Ramblings Again

Someday I might come back to these and get more from it. I think I got the Prine song from the beginnings here, though

March 28

I spent time reading today, not as much as I wanted or should, but I did read.hn

LIstening to live music from Susan Werner on a Sunday during the COVID-19 is much more relaxing than watching a Trump rally in the guise of a press conference.

March 30

John Prine is sick. Again. This time it’s this stupid COVID-19 virus. I want to say he’s a tough old codger and will beat this too just like the cancer. But this thing is a motherfucker. People who have got it say its kicking their ass.

God, if you’re listening, the world needs more guys like Prine. We need him more than you do.

+++

Train only has one engineer

March 31

The train only has one engineer, the one who drives it, runs the motor, makes sure it gets there on time. The conductor collects tickets and greets the passengers and says, “All Aboard!”
But what if no one is on the train, no passengers, no riders off to work in the city, suburbanites heading to the city for a play or show or a trip to a museum or other city attraction?

That seems to be the standard now with Metra and Amtrak in the Chicago area. I walk daily to the Metra station in my northern Illinois town. I don’t know if we’re even considered a suburb. Sometimes the train arrives when I walk, sometimes not.

When this coronavirus thing started, when the governor closed things and told us to stay the fuck home, ridership on Metra went down. Last week I counted 26 cars in a lot that has 681 parking spots. There’s normally more than that on the weekend. Today, an otherwise normal Wednesday workday, only 12 cars were parked.

A lone brave ticketmaster sits behind his glass, alone in his office. I wave to him every day, sometimes chatting briefly. He seems a pleasant fellow. He smiles broadly when he waves back. I should find out his name. He told me that Metra ridership is down 98 percent.

I suspect that people who live in the bedroom towns around New York City are in a simliar situation. That ridership that comes into Grand Central from Connecticut is down, too.

Bedroom towns are the towns where people live and sleep when they work in New York City. Towns like Stamford, where my older brother once lived. I first heard the term when we had a gig in Putnam, CT.

Putnam is on the east side of the state on the banks of the Quinnebaug River. The residents say that they are east of the river, but they mean the Connecticut River which runs through the middle of the state. Sometimes they think the state government forgets about everybody on the east side. The ladies in a yarn shop we visited used the term and explained it, somewhat rather derisively. It kind of reminds me of the division in Illinois between upstate and downstate.

I hate the long goodbye
So it’s just so long and fare the well

April 1

Today Susan and I were married for the second time. We like to say the first time was because we had to and the second time was the church thing. So it’s our 2nd third anniversary.

April 5

Weirdly enough, today is Palm Sunday, traditoonally considered the day Jesus entered Jerusalem to great fanfare and welcome. A week later, they killed him.

Susan got pissed at Facebook and deactivated her account. I should probably take a break from it as well, but somebody has to stay on it so that we can update the band page if necessary.

Can’t say as I blame her. I should start staying away from it more myself. And write more here.

April 6

I wrote this to Corky Siegel today:



I like how you refer to your fans as "cousins." Indeed we are all, as they say, six degrees of separation. I can legitimately say I know most people in music through six degrees or less, and you are part of that chain. For example, I know you, and through you I know Sam Lay and through that, I know Bob Dylan. I can also connect to Barack Obama, but that's a little more convoluted.

I trust you and Holly are maintaining proper standards of health and safety, as we all must. Susan and I are staying put here in Grayslake. She goes foraging for food once a week, but we will probably just start doing that online and just go pick it up. We go for a walk. I walk to the Metra station and say hello to John, the guy who sells tickets for the train. He sits alone behind his glass window. I think I am his only human contact these days. The station here has 681 parking spots. Today there were only five cars in the whole lot. There's normally more than that on a weekend. There's gotta be a song in there somewhere. I'm waving my song catcher around a lot these days, but so far, just a couple of snippets of lines.

In this email, you mentioned all the merchandise on your site. Unfortunately, I can't buy any more since it would just be duplication of everything I have.
That's why I hope we can get past this all soon. Susan and I have had to cancel a few gigs, and a few things we've wanted to see have been cancelled, too. I miss making music in front of an audience, even if it's just four people in a coffeehouse. I also miss hearing music live, whether it's in a small coffeehouse or at a festival with thousands.

I do enjoy your morning live Facebook posts. It's good to see you and hear your music. Hope there's more in the future beyond this.

April 7

Susan went for a walk. A bird pooped on her head. She felt tired the last of her walk. Took a shower and her temperature. Her temperature was 100.5. She went to take a test for COVID-19. Those results will take a couple of days. She came home. Temperature was 98.9. She still felt really fatigued. She’s sleeping now. I’m downstairs avoiding her. Will sleep in separate beds for a while I guess.

My older brother is an idiot. I don’t think he recognizes the severity of this thing. I don’t think he’s alone there.

April 8

Susan in negative for covid. That great news is tempered by the loss of John Prine to the same thing. For 50 years he provided songs of love and joy and humor to America. He was one of the best.

April 9

I remember that empty chair,
When you lay here by yourself
So I pull it up to sit nearby
And stay here for a while
Just wanting you to know
I am here and
You are not alone

You loved me all these years
I hope I have done the same
I’ll sit here drinking Handsome Johnnies
Hoping you still know my name
I’ll stay here till they kick me out
Just hoping that you know
I am here and
You are not alone.

I hate these long goodbyes,
So I’ll just say hello in there
so long and fare thee well

April 10
Thousands of people, hundreds of thousands are out of work. Millions have filed for unemployment. Yet Wall Street thrives.

April 11

It’s Holy Saturday, blessing of the food day.

I don’t know who’s worse. The Bernie “I’ll never vote for Biden” crybabies or the libertarian assholes who claim they have a right go out and infect people cuz, you know, people gotta be free.