Friday, October 23, 2009

"All my friends have flowers in their eyes...but I got none this season."

In April N and I went to NYC. After a delightful afternoon of being introduced to Magnolia cupcakes by our good friends the Shares, we headed to the Nederlander theater to see Guys and Dolls.
I like to get there early but I hate the waiting once I get there. So, to gauge just how close we are to starting, I take a look around the house to see how many people are there. I'm scanning the Nederlander that night when I see a guy bounding down the center asile, dreadlocks bouncing. I felt myself get cold and my heart start to beat faster. Oh. My. God. That's. Adam. Duritz. I mean, I totally geeked out there for a hot second. N was hardly amused. I was annoyed that he didn't share my awe. Then I'm shocked. I'm shocked that no one else is going crazy like I am. And then I remember. No one really knows who he is. Especially the kind of people who would go to a shoddy revival of a Broadway classic. I make it my mission to make contact.

At intermission, after a smoke with Matthew Perry (who was kind of a douche), I see Adam Duritz standing in the lobby talking to an unassuming older couple. I pass up my chance to talk to him.

Show ends. I go outside. Walk PAST Adam Duritz. MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH HIM. And KEEP WALKING.

I knew instantly that I would regret that. I should have just said what I wanted to say. Which was something like, "Hi. I don't normally do this. Actually I've never done this. But I just have to say this or I'll regret it. Your music defined my youth. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Adam Duritz is the lead singer of Counting Crows. In case you didn't already Google that shit.

I'm sitting here watching something I DVR'd on Palladio. A concert performance of their latest concept album, Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings. He's just intro-ed his next song and it's "about when you just become so numb that there's no way to touch the world at all except through acts of extreme violence. And this is about driving the highways in the middle of the night, and this is about everybody at once and this is about me and this is called Cowboys"
fsdf
Yes! Yes! Yes! This is why! This is why this music carried me through my confusing, emotional, transcendent, horrible, sweet, exciting, horny high school and college years.

"This is a list of the things I should be, but I'm not"

"Well all the blue light reflections that color my mind when I sleep.
And the lovesick rejections that accompany the company I keep.
All the razor perceptions that cut just a little too deep.
Hey, I can bleed as well as anyone, but I need someone to help me sleep."

and my favorite, and the inspiration for the title of this blog

"Amy hit the atmosphere, caught herself a rocket ride out of this gutter."