I loved reading this. I saw Joan at SFO and we were both moving quickly and dragging bags. I had the new cd "unhinged " and wanted to give her one- she said "just put it my mouth," grabbed it with her grin, and we continued on our trajectories.
Another classic story, Chuck. Both films are on my list (I'm always playing catch-up on films). Looking forward to The Cluny gig tomorrow night in Newcastle. I had tickets for The Cluny gig on the last tour, but a clash of commitments was resolved by travelling down to Sheffield to see you at The Greystones instead, with my daughter Grace, who's at university there - a memorable night, including a chat outside with you and Stephie, before the gig (Trip in the Country group chat) and a mention during the intro to You Did - still can't believe that actually happened! Anyway, since then, I've moved to Newark-on-Trent, so I'll be getting the train up to Newcastle later today. Got tickets before I knew the move was on; Greystones would have been nearer! Would have gone to both, but alas, sold out - unfortunate for me; great news for you, and as it should be for the whole tour!
Good morning Chuck. Not sure how many words can be accommodated in your "Comments" section, but here is my Joan Baez story of guilt, regret and redemption, in several related parts. We saw "I Am Noise" last summer at the East Hampton Regal Theater. Along with the documentary, Joan was appearing live on stage for a "Q and A" session, which was an unbelievable bonus. Having been born in the middle of the "baby boom", she was one of my heroes and certainly a hero of the counter culture. Really, as laid out in the documentary she was everywhere, did everything and knew everybody. Dylan, MLK, David Harris, Woodstock, the cover of Time magazine. She seemed to have been at all the important corners of my life. This was going to be special.
We decided to eat dinner before the show and went to a little restaurant then known as Rowdy Hall, which was tucked into an alley off of Main Street, a couple of doors down from the theater. We were sitting inside and watched as two women sat down at a table outside under the trees
I didn't have a straight-on view, but one of them looked a lot like Joan Baez. I got up from the table and shifted my line of sight and sure as shit, there was Joan Baez sitting there chatting with a woman who would be revealed as one of the documentary filmmakers. Now, having successfully stalked, in varying degrees, Jimmy Buffett (and his manager), Bill Kreutzman, Richard Thompson, Chris Hillman, Brian Wilson, Rob Barraco (keyboards in Dark Star Orchestra), GE Smith, and a couple of other musicians I loved, I can be charmingly ballsy in a nice, Libra-ish, non-threatening way. But as we sat there I couldn't muster up the courage to go outside and tell her what a force she had been for my generation. I didn't want to interrupt her and I sat there and agonized over my paralysis. This wasn't like me. I could usually strike up a conversation with my musical heroes if I had a good story that was relevant to the prey I was stalking. But I couldn't think of anything to say to her beyond "Thanks for your service during the Culture War" and then she got up and entered the theater and the moment was lost.
The documentary was great and the live Q & A was enlightening, but ever since, I have deeply regretted my reluctance to approach this iconic personality and I considered it the squandering of a rare moment to connect with someone I wanted to connect with, even if only for 30 seconds, just to let her know how important she was to a lot of people. As the man said, you can't always get what you want.
Fast forward to just before Christmas. We are back in the Regal watching "A Complete Unknown", the Dylan bio-pic, which is an amazing piece of colorful if somewhat fictionalized history of four crucial years in my life and the lives of a million or so of my contemporaries. The performances were mesmerizing, especially Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, another one of my heroes growing up. Pete's resume includes "Rainbow Quest" on WNET, (generally on at 7 pm on Thursdays or sometimes on Saturdays), the House Unamerican Activities Commission (HUAC), the Weavers, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, blackballed, playing for the farm workers, finally vindicated and allowed to re-enter the entertainment world, another giant of American music. And so while I was captivated by the movie, another regret grew in the fertile depths of my subconscious, that being that I had never gone up to see any of Pete's Clearwater/Save the Hudson folk festivals. For more than a decade I had promised myself that I would get up to Croton-On-Hudson and catch Pete before he couldn't be caught and of course, I didn't and then it was too late for that dream. It was only a couple of hours away but every year I would just forget about it until the festival had passed and eventually Pete died and there was another opportunity wasted and another regret born. So there I was with a couple of major fuck-ups, both of which were highlighted and amplified by this great movie.
