/Forster but still quite excellent. I want to see them doing 
a set without acoustic guitars though, so I think I'll have to go see 
them again when they come back with some Modern Lovers. Anyway, 
seeing them is still fantastic. And heaven is the soft curve of a 
cheek in profile, turned just so, illuminated by pink stagelight. 
Preferably from behind, turned you can see a little dip where the eye 
socket begins, at about eighty feet, then seventy, a little closer 
each song.
     Meanwhile, I finally found Miss Mai in the crowd around the end 
of the Go-Bs set, and learned some interesting news. It seems while 
in line to enter the club she saw Stevie and Struan behind her, and 
starstruck, said hello to them. Then came back and reported to me 
that they were there. So we weaved our way into the crowd to get 
closer, and Mai (who I swear must have Struan Radar or something!) 
noticed we were right next to Struan, looking dapper in a coat and 
leather gloves.
     We broke the ice and chatted with him awhile. I feel I ought not 
to reveal the reason they were in New York, as it sounded rather 
uncomfirmed, and it would betray some sort of pact. However, the 
reason they were at the club was to see the Go-Betweens. It sounded 
(and I couldn't be sure) that they may not ever release Loneliness of 
the Middle Distance Runner. Sadness. And after a fellow Scotsman 
talked to him a bit he said they were aiming to try and tour in the 
Springtime. Surprisingly, not that many people seemed to realize he 
was in our midst. Either that or they were paralyzed with fear. But I 
am not one to let that stop me, and I think I only slightly made an 
ass out of myself. He was certainly very nice and approachable 
though. But left when Yo La Tengo came onstage to look for Stevie.
     But Yo La Tengo were fantastic. They glided just off the ground 
of darkened country roads. They bent slabs of white noise around my 
heart and sent me to giddy euphoric heights. They made the girl with 
the illuminated cheek sway in the most delightful manner. At the 
highest points of epiphanic intensity I felt as though I had never 
really lived until that moment. That my life up to that point had 
been a thousand empty shells interspersed with empty days and nights, 
all building up to this moment. And that if I expired the next 
morning I would have achieved all that was necessary. So, uh, yes 
they were good.
     I suppose that's all the music-related content that will be in 
this post, so if you'd like, press the delete button now. Some of you 
still there? Ah, good. Well my life has been rather interesting 
lately, and I think one could draw parallels between their own and 
mine, so it might be worth sharing a bit to you all.
     You see, I recently moved from the hills of Appalachia to the Big 
City. A rash move, most definately, but I'm at an age when rash moves 
are expected of me. I spent a lot of time alone in a small room 
wondering what I was going to do, but eventually I got it all sorted 
out. Now I feel as if it was the best decision I have ever made. I 
cannot imagine feeling more justified.
     If my life were an 80's teen romance in film, this would be the 
part in which a montage of happy scenes segue from one to the other. 
Sitting on park benches, late at night, talking and laughing, stars 
gleaming, eyes averted. Chance run-ins on subway platforms. 
Suspiciously subsequent chance run-ins on subway platforms. Ought to 
throw some scenes from last night's show in there as well I'm 
certain. Above all, lots of talking, lots of furtive glances, and 
plenty of beer.
     My troubles slide away with phantom grasps too weak to take hold. 
My mind so rarely lingers on the past and so seldom worries about the 
future, firmly planted in the present. It's enough to make the 
confidance creep back out from behind my eyes and sit itself 
comfortably back in my life. Which is probably obvious to the reader, 
else what would possess me to yammer on and on about it? Well, I 
ought to stop here before I get even more dull.

-- 
Brian Pennington, aka Mick McMick | cellophanesky at mac.com | ICQ# 39021436
Sandcastle Records: <http://www.indiepages.com/sandcastle/>
the Cellophane Sky:<http://home.earthlink.net/~cellophanesky/the/index.html>
"Better a tear of truth than smiling lies." - Duncan Browne
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