Conversations You Can Have in San Francisco Bars

::walk into the Gold Cane tonight on Haight Street. Get happy hour margarita and put the Dusty Springfield 33 1/3rd book on the counter. Bartender bends over to take a look and I flip it for his review::

Bartender: That's a cool series. I just read the Daydream Nation one, and really liked it.

Me: Actually, I'm writing a book in the series.

Bartender: Really?

Me: Yeah, on Tom Waits' Swordfishtrombones.

Bartender: That's one of my favorite records! Well, actually I like Rain Dogs best. Then Swordfishtrombones and Bone Machine.

Me: Rain Dogs is probably his most perfectly realized album. But Swordfishtrombones is where he reinvented himself and his style.

Bartender: So that's on Continuum? They do a lot of academic books. I just read [some philosophy book involving the word "dialectial"]

Me: Huh. Do you study philosophy?

Bartender: Some. I just got my MFA in poetry.

Me: Here's a line of inquiry I've been pursing recently. I've been thinking about Tom's work compared to Frank O'Hara's.

Bartender: That's an interesting take. Definitely something in the conversational style. You know who you might want to read? Ted Berrigan.

Me: Brother Ted!

Bartender: Yeah. Berrigan was a huge O'Hara fan. Tried to write like him. But I think he's even closer to Waits' style.

Me: I will definitely check him out.

Bartender: Shit. You're writing about Tom Waits. That's the best job ever.

Heh.

I must say I do like "An Interview with John Cage" by Ted Berrigan.

I must say I do like "An Interview with John Cage" by Ted Berrigan.

I was half-expecting this to just be an empty page....

I was half-expecting this to just be an empty page....

And when is anything about John Cage going to meet your expectations, I ask.

Bartender: Shit. You're writing about Tom Waits. That's the best job ever.

Truth!

Truth!

Heh. It was a good perspective to have because it doesn't feel like the best job ever right at this particular instant.

But it was good to bounce stuff off a thoughtful Waits fan who hasn't devoured all the research I've done. Because even devout Waits fans haven't read all the shit I've read and spent a solid year on one record.

Pure pop bliss. Neil Finn, Graham Gouldman and Roddy Frame (Aztec Camera) doing Weather With You.

So! In Tracy Chapman's "Give me one reason" can someone with madder Google skilz than I tell me what the lyrics are for the background vocals?

Greg Kot bloggs Clapton's Crossroads tour show in the Chicago Suburbs.

Have people heard about SoundPedia? Much like Pandora, but accessible worldwide, and a few extra features to boot. Pretty awesome.