A box set from England of The Carter Family's early years is living in my zumbidor on my nightstand, along with something from Hall and Oates (the California years). "Keep on the Sunny Side" goes very well with "It's a Laugh". I'm sure I'm the only one in the world who can hear the connection. When I'm half awake, I feel along the lid until I press the right button and then I pretend to go back to sleep. When it's this cold outside and when I'm under this much stress, it's important to stay in bed for as long as possible. For me, sleep is a wonderful panacea. So is daydreaming.
Zumbidor
I was listening to Bob Dylan and Sly
Stone for awhile. Of course I'd heard Dylan a million times over
in some form or another--like Elvis, his influence is everywhere (who doesn't
like "Tangled Up in Blue?")--but I had to force myself to listen because
I really didn't like his voice. After awhile, that whiny nasaly quality
that drove me nuts went away and all I could hear was the feeling behind
everything he said. And the lyrics were so simple, yet expressing
such complex things. So I wallowed in it. I remember reaching out
into the cold dawn to replay "If You See Her, Say Hello" for the sixth
time, relieved that I was alone so no one could kill my buzz by telling
me to knock it off. It seemed silly to play it over and over again---but
for some
reason, I couldn't help myself.
That's when I reach for my journals and write and sketch and make lists.
I get some of my best ideas right about then. And then I tuck them
neatly away and dose for as long as I can. No matter what, I'm not fully
conscious until at least 1pm. By the time I look over what I've written,
I can hardly believe the stuff I've come up with. Cool songs and images,
bits of poetry as lyrics, sketches for larger ideas, to be fleshed out
later as a treatment for a screenplay or a new dress for a show.
Was I even awake?
Having this morning routine is such
a part of me that if its interrupted, I feel it drag the inside of me around
all day long, like skipping a meal.
COPYRIGHT 2002 QUEEN ESTHER INC.