But then last week my youngest daughter, Cassie, and her husband, John, asked me if I wanted to go see the movie again. My wife, Cary, wasn't interested in seeing the it a second time, but I sure was. So we went into town for the 3:45 pm afternoon show. There was no one else in the theater other than the three of us and with me being a solid Senior Citizen and getting a discount on the ticket and a free medium popcorn, we settled in for the 3 hour trip down my memory lane. The first time I watched the movie I was concentrating on Timothee Chalamet's performance as Dylan, which was riveting. I've always been a big Dylan fan and I have seen him play with the Band, the Grateful Dead and a couple of times with his own band. But seeing the movie the second time I found myself really paying attention to Monica Barbaro (Baez) and Ed Norton (Seeger), who's characters were just as important to the whole Dylan myth as Dylan himself. As we left the theater I actually felt that a heavy weight (actually two heavy weights) had been lifted off my shoulders. It was was though seeing the movie a second time had balanced the scales of my guilty conscience and wiped those two slates clean. I realize now that you should never waste a chance to connect with your heroes when the universe presents the opportunity.
Baez didn't take vocal lessons herself until 1979, over 20 years into her career. She has regretted not starting very early like Judy Collins whose voice has shown little deterioration over the years.
Thank You, reading your post this morning, helped me at least imagine that I was there, back then, hip, confident, doing the real thing !
I had hoped to see you perform, for the first time, last summer at the Russian River gig, any chance you’ll be doing that this summer? Had I known you were so close last Saturday I might have come to see you, I’m in far North East Minnesota.
I was fortunate enough to go to the Sweet Relief fundraiser last night. It was very inspiring and a great night of music. I had no idea you had a Joan connection!
I dreamt last night I had tickets for tonight's show - to see the woman IRL. I don't and I won't, but I'll enjoy walking my dog tonight knowing one of my heroes is nearby, in my town, singing her heart out with my other favorites by her side. Chuck, I just love your stories - like a better-than-real uncle who hasn't yet shared his best one. I for one, am tuned in and listening attentively...
Very much looking forward to tonight's show at the Stoughton Opera House. We saw you some years back when you played a gig in Beloit, Wisconsin and later during one of your trips to Knuckleheads in Kansas City when we were on a road trip that included your performance and a visit to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. I hope you're well and that I'll have a chance to examine your merch. Still need to obtain your latest recording. Let's do business! Regards...John Graf and Mary Easland, Beloit, Wisconsin. Peace.
Damn! What a super fun read! I love musician stories so much. It’s so sweet to imagine you & Stephie and the others making history—our ilk’s history! And, great way to drop crumbs on a trail that leads to me watching the JB doc. 💕
What a nice saving distraction from my grind today. Please, please please tell me you are working on a song about an unbroken Chris and Plummer taping bus fairs, smoke rings, and how you were in heat for a Graham Parsons record..... fingers and toe toes crossed. Thank you for being Chuck and give 'em all the what for out there on tour!
I saw “I am a Noise” and got a good chuckle from hearing Joan talk about Bob and his reluctance to do what she wanted him to do. She also had a good part in the new Dylan movie, which I saw twice. Like a Gregory Peck movie, 'll see him in anything. I'll stand in line.
Sadly, I had planned to see my 10th CP show on Saturday in Wisconsin. But Mortality hit close to home this week and I can’t make the trip. I will miss all that good music and those cheese curds. I hope y’all tear the roof off. I will catch a show when the band is back stateside.
The documentary is on my list. Thanks for the reminder. I’m going to try to get into the show this weekend. Cross fingers. Anyone has an extra ticket. Let me know please and thank you.
I loved reading this. I saw Joan at SFO and we were both moving quickly and dragging bags. I had the new cd "unhinged " and wanted to give her one- she said "just put it my mouth," grabbed it with her grin, and we continued on our trajectories.
