They say you live once, but I felt it wasn’t enough for me so I went for another round. Never mind the circumstances that made me be unsatisfied in my first round and the circumstances that led to the end of it. Those will be elaborated later on or you can simply Google it —it will satisfy your appetite. The circumstances which led me to have a go at another ride are the really interesting ones, and I will detail them as well below and in the future.
I always dreamed of chasing concerts and festivals in Europe, being a true fan as seen on TV and in film, wander from town to town, follow my favorite bands and meet fans like me. It’s always a pleasure to meet someone who likes the same band with the same passion. And if they like the same song as you, that song just becomes better, and of course, you have to play it now…immediately.
This year it happens.
I’m almost thirty, no longer young but I still have enough juice for adventures. This year I am going on my journey about music, festivals and my favorite band, Pearl Jam as well as (but not exclusively) Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Madness, Foo Fighters, The Cure, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink 182, Garbage, Feeder, Biffy Clyro, Deus, Snow Patrol, Darkness, Kasabian, Drop Kick Murphy’s, Incubus and many many more. Just writing the names of these bands makes me excited. I close my eyes and imagine myself there, in the audience, surrounded by drunken youths in an air of of sweat, singing together with everyone, embracing strangers and just living the moment in full power. It is only in such moments, one can truly understand the power and influence of music on people. I feel like I am living in a Cameron Crow movie.
It begins on June 20th - the Isle of Wight, England. A few days before this, I will be speaking in London to a Jewish congregation about the circumstances that brought me here and where am I going to take these circumstances, as far as I can. In recent years, I gave a lot of these lectures. The adventure will end in late August at the Reading Festival in England again. In between, I will hitchhike across Europe to where the road takes me on my way to the next show. I will head up north to Norway and east to the Czech Republic. Most of the way I will be with Tom and Amotz who will join us for parts of it. We will visit friends we met in previous years at festivals and on our trips around the world, and they will join us for a show or two. Have I already mentioned how much fun it is to meet another fan?
For some of you, this may seem the easiest thing, but it is not at all. This is the most difficult physical burden. To be in so many shows, deep within the crowd, in such a short time is accompanied by many blue marks, hoarseness, fatigue and the absolute loss of power. Therefore, I decided to make my body and my mind ready for the mission and get fit. These words I write to you from the Dominican Republic. I came here a month ago for that reason. Most of our mornings here, Tom is here with me, and we start the same way. Running or walking on the beach, Yoga and then we grab a fresh coconut from Jose, our Coconut guy. Then, fresh coffee, reading and playing guitar. The day is soon interrupted with lunch and an episode of Californication. On good days I can even throw in a good nap. Then, another round at the beach, fresh coffee, some sit-ups and push-ups and then, Rum, a lot of Rum. I also really smoke a lot, so forgive me. For some of you this may seem the easiest thing, and indeed it is.
It’s approaching noon and I want to return to my book, Henderson the Rain King before launch and Hank Moody. So I’ll leave you guys here and I will get back to you with some stories from the Caribbean and about the past. I’ll tell you about John, my alcoholic neighbor who claims he wrote most of the songs in the world, but when he’s with his pans in the kitchen of his restaurant, he is nothing else but a culinary genius. Or Shauna, who decided to leave home and become a stewardess, and now is waiting tables on the beach for 15 dollars a day. And Katie, who heard it all. Or Peter, a retired American diplomat and his antipathy for Israel. In short, a lot of characters decorate our daily routine here and you will hear about some of them and some I will keep for myself.
So ‘till next time
I always dreamed of chasing concerts and festivals in Europe, being a true fan as seen on TV and in film, wander from town to town, follow my favorite bands and meet fans like me. It’s always a pleasure to meet someone who likes the same band with the same passion. And if they like the same song as you, that song just becomes better, and of course, you have to play it now…immediately.
This year it happens.
I’m almost thirty, no longer young but I still have enough juice for adventures. This year I am going on my journey about music, festivals and my favorite band, Pearl Jam as well as (but not exclusively) Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Madness, Foo Fighters, The Cure, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink 182, Garbage, Feeder, Biffy Clyro, Deus, Snow Patrol, Darkness, Kasabian, Drop Kick Murphy’s, Incubus and many many more. Just writing the names of these bands makes me excited. I close my eyes and imagine myself there, in the audience, surrounded by drunken youths in an air of of sweat, singing together with everyone, embracing strangers and just living the moment in full power. It is only in such moments, one can truly understand the power and influence of music on people. I feel like I am living in a Cameron Crow movie.
It begins on June 20th - the Isle of Wight, England. A few days before this, I will be speaking in London to a Jewish congregation about the circumstances that brought me here and where am I going to take these circumstances, as far as I can. In recent years, I gave a lot of these lectures. The adventure will end in late August at the Reading Festival in England again. In between, I will hitchhike across Europe to where the road takes me on my way to the next show. I will head up north to Norway and east to the Czech Republic. Most of the way I will be with Tom and Amotz who will join us for parts of it. We will visit friends we met in previous years at festivals and on our trips around the world, and they will join us for a show or two. Have I already mentioned how much fun it is to meet another fan?
For some of you, this may seem the easiest thing, but it is not at all. This is the most difficult physical burden. To be in so many shows, deep within the crowd, in such a short time is accompanied by many blue marks, hoarseness, fatigue and the absolute loss of power. Therefore, I decided to make my body and my mind ready for the mission and get fit. These words I write to you from the Dominican Republic. I came here a month ago for that reason. Most of our mornings here, Tom is here with me, and we start the same way. Running or walking on the beach, Yoga and then we grab a fresh coconut from Jose, our Coconut guy. Then, fresh coffee, reading and playing guitar. The day is soon interrupted with lunch and an episode of Californication. On good days I can even throw in a good nap. Then, another round at the beach, fresh coffee, some sit-ups and push-ups and then, Rum, a lot of Rum. I also really smoke a lot, so forgive me. For some of you this may seem the easiest thing, and indeed it is.
It’s approaching noon and I want to return to my book, Henderson the Rain King before launch and Hank Moody. So I’ll leave you guys here and I will get back to you with some stories from the Caribbean and about the past. I’ll tell you about John, my alcoholic neighbor who claims he wrote most of the songs in the world, but when he’s with his pans in the kitchen of his restaurant, he is nothing else but a culinary genius. Or Shauna, who decided to leave home and become a stewardess, and now is waiting tables on the beach for 15 dollars a day. And Katie, who heard it all. Or Peter, a retired American diplomat and his antipathy for Israel. In short, a lot of characters decorate our daily routine here and you will hear about some of them and some I will keep for myself.
So ‘till next time