Greetings from Den Haag, mostly known in ‘merica as The Hague. But it’s really Den Haag (yep, pronounced like Hog). It’s quiet, green and cool. I pulled an epic sleep yesterday—rare for me, as I rarely sleep enough—it was a veritable Tommy Womack-esque sleep binge. We’re talking 8 straight hours of Z’s. Got up for supper (thanks Joanna and Jodie!), and went back to sleep for 8 more splendid hours in the arms of Morpheus.
I feel like two new men as I type away. I took a 3 hour walk around Den Haag. Sat on a park bench eating some bread, cheese and apples, while cute Dutch dogs on their walks begged for some of my food. A happy waste of time.
I’m lazing around now for a few minutes before we head off to our first gig of this short tour of the Netherlands.
I have been in a whirlwind all year, a blurry flurry of travel, of switching gears between shows and recording sessions, then writing, back to an airport or on a long drive or dragging gear and luggage through a train station, to another gig, to a session, writing…beginning to play with a new band, Trigger Hippy. Getting geared up for more Emmylou Harris touring. My own shows. This tour with Brigitte Demeyer and Chris Donohue. Some DADDY shows. It’s never boring. But once in a while I just get sapped, zapped, bitch slapped and crapped out. Yesterday was one of those days. And for once I did the right thing and slept until I was back in good shape to start it up again.
I don’t know why I’m the guy that says yes to too many things. Ask Michael Corleone. He knows.
I have been catching up on Juliana Hatfield’s music. She is such a great writer and has such a cool sound. I’m a fan. Byron House recently turned me on to Juliana’s band Some Girls and their first album “Feel It”, which my family and I have enjoyed a whole lot. A world in which “The Prettiest Girl” is not a hit is a strange and foreign world to me. Ms Hatfield must feel the same; she is writing and recording and painting and drawing, but apparently not touring anymore.
And while here in Holland, I revisited some Bettie Serveert songs, like “Tom Boy” and “Under the Surface”. Great jangly rock music.
See you at a show in the Netherlands, or back stateside. Cheers, Will