Love this story. What year was the photo snapped? And which venue? I’d love to hear more about your time in Austin (lived there from ‘98 to ‘21).
Another classic story, Chuck. Both films are on my list (I'm always playing catch-up on films). Looking forward to The Cluny gig tomorrow night in Newcastle. I had tickets for The Cluny gig on the last tour, but a clash of commitments was resolved by travelling down to Sheffield to see you at The Greystones instead, with my daughter Grace, who's at university there - a memorable night, including a chat outside with you and Stephie, before the gig (Trip in the Country group chat) and a mention during the intro to You Did - still can't believe that actually happened! Anyway, since then, I've moved to Newark-on-Trent, so I'll be getting the train up to Newcastle later today. Got tickets before I knew the move was on; Greystones would have been nearer! Would have gone to both, but alas, sold out - unfortunate for me; great news for you, and as it should be for the whole tour!
See you tomorrow.
Pete C
Good morning Chuck. Not sure how many words can be accommodated in your "Comments" section, but here is my Joan Baez story of guilt, regret and redemption, in several related parts. We saw "I Am Noise" last summer at the East Hampton Regal Theater. Along with the documentary, Joan was appearing live on stage for a "Q and A" session, which was an unbelievable bonus. Having been born in the middle of the "baby boom", she was one of my heroes and certainly a hero of the counter culture. Really, as laid out in the documentary she was everywhere, did everything and knew everybody. Dylan, MLK, David Harris, Woodstock, the cover of Time magazine. She seemed to have been at all the important corners of my life. This was going to be special.
We decided to eat dinner before the show and went to a little restaurant then known as Rowdy Hall, which was tucked into an alley off of Main Street, a couple of doors down from the theater. We were sitting inside and watched as two women sat down at a table outside under the trees
I didn't have a straight-on view, but one of them looked a lot like Joan Baez. I got up from the table and shifted my line of sight and sure as shit, there was Joan Baez sitting there chatting with a woman who would be revealed as one of the documentary filmmakers. Now, having successfully stalked, in varying degrees, Jimmy Buffett (and his manager), Bill Kreutzman, Richard Thompson, Chris Hillman, Brian Wilson, Rob Barraco (keyboards in Dark Star Orchestra), GE Smith, and a couple of other musicians I loved, I can be charmingly ballsy in a nice, Libra-ish, non-threatening way. But as we sat there I couldn't muster up the courage to go outside and tell her what a force she had been for my generation. I didn't want to interrupt her and I sat there and agonized over my paralysis. This wasn't like me. I could usually strike up a conversation with my musical heroes if I had a good story that was relevant to the prey I was stalking. But I couldn't think of anything to say to her beyond "Thanks for your service during the Culture War" and then she got up and entered the theater and the moment was lost.
The documentary was great and the live Q & A was enlightening, but ever since, I have deeply regretted my reluctance to approach this iconic personality and I considered it the squandering of a rare moment to connect with someone I wanted to connect with, even if only for 30 seconds, just to let her know how important she was to a lot of people. As the man said, you can't always get what you want.
Fast forward to just before Christmas. We are back in the Regal watching "A Complete Unknown", the Dylan bio-pic, which is an amazing piece of colorful if somewhat fictionalized history of four crucial years in my life and the lives of a million or so of my contemporaries. The performances were mesmerizing, especially Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, another one of my heroes growing up. Pete's resume includes "Rainbow Quest" on WNET, (generally on at 7 pm on Thursdays or sometimes on Saturdays), the House Unamerican Activities Commission (HUAC), the Weavers, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, blackballed, playing for the farm workers, finally vindicated and allowed to re-enter the entertainment world, another giant of American music. And so while I was captivated by the movie, another regret grew in the fertile depths of my subconscious, that being that I had never gone up to see any of Pete's Clearwater/Save the Hudson folk festivals. For more than a decade I had promised myself that I would get up to Croton-On-Hudson and catch Pete before he couldn't be caught and of course, I didn't and then it was too late for that dream. It was only a couple of hours away but every year I would just forget about it until the festival had passed and eventually Pete died and there was another opportunity wasted and another regret born. So there I was with a couple of major fuck-ups, both of which were highlighted and amplified by this great movie.
