So we saw Robyn Friday night at the Bottom Line. I took a bunch of pictures of everyone, so those will be coming along soon... Jet! (who prefers his real name remain a mystery) was there, and he took a number of very fine pictures with his digital camera, so hopefully he will share them with the list.

Tony B and Kate were there, and we all received some VERY FINE CDs from Tony-- THANKS!! They're GREAT stuff...Tony is such a cool guy-! They went with us to see Shane McGowan and the Popes on Saturday night as well...but more about that debacle later...

So Robyn was in rare form Friday night. Lots of good stuff, lots of crazy covers, and he was talkative and quite funny. The particulars:

1.) Shirt: Black and white polka dot
2.) Blinking: Profusely, especially during second show. My new theory is that he does it to count time, sort of like a blinking metronome.
3.) head flipping: Moderate.
4.) head flipping variation: with 2 pairs of glasses on head
5.) Saturation of Paste Eating Geeks in audience: Immeasurable
6.) baskets of fries consumed: 4
7.) quality of fries: poor to moderate

Highlights:
1.)This dumb-looking guy with a BLEEDING WOUND on his neck was sitting in front of Robyn and he kept hooting and yelling things out (loudly) at inappropriate moments. He actually made Robyn wince a few times.
2.) Fegs in attendance: Jet! and a couple of his friends, TGQ, Woj, Chris G, Jon F, Tony & Kate, and Ferris. Our friend Judie was there too-- she's a semi feg now.
3.) Jon brought Robyn a giant turnip, and we threw it on the piano bench for him right before the encore. He goes, "Is this a giant radish or are you just happy to see me?"
4.) THEN, TGQ stands up and hands him his copy of Ulysses. Everyone yells out that it's Bloomsday, so Robyn opens to a page and does a reading to a psychedelic cover of "Astronomy Domine". That was COOL!
5.) I imagine that the recordings of the show may include the following dialogue: "Give Robyn the turnip now!" "I'm not going to do it!" "Go on, you're sitting closest to the stage!" "No way! make Allen do it!" "Allen! Give Robyn the turnip!" -song begins here...

But the adventure truly began the next night when we went to see Shane McGowan. It was me, Judie, Chris, Allen, and then we met up with Tony and Kate at a bar around the corner from Irving Plaza (New Yorkers will know it as that crappy "number bar" with the big Elvis poster right next to backstage). (Drinking at the bar was actually
the highlight of the evening, as we were soon to find out.) Shane McGowan was an HOUR AND A HALF late!! Tony and Kate left after about 45 minutes, and I left after an hour and five minutes. It was MISERY...the crowd was rowdy and hostile, with lots of big asshole guys shoving everyone around and trying to pick fights. And the longer we waited, the more hostile and DRUNK everyone got! I was so glad that I left... you'll have to ask TGQ or Chris for the rest of this tale, but apparently the crowd started throwing beers, and someone bounced a full beer off of Shane's head... ( I went home and watched Saturday night Live. I think it may have finally happened: I'm too f**king OLD and CRANKY for this kind of sh*t!!!!)

-- LJ


I wasn't expecting a good time In fact I had almost been arrested; I reckon that's one reason why I just gave Robyn my book bag and ran. Well, basically, I gave it to the guy at the club, and he passed it along, but you get the idea I had met Robyn once before, up in Piermont (great place for a show; if you were not careful the opening act might poke your eye out with her bow!) He seemed very kind. And of course I was very silly and gave him a Love t shirt and asked him for a hug; but what surprised me then was how kind he seemed, and talkative, not hard to get with. I would not have thought it so, to be plain. In some of his songs Robyn can be rather daffy (Certainly Clickot anyone?) but focus in on the truth with unerring precision: "Most people haven't got brains" As Robyn noted in a 95 MTV interview, he'd have no problem in writing a song if he had something fantastically witty to say; and of all the songs on Star for Bram, this (1974) was one of them!
Back to the Bottom line. So I give Robyn - well, I tell the man at the club that I should like if he gets my stuff to Robyn, give it all in a bag so maybe they don't TAKE anything; I mean, who wouldn't stroll off with a Syd t shirt, not to mention of dozen tapes of Syd/Nick Drake outtakes; I know if I saw a tape with takes 1 and 2 of wined and dined on it, it'd be gone in a minute pronto!
Anyways, so I pass out, watch the show. Enjoy company, notice all the beautiful women around. AS IS MY WONT. I'm totally exhausted and have had a bad day. In addition, I haven't slept for quite a few days cos I've been making all these tapes for Robyn off Cd-r.
So I'm exhausted. I'm still pretty up for the first show, but for the 2nd, all I can do is sit there and flirt outrageously with this gorgeous girl Steph (ah Steph! where are you now girl?! )
Now, I've never seen Robyn play piano, so its a real treat for me. He strolls over. But then he does the REALLY surprising thing of strapping on a harp Then begins a song no one knows - I used to love you. And a surprising Flavour of Night (no harp on this one kiddies)
As the plaster falls down from the ceiling with the dwindling of clamorous applause, I wish I liked you follows immediately on guitar, and it sounds really nice. I don't really like Bram; its a strange record, and I can understand why it wasn't commercially released. But - God! how good the songs sound on their own; no wonder Robyn's always despised overproduction, and wanting to just CUT a song, and always loved demos (Indeed some of his demos are beyond beautiful - Raymond chandler eve)
Again no talk (or not much of it anyway) before the harp goes on for Queen Elvis. A great song but GOD! its nice to hear the harp on it for a change!