Good morning. I just returned to room 420 at the Quality Inn Dallas (Market Center). I made up a great jingle for Quality Inn, should they desire a musician to record something for television spots. Well, it goes something like this: “Quality Inn: All that’s missing is the quality!” It’s not funny if you can’t hear it, so ask me to sing it for you.
Today I woke up in Tulsa and decided to hit the road rather quickly so I could make some stops along the way and soak up the scenery. Having never visited a place like Oklahoma, pretty much the entire state was a gift waiting to be opened and explored. The directions that AAA sent me were dead wrong, but by now my inherent sense of direction has become strong enough to figure out how to get from place to place without the aid of a map. It’s quite simple, really. I just keep going south and then west. Eventually I’ll be going north and then east. See? Driving is easy. And fun!
I headed out of Tulsa over the Arkansas River. I started on Route-75 South, which winds its way through different small towns and “cities” (they use that term very loosely in Oklahoma). Most of the state is green and beautiful and filled with wide open space. When I came to an intersection, I would stop momentarily to see what surrounded me before deciding whether anything was worth exploring. There were plenty of roadside fruit vendors. Peaches and watermelon seemed to be the most popular options. There was a swap meet, but I held out for some antique shops (look! a fake rabbit marriage) and Paul’s Western Store, where I purchased my weird token souvenir from Oklahoma: a belt and big, ironic buckle. Like Missouri (and Indiana, and Ohio, and Illinois, and Kentucky) there are some beautiful farms in Oklahoma, as well as cattle ranches, cattle auctions, stud farms, quasi-pornographic gas stations… you name it. Of course, there are still more decrepit areas, remnants of dust bowl era depression squalor. You probably learned all about it in school but you didn’t pay attention. You should’ve read The Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck was a genius. I tried to take a picture of a horse for Mike McGoff but this was the closest I got. There were many periods where I felt wholly serene, blanketed in warmth and beauty from the lush, halcyon surroundings. Then 40 miles of construction. Then pretty again. It’s like a series of waves.
Eventually I found my way into Texas (worst moving photograph ever), and navigated my way to the Quality Inn.
I showered and got dressed before heading out. It was about 8:30 when I parked my car off Parry Ave. and found my way into The Meridian Room. I seated myself at the bar and ordered a three-cheese grilled cheese sandwich, a pint of Boddingtons and a bottle of Fat Tire. The total bill was something like $6.25. Insanely cheap. When I exited I walked next door to ACME, where Bubba and Matthew Barnhart (owner of The Echo Lab) run a CD manufacturing business. Bubba showed up a few minutes later and gave me a brief tour of the building and spoke about the work that they do before we launched into our interview.
For those who don’t know him, Bubba Kadane and his younger brother Matt are the masterminds behind two incredible bands, Bedhead and The New Year. They’ve been making music in some capacity with one another since their childhood. We spoke for over three hours about pretty much every conceivable topic. The complete history of his bands, childhood and adult life in Texas, the state as a hotbed of artistic innovation, world travel, US history, books and more. It was a blast. I think we both had a lot of fun. The drive back through downtown was pretty, but my camera was not cooperating, hence some very blurry and trippy photos.
Tomorrow I’m going to explore downtown Dallas. I have one place in particular I want to go, and Bubba recommended some places to eat. He also gave me some places visit in Austin, including Waterloo and 33 Degrees (record stores) and some BBQ locations (Ruby’s or Stubb’s). He told me I should take time to go to San Antonio and see the Alamo and Riverwalk. If someone cancels, I might have time to drive to Driftwood or another small town, but as of now I’ve got a pretty busy schedule. He painted a great overall picture of Texas as well as being very forthcoming with information about the band (from history to technical aspects and recording details). It was intensely interesting and filled with fun. But also extremely tiring. When I’m settled somewhere that has nothing to offer (here’s looking at you Abilene!), I’ll transcribe some of our chat for y’all. By the way- I hope you liked the Jeff Mueller tidbit. That wasn’t nearly the most interesting part, it was just the first four pages out of what are sure to be at least a thirty or forty page interview. A lot of typing lays before me.
music listened to today:
!!! – Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard (A True Story)
Sunn o))) – Flight of the Behemoth
The Rapture – Echoes
Out Hud – S.T.R.E.E.T.D.A.D.
Nirvana – Bleach
Six Organs of Admittance – School of the Flower
Rachel’s – Handwriting
The Pixies – Doolittle
Brian Jonestown Massacre – Bravery, Repetition and Noise
The Tower Recordings – Galaxies’ Incredible Sensual Transmission Field of the Tower Recordings
Explosions in the Sky – The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place
The Byrds – Sweetheart of the Rodeo