But then last week my youngest daughter, Cassie, and her husband, John, asked me if I wanted to go see the movie again. My wife, Cary, wasn't interested in seeing the it a second time, but I sure was. So we went into town for the 3:45 pm afternoon show. There was no one else in the theater other than the three of us and with me being a solid Senior Citizen and getting a discount on the ticket and a free medium popcorn, we settled in for the 3 hour trip down my memory lane. The first time I watched the movie I was concentrating on Timothee Chalamet's performance as Dylan, which was riveting. I've always been a big Dylan fan and I have seen him play with the Band, the Grateful Dead and a couple of times with his own band. But seeing the movie the second time I found myself really paying attention to Monica Barbaro (Baez) and Ed Norton (Seeger), who's characters were just as important to the whole Dylan myth as Dylan himself. As we left the theater I actually felt that a heavy weight (actually two heavy weights) had been lifted off my shoulders. It was was though seeing the movie a second time had balanced the scales of my guilty conscience and wiped those two slates clean. I realize now that you should never waste a chance to connect with your heroes when the universe presents the opportunity.
Baez didn't take vocal lessons herself until 1979, over 20 years into her career. She has regretted not starting very early like Judy Collins whose voice has shown little deterioration over the years.
Thank You, reading your post this morning, helped me at least imagine that I was there, back then, hip, confident, doing the real thing !
I had hoped to see you perform, for the first time, last summer at the Russian River gig, any chance you’ll be doing that this summer? Had I known you were so close last Saturday I might have come to see you, I’m in far North East Minnesota.
We are definitely returning to our Russian river festival
I was fortunate enough to go to the Sweet Relief fundraiser last night. It was very inspiring and a great night of music. I had no idea you had a Joan connection!
I dreamt last night I had tickets for tonight's show - to see the woman IRL. I don't and I won't, but I'll enjoy walking my dog tonight knowing one of my heroes is nearby, in my town, singing her heart out with my other favorites by her side. Chuck, I just love your stories - like a better-than-real uncle who hasn't yet shared his best one. I for one, am tuned in and listening attentively...
Very much looking forward to tonight's show at the Stoughton Opera House. We saw you some years back when you played a gig in Beloit, Wisconsin and later during one of your trips to Knuckleheads in Kansas City when we were on a road trip that included your performance and a visit to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. I hope you're well and that I'll have a chance to examine your merch. Still need to obtain your latest recording. Let's do business! Regards...John Graf and Mary Easland, Beloit, Wisconsin. Peace.
The line “It was like we were driving an eighteen wheeler around a garden party.” got a read aloud to my partner.
Thanks for sharing.
❤️💪🎶 good read! Thx!
Great to see the both of you in Cleveland, my old friend
Damn! What a super fun read! I love musician stories so much. It’s so sweet to imagine you & Stephie and the others making history—our ilk’s history! And, great way to drop crumbs on a trail that leads to me watching the JB doc. 💕
What a nice saving distraction from my grind today. Please, please please tell me you are working on a song about an unbroken Chris and Plummer taping bus fairs, smoke rings, and how you were in heat for a Graham Parsons record..... fingers and toe toes crossed. Thank you for being Chuck and give 'em all the what for out there on tour!
I saw “I am a Noise” and got a good chuckle from hearing Joan talk about Bob and his reluctance to do what she wanted him to do. She also had a good part in the new Dylan movie, which I saw twice. Like a Gregory Peck movie, 'll see him in anything. I'll stand in line.
Sadly, I had planned to see my 10th CP show on Saturday in Wisconsin. But Mortality hit close to home this week and I can’t make the trip. I will miss all that good music and those cheese curds. I hope y’all tear the roof off. I will catch a show when the band is back stateside.
The documentary is on my list. Thanks for the reminder. I’m going to try to get into the show this weekend. Cross fingers. Anyone has an extra ticket. Let me know please and thank you.
Really nice historical rumination Chuck. Immensely enjoyable. I have not seen the Baez documentary but it is now on my list.