final night with Joan Baez
Finished last night’s show at midnight. Plane to catch at 6:40 this morning. In the interim there are maps to make, cardboard boxes to pack, paperwork to sort and file. I’m contemplating skipping the whole sleep thing.
For the record, Joan Baez is a gracious soul, a very funny woman, and damn if she doesn’t still sing just like she did decades ago, if not better. Her band and crew are lovely people as well. We went up into the bus to say goodbye to everyone, and oh my, that would be a nice way to travel. But minivans and Mapquest on the laptop are what we’ve got, for now.
It’s hard to know how to think about this strange, rarefied life: is it work? Is it play? Is it some surreal movie to act in? From the inside looking out you can’t see it same way others do, on the outside looking in. You can’t believe your own hype. Today I learned that my CDs were #2 and #3 respectively on Amazon.com, and then I packed my bag and went to soundcheck. It’s just work. You do what you do and try to do it well, and hope that it meets with some success, that’s all. It could all turn around tomorrow. But at the same time you have to absorb the moments when they come: when a sold-out theater is on its feet as you close the opening set, or when a legendary folk singer gives you a hug and says “well done.” These moments do mean something.
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| Joan and her band, from offstage left | Alan Lin, me, Joan Baez, Marika Hughes |