Jess Klein - Backstage

Had a couple nights off in my last week in Ireland and England and was persuaded by friends to watch the Eurovision song contest finals - things that might make the Yanks go “What?!”. The two attempts I’ve made (though they were jet-lagged, barroom attempts) to explain to my NY friends what ‘Eurovision’ is (or what it’s become), have been met first with indifference “Jess is exhausted and making no sense, just pretend you don’t hear her” and then disbelief “Ok, a turkey?!” Please, if you’re reading this and you’re American, google it. I obviously can’t do it justice with words-I’ve tried, but I end up in stitches. And my attempt to provide a frame of reference - the Father Ted episode where they enter a song called “My Lovely Horse” about taking their horse to the “Horse dentist” (rhymes with “fences”), was equally unsuccessful. **Father Ted was an Irish sitcom about dysfunctional priests. Hilarious. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ATQdUK1gS4 ***The Irish entry for Eurovision 2008 was sung by Dustin the Turkey, co-host of The Once A Week Show with Sinéad Ní Churnáin on Saturday mornings on RTÉ Two television.

Needless to say I’m running into a bit of culture shock back here in Brooklyn, down the block from the bodegas missing letters in their signs, laundry by the pound, men with spliffs midday, and, disjointedly, a posh new ice cream shop which charges $5 a cone and seems populated by white people with strollers. Gentrification. I’m walking down the street thinking the guy who’s lived here 10 years just sees another white face.

Got on the subway yesterday and was mortified by the fact I had an ache in my foot and still had to angle and fight for a seat. It just feels different here. And harder for me to feel at home. It’s not that some of the same issues aren’t present everywhere, of course. But in some places people seem to take care of each other by default.  Then again, had a lovely chat over samba with the bartender at the local last night, and am surrounded by actor musician poet geniuses whom are all so brilliant, if crazed by the hustle, and was invited today to go to something called ‘Inspa’ in Queens which is some kind of mega Korean spa where they charge $30 for the day and you can wander around into 7 different kinds of whirlpools. Give and take.

The tour was so brilliant. I feel so lucky to get to play for the Irish and UK fans.  Played a gorgeous one in a million festival on tiny Inish Bofin (population 200 - people ferry over for the fest).  Hothouse Flowers and myself.  Packed community center/gymnasium properly decked out for the gig.  I was so happy to get to the island and see the green, I lay down on the grass (see below).

Still blows my mind every time people show up - why?  When I get myself out of the equation, it makes more sense. We’re human, we congregate. The more human I become, the more people listen. Human meaning with heart.

Pretty soon I’m off to Austin!

Pending some further Irish summer dates, I’ll be rolling with my one suitcase - (getting better at doing laundry vs. carrying extra) and the Tall Blonde- til the movers’ truck catches up with me…

Finally learned how to enter frequent flyer miles.

Wrote a song yesterday which ripped the guts out of me. I had to go take a walk in the park to lose myself a bit. Think that means it’s good. Some of us like having our guts ripped out cause it reminds us we’re alive.

Today I got a special ride, in an ambulance.  My friend Butterfly is a medic and corralled one to get my stuff to the storage space!  We got some strange looks from the storage people, but nothing is unheard of in NY.  The piece de resistance for us was when we rolled my dresser (the last piece) in on a stretcher - a properly theatrical finish to a long day of hauling stuff down stairs.  I shot some footage of the dresser’s finest moment.  Everything I ‘need’ seems to fit in a suitcase and a guitar case.  I noticed when I locked the dark storage room and missed nothing, I don’t really need any of those things.  Strange how when we settle into a place we decorate to make things ‘homey’, but when we’re travelling, or when I am, the last thing I miss is my stuff - I miss my friends, my food, my neighborhood, but not my stuff.  Maybe it’s not this way for everyone.  Probably not in fact, or the road would be jammed with people just tooling around - a whole world of nomads rather than just a few of us dreamers.

Speaking of dreams, tomorrow night I fly to Shannon.

xo

jk

Just back from two weeks in the midwest and northeast US with the lovely and soulful Irish singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey and his guitar player John McLoughlin. Wednesday I leave for my own tour in Ireland - I can’t get enough. Wrote two songs on this tour, which is rare, and rare is good. Damien’s music is divine: inspiring.

It’s 70 degrees and sunshine in Brooklyn. I’m exhausted but happy. Today random strangers helped me carry my suitcase and guitar up and down subway stairways and this morning a friend in Boston made me the best breakfast I’ve had in ages - it was an elixir made with coconut oil and bee pollen and blueberries and soy milk and other goodies to counteract…um, booze.

The friends I’m staying with are playing music I don’t recognize but it’s catchy, with harmonies and guitar licks - kind of sounds like they were influenced by the beach boys. God only knows where I’d be without you - this is something I’ve been thinking about in my writing lately, like wtf - it’s so amazing that we’re able to dig deep and make music and leave our souls bare for people to share and that despite all the ballyhooing and fears, it makes us safer - you think you know, but then you don’t, then you think you do then you don’t, then you try it and it f-ing works. Pardon the language, but I’ve been with two hilarious Irishmen for 2 weeks - the phrases rub off. Art is salvation, is what I’m saying, but so is living- the more you put into life, really the safer you are - somehow our egos don’t get this, but it’s true.

Much love to all who stood right by the stage and listened so intently at the Damo shows. It was a thrill to play for you all and I hope to see everyone soon.

Love,
Jess