"A woman lives here who is fond of triangles."

Regular readers of easily fooled may recall that I lagged approximately five light-years behind much of the reading public when I blogged about John Hodgman's book Areas of My Expertise. Regular readers also know I'm a creature of habit, so when John Hodgman returned to promote the paperback edition of the almanac, I showed up this time.

John Hodgman and Jonathan Coulton, Cody's Books, October 12, 2006: As easily fooled is primarily a concert journal, I could blog about Jonathan Coulton's performance, but that would leave a lot of white space on the page. He furnished John Hodgman's theme song, and he turned in a reading of "Big Rock Candy Mountain" with newly unearthed lyrics that proved once and for all that the children's classic is actually a hobo call to arms. His subtle rendition of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" also served as an apt background to one of John's long passages about the fate of the hoboes.

But obviously, John Hodgman claimed top billing, and he filled the slot well. Actually, he did better than that--he worked the room like nobody's business.

During the course of this reading, my brain came back repeatedly to two thoughts:

• How could I possibly blog this?
• I gotta blog this.

I mean, I could tell you about all the obviously funny parts, such as the fact that Jonathan Coulton could accompany him at all or the leisurely brandy break they took while we listened to a portion of his audiobook. I felt a little tinge when he disavowed the hardcover edition of his book for the new, improved, and updated paperback printing. We also saw John step out of character for the Q&A session, but to downplay the emotional nakedness of the situation, he made all interested parties pose their questions over a walkie-talkie. And even before the show started, he already had us eating out of his hand, as he pretended to disparage the smug San Francisco crowd while he tested the microphone backstage.

After reading the book and seeing him on The Daily Show, of course I expected him to be funny, at least when working off the written word. But I was surprised by his impeccable timing and the more off-the-cuff moments, such as his interactions with the audience. For example, he apologized to the teenager in the front row for swearing in front of him, then called him a bastard in the next breath. He talked a little about Dungeons and Dragons, simultaneously mocking the game and his own deficiencies in playing it. And when an audience member tried to initiate an extended conversation about Neil Diamond, John managed to cut off her ramblings in a manner that was forceful and hilarious but not necessarily unkind.

On the other hand, I think we saw a number of earnest moments too, most notably when he downplayed comparisons between himself and the late George Plimpton, as well as when he talked about working with They Might Be Giants, though he had very kind words for both parties. And while he joked about his more visible TV gigs, he acknowledged that he was in the nearly unbelievable position of holding several dream jobs.

Overall, this free reading felt more like a show (though without the "Freebird" requests, thankfully) than a literary gathering. And just when I thought it couldn't get better, John not only signed books at the end, he took his time in talking to everyone who approached him. Alas, I opted not to get a picture with him, brandy snifter in hand, though plenty of others made most of the photo op. Finally, in addition to an autograph for my book, I left with a box of Areas of My Expertise chalk (useful for posting hobo signs on barn doors, train stations, and other points as needed). Truly, reading is once again fun(damental)!

See also:
» hoboes in the hizzy
» Areas of My Expertise: the blog
» "The (Wacky) World According to John Hodgman," interview from All Things Considered

now I try to be amused

It's a good thing I'm not working these days, as I needed no excuse to stroll down to Golden Gate Park and check out Elvis Costello, one of my all-time favorites. The Blue Angels, overcast skies, and secondhand pot smoke aside, it turned out to be an incredible day.

Elvis Costello, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, October 6, 2006: One of the fun things about plodding on with easily fooled is that I finally get to blog some of my most beloved musicians, such as Elvis Costello. I'm far from the Elvis hardcore, but I've seen him many, many times, and I always look forward to his gigs. Venue snobbery is the main factor that keeps me from going to more of his shows these days, but when he's playing a few blocks from my flat for free, I can't refuse.

If I had been paying attention to the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass lineup, I would've seen that we were promised Elvis in both solo acoustic form and with a band, but my attention span didn't even need that much information. I saw the two magic words--end of story.

Elvis wasted no time, launching into "The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes" and sparking off a nice singalong to the fan favorite. He carried us through a few more songs from all phases of his career. This set the tone for the next two hours, which featured a truly varied selection of his own classics, newer releases, and inspired covers that still has my head spinning.

I have no problem admitting I was out of my element at the festival, especially when I heard the name "Bill Kirchen" mentioned about a hundred times around me. It turned out that he was backing Elvis on electric guitar and that his upcoming CD, The Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods, inspired the name of the band. They were joined by Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher, as well as local player Austin DeLone on keys. Though it was certainly Elvis's show, he turned over the mic to both Bill and Austin during the main set, and Austin's rendition of "Satisfied Mind" was especially moving.

They weren't the only guest players we'd see, though apparently I was the only person who was surprised when Emmylou Harris joined in. Never mind that we'd already been treated to a sublime "Good Year for the Roses" (which I never thought I'd hear live)--they had "I Still Miss Someone" in store for us. As if that weren't enough, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings dropped in for a couple of titles, including my favorite tune of the day: "Mystery Train," a hootenanny performed around an old-fashioned mic.

I thought for sure that Elvis had given us everything we could ask for, but he returned for an encore of "There's a Story in Your Voice" and "(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding." And gluttons that we are, we ate up the return of Emmylou, Gillian, and David for the closers, especially the magnificent "When I Paint My Masterpiece."

Five years ago, you wouldn't have seen me at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. Though my tastes have changed since then, it's safe to say that the festival's has too. Elvis Costello's performance was a perfect example of the futility of dogged reliance on genres. It's funny to think I was listening to "Indoor Fireworks" and "Good Year for the Roses" at a time when I shunned nearly everything that didn't have a synthesizer or some kind of dance beat. Fortunately, truly excellent music knows no timetable.

jonathan, why so heavy on the latin?

Under ordinary circumstances, I wouldn't have gone to this show, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to reciprocate Evonne's endless generosity, see Maudie, and report back to Andrew. Besides, it's been far too long since I've gone to the fabulous Make-Out Room.

Jonathan Richman, The Make-Out Room, October 1, 2006: As visitors to my apartment can tell you, the price of crashing on my couch is enduring my parade of concert posters and, in some cases, setlists. (If you hold the debatable honor of having been born around the same time as me and sharing a history of Anglophilia, you're also required to feign interest in my Star Hits collection, but that's another story.)

And that's exactly what I put Evonne through before I realized how many times I've seen Jonathan Richman live. Of course, there was last month's show, and I'll always remember the string of dates with Wilco in 2001. But I had completely forgotten about the opening slots for Belle & Sebastian (also in 2001). By that count, I guess I've seen Jonathan Richman at least half a dozen times now.

Fortunately, it turned out to be a great time, and it was easily the best Jonathan Richman show I've seen. I think it had something to do with the fact that he was the headliner and not the opener, so my attention was squarely on JoJo and Tommy. But everything was just right: the crowd, the club, the pacing of the show. JoJo himself wasn't as talkative as usual, owing to a callous on his vocal cords, but he was, as ever, engaging and, of course, dancing. He did a mix of old and new songs, and I actually recognized a few (errr, the Something About Mary tunes, anyway). I'll probably never be a JoJo faithful, but this evening, I totally got it.

See also:
» a verse, then a verse, and refrain