The Weblog of Daniel Tashian

Well it was another day at the beach. Went for a morning walk, and you can walk from Alabama to Florida- right across the state line, and back in about 15 minutes. It gives you a sense of accomplishment: “I just walked to another state!” even if it is technically only 56 yards. Read some Wodehouse and took a nap. Watched “Animal Cops” and “Forensic Files” and man, i’m so glad we have the ASPCA out there, making the world a safer place for animals. Then all this terrorist stuff in India, and i’m just thinking, this is like a very marginalized group, very delusional. It’s like a mental illness, this terrorism. These guys are really mistreated and left behind…the world’s worst bullies. They want everyone to pay for their suffering. Vengeful. So there’s a lot going on in the world, and I feel almost guilty, just eating food and watching TV and watching the waves roll in. But you still have to be able to relax, in the midst of global turmoil. Plus, what am I going to do? I can’t solve the financial crisis. I would need help. The more you think about things, the less things you can eat, and still feel ethical. But after this Thanksgiving, I resolve to pay more attention to the food I eat, and where it comes from. And also, I want to be more productive in general. Not squander the gifts I have any longer. Get some damn things accomplished and whatnot. Find a way to get The Lovetest out, etc. Something about holidays make you compare yourself to where you were this time last year. That’s why they are dreadful. Hmmm. I was walking around the neighborhood 3 times a day with Posh trying to not be so fat, and my Aunt Faith was in town and I think there was a “pickin’ party” at H.

For dinner, L., Leann, Jay, the Captain and Laurie and myself, we all went to Geno’s again. and I had sushi this time. Home and watched a show about M. Vick, the dogfighter. This whole thing, you know, they estimate cost him $140 million. Good. That had to hurt. So the vengeful side of me rears its ugly head. But they showed the dogs, that were rescued, and they were lovely and sweet and they had new families, the ones that survived, and they had no animosity toward people. “Pitbulls are our teachers” said one of the rehabilitators. Took half a decongestant and went to bed.

Well it was a day at the beach. The condo we are staying at is on the 12th floor, overlooking the ocean. The only thing is, the sun comes pouring in at 5 in the morning and I can’t sleep. But it’s very beautiful and the ocean is overwhelming. Standing in front of it at night, I think of the waves as sentries, coming to bring oxygen and cool air to the land. Battling global warming. I feel happy and sad at the same time, looking at it. It’s hard not to notice the garish-ness of humans, building these giant ostentatious buildings. Orange Beach is like the Dubai of the south. But I think you can’t get weighed down by this stuff, you just have to have your own personal convictions and move on. I feel like we have over-fished the oceans, and we need to give them some time to replenish themselves. But it’s so hard not to eat seafood, when you are on the coast and you are with friends and don’t want to seem like a downer. Delicious food. Fried fish and Cole Slaw from “Doc’s Seafood” – Went down to a shrimp boat in the afternoon to buy fresh shrimp with Cpt. Jack and J. The shrimping season is almost done, so there’s not many out there. But the ones we got were delicious, and Cpt. Jack prepared them by just boiling them, no seasoning. The were incredible.  I played a couple songs after dinner for the host, “Banks of the Pontchartrain” and “We’ll Go Walking” Then we went to this funny bar called the “Flora-Bama Lounge” and it was open-mic night. There was peer pressure for me to play, so I played-”From My Windowsill” -as soon as I was done, somebody shouted: “Uptempo!!!!” Home and watched the end of the Green Bay / New Orleans game.

Well, L. and I drove down to gulf shores Al. to stay at the condo of a friend of her parents. It was a long day’s drive, but we had fun. We stopped at Waffle House, and split a big breakfast. Then we went to the Country Kitchen somewhere in Alabama. The Titans were on, and they were getting beaten by the Jets. Listened to the radio, and heard Eric Burdon doing “Spill the Wine” and we talked quite a bit. I was remembering these girls that went to my high school that died. Long drives are good for expansive talks: L. asked me who Edie Brickell was. We arrived and went with Jay and Leann to Geno’s seafood. I had some Tuna, and then I told the waitress it was L.’s birthday, and she brought us cake! J. and I went to the Bruno’s grocery store for some provisions, then back to the condo and L. was watching the 2 hr. “24″ special. Then we watched some people being attacked on security cameras, then “Dirty Money” – a documentary about high-end “escorts”. Cable can be quite sordid. There was a bookstore that I saw and want to go back to, I feel like reading David McCullough for some reason. It’s been so long, and it’s my fault really, since i’ve been totally engrossed in a book. Watched some videos of Alejandro Escovedo doing “Always A Friend“-and that song kicks ass. So simple and big and wonderful. He wrote it with Chuck Prophet, who was in town last week working with Angelo. I want to write a song with Chuck. Oh yes, and they honored Annie Lenox on The American Music Awards, which was lovely, and she sang great, and played the piano. The rest of the stuff on there was kind of weird, but Natasha Bedingfield is really a good singer. Rihanna looked cool, but the song was okay. Kanye was singing through an auto-tuner ( like t-pain or whatever that guy’s name is) and Chris Brown won artist of the year, and he was very sweet to say that he would have given it to Coldplay. I would have too.

