Readers of taste will remember today's title from a DJ Shadow album. It is sampled from a recording of a gentleman who went to Memphis, Tennessee "in order to purchase some automobiles". Leaving Memphis yesterday I decided DJ Shadow suited the mood -- and then he went and name-dropped the very "sun-deck of the Peabody Plaza Hotel" that I had just been in!
Well OK, I didn't actually stay at the Peabody: at $200 a room it is a bit beyond my budget. I *did* however see NIN among others at the Voodoo music festival in the baseball arena opposite, and afterward hung out with some Chicagoans who *were* staying there. And I used the phone in their lobby. So it was a rather strange coincidence to have it name-checked the following day on an album I'd had for years...
After crossing Kansas, which wasn't really as big as I'd expected, in St Louis I met up with my former schoolfriend Paul Seet who now lives in Chicago. We hung out for a week, taking in Anna, Illinois (home of Bunny Bread), Paducah, Kentucky (home of nothing in particular), and Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee. People started talking funny nearly as soon as we hit Kentucky.
It turns out that although Paul and I have a lot in common (like our names, and our school years), he is an American in ways that I am not. I see eating out as an opportunity to relax, enjoy good conversation, soak in local atmosphere, and sample interesting local cuisine. Paul sees it as a necessary evil with the aim of consuming as quickly as possible food the quality of which, from the brand name posted outside, can be predicted with complete accuracy. I see sleeping as a necessary evil which must be done to make the next day pleasant, and should cost as little time and money as possible. For Paul it is the key part of the day, where he can relax in the personal space which is for a short time his and his alone, safe from the marauders and risks of the outside world. I find Interstates boring and depressing, unlike their ever-interesting and more leisurely cousins, the state and county roads. Paul prefers the Interstates for their efficiency to the ever-stressful twists and turns of the back-roads.
So just these three differences: and apart from that we agreed that it was nice to see each other. I characterise him as 'American' in these preferences (predictable food, comfortable beds, efficient transport) because it seems that America tends to agree with him in these respects. Hence the rise of the Brand, favourite antihero of the lazy liberal. I prefer the unexpected, the unusual, the interesting. So do some other people.
I can't think of any kind of useful conclusion however. And although it is the first rainy day in a week of hot sunshine (I got sunburned Sunday at the show!), hence stopping by the library to update y'all, I should really get out and see something of Chattanooga. Perhaps the Choo Choo (although I favour the Civil Rights/Trail of Tears museum). So how about you, gentle reader, putting your own conclusion in the comments?
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1 comment:
Is that a hint that we're not leaving enough comments? ;-)
Seriously impressed by the Loleta you came across, and Dolores. Less impressed about you not realising I would be impressed by the above too.
Can just imagine Paul expressing all the opinions you mentioned, most amusing. I think my conclusion would be that you are enjoying the process of things, the getting there, rather than Paul, who doesn't have your current open end. Hence the Interstate makes his journey to his destination easier, and eating fuels him on his way to his destination.
Sound good?
Simone
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