Field Day

Twenty-O-Four

For relaxing times, make it Suntory time. Dude, this sucks, you came all the way here and we can’t meet up? I’m sorry but the car can barely make it up thirteenth without skidding. There’re kids tobogganing on the streets as we speak. Okay, here’s the plan for the day, we walk down Kowloon and every bar we see along the way, we pop in for a drink. Hey! Can you tell your friend to get off the swing, that’s strictly for the strippers. No longer then was he our mutual friend. Green tea latte at the Green Cafe, it’s as perfect as it sounds. I could do this every Friday night, cold beers on the balcony with the boys, Japanese tourists down below. Go on, sing us a song. But I don’t know any Korean tunes. No, English’s fine, go on. I feel like Bill Murray right now. They will see us waving from such great heights, come down now they’ll say. Dude, you’re not going to believe this but guess who just stepped in with a skateskooter? Gentlemen, I feel like some ten-dollar action. A sequel and a movie set in real time, glad I caught this one alone, on a weekday, in the morning. Some movies you really don’t want to discuss or hear others discuss once the credits start rolling. So D, have you ever had snake meat? Fuck yeah! And dogs? Hell yeah! What about rabbits? Are you kidding? Of course not, rabbits’re for peasants. You’re a December kid, you ought to know better not to combine the birthday present with the Christmas. If ever we were to break up, this will be exactly how it’s going to happen, sans Lacuna Inc. So, when was the last time you guys spoke with Gary? Excuse me, guys? Is that your friend who just passed out back there? What? you’re married with a son? Geez, what’s his name? Jack for short, Jackson when he’s done something wrong. First time to Beijing? Have you checked out Tiananmen yet? Personally, I think it’s just a slap of concrete. And finally, I’m gonna pile-drive you!

On How a Christmas Gift Defines a Relationship

You are Christmas shopping for a friend. She’s a good friend. You’ve known her for three years now. And though attractive, you’ve never thought of her in a romantic way. And you know, for a fact, that she doesn’t, not even remotely, think of you in a romantic way as well. The signs are there. She reminds you that she’s content with the one she’s with. She punctuates her anecdotes with, “you should meet whoever sometime, the two of you look good together.” And you never once caught her staring at you while you’re looking the other way, distracted, or sleeping. Having said that, you know that if ever you were to crash on her couch after a party, she’ll probably pull the quilt over your exposed arm should the quilt run disarray in the middle of your slumber. But only because she’s a nice person and nice people see that no parts of you are exposed while you slumber. So now you’re at the mall, running these thoughts in your head to help decide an appropriate gift for your nice friend. Ideally, the gift should say, “thanks for pulling the quilt over my exposed arm though I know you don’t think of me in a romantic way. Not even remotely.” Then your head starts aching so you decide, fuck it, you’re going to take your cue from her gift to you last Christmas – a toiletry set. Big mistake. She opens your gift to her, sees a body scrub set and lets sound a barely audible “oh.” You open your gift from her and find an elegant ring. What? How did we get from toiletry set to a thousand dollar ring? Has she, in fact, been staring at you while you slumber?

***

This one sounds like a Thai band covering a Sarah Label tune in Japanese.

Supercar – “My Girl”

Letter to the Editors of Lonely Planet Tokyo

Dear John and Chris,

Let me begin by saying, great job on the guide. With your guide in hand, I never once had to pause and check out subway routes and prices. Instead, I caught every train and reach my intended destination with the confidence and lethal efficiency of a local. Clearly you guys live and breathe Tokyo. Which is why I think you two may be able to help me here.

I’ve noticed many straight Tokyo men with tote bags slung under their arms. I’m not talking about those you get free with fifty-dollar purchases. These bags are fancier. Not Gore-Tex, All-Weather, All-Terrain fancy. More Hermes Birkin fancy. And I have seen them in suede, denim, velvet, canvas, and what appears to be leather. At least it smelt like leather, only it was purple and it had this really long fur. Do they have cows in Siberia?

Okay, back to my original question. Given to my curiosity, I decided to check one out at the Male section of a departmental store. I slung one under my right arm in front of a mirror, did a turn and thought, “boy, you really ought to carry one of these more often.” And the women will never tell you this, but dudes, these tote bags are really convenient. I could put everything in one, my iPod, wallet, notebook, digital camera, cell phone, ad infinitum. There’s even room for my hair clay. The Tokyo men, I think they’re really on to something here.

Here’s my question to you guys, can I pull off a tote bag given the following conditions: a, I’m a guy, b, I’m not Japanese, c, I’m not from Tokyo and d, I’m not planning on carrying one in Tokyo either. In my defense, they’re really, really convenient for my man stuff.

***

So I didn’t grab the tote bag after all. I’ve got loads of CDs though. The first tune today is off Lali Puna’s Micronomic E.P. With that plucking-intro, the same tune could easily be passed off as a B-side to a Notwist single. The second is by The Go! Team. Though instrumentally it’s pretty striped-down, by the album’s standards, you’d still get a good sense of the band’s playful energy. I like The Go! Team, they’re fun!

Lali Puna – “The Daily Match”

Go! Team, The – “Hold Yr Terror Close”

***

And the other B-sides.

Go! Team, The – “We Listen Everyday”

Go! Team, The – “The Ice Storm”

Selected Readings From an R&B Artiste (with an ‘e’)

One second baby please hear me
I’m not tryin’ to deny nuttin’
But how do I know if it’s mine
Gawd damn da hell is dat
Results from da doctor’s lab

Suga you gotta believe me
She means nuttin’ to me
Suga, y’all my heart
Ya sista, she’s just a spleen
It’s nice to have her, but I’ll live without her

Oh girl, please stop cryin’
Ya tears are tearin’ me up inside
Ya know I beat ya cause I love ya
Just like my rottweiler

***

It’s late. It’s cold out. You’re slouched on the couch in Julie Delpy’s apartment from “Before Sunset.” You’ve got a cup of chai, coffee, hot cocoa, whiskey, whatever, cradled in both hands and drifting in and out of sleep. Stay with me. Each time your eyes open, you catch warm glimpses of Christmas trimmings (less Mall of America, more Stars Hollow) from various corners of the apartment. And there in the background, you can barely make out these three lullabies.

Iron And Wine – “Such Great Heights”

Feist – “Gatekeeper”

Magnetic Fields, The – “Very Funny”

Million Dollar Makeover

There, a new masthead, a new biography, but alas, no new tunes. I’m in the midst of consolidating all my MP3s scattered between the iPod, a 3.5”, and a 2.5” external hard disk. Hopefully I could resume posting a couple of tracks tomorrow, fingers crossed.

***

Wonder Woman (at the mall): “Damn! Did I park the plane on deck 3a or b?”