Pretty How Town

My favorite drawing professor once said that you have to make a thousand bad drawings before you make a good one. I have found this to be very true, for a variety of different art forms. But those first thousand awful drawings are so humbling. So very hard to get through. The disparity between what you want to do and your ability can sometimes be creatively paralyzing.

In this video, Ira Glass from This American Life describes this process (in regard to television/filmmaking). Coming from someone like Ira, whose work I heartily admire, this was beautiful and inspiring to hear. Besides, I just love the way he talks, and it’s fun to both see and hear him, for once. Check it out:

(via Scott)

Chicken salad and ice water. At least, that’s what Scott could see from his own table at The Grill in Five Points. Scott didn’t want to be That Annoying Fan, so he let Tom and his wife Kathleen enjoy their lunch before passing by their table and telling Tom thanks for coming to Birmingham. Tom just nodded his acknowledgement, in that gallant-old-gentleman-hobo way he has. How freaking cool.

So why is Tom Waits my hero? There are many reasons — his fearless originality, his eye for the beauty in the down-and-out, his integrity, his words, his outrageousness, how he talks about his wife. His music is strangely comforting to me. I still can’t believe that we got to see him live. The experience was more than a little surreal.

From Scott’s take on the show: “… Tremendous. He just took over in a way I’ve never seen an artist do. I saw that debonair, child-like, hangman-sort-of-persona that is his alone. He had a platform in the middle of the stage that he would stomp up and down on, and kicked big clouds of dust with every exaggerated step … ”

Tom danced and capered like a vaudeville ringmaster from another world, and sang like his heart was on fire. The Alabama Theater was a perfect backdrop — all gilded scrollwork and swooping balconies and glorious acoustics. And his backing band was prime. The guitarist effortlessly pulled music like spun gold out of his instrument. The saxophonist occasionally played two instruments at once. Tom’s own sons Casey and Sullivan played drums, bongos and oboe.

Scott and I agree that “Hold On” and “Frank’s Wild Years,” were among our favorites. I also loved “Cemetery Polka,” “Jesus Gonna Be Here,” and “Singapore.” There was a rain-shower of glitter, stomping boots, a hearty helping of doom, and plenty of odd, dry one-liners. I’ll never see another show quite like it.

The Setlist (via eyeballkid)
Tom Waits
Alabama Theatre, Birmingham, Alabama
July 3, 2008

Lucinda / Ain’t going down to the well no more
Down in the hole
Falling down
Hold on
Chocolate Jesus
Cemetery polka
Poor Edward
Lie to me
Hang down your head
All the world is green
Black market baby
Frank’s Wild Years
Misery is the river of the world
Tango ’til they’re sore
On the nickel
Always keep a diamond in your mind
Innocent when you dream
Jockey full of bourbon
Make it rain
Jesus gonna be here
Cold, cold ground
November
Hoist that rag

Singapore
Dirt in the ground
Come on up to the house

It has been a spectacular birthday week here in Pretty How Town. We kicked it off with Waits’s birthday party last Monday morning. I had a little too much fun with the homemade party hats (Waits helped me to decorate them with markers and glitter) and decorating his birthday cake.

Photo by Sandra

Waits’s best friends joined us for a pool party in our front yard. The water balloons were a big hit. The crazy sprinkler freaked out everyone but Bain, who loved it.

Then the night before my birthday, Scott and I saw Tom Waits perform at the Alabama Theater. It was amazing and deep-down good. The man is my hero. Now I can die in peace. I only managed to get a couple of shots before the security guard busted me. We think that they may have been filming the show — we saw a guy with a big camera hanging over the balcony — so maybe footage will show up on DVD sometime soon.

Mom and my two younger brothers showed up Thursday afternoon. So far, Waits’s favorite gift has been the singing card my mom gave him. It sings, “Happy birthday to you!” and he can’t get enough of it. It’s driving me nuts. But it makes him laugh, every time — those great, big belly laughs. Love it.

On July 4th, Waits played in the pool and kept my brothers busy making water balloons. We had more birthday cake, and then sat on our front stoop and watched fireworks over Red Mountain. My brother Toby got some pretty cool photos. Southside is a fun place to be on July 4th. It’s my favorite holiday, mainly because of my birthday and the fireworks and the way our street comes alive that night with happy, excited neighbors making merry and dancing to the music coming from the radio station van.

