Dar Williams at Borderline; assorted other things

[raven]

Things we ought to know by now, children: in the grand scheme of things one does before one leaves the house in the morning, "breakfast" comes before "favourite purple lipstick". Otherwise coffee mugs end up looking like decorative arthouse props.

Anyway. Things and stuff, and all of that. Last week shimgray and I went to London one dark evening to see Dar Williams play in a little underground bar on Charing Cross Road. And, oh, it was so lovely; we had a very nice dinner beforehand, and then the support was... interesting. (Basically, Canadian singer-songwriter with lovely, lovely voice and vilely anodyne lyrics; she ought to have a successful career doing covers.) And then there was a break, and I was just beginning to realise what a fabulous venue it was - low ceilings, mellifluous lighting, and the stage was just a raised platform and we could stand, happily, a metre from it without getting squashed. There were middle-aged women twittering in front of us and leaving their shopping on the stage.

And then she came on, and oh my god I love her. I mean... obviously I love her music, which is thoughtful and delicate and beautiful, but there are so few musicians I just love for themselves. She came on and sang "Easy Way Out" off her latest album, twisted the pegs on her guitar, looked up and said, "Oh, hey, guys, I didn't mean to, like, tune in your faces, there", and grinned this amazing grin and I have a crush thiiiiiiiiis big. Yeah, big as that. Oh, I love her. She played "Mercy of the Fallen" and made fun of the inhabitants of the Wirral, and she played "The Hudson" and talked about being interested in renewable energy ("And one day that's going to bleed into my music, and you're all never coming back!"), and she made lots of fun of the US Department of Homeland Security, and then she talked a bit about the background of "Spring Street" and "Are You Out There", and played them and made me so happy.

I started to wail somewhere in the middle of "When I Was a Boy". Seriously, if you have never heard it, do yourself a favour and take it and listen to it now. It, and "After All", are the two of hers that really get to me - the two that make me sit up and say, very quietly, yes, I was there, too. (She did not play "The Ocean", which is not a surprise - it seems to be an obscure song off a long-ago album that I love partly for its clear-eyed vision of sand and sky and partly because I grew up there, I had that in my bones from the beginning - but I indulged in a few moments of disappointment, nevertheless.)

She finished the set with "Iowa", which was also lovely, and then I took my slightly-make-up-streaked self outside into the night, and was happy. Shim and I made it to Oxford for about one in the morning and I spent the next day dead, but it was totally, totally worth it.

And then on Saturday I had an exam. The less said about that, the better. And also, it was Shim's birthday earlier in the week, and on Saturday evening we had a party, and that was very much marvellous. lizzip came up from Cambridge, and lots of other lovely lovely people were there, too, and we made pizzas and baked strudel. teh_elb and vampire_kitten told jokes, we ate lots of food and talked about feminism and law and language and also maybe, drank some whisky. Until it was two in the morning, which is my kind of party, when everyone slopes cheerily into the night and you look upon the debris with a happy satisfaction.

I really, really need to do some work right now. (Yes, all of my entries end like this, but it's always true.) And also, yay, I am Doing A Convention for the first time in years this weekend, with hathy_col and maybe also emerald_embers and yay, it will be like (very) old times. Except maybe with less eleven-am drunkenness and accosting of strangers in fifteen-foot scarves.

Or... maybe not.

Comments

[eternalwings.livejournal.com]

Omg you're going to a convention? Luckkkyyyy! Which one?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

This one! (http://www.collectormania.com/london/)! Back in the Days of Yore Colleen and I went to three of the MK ones - do you remember? It was when we were still at school together....

[eternalwings.livejournal.com]

Aaaahhh I want to go! XD I'm so jealous, I never know these things are on roflmao ^_^

[jacinthsong.livejournal.com]

Oh, I always miss these things! Not that there is anyone there apart from the Trek people I really care about seeing. Make George Takei say "one day I WILL HAVE SEX WITH YOU" for me :D

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

I wonder if I can get him to write this on an autograph. I mean he must get tired of "best wishes" and whatnot. Is this inherently wrong query.

[jacinthsong.livejournal.com]

NO. I v much support that event or product.

[fyrdrakken]

:Sigh: I've heard Misha Collins is a blast in person, and Jason Momoa is shockingly gorgeous. Also, I used to be a serious fan of Rene Auberjonois.

[jacinthsong.livejournal.com]

I really need to stop being PERSONALLY OFFENDED when you mention going to London on lj in circumstances that do not involve "stopping by jacinthsong's house to profess my undying love". Cos y'know, what in the nation's capital could POSSIBLY be more fascinating than me. Honestly.

(also, it amuses me that I have no idea whether you mean middle-aged ladies twittering as in gossiping, or as in Twitter.)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*hearts* This reminds me. I don't know if you are free, but I will be in London again fairly shortly for a visit to the Indian High Commission. If the thought doesn't make you ill, come with me? *puppy eyes* It is likely in early December.

ps. they were gossiping. But one of them had an iPhone!

[jacinthsong.livejournal.com]

I assume this will be during the week, so may not be able to help as I do not have annual leave exactly atm :( but would love to see you afterwards if you are around? Anyway, poke me a couple of days beforehand to find out what I am up to.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

That would be very lovely. In fact, seeing you after may also be better - I mean, I know you know nice Indians, and do not think we are the worst nation ever to exist, or anything, and I wouldn't like to give you reason to think that we were scruffy, unprofessional, bureaucracy-obsessed, etc., etc. I shall let you know!

