gluttony and GLEE

i just got in..
what, might you wonder?
well
i caught my train
waited
listened to the most recent Snow Patrol album
and though it has gone Number 1
i was very disapointed:
they lost all the fun
all these stupid serious “love” songs
how can anyone have that much trouble?
and not learn a fucking thing?
album after album
at least their first album was fun..
but what?
the flight was packed!
except the back row and emergency exit aisles
for some odd reason
so i took my own space and relaxed..
amsterdam was a rainy mess when i arrived
i’d never seen it so wet and grey
coming down hard…
i helped a transplant new yorker into the city
poor guy
— from what ticket to buy, to which platform to get the train on
how can a new yorker be so oblivious? (he’s really a midwesterner)
then i stomped through the rain
had to wait for the number 5 tram
so bought a gevueldekoek
my favourite
(marzapan filled butter cookie)
then came to Sebastians.
http://www.sebastianholzhuber.nl
we sat and talked
he showed me a book he wants to publish
all about his friend Helena
… the many works he’s done with her
so many beautiful images
though i said only few were “sleek” enough to be in a Taschen book
(as we were joking about that)
… but it took some explaining of what i meant by that…
“sleek” art
the kind that is superficially attractive to the eye
enough to draw your attention
THEN you can disburb them!
Sebastian loves using mature people in his art
many people i find very beautiful
but are just not included in a market dominated by youth culture
which is what makes his work so powerful too…
will he ever be famous?
who needs it..
but money
we need
buy his art!
anyway
flipping through the book
an image really struck me
of a person bound up in gauze
with Helena resting against the head..
a skull and bone in the bottom of the field.
then he told me that was me!
shocking
i hadn’t realized
i love sebastian…
but i was tired
so i lay down
and napped for four hours!
wonderful
seeing i’d only slept three hours last night
had to rush off to the airport..
hmmm
so i got up
and spent some time trying to figure out where the hall was that Radiohead were playing in tonight
it was impossible on line
but i figured it out from an old fashioned paper Map
and decided to take the gamble.
i rode the tram through the rain
to the metro
took the 50 out to Bijlmer
and walked to the Heineken Music Hall…
packed with people milling about
people trying to sell tickets
people wanting them..
prices about €120 each
though one sold for 50 right after i got there
i walked around in circles…
til some kid (named Nick) walked up to me and said he knew some guy who was trying to sell THREE
and would only sell them together
and wanted about €100 each for them
damn
all i brought with me was 60
and i did that on purpose
so i wouldn’t waste lots of money
… i’d already had to swallow a good deal from the Edinburgh gig..
he understood
and though i tried to help him out by sending people his way
he ended up taking me along
once his friend arrived
and put up the rest of the money
so i got in for 60 Euros
and a promise i would share all the web links that have all of the concerts from this year available for download
no problem.
meanwhile
i walked around looking for food
i had €5 left
but no good
i just found a happy water fountain
so drank and drank.
the show was excellent
so much better than the Edinburgh gig
but i was very tired near the end
even with my nap
so when it was all over
i got all i wanted
and i shuffled into the train to go home
(after giving my email address to a nice Egyptian boy who promised to give me the videos he shot that night)
but i skipped home
and went to Liedseplein to get a shawarma
coz i hadn’t really eaten anything all day
but the cookie
and some bread and cheese Sebastian had given me
i was tired
but i was hungry
and i ate
and talked with the proprietors
they tried to con me a bit
but the food was great
and i was so happy to walk around the plein
i love amsterdam
i do i do
i’m so happy to be here
i’m so fucking tired
i’m going to bed.