Time does not bring relief; you all have lied.
Who told me time would ease me of my pain!

— Edna St. Vincent Millay

After my dad’s death, one of the first things my family did was to gather and tell stories about him. We sat there together in anguish, shocked and devastated as we recounted memorable moments and what we loved most about him. I also loved hearing stories about my dad from people with whom I wasn’t familiar. Listening to them was like looking through a shoebox of photographs. My mom and brothers are visiting Birmingham this weekend, and, as we do every time we get together, we’ll no doubt spend some time mourning afresh our loss.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been listening to people talk about Dewayne. Hearing and telling stories about a beloved lost one seems fitting to me.

Here are some online posts about Dewayne that people made after he died. I don’t necessarily endorse everything that everyone has to say, but I love hearing the different ways that Dewayne’s life affected us.

My favorite post:
Clint

Other posts by friends:
Amanda
Elisa
Amy & Ashley
Brooke
Brian
Kristen
Suzanne
Sarah Margaret

People I don’t know:
Abbey
Jon
Tuckers

Other things by and about Dewayne:
Dewayne’s essay on grief
His obituary

I haven’t wanted to write about Dewayne’s death. Doing so feels like I’m acquiescing to the fact that life goes on, and I hate that. The world should stop. The fact that it doesn’t seems like an injustice. Dewayne was like a night watchman, holding up a beacon to light the pathway through my own sorrow. He lived and breathed Christ. And now he’s been taken from us. How are we supposed to bear this?

But life does go on, somehow. The days plod along, the sun shines bright and clear, we continue eating and breathing and getting out of bed in the mornings and going to work. Grace and horror, mingled together.

Windows of Thy Grace
Taken from the Gadsby Hymnal #478
Words by Isaac Watts, 1674-1748.
Music by Benj Pocta and Brian T. Murphy, 2006.

I love the windows of thy grace,
Through which my Lord is seen, which my Lord is seen,
And long to meet my Saviour’s face,
Without a glass between, without a glass between.

O that the happy hour come,
To change my faith to sight, change my faith to sight.
I shall behold my lord at home,
In a diviner light, a diviner light.

Haste my Beloved and remove,
These interposing days, interposing days;
Then shall my passions all be love,
And all my powers be praise, all my powers be praise.

I love the windows of thy grace,
Through which my Lord is seen, which my Lord is seen.

Waits helps Dad and Granddad build a sand castle.

(photo by T.Scott)

If I do say so myself, T.Scott and Brian are damn fine photographers. Hanging out at Liza’s house last Monday night, they roped everyone into being test subjects. See more of the ensuing merriment here.

Seven years ago, I married the love of my life. I’m still amazed that I managed to snag this guy. Happy anniversary, baby.

A blog meme inspired by Brian and his sister. Tag, you’re it!

10 things I liked as a teenager but hate now:

not wearing a seat belt
sunbathing
the mall
Pixie Stix
college bands
staying out until 4 am
listening to the radio
unshaved legs
intellectual discussion
sentimentality

10 things I hated as a teen but like now:

my body
brand-name shoes
wearing shoes
wearing make-up (on occasion)
cigarettes
liquor, wine, good locally brewed beer on tap
kids (specifically: my son)
pastors (albeit just a few)
Beastie Boys
baseball games

10 things I liked as a teen and still like:

my family
hanging out with friends
rock n’ roll
driving
animals
faerie tales
thrift-store clothes
books, words, letters, typography
Hello Kitty
the beach

10 things I hated as a teen and still hate:

liars
bullies
braces / straightened teeth
boob jobs
speed limits
meat
youth groups
the patriarchy
American media
American imperialism

We spent a quiet, happy weekend with friends, on the banks of a beautiful lake. During a hike, we found a cave with mud puddles on the floor. Waits and Bain were very excited. Waits was probably a little more excited than Bain because besides mud puddles, there was Bain, and he thinks that Bain is the coolest person ever. Which is true.

Our friend Brian is a great photographer, and he took these beautiful photos.

three of my favorite people

(See more of Brian’s photos here.)

…………

(The following photo is obviously not by Brian. This was merely a point-and-shoot taken by yours truly. I just love the look on Waits’s face.)

Waits gives Abby a dandelion.