Hey there Machinists,
I’m writing this quick hello as I take a breath away from finishing my novel draft. I’ve had a rip-roaring summer, filled with lots of dad-duty busy work and travel — we’ve just returned from visiting Carson’s parents in idyllic southern Vermont (photo included as proof) where much river-swimming and alpine sledding was done. Despite the dire augurs of my last tour diary entry, I am in fine fettle and recovered quickly from my voice troubles. Apologies for all of the dirty laundry airing — I have, after all, aimed to have those tour diaries be a kind of warts-and-all account of a Decemberist’s life on the road.
Speaking of life on the road, I recently watched Dig! XX on the Criterion Channel. If you haven’t seen it, please please please do yourself the favor of etching out some two and a half hours of your day or evening and plumb the Stygian depths of what it was to be a member of The Brian Jonestown Massacre in the 90s.
This is seriously one of my favorite movies of all time; I think it might be the very best rock documentary ever made. It follows the journeys of two west coast bands, The BJM and The Dandy Warhols, as they follow their two very distinct paths through the music industry in the latter day 1990s. As an academic exercise, it’s about as honest as a telling of what it was to navigate a career in music in the modern fin de siecle; as a study in human behavior, it’s a fascinating traipse into some of the darker corners of the artistic temperament.
I’m not sure if this new version, expanded with extra footage and interviews, is the definitive one. I still think the original might be the best — though this could be my own bias. It is nice to hear The BJM’s perspective on things, as told through Joel Gion’s newly recorded narration, but I did think that Courtney Taylor being the de facto authoritative voice in the original has its own cleanness to it, even if it was seemingly lopsided. In the end, though, we all knew who we were rooting for; it didn’t matter that no one from the BJM was doing the telling.
The extra footage, though, is a treasure trove. The original cut definitely missed the scene where the BJM’s manager, at the end of his rope and at the far end of the country from home, goes to a Kinko’s in the middle of the night; he is making copies of a handwritten contract for the rental of his van after he has abruptly quit. Gold, gold stuff.
So I bid you watch that straightaway.
Otherwise, all is well. I’m looking forward to my two shows in Astoria over Labor Day Weekend — the venue just released more tickets for the show on the 30th and there are still tickets for the 2nd show. I’ll be starting my warmup conditioning the week prior, so look out for me going live via Substack as I test out the pipes. I’ll also be running through some deep cuts for the show; I plan on having a unique setlist for each night at the Liberty, so that may take some woodshedding. Get yr tickets here!
Looking forward to seeing you in Astoria!