I have little doubt that this will prove to be one of the most memorable things I read in 2008. From Nick Flynn, the writer with whom Buffalo Tom collaborated on the song, “Father Outside (Ink Falling).”
I’d love to hear reaction. In fact, I would love to see any note from folks to see if anyone is checking in here apart from mentions in my email newsletter. A blog no one reads is like a town with no cheer, or a tree falling in the forest, or as Nick might say, “the falling is the tree.”
Nice to see some of you out there in D.C. and N.Y. Hope to see more of you next weekend.
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Bill, I check every couple of days (even during the lengthy hiatus), so there’s at least one person reading.
I read your blog through Google Reader so I don’t have to remember to check back 😛
Come to Toronto!
Bill, your blog entries are eagerly awaited up here in the North of England, so please do keep it up! Also, I loved the London gig back in December, thanks for coming over (no pun etc). The Nick Flynn article is unlike anything I’ve read before & it took me a while to slow down and listen to what he is saying. It also took me an hour to read and re-read it, and I’ll probably be another day in digesting it. Anyway, you wanted comments, so … I was moved by the almost dispassionate, un-dramatic way he describes torture, and in doing so makes the subject even more vivid. And the concept of what we all might be capable of under certain circumstances – the Jeckyll & Hyde, or releasing whatever lurks in our primitive brain – is fascinating. The idea of impermanence stretched me – I saw it the other way, that rain will always fall and wind will always blow (and the falling will always be the tree!) so I maybe need to think more about that. And “all living things have shoulders” –well I’m sure that is a great metaphor, just not quite sure what for yet! Glad I took the time to read it, excellent link.
just finished the esquire article. still processing. I probably won’t ever stop. Like Mike I had to slow myself down, to get the tempo. It was worth it. Thanks.
Bill-the DC show was great. You guys rocked. I enjoyed Drew and Revival too. Please don’t wait 7 years to come back! Rock on.
Caught the BT early show at Joe’s Pub last weekend – the Blondie cover blew me away. Great Westerberg story too.
I have a gear question: which model Guild acoustic was that? I’m in the market to replace my aging Takamine. Plus, I’d imagine that your Guild is responsible for some of the sweet acoustic bits on some BT tracks?
Thanks everyone!
Oh yes, it is a Guild JF-30. Circa 1990, I think. It has been used on probably every record since LMCO.
I read your blog, too. Hope to see you in germany. the cologne gig in november was awsome.
maybe i can travell to barcelon to see you on a festival. there are some rumours…..
I check in quite a bit.
I read the entire article. My perception of Ms. England always had been the dumb farm girl who got caught up in the vortex that results from the volatile mix of masochistic men with idle hands and nothing else but idle time. I could envision something more sinister but that photo of her with the but hanging out of her mouth giving the hook em’ horns was too familiar. My time in a fraternity taught me that such events as human folly are not just plausible they are pretty common. It does seem that she was more than just a rube now… she might just be the most perfect patsy since Oswald.
I meant “sadistic”. The implication from my poor grammar would be the prisoners asked for it. Yikes.
bill. i found my way to your website while trying to find info on nick flynn after reading his superb esquire piece. can’t quite articulate why it’s so damn good, but probably a combination of several things. the mix of memoir and current affairs, the spare beauty of some of the writing and themes (birth and death, all living things have shoulders etc.), the pain, both personal and third-person [prisoners]), the touch of humour (former prisoner taking a picture). the illustrations were also excellent.
anyway, enough of that. in the nineties, during my university days in south africa, i was huge buffalo tom fan; even carrying home a large cardboard stand promoting sleepy eyed from the record store where i worked. happy to see you guys are still making magic…
I actually had the honor of meeting Nick Flynn. I went to his reading for "The Ticking is the Bomb" a couple weeks ago at Book Soup in Hollywood. Amazing memoir and an wonderfully intelligent and humble man. Extremely innovative and refreshing.