[jacinthsong.livejournal.com]

Yep. It's okay, I know on AVERAGE you are a fairly normal and okay collection of a billion people and you are just an UNREPRESENTATIVE OUTLIER of toxic fail :)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

yeah well YOUR MUM is an UNREPRESENTATIVE OUTLIER OF TOXIC FAIL

[jacinthsong.livejournal.com]

burrrrn!

[walkertxkitty.livejournal.com]

I love finding places like that; they're few and far between here in this area, but you can find a lot of them in New Orleans or Miami.

Dar Williams has been one of my favorites for her voice. She sings some original pagan stuff; I have a lot of her real early work before she got somewhat known.

The food sounds fantastic; I really wish we had a more international cuisine in this area or at least some decent eateries. I miss it.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*grins* We made it all ourselves! Neither Shim nor I is a spectacular cook, but it came out beautifully.

That bit of London has a lot of that sort of venue, which is nice - I've been to a few gigs in those sorts of intimate surroundings. It's great, specially with someone like Dar who is basically entirely acoustic.

[speccygeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a wonderful time! I'm glad you enjoyed the concert. :D

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

<3 <3 <3 DAR. :P

[sunlightdances.livejournal.com]

'When I Was a Boy' is fabulous - I'm loving it.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Oh, hurrah! Dar is just lovely, full stop. I do recommend her unreservedly.

[sunlightdances.livejournal.com]

I've been listening her on Spotify, and she's rather wonderful. ♥ You have introduced me to some great music! :)

[tau_sigma]

Oh, dammit. Back when Colleen e-mailed and suggested it, I thought, 'yeah, I would love to do that' - I have never been to a con, and I can't think of anyone better than you two to lose my con-ginity with *g* - and then I was going to be in Mauritius, and now I am neither in Mauritius or doing the con. *sigh* Ah well. Another time, maybe? You have fun, and take LOTS OF PICTURES.

I think 'favourite purple lipstick' is quite entitled to muscle its way in before breakfast on your priorities. *g* It sounds awesome.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

We will! But you know, it is not too late! Tickets are available on the door for £10, and train tickets can still be got for c. £25. I merely mention this, you know. It's not like I would be reduced to a SMALL BUNDLE OF SQUEEING FLAIL if you were to come along...

[tau_sigma]

Hmm... are you going on the saturday, or sunday, or both? Because now that I'm not going to Mauritius, I am kind of going to a thing on Saturday... but Sunday, I could maybe do. And I would be a bundle of flail too; mainly because YOU and COLLEEN and OMG.

(I feel almost like I don't have enough geek cred for a con. That's silly, isn't it? But I forget things! I do not have the proper geek fan's memory...)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Colleen is going Saturday and Sunday, I am going probably just Saturday. But yes, yes you should come!

[tau_sigma]

Hmm, I will think about it. I've just looked at trains, and the Sunday ones are pretty rubbish (can't get into London until gone midday), so I will think about coming on Saturday, perhaps. It's not like either train or con tickets will change between now and then, luckily.

(Also, I just looked at the guest list and Derek Jacobi is only there on Saturday. I know I would be too shy to do anything except stare from a distance, but still. Derek Jacobi!)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*grins* Let me & Colleen know when you decide! I hope you do come, it would be so great to see you.

[sammee42.livejournal.com]

I love love love love love ad infintium "When I was a Boy." I used to listen to it on repeat for hours as a teenager. It's so profound and wonderful.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

The thing that really got to me is that when she was introducing it, she said, "I wrote this for archival purposes - I was so surprised to hear I wasn't the only one." It breaks my heart.

[gamesiplay.livejournal.com]

oh, god, "When I Was a Boy" always makes me ache too, but "The Ocean" is forever and always my favorite Dar song. I have this icily clear, sharp memory of listening to it over and over again during one long Ohio winter, tramping through the frozen fields at night and singing, "Walk to the ocean, wade in with our workboots / Wade in our workboots, try to finish the job." It's such a visceral song.

(also, re: your current music: omg, Joan Baez and Dar Williams have SUNG TOGETHER?)

Also, I am totally with you on the epic Dar crush. She's so lovely.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know. I love "The Ocean" - according to iTunes it's the song I've listend to more than any other. It just... gets me.

Dar and Joan Baez, "You're Aging Well" (http://www.sendspace.com/file/iwl8eq). It's lovely.

[yiskah.livejournal.com]

OMG I love her too. I saw her at the Borderline years and years ago (2002 or 2003, I think), and she played "The Ocean", which is also my favourite song of hers, and it was the first time I'd heard it. SO GOOD. LOVE HER.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Isn't it beautiful? I love her so much.

[lizzip.livejournal.com]

It was a lovely weekend - thank you!

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! :) :) It was lovely having you.

[fyrdrakken]

I'm not a big fan of concerts -- largely because the vast majority of the ones I've attended were those big stadium events where I'm practically miles away from the stage and just watching the band up on the screens. But there was this one Rasputina concert I went to some years ago that was in a little club in downtown Dallas where I was like five feet from the stage and it was fantastic. I might make a point of going to more concerts if the people I wanted to see were in venues like that.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

I've been to a few - definitely worth it. Most of the artists I like are the acoustic type, so it happens.