Category: News

It was, as they say, 20 years ago today.  Georgia and I are in Olympia, WA, playing a duo acoustic set at Yoyo A Go-Go (and boy is the internet undecided about the correct punctuation).  However it’s my appearance two days earlier that causes the bigger stir, landing me on the front page of the newspaper.  Modesty compels me to note that there might have been other factors contributing to the media deluge, specifically it being the first time that Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl had shared a stage since the death of Kurt Cobain.  I had signed on to play guitar with the Stinky Puffs, fronted by Jad Fair’s then-wife Sheena’s son, Simon (and including both Jad and Sheena in the band).  Half Japanese, you may recall, had toured with Nirvana, and Simon had written a song about Kurt called “I Love You Anyway.”  Can’t recall when I first heard Krist would be involved, but I know for sure that he was in the dressing room with us beforehand, running through the tunes.  Dave joined the group during changeover.  A second drum set was located and that was that–I believe he is the only person I’ve ever been in a band with that I’ve never met.  Perhaps someone with better search engine skills than mine can find the live photo that names the band from left to right, identifying Eric Eble (who relinquished his bass to Krist, and joined me on guitar) and me as “two others.”

 

 

 

Four years ago on this day, we opened for Wilco in Coney Island at the Cyclones’ stadium.  Was fun playing both our set and joining Wilco on “Spiders (Kidsmoke),” but I have to say my favorite part of the night happened offstage.  The path to our dressing room was through the third-base dugout.  When some people applauded for us as we left the field, I instantly realized this was likely to be my only opportunity to take a baseball player’s curtain call, so I emerged from the dugout, waved to the fans, and went to the trainer’s room to ice my hammy.  Three years later, we opened for Belle & Sebastian in Pittsburgh while the Mets played the Pirates next door to our venue.  Hated to miss the game (which the Mets lost 4-2), but we were very happy to have auxiliary B&S members C. J. Camerieri and Max Moston sit in on “Before We Run.”  Anna writes from Toulouse, so unsurprisingly she has nothing to say about baseball, but it does include a return to Brooklyn:  My first “live” encounter with Yo La Tengo took place in Summer 2006, back when I used to live in New York City.  I was lucky enough to catch your amazing concert in Prospect Park, where you performed a goosebump-inducing soundtrack to Jean Painlevé’s “legendary but rarely seen” series of underwater documentaries.  My friend Joan and I left the concert in a state of awe, and I did not realize I had lost my wallet until I reached the subway station.  I tried my luck and went back to the park entrance, where security directed me to the band’s merchandise stand.  There, a man handed me over my precious wallet, and I profusely thanked him while checking out credit cards and banknotes, and luckily nothing was missing.  I caught Joan gaping in wonder, and as we headed back to the station he blurted out: “It was Ira!!!  It was Ira who gave you back your wallet!”, and as I turned around, sure enough it was him, the kind person who smiled at me, and was now chatting away and helping out at the stand.  This anecdote only reinforced my love for the band, and having moved to Florence, Italy, I could not miss your intimate concert at the Auditorium Flog, in November 2009.  It was another wonderful experience, and I truly hope to “meet” you again in the future, wherever I am in the world, as I always come out of your concerts renewed.

 

Four years ago today, we were in Lincoln Center, participating in a three-night series starring the Blind Boys of Alabama.  We play three songs, all rearranged for the occasion, concluding with a version of “More Stars Than There Are in Heaven” accompanied by the Blind Boys singing backup, Marshall Allen and a half dozen members of the Arkestra wailing away, and Lambchop’s Tony Crow on Hammond.  Then we backed Lambchop, Exene Cervenka and Jim James.  Was Jesse from New York there?  I’m guessing yes, though it doesn’t come up in his email about a show eight years earlier: Not being hep enough to make my way to Hoboken for the first Hanukkah, Prospect Park in the summer of 2002 was my second YLT show since moving back to New York the previous summer.  What I remember quite fondly: Running into very old friends on the lawn, hearing lots of songs I didn’t recognize, a Monkees cover I did, as well as a cool segue into a beautiful Sounds of Science piece, and coming to the realization that I should probably make an effort to see YLT way more often.  What I remember mostly: That I somehow sat in gum, which affixed itself to my beloved desk chair when I got home that night and never quite came out, leaving a rubbery black splotch that I looked at every day subsequently when I sat down to work.  The chair may or may not have later been thrown out a window.

