The Weblog of Daniel Tashian

Went to Hopkins and walked the dogs to Starbucks with Red. “Slow down on this street!” he yelled when a preppy kid in a Lexus drove by “30 MPH!”. He was so mad. “I stop em’ all day long, Danny. All day long.” he said. He can recite lyrics like nobody I know except Dave Rawlings. “Curling just like smoke above his shoulder.” I just mentioned one Leonard Cohen song and he recited the whole thing: “It is you my friend, you who are the stranger.” I used to know more lyrics when I was younger. Sigh. Went back home and did some emailing and tidied up a bit. Layng called and we went to lunch at the veggie Indian place, and then Starbucks. I took a picture of a woman in line who looked like a doll. Home and did laundry, then over to Hopkins to let the dogs play. To 3rd and Lindsley to see Chris Barron, Angela Caset and Jeff Cohen, and I was wrong about the other night. It wasn’t her. She looks different. They were doing lots of ballads, but it sounded good, but I was feeling sort of restless, so I drove around for a while, and I was listening to Bill Evans and Jim Hall from “Undercurrent” doing “Skating In Central Park” and the downtown lights looked nice. I didn’t really want to go home but I didn’t want to go out, so I went home and watched “For Your Consideration” and it had some funny moments, but Katherine O’Hara looks like a monster. I wonder if it was just make up, or if she really had plastic surgery. It must be make up. She really knows how to act drunk.

This was the day of my Tin Pan South round with Jeremy Lister and Leigh Nash and Katie Herzig. I wanted to finish some new songs but the allergies really made me tired. Had a conference call with Matt, Liz and Jason  about Bees stuff and we’re out of debt, which I suppose is good. Went to Kalamata’s for dinner and saw Blair and Joanna Daly, and they’re nice. Sent my short film script off to my brother. Took Posh to Hopkins and went to Walgreens and got some allergy meds and took like 5 pills (Allegra-D 12 hr., Zythromyacin, Dexamethasone .75 mg. and Fluticasone Propionate 50 mcg.) and and immediately I felt better. Went to 3rd and Lindsley and our show went pretty well. I just felt like I didn’t have any new songs to play, like I was a slacker. Brian Sprouse was there but I didn’t get to talk to him. I did get to ask Patrick Clifford if he would be in my movie and he said yes and he’s PERFECT! He said he had done some acting before. I met Gary Louris and Dan Wilson. I told Gary my story about the kids in the doughnut shop dancing to the Jayhawks and he laughed. He said he knew my dad. Dan Wilson said he liked my song about “Too Many Minor Chords” and I guess it’s pretty good. It seemed to go over the best of anything. Funny the way that goes: the thing you think is silly turns out to be a hit. Chris Barron of the Spin Doctors was there, and Jeff Cohen. Afterwards, we went to the Pool Hall on eighth and Ricky (from Starbucks) was playing and he’s actually quite good. Leigh Nash came, and Erin, and who else? Angela Casset maybe? I don’t know her. I think that was her. Then Devon and Leigh and Erin came over and we jammed a little and we listened to a Colin Hay song that Leigh had and I played everybody Claire Small and right now I can’t get “Citronella” out of my head. I need to call her.  It was cool to meet Gary Louris and Devon was playing a great song of his called “Nobody’s Man” and I don’t know what to say. There’s always more songs to write.

Slept in and it was raining, 78 degrees. Maybe the rain will finally clear some of this pollen from the air. I feel like an asthmatic hemophiliac. I can’t go outside. Posh got all muddy and that’s the only thing I hate about rain. John Deaderick called and he said he was at Athens so I went and met him for breakfast. ($6) I had oatmeal and an english muffin. Back home and got an email from Jacquire King and he wants me to help him with some band he’s working with. Angelo and Eulene stopped by and they said the worst place you can play at Tin Pan South is the French Quarter Cafe. Ha ha. Who ever goes there? I’m going to start asking people to meet me there. Watch how fast I have no friends. Went to an excellent lunch at Woodlands with Layng, and we were watching the rain out the window. Then we went to Starbucks. Home, and Jody Spence came over and looked at my script so far and was encouraging. We watched 15 minutes of “The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg” and wanted to give up. Went to the church supper for dinner and overheard Mr. Hiller say his son was working for an English film co. and he’s working with Stephen Fry (and I’m a huge fan) but what they’re doing is finding weird places in America for S.F. to visit. He’s going to spend quite a while in Tennessee, apparently. They’ve found some place where they have this machine gun contest where everybody shoots machine guns, and the only thing I don’t like about this kind of film-making, is that it just makes Americans look like a bunch of ignorant red-necks (which really only make up maybe one tenth of the population?) But I suppose it does make funny TV. There have been so many series like this.  But why is England so obsessed with the less appealing American demographics, and sort of magnifying them? Played the Family Wash with Melissa and it went pretty well. Buddy Miller was there and I said “What’s Happening?” and he said “I don’t know, do you know what’s happening?…Is something happening?” (laughs)

Well everyone was going out, but the hay fever thing really had me down, so I didn’t do much. David Workman came by, and Layng came over, and we watched some of Alan Partridge. Went to SB and the bank and there were Tin Pan South shows to go to, but I layed low. Watched “I Love You Alice B. Toklas” with Peter Sellers and I’ve never seen a more un-psychedelic film about a psychedelic experience. It seemed like it was made for my grandparents to try to understand “hippies” but it had it’s moments. Also  signed up for Netflix. I’m like the last person in the universe to get Netflix.