Well I was back in the studio with Lex and Roger Moutenot working on the Micheal McDermott project. We did a cool song called “Some Habits”, and I used the octave reverb effect by Line 6. We worked until about 4:30, then Michael took us all to Maggiano’s, which was very nice. L. came, and Lex’s wife, Tamara. I left all my guitars at the Roger’s and went home. The studio looks terrific, and David and Will and Rob have done such a fantastic job, I only regret that I didn’t get a picture of them all together. I need to have a studio warming party when it’s all wired up. I only have 2 tracks, so I was thinking of calling it “Green Hills 2-Track”. heh heh.  Got sleepy, but then kind of woke up, so L. and I went to the gym, and I swam, but got water in my ears for some reason, and it made me cranky, so I went to bed. L. wanted to go the movies to see “Twilight” at midnight.

Well David and I went down to the industrial district, to get the carpet for the studio. We struck out the 1st place we went to: $9 a yard. But the next place was better, and they wanted to work with us. Then we went to a Mexican place and had lunch fajitas. David explained the bailout, the electric car, ethanol, and a lot of other complicated subjects. I was trying to pay attention, but there was a giant flat-screen overhead with CNN. Went to get my haircut, rode the bike to the y. It was cold. I need tights. I don’t know if i’ll be able to go for too many more days without tights. My cousin Ethan in the Huffington Post. Picked up L. at the airport, then we went to the Boundary, and it was delicious, but fat-making. Expensive wine. Felt a bit decadent. Promised Simon Bruce I would stop by Ocean Way, where he and his band were recording. Helped them out a bit, practicing being a “Roving Clarifier” as Eno says. Suggesting they spend the evening recording one song well, instead of 10 songs shittily. We stumbled on a Spencer-Davis-ish kind of beat, and imposed it over a blues song of Simon’s: “Leave Love Alone” – The results were exciting. Stayed there til 12:30, then home to sleep.

Worked in the studio with Lex at Roger Moutenot’s. John Deaderick on keys, Lex on bass, Ian Fitchuk on drums. We had fun, and the artist seemed really pleased. I played my new strat and it’s my favorite guitar now. Went to the music store and got one of those pedaltrain things. I like stuff to be organized. Had Siam Cafe for lunch, and I asked the girl on the phone if the red curry was good. “Better than nothing.” she said. Checked in on Ben at the amp shop, and he said he would look into fixing my amp this week. And you know, it is a pretty nice life, after all, being a musician. I like playing other people’s music. It’s fun to work on something and make improvements to it, if possible. Talked to L. on the phone and she said she found some cool boots. To the pool, and I almost rode the bike, but it was pretty cold. To H. for dinner, then home, and worked on building the pedaltrain. Broke a drill bit and couldn’t figure out why, then realized the drill was in reverse. Steven was here until 11 or so, and the studio is coming along amazingly. Tomorrow the carpet goes in.

Well it’s definitely getting colder. Rode the bike to the Y and I froze my fingers. But I just love this time of year, the changing leaves and the cloudy, sort of brooding kind of weather. Nashville in November. Hard to beat. I got a Strat on craigslist. A Japanese Squier from the 80′s. Fantastic. It’s my favorite guitar now. It’s black. ($250) I also got some new monitors, the M-Audio Bx8a’s. I have the 5a’s and I really like them. I asked my dad how much he was using his NS-10′s. “A lot.” he said. I’ve got to find carpet for the studio. Posh seems to be feeling a combination of anxiety and exhilaration, amidst all the construction. It’s been a non-stop flow of money in one direction – out the door. I need to reverse the polarity. I guess Malcolm Gladwell is now kind of harping on how it isn’t always about the advantages. Sometimes the limitations make it cool, which I have always believed. I mean, there would be no way for me NOT to have limitations. That’s why a studio like Blackbird is so strange: There are no limitations. They have every microphone, every amp, every guitar, every compressor. “You are a lucky guy.” said my dad, looking at the studio. I feel like that, but I also didn’t do anything to shoot myself in the stomach. I don’t know if I understand luck. Is it lawless? You either are lucky, or you aren’t? “You landed in the luck bucket.” says L. Makes me think of a frog.

Well I keep singing Richard Hawley songs all day long. He’s the best, really. He’s just created this whole world, and he’s definitely a huge influence on me. His voice is so good, too. I guess because he like chain-smokes all the time, which gives it a Nat King Cole kind of tone. Studio is coming along. Damn i’m so excited I can hardly sleep. To the fabric store, and I found some amazing William Morris-style fabric, but it’s like $18 a yard. The walls in the studio will all be fabric. Who knew? Lillian told me about William. I’d never heard of him before. I think the new Josh Rouse ep is very good as well, and it’s so ridiculous because all these people on itunes are saying it’s not very good, which is stupid because it’s great! I mean, “Easy Street”, c’mon! That’s awesome. People can be such bitches sometimes. It’s like, they could never make their own records, they have no idea what kind of time and energy goes into making things, but they feel totally entitled to tell the world their opinions. Read a nice interview with Paul Kennerley in Maverick magazine. “I probably bore my friends by how much I talk about Lonnie Donegan.” Ha ha. He’s funny. Rode the bike to the pool in a T-shirt, and there won’t be that many more days where I can do that! I should get it over with early tomorrow. L. and I were going to make Spaghetti, but we got out of the grocery, and there was Brown’s diner, just beckoning us with cheeseburgers and beer, and it was so delicious and naughty it was unbelievable. So, tomorrow, Spag. Electrician at the studio til 10 PM: “You need one of the Luxtrol dimmers.” Me: “How Much?” Electrician: “$600″ One on ebay for $99, but can it be good? Bed at 11:30.