Weird… I’ve gotten a couple of spams today that had my OWN address as the "sender".  Both were ads for Viagra… no attachments, so I don’t think this has anything to do with the Klez worm.  One of them seemed to originate from Korea, and the other from AOL, but they both had the same x-mailer in the header: "The Bat! (v1.52f) Business".  Strange!!  If I get any more I’ll run ‘em through Spamcop.  Haul those headers in for questioning, as they say.

The show went great!  Perfect weather, not a cloud in the sky.  There were just thousands of people, I have no idea how many.  Somebody guesstimated 3000 but I’m really bad at judging crowds.  But it wasn’t so bad to play in front of them!  I was shitting bricks before I had to go on, both times.  Standing on the ramp to go onstage and feeling like I had to shit, piss, vomit and pass out all at the same time.  But then Jon Langford is such a goofball, I don’t think it’s possible to be very nervous on the same stage as him.  I think I was the only one in the whole PVC’s that claimed nervousness or who hadn’t actually played in front of that many people before.  I sang alright though.  No huge problems, maybe just a little wiggly in places.  You may interpret all this to mean that I did fine.  :-) I’m always nervous before I play, but it usually disappears once I start, and today was no different.  The sensation of being in front of a jillion people wasn’t substantially different than being in front of 100, or 350 or whatever it is that a "big show" would be for a gal like me.  Everyone was spread out through the park, sitting on blankets or milling around, so it wasn’t nearly as "crowded" as it would feel during a sold-out show at a rock club.

Lots of Cosmonauts showed up.  Kelly Hogan was there, but not Chris Mills or Brett Sparks.  Didn’t see Laura & Tracey Dear either. Jenny Toomey and Jean Cook were there though.  Jean lives in NYC and played violin on my 2nd album Telescopic.  Every time I see her in Chicago I get the big mental spazz… "I know I know this girl… it looks like Jean but it can’t be!!" Until finally I realize it IS her.  And I’ve done this two or three times now, when will I get over the fact that the girl can travel if she wants?  The context is wrong at a PVC show… "Hey, you’re not country, I’m only supposed to see you at INDIE shows!"

So, who else was there.  David Yow, who’s always great.  He always calls me Elizabeth!!  Because he thinks it’s funny, and it is sort of funny. He’s more of a charmer than a dickweed, I’ll put it that way, heheh.  I’ve probably told this story before, but he’s only razzing me because the 2nd or 3rd time I met him, he accidentally called me Elizabeth and I got all irate about it.  Well, it was more funny than anything, I was just yapping in his face "My name’s EDITH, NOT ELIZABETH!!!!" with this total "OMIGOD!!!" expression on my face.  As IF.  LOL.  So, every time he sees me, he wants to see if he can get me start yelping at him again.  Well I’m plenty gullible but I’m not gonna fall for that one twice!

Oh hey… I got to meet Rosie Flores!  Of course I’ve seen her play before but never actually met her.  I was genuinely thrilled.  The rockabilly filly herself!!  I saw her open for Wanda Jackson one time in New York (with my pal Lauri Tyeryar) and she fuckin’ ripped.  I mean she shredded on guitar, wailed on vocals and just tore it all up, man.  She was so sweet to me today.  We’re from the same hometown now that I think of it; I should have mentioned that.  I was obviously geeked out over her and even tripped over a folding chair in my excitement, she had to catch my arm…!!!  Whoah there little lady…

It’s pretty exciting to hang out backstage at a big outdoor thing. I definitely love seeing those hot celebrities, and hopefully taking their picture.  I did have my camera today of course, and got about 20 shots, most of them pretty good.  Somebody took a picture of me and Rosie and Jon Langford, but I look horrible in it.  Boooo!!  I had my teeth bared in a grimace of overexcitement.  I got lots of other good pics though, of John Rice (PVCs), Janet Bean (Freakwater), David Yow (Jesus Lizard), Jenny & Jean, Rebecca Gates (Spinanes), Puerto Muerto.  Even got a picture of two of the Throat Singers of Tuva, in their street clothes.  They did a set before the PVCs, it was really neat-o.

I always avoid outdoor fests like the plague (as an audience member) but I sure had fun at this one.  The Old Town School folks were super nice. They had a big tent for us to hang out in, and food, and lots of mirrors and even little spray-bottles laying around.  I mean like, different flavors of BODY MIST.  They must think we’re going to get all stinky up there and need a little spritz!  "Ummm… we’re not going to say you’ve got b.o., but there’s that bottle over there in case you feel the urge…"

After the show John and I wandered up to Laurie’s and got suckered into some purchases.  I got the latest Gillian Welch, which I think I actually have already, but if I do it’s laying around somewhere where I can’t find it.  So now I have it FOR SURE.  :-) John got the new Sonic Youth on vinyl.  And I got a used DVD… an old horrible wonderful 70s movie that I used to really love called Audrey Rose.  John made burgers tonight and we watched it.  It’s got some hilarious moments.  Marsha Mason (The Goodbye Girl, right?) played the distraught mom, poor thing.  "B-b-but… it’s… a… night… mare…!! ::whimper::!!" Her daughter Ivy’s body houses the reincarnated soul of Anthony Hopkins’ daughter Audrey Rose, who died in a fiery car crash two minutes before Ivy was born.  The poor child is losing sleep because she keeps morphing into the dead girl every night.  She wakes up (as the dead girl) and starts freaking out, thinking she’s trapped inside the burning car, beating her hands against the glass etc.  When Ivy finally dies at the end of the picture, Anthony Hopkins says… "She’s free now.  Free!  Her soul is free!  It’s free.  Free!  Her soul is free.  Free." ad nauseum.  My only question is… if the soul was so tormented in Ivy’s body, why’d it go there in the first place?  After the car-crash, why didn’t it go chill out in some Heavenly rest-stop and wait a few years and THEN get reincarnated?  But no, she had to shoot herself into Ivy’s body, ruin her life and ultimately kill ‘er.  But her soul is free now!  Free!!

I really want to be Audrey Rose for Halloween some year.  I’d wear a nightgown, bandage up my hands and run around in circles shrieking, and run around to all the windows banging on them whilst yelping continually.  I already have this imitation down cold, believe me!!  I can do other scenes too, like where she’s staring in the mirror saying… "Hey Audrey.  Audrey Rose… hey… Audrey… Audrey Rose… Hey…" Or another one where she’s under hypnosis and says "Mommy.  Mommy.  Mommy.  Mommy… Mommy?  Mommy…!!  Mommy!!!  MOMMY!!!!" As you can see this film is all about using repetition to drive its point home.  :-)