To the bank and I got (for me) a good BMI check, so that was nice. To the mall and I got some new jeans and I really have lost weight. The jeans I got at Christmas are now gigantic, and it’s all because I’ve stopped eating so much bread and i’m eating more salads. There is so much pollen in the air, it looks like it’s constantly snowing. I think it’s starting to affect me and I went to Walgreens to get some Claritin and Grimey was there looking for the same thing. Tin Pan South is this week and I feel like I can’t breathe. Home and worked on scripts for a while and took a short nap. Went to SB and to Hopkins for dinner. Rented “Alan Partridge” and there was a $41 dollar late fee. Steve Coogan is so funny. It’s a little like Ricky Gervais, only meaner. “Just try and finish your sentence, and watch what I do…just try.” Laughed until I started turning blue and had to drink a La Croix.

Tupper Saussy’s record release was amazing. I was so nervous to perform for all his friends and family, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But several people said you couldn’t tell. They showed a film about his life, and the main thing I got out of it was that he was insatiably curious. He explored the world and his art with the kind of fascination and enthusiasm usually reserved for children! That’s the secret! His son gave a moving eulogy, and said some very interesting things. Warren Pash did a great job hosting the night, and he’s actually quite funny. I talked to Carol Caldwell and Cissy and Will Akers, then Amy Loftus and I went to J. Alexander’s and got a veggie burger. We worked on a song title idea she had, and it was coming out well, but I was tired so I went to bed. Read 5 pages of David Lean’s biography, and people didn’t believe in him when he was starting out. His teacher in pre-school told his mother he would never learn to read or write, and that he was a dullard. He went on to be the greatest English film director of all time, and eventually, he was knighted.

To SB. Windy and warm morning, about 69 degrees. Home and learned a Tupper Saussy song on the ukulele and I’m really excited about it. “Morning Girl”. It’s really like something the Bees should cover. We’re not really a cover band, but this song is so perfect. Although, I don’t think someone should die, and then you should cover their song just because they’re dead now. Why don’t people appreciate each other’s talents while we’re alive? It’s like that Rumi poem about “If I died, you would shower my grave with kisses; why don’t you give them to me now?” But I was getting the chills while I was playing the song, so that means it’s good. Courtney Jaye came over and we greatly improved our song “The Price of Being Blue” and now she goes to NY and I will make the track. Got a very honest and somewhat difficult to read email from Ted Myers at Concord records. But he was very thoughtful, and really took the time to analyze the Bees music. The thing is, we made the bulk of the record (High Society) in a weekend, and it has some flaws. But you see, nobody cares how long something takes, or what you recorded it on, or what studio you made it in, or who plays on it. They only care about the end result. Went to a meeting with Jody Spence at Veritas films, and he wants to help me with “Nashville”. So far, he’s mainly done documentaries, but he wants to work on this. I need to call Greta and tell her I don’t want this thing to be a doc. I want to make a dramedy. To dinner at Hopkins and it was pork chops and we sat outside. A Beautiful evening. Went to the Bluebird with Amy Loftus. I was playing guitar with Leigh Nash and she was in a round with Greg Barnhill, Dennis Matkosky and Jason Scheff. Greg wrote “House of Love” and Dennis wrote “Maniac” and “You’ll Think of Me”. I haven’t been to the Bluebird in a while, and it was a neat experience. The song is really king there. A certain kind of song really works in there, too. Melodrama to the max. Get as much drama as you can into the song in 3 minutes. John Kelly Gannet came and he always cracks me up for some reason. He loves songs. Went to Amy’s for some green tea, and went home.

Walked to SB and had a VSL. Then Natalie Hemby came over and we wrote a song that was pretty cool. It was based on an idea she had from the book “Secret Life of Bees.” We went to lunch at Kalamata’s and i’ll be damned if I didn’t have yet another great lunch: Salmon over salad with a fruit salsa. I need to start cooking fish at home because that’s what I want for lunch. She left and I took a short nap, then walked to SB again. This was the night of our party, so I had a few things to get at Kroger. People started showing up about 8 and it was a great party. Everyone was hanging out on the deck and it was a beautiful night. I was drinking LaCroix with pomegranate. Troy and Jessica came, and Emily West and Hugh. Jason Lehning was there, and Lacey Galbraith. Amy Loftus showed up in a cool green jacket and she brought tulips. It was fun, and it made me happy to see everyone having a good time. Even Matthew Ryan and Melissa came! Everyone left by about 2. Read some of Ram Dass and hit the hay.

Walked the dogs to Starbucks ($3.71) and Red was there. “When are we going to make a movie?” he asked. “Did you hear that song I wrote for your mom?” I mean, he’s so loud when he talks, it’s like the whole entire Starbucks can hear him. But I appreciate his enthusiasm. On the way home, Tom Littlefield called and he was sitting on the porch. Went home and we played ukuleles for about an hour. I’m so out of shape, I’m really glad he came over. We went to Lunch at Kalamata’s ($26) and it was almost the best lunch I’ve ever had. It was grilled Mahi Mahi over salad with black bean and corn relish. Ken Levitan showed up and sat with us, and he said he’s opening a Tequila bar. Tom and I went to Starbucks after, then home. I picked up Liz and we followed her mom to Cosco and Jonathan Trebing was there. He said his new wedding date is the same as Guilty Pleasures. I said “Move the wedding!” he laughed and then I realized that was a dumb thing to say. You can’t tell someone to move their wedding. We got stuff for the house ($329)and I went to Hopkins and went shopping. I found a cool shirt, but what I really wanted, I couldn’t find. Shorts. I just needed more time. But I kind of hate shorts.  Oh. I didn’t mention anything about Tupper Saussy. He died, you know. Over the weekend. He was a really funny guy and of course very talented. He was like the Noel Coward of Nashville. We did a duet once, when the power was out at the basement. It was a magical night. “Where or When”. But, you know, like McCartney said, you kind of expect people to die, but you still feel the loss when they do.