 

We’ve printed a lot of your memories over the last six months, and have yet to include any correspondent’s full name.  But then we heard from Luscious and Stotto Cretin and to quote their email: well, you know.  11 July 2003 is the date we most remember in our YLT history.  We have seen you play since then (Chicago, Des Moines, Iowa City, Los Angeles, Omaha) and have enjoyed each and every second of every song played ever . . . and we fucking mean it.  Anyway, in 2003, we had recently moved to Basel, Switzerland and, as avid bicyclists, when we found out that YLT would be playing Montreux on 11 July and the Tour de France would be having Stage 7 finish in Morzine on 12 July, we thought . . . THIS is harmonic convergence . . . we can see both!  It just could NOT get any fucking better than this!  We really mean it.  WE REALLY FUCKING REALLY MEAN IT!

This was to be our first YLT show . . . we were “YLT virgins” . . . hoping that Summer Sun would be played from start to finish . . . or, at a minimum, “Tiny Birds” would be played, which every time we hear it feels like you nice people are reaching into our chests and gently holding our hearts.

So . . . we work out our schedules and make all the arrangements . . .and when the day comes to board the train in Basel to head for Montreux we feel we are the most fortunate people that have felt the earth’s dirt between our toes.  We reckon that we should over-party this because, well, you know.  We buy food and beers at Basel SBB and party the hell out of the train ride . . . when we arrive in Bern we get a bit disoriented (party induced) and miss the fucking train to Montreux . . . which we reckoned would not be a problem as, well, YLT would clearly close the show in the Miles Davis venue so we had plenty of time!  Anyway . . . we do get on the next train and upon arrival in Montreux take a taxi to our B&B . . . throw our bits out of the taxi and head to the festival!

When we arrive at the festival, we set our priorities . . . 1) we need cash to buy alcohol and 2) we need to see YLT rip apart the universe.  As we stroll around the venue looking for a cash machine we hear in the distance a few riffs that suddenly have us a bit worried. . . .

Stotto remembers it as: “Double Dare”
Luscious remembers it as: ‘I Heard You Looking’

. . . but it does not really fucking matter as we have absolutely no idea now what the set list was (we are in our 50’s . . . and the shit we don’t remember!), but to the best of our recollection this is the conversation that then occurred:

Luscious: They are playing now!
Stotto: No fucking way, they would not be on stage now, it is too early!
Luscious: Can’t you fucking hear that!
Stotto: It is an advertisement for later!
Luscious: Let’s get the fucking beer and go in now!

We get the beer and by the time we get in the venue we see you wonderful and most excellent people play “Nuclear War” in its entirety . . . and then walk off the stage finishing your set.  Please do not misunderstand us . . . please do not get us wrong. . . it was great!  But if we could pick one song we would hear you play . . . Luscious would pick “By the Time It Gets Dark” and Stotto would pick “From Black to Blue” . . . such magic.  BUT if we could only hear you play one song . . . anything you played would be, in the words of Phil Lesh, “just exactly perfect.”

I hope you each remember the lovely moonset on Lake Geneva that night.  It was spectacular.

With absolute love and adoration from your Cretin Family . . .

Luscious and Stotto Cretin

We were the first of three that night at the Montreux Jazz Festival, opening for Mogwai and Tricky.  “Tiny Birds” was in the set, but we played neither “Double Dare” nor “I Heard You Looking.”  I must admit I remember the Fredde Mercury statue a lot better than the moonset.

 

On this day over the years we’re in the midst of:

1992 – playing our way home from the My Bloody Valentine tour, tonight in Columbia MO.

1995 – broiling our way through Lollapalooza, today due west of Columbia in Kansas City.

1997 – Europeaning our way through Europe; outdoors in Groningen NL we convince Vera‘s Peter Weening to sing “Action Time Vision” with us.

2012 – recording Fade in Chicago with John McEntire

2013 – touring with Belle & Sebastian, tonight’s set Philadelphia complicated by our rental van breaking down one agonizing mile before we reach the venue.

 

Fourteen years ago today, we’re playing a short run of shows in Europe, traveling in a van and a car.  Georgia and I arrive in Duisburg, Germany and are told that while driving on the autobahn, the van was flagged down by a passing motorist, who somehow communicated that the back door was open.  Luckily, whatever carelessness led to no one actually latching the door was offset by a painstakingly solid pack, and not one piece of our equipment fell out.  Nevertheless, the mood was tense, and not being helped by the combination of an outdoor show, pouring rain, and a roof over the stage leakier than the Brazilian football team’s defense (pow!).  We hedge our short-circuit bets by leaving the keyboards for a dryer day and play without a set list.  No such problems at Mass MOCA five years later; when the threat of inclement weather forces our outdoor performance of The Sounds of Science inside, the only water